The good people over at SYTYCDism found an interesting video where a bunch of the contestants from SYTYCD season 5 talk about the SYTYCD 5 tour. Check it out:
I didn’t check every city, but at first glance it seems like there are still SYTYCD tour tickets available in most cities.
SYTYCD Alums Hokuto “Hok”Konishi and Phillip “PacMan” Chbeeb just popped up yesterday on YouTube with a new dance video! The video, entitled Office Life, was created and filmed over a three day period and centers on three office employees that “raise hell in furious protest to their mundane, frustrating nine to five job. they make quite a mess in the process. :)”
Fun Stuff!
Enjoy!!!
[Via Phillip Chbeeb’s channel on YouTube]
This is a nice little interview of Jeanine Mason, Mary Murphy and Mia Michaels after Jeanine Mason was announced the winner of So You Think You Can Dance.
The most interesting part of the interview for me was that Jeanine said she was going to give a big chunk of the money to a charity (smart move to avoid some taxes). Nice thought, but it’s not just any charity. Jeanine says it’s the “Making Memories” Alzheimer’s charity which she and her sister started in honor of their grandfather. I searched to try and find a website for the charity so other people could go and support it. Does anyone know the website? If they don’t have one, I’m willing to collect donations for them if they like.
As a side note, Pure SYTYCD and my other website, Pure Dancing with the Stars, has been considering putting together some sort of community effort to support dancers. Probably partner with some organization like the DizzyFeet foundation. The goal would be to support dancers who would never have the possibility to take dance classes and not just dancers who are going to take more classes. If someone has connections for that, let us know.
Ok, now the other interview of Jeanine Mason for all to enjoy:
Here’s a list of other upcoming TV Appearances:
Monday – Live with Regis & Kelly – 9am Eastern- Local Listings
Monday – It’s On with Alexa Chung – 12pm Eastern- Local Listings
Monday – Late Night with Jimmy Fallon – 12:35 Eastern
Phillip Chbeeb tweeted the following about SYTYCD on Jimmy Fallon “On my way to NY to perform my sytycd “mad” piece with jeanine Mason (Monday on the Jimmy Fallon Show)”
UPDATE: Here’s Jeanine Mason’s interview with TV Guide
Cailtin and Phillip are real professionals in this SYTYCD elimination videos. They just really seem to have their heads on straight and have it all in perspective. I’ll admit that I was completely biased to Caitlin at the start, but she never wow’d me after that and so she kind of faded when other dancers started to rise. So, I wasn’t as sad to see her go as I thought I would be. However, just watching this video below she is a stunningly beautiful girl. I’ll be interested to see what she does with her life in the future.
Phillip is awesome and he also seemed like he was ok with going home when he did. Phillip mentions he’d love to be back to do some choreography for the show. I’m not sure how that would work. His choreography is awesome, but it kind of requires his unique talents to make a lot of it happen. Would be fun to see if it would work or not.
I’m really looking forward to seeing these 2 dance on the So You Think You Can Dance 2009 tour. I should also mention at the end of this video Caitlin talks about whether her sister will be back on So You Think You Can Dance season 6. Check out Caitlin and Phillip’s SYTYCD elimination interview.
This week is REALLY hard, so I cheated a little and checked out y’all’s comments on John’s music post. Thanks for all the help, all of you! One thing I have to say about the non-dancing part of the show was I love, love Cat Deely’s dress last night. And I’ve never noticed before, but doesn’t she seem to have a lot of pockets on her dresses? Last night’s definitely did, she kept sticking her hands in throughout the show. Cute.
Now to the couples:
Jeanine & Phillip – I’m loving Jeanine more and more and of course Philip rocked in his style. This was the best hip hop of the season, in my opinion and I think it gives this couple’s legion of fans an excuse to keep them faaaaaar away from the bottom 3 this week.
Janette & Brandon – Brandon won me back with their intro video and then with his emotional response to the overtly staged “apology” from Mia Michaels (he must be working with her soon). This routine was smoking! Great song, great choreography and great dancing. I think they’re safe.
