SYTYCD 7: Las Vegas “Special Mentions”

So while watching the show, again (and again and again)… I noticed that after the first solos of Vegas Week and cutting twenty-odd dancers, the judges called up about fourteen dancers because they believed that this group of dancers deserve a “special mention”

I don’t know if this was ever done in a previous Las Vegas week, but I found it kind of intriguing that they called out fourteen dancers (five men and nine women) for a special mention because the judges seem to like them a lot… is this an indication of who could possibly be in the Top 10 this season?

Of the names and faces I was able to catch:

Women (9):
– Giselle Peacock (New York) – Ballroom
– Ida Saki (Dallas) – Contemporary
– Alicia Clifton (Dallas)
– Arielle Coker – Contemporary?
– Lexie Contursi (Los Angeles) – Contemporary [black jacket w/ white zipper, off-white flower patterned top]
– Lauren Froderman (Los Angeles) – Contemporary/Jazz [green top, black shorts, shorter blond hair]
– Rebecca Hart (Dallas) – Contemporary [blonde, black two-piece w/ white overlay top (same outfit from Dallas auditions)]

Men (5):
– Billy Bell (Las Vegas) – Contemporary
– Alex Wong (Las Vegas) – Ballet
– Anthony Burrell (New York) – Contemporary
– Kent Boyd (Ohio) – Contemporary
– Dujuan Smart – Contemporary

If anyone could help complete the list, that’d be great… Just leave a comment or contact us with information!

The judges are known to have favorites from season to season, and those that don’t make it for any reason in a particular season, are known to come back in a future season. Some come back multiple times (Hok Konishi, Bianca Rivels), some were given free passes to Vegas week (Phillip Chbeeb, Nathan Trasoras), or some have worked with the choreographers before (Lauren Gottlieb) or they happen to be related to past contestants in some capacity and as thus know the judges/choreographers via association… so even if any of the above don’t make it this season, the fact that they already seem to have caught the eyes the judges I wouldn’t be surprised if we see them in a future season.

[Addendum] So I was watching last night’s episode again and couldn’t help but wonder, had Adechike Torbert not danced tap during the morning solos of Vegas week… and instead danced contemporary… would he have been part of the “Special Mentions”? At the same time, had he danced contemporary instead of tap, he may not have had the opportunity to “dance for your life”. What’s done is done, but it’s fun to speculate!