Kayla & Kupono – Okay, you got a routine about vampires, a song from the Twilight soundtrack and Sonya. Kinda seems like it couldn’t fail, especially because good dancers were in the mix. I like Kupono’s dancing better with Kayla (though I really liked Ashley). Kayla is stunning. And Kupono matched her step for step in this piece.
Melissa & Ade – Pointe shoes! Awesome. It was beautiful and really cool to see. I thought Ade did a spectacular job when you consider how specialized classical routines are and it’s not his style. But it kinda felt like a gimme, like a routine you couldn’t judge against the others. I almost felt like I was watching one of the professional routines on Thursday. Which is a compliment, but also not (am I making any sense). It didn’t feel like a SYTYCD routine to me. I did enjoy it, a lot.
Randi & Evan – I really, really don’t want to put them here! I love this couple and I liked the routine. But you could feel that it lacked some of their normal vitality. There were numerous great moments (starting with Evan’s slow handstand across the table), but I think they’ve been flying high for several weeks and are probably due for a bottom 3 landing (temporarily). I don’t think (and really hope) they won’t be going home. They’ve been near the top every week, so hopefully that and their solos will save them.
Caitlin & Jason – I don’t want to write this one either. I didn’t feel the piece (it was weird!), but I do think the two of them danced their hearts out with what they were given. Those costumes, especially Caitlin. WTF? The moment I saw them walking into the room with Brian Friedman, I thought, “Oh, this could be really good or really, really, really bad,” and when he said “You’re an alien who came down to Earth…” I kinda wanted to throw up, I was so scared for them. They showed a lot of good sportsmanship and personality at the end, facing the judges, so maybe that will help them. But, they have been in the bottom 3 several times…
Karla & Vitolio – I still don’t like Vitolio, though I do agree he’s growing and demonstrating more personality every week. I like him more when he’s dancing and Karla has really, really grown on me. I loved the quick change and Karla in general throughout the piece.
In the end, I suspect that it will be Caitlin and Vitolio that go home. Or perhaps Caitlin and Jason, since they’ve both gotten a lot of flak and have ended in the bottom. I love Caitlin, so this is a sad conclusion for me. But I don’t want Randi and Evan split up before the Top 10 and Karla has been doing better and better every week.
TV Guide.com has done a Power Ranking of the Top 14 individual dancers, some of which I agree with and some of which I don’t. They place Jeanine and Karla in a tie for the bottom of the Top 14, when both girls have been gaining steady popularity AND the girls (in my opinion) are far stronger dancers than the boys this season. Nice to see TV Guide liked our idea for power rankings.
You helped me create this week’s Power Rankings, so let me know if you think I got it right or not.
It’s a bit early for the Top 10 switcheroo, but having 2 out of 3 eliminations result in new couples has got me thinking.
Who do you think would make interesting couples when the switch does happen (assuming anybody left is still around)? And while we’re at it, do you have a strong suspicion that an eliminated dancer would have faired better with a different partner?
I’m curious to see what would have happened if Paris and Brandon had been partnered. I liked her – she seemed goofy – and I wonder if she could have brought out that side of Brandon that I haven’t seen in him since Natalie got cut Vegas week.
What about Jeanine and Evan? They strike me as a couple that could be really fun and amazing together. Or Kayla and Evan – would that be dance heaven or a total disaster?
Caitlin and Ade could be interesting together. I like her and Jason together, but Ade seems like a good mix of silly and strong and that could be really good for Caitlin.
What would a Tony and Janette pairing have looked like? I almost can’t fathom it. Or Kayla and Tony? Perhaps he could have learned a lot from her, become a stronger dancer and lasted longer.
I like the Randi-Evan pairing a lot, so maybe it’s blasphemous, but what do you think she’d dance like with Jason? Or Phillip? Or Phillip and Kayla?
I’d love to know what you think!
Hi y’all, I’m Emilie. John has been writing so many wonderful posts the last few days and trying to bring in new blood for Pure SYTYCD, it’s no wonder he’s a bit behind on time. He asked me if I’d like to do the power rankings this week and I jumped at the chance!
This will be my first post, so if you’d like to know more about my SYTYCD thoughts before now, you can read my personal blog. I’ve been a fan of Pure SYTYCD for a while, so I’m excited to get this opportunity.
Let me say, in the interests of full disclosure, that my power went off right as the show was coming on last night. I had to convince my neighborhood bar to turn one of the t.v.s to FOX in the middle of the LSU-Texas game and then watch the routines without sound. So who knows how that’s affected my first take? It was certainly interesting. I’ve re-watched all the routines today and I was surprised to see that my general feelings about the routines held true, for the most part.
With no further ado:
1. Randi Evans and Evan Kasprzak – I just plain love this couple and it seems like a lot of people do as well. Even when the judges seem to be searching for things not to like, I’ve never been disappointed with them. And the Mia Michaels gorgeous insanity factor was in full swing with a routine focused on a booty. This routine was incredibly sexy and fun. I think the only way Randi and Evan won’t be safe is if people assume they’re okay and don’t vote.
2. Caitlin Kinney and Jason Glover – I wasn’t always a fan of Jason, but I adored Caitlin from day one. I’ve come to love Jason more with every routine and they have incredible chemistry together. They’ve also had the opportunity to dance really memorable routines. Yes, it was pretty theatrical and perhaps over-the-top, but I think they’re more than safe. Hopefully everyone who loves them voted.
3. Melissa Sandvig and Ade Obayomi – On my blog, I said that I tend to forget Ade when he’s not right in front of me dancing. I don’t think I will anymore. I was ambivalent about this couple for a while, sometimes loving them and sometimes not really liking them much. But they’ve had several weeks of good chemistry and fun routines. I really liked their rumba. And I think enough people feel strongly about them and enjoyed this routine that they’re safe as well.
4. Kayla Radomski and Kupono Aweau – We were all concerned, I feel safe saying, about this new pairing. Especially after the way Kayla cried when Max got cut. And then the Viennese Waltz can be so dangerous—it seems like people are either bored by them or really impressed. But I think the chemistry was right on, the dance was gorgeous and they’ll win some favor because they danced so well together their first week. And everyone loves Kayla and wants to love Kupono.
5. Janette Manrara and Brandon Bryant – This one is the hard one for me to predict. I loved aspects of this routine and I liked it better the second time I watched it. But Brandon didn’t seem to show a lot of personality or strength till halfway through. I don’t tend to like Brandon on the performance shows as much as I did in Vegas. But I love Janette and she sold it for me throughout, even when she seemed a bit silly. It might come down to the Brandon-Phillip fan bases, in the end.
6. Jeanine Mason and Phillip Chbeeb – I’d like them to be higher up and perhaps their fan base (Phillip’s in particular) will save them. I thought the routine was really cute and fun. However, the judges didn’t love it and they had tango last week, where Phillip clearly struggled. And… America doesn’t always love Broadway (I tend to, but I seem to be strange that way). So I’m worried about them. I think Phillip is cute and has the room to grow, but I actually like Jeanine more. Despite the teddy bear thing.
7. Karla Garcia and Jonathan Platero – I liked their hip hop last night! But I think they’re in danger. The judges have been particularly hard on hip hop routines this season (and in some ways, rightly so, though there’s been at least one little thing I’ve loved in every routine). They just seem really…humble in a bad way while they’re accepting their critique from the judges. Like they know they’re not doing their best. They should be doing better in the competition. They’re gorgeous, have some good chemistry and are both really good dancers. I hope they don’t go home, but I do suspect they’re in danger.
8. Asuka Kondoh and Vitolio Jeune – I was pretty mad they got saved by that waltz. It was a pretty cold routine and really hard to connect with emotionally. I make no bones about the fact that I don’t like this couple, but it does seem like they’re not connecting with audiences in general the way the judges seem to hope they will. I liked them better in their interview (but that’s not saying much), but they tend to be really stiff in their routines, like they’re constantly posing for still photographs rather than presenting a fluid routine with story and character. This continued with their Mandy Moore thrash rock jazz (?). While I hate to root for anyone to go home, I like everybody in the rest of the couples, so they’re my choice to leave this week.
What do you think? I’d love to know.
“Are we getting a little sick of Mary Murphy? YES, WE ARE!” Credit to kdbennett I think someone should go through and count how many times Mary Murphy says “Yes, we are!” Does she do that to reassure herself that other people agree with her? Maybe I should stop writing about Mary. She makes me sick.
Caitlin and Jason have got to be the prettiest couple ever on SYTYCD.
Is Randi Evans mormon? Springville, UT is like 98% mormon so I’d think she is. I can’t imagine how she felt about the butt routine. I’m watching the Utah newspapers for an article about this.
In a surprise for me, Kayla and Kupono actually put together a very nice routine with nice lines. Probably not enough to get votes, but I’m surprised that Kupono didn’t bother me more.
Janette Manrara enjoys being a loan officer? She’s the best looking loan officer I’ve ever seen.
Was it just me or did Brandon look like he had 2 locks in his locking. It felt a little awkward and almost spastic.
Will Melissa and Ade ever stop shocking me with good performances? I keep thinking their going to fall off the cliff sooner or later. So far they’ve shocked me with how good they’ve been every week. Only couple that I think has gone 3 for 3 on awesome dances.
Ok, I’m off the Asuka and Vitolio wagon (can’t be a band wagon since they never were on it). I really wanted to like Asuka and Vitolio. Not sure why, but I thought I should like them both. Just not happening for me anymore. I’m done.
Karla has become my favorite dancer of this season. I can’t think of much I don’t like about her.
Jonathan might have become my least favorite dancer. He just looked awkward.
The judges slammed Jeanine and Phillip, but I don’t think America will. They got lucky with a pretty interesting routine by Tyce.
It’s that time again for me to rank the 9 couples that remain on So You Think You Can Dance. Remember that these rankings aren’t a ranking of who danced the best last night. It’s not based upon their technical dancing ability. It’s not based upon their talent. It’s not even based upon their popularity. It’s based upon all of those things. At least that’s the goal. Take a look at this week’s So You Think You Can Dance power rankings or look back at previous SYTYCD power rankings to see changes.
1. Randi Evans and Evan Kasprzak – Looking through the list, I tried to find the couple that deserved the top spot in this weeks power rankings more than Randi and Evan. However, Randi and Evan just couldn’t be topped. They had a solid performance. No doubt the Jive was the perfect platform for these 2 fireballs. Evan reminds me a bit of Benji Schwimmer as far as fan following. I think that Benji’s performance ability was a little bit broader and more appealing than Evan’s, but the fan following for Evan is very Benji like. Randi isn’t quite as popular, but all the Utah fans will be voting for her. No doubt they deserve the top spot this week.
2. Kayla Radomski and Max Kapitannikov – The judges were completely right about Kayla. She fully embodied her performance this week. I think Kayla and Max were ranked a little lower last week since Max got his own style. In a nice surprise, Max really showed America that he can do other styles quite well. Kayla and Max also lucked out to get Brian Friedman’s choreography. As a side note, if you liked Kayla’s costume in this dance, check out the second video down on this post. My only fear for this couple is that Max might not be popular enough to stay at the top. However, between their strong dance and Kayla’s popularity they deserve the second spot, for now.
3. Jeanine Mason and Phillip Chbeeb – Some might wonder why Jeanine and Phillip are at number 3 on my list after such a poor performance. Phillip wasn’t good at all in this, except for his face. I thought Jeanine was serviceable. However, they are both so popular, I couldn’t drop them any farther. I wanted to put Melissa and Ade above them, but compare the personalities of Jeanine and Phillip and Melissa and Ade during the judges comments. It’s like a night and day difference and something about Jeanine and Phillip draws people to them. They are just great on camera.
4. Melissa Sandvig and Ade Obayomi – Another really strong performance by Melissa and Ade. They were lucky to get Sonya’s choreography, but they also executed it so well. I wanted to rank them even higher on the strength of their performance, but I just don’t see America falling in love with Melissa and Ade yet. Plus, America likes the underdog and Lil’ C gave Ade the kiss of death by calling him a favorite this early.
5. Karla Garcia and Jonathan Platero – These two created what will be one of those memorable SYTYCD performances thanks to new choreographer Stacey Tookey and the most popular song of the evening, “Falling Slowly” 
. There performance wasn’t flawless, but there were a few moments in the dance that just left your mouth open. Performances like this should really help Karla and Jonathan in the popularity department as well.
6. Caitlin Kinney and Jason Glover – 2 really lovable and popular dancers, but their performance last night was just off. Something just looked off when it came to Caitlin’s legs. I’m not sure if she was flat footed or didn’t bend them enough to really get into it. It just felt off at a number of times. Caitlin is super flexible though. Wow! I did expect these 2 to really connect on this performance like they did in Bollywood, but they didn’t.
———————Line of Death….Known as the Bottom 3———————————
7. Janette Manrara and Brandon Bryant – I may regret putting these 2 in the bottom 3 since they are quite popular. I just don’t think people enjoy the disco performance much at all. I really think Janette outshined Brandon with her disco like facial expressions. Her smile could be seen even from the long camera shots. Janette does deserve major credit for the amazing V leg lift. Another Wow!
8. Ashley Valerio and Kupono Aweau – I still think people aren’t buying Ashley (which makes me want to vote for her) and Kupono hasn’t been as strong as I would have expected. Their performance was just off. It had to be dead on synchronized and it just wasn’t. It’s too bad, because this performance synchronized would have been pretty good.
9. Asuka Kondoh and Vitolio Jeune – The judges gushed over this performance. Mary even cried (not that I believe anything she does is really that authentic). I enjoyed the performance. They had some nice lines and moments. However, it wasn’t a memorable waltz like when Jean Marc Genereux did one for his children (I think it was LaceyKherington and Twitch last season). That’s 2 weeks in a row that I think they got unlucky with their draws. If these two are in the bottom I think it’s a sure thing that Asuka goes home. Since the judges gushed over Vitolio’s story, he might survive another week.
Those are my thoughts. Let’s hear yours in the comments.
I previously posted a poll asking for people to vote for their favorite dancers from the SYTYCD top 20. We’ve had almost 3000 votes on the poll and the results of the poll are quite interesting. Take a look at this chart of the voting results and below it I’ll add some commentary on the results.
First, I have to of course point out that this poll includes all of the SYTYCD season 5 top 20. Paris and Tony are already gone, but even that’s interesting. Paris was the least popular person and so I guess that’s why no one has come to the site complaining about Paris going home. Tony on the other hand was more popular than Paris, but still was near the bottom.
I’m not surprised at all that Asuka and Vitolio are near the bottom. After their first performance that makes a lot of sense. Ashley for some reason has never been popular. Maksim doesn’t have the looks he needs to be more popular (see Dmitry).
I should mention that the voting results are probably a little bit skewed in Jeanine Mason’s favor since I’ve had a lot of people coming to my site after searching for Jeanine Mason’s name. That said, you have to give Jeanine credit that a lot of people are searching for her name on Google. If they didn’t care about her, they wouldn’t be searching.
Anyone who thinks that Evan doesn’t have a great shot at winning this season is crazy. This poll shows that. Phillip seems to have a nice fan following thanks to his previous performances on the show.
I’m a little surprised that Caitlin Kinney actually got more votes than her partner Jason Glover. I would have thought for sure that he’d be more popular than Caitlin (even if I’m obviously bias to Caitlin myself). Although, from the looks of it Kayla Radomski is quite popular herself.
Another surprise for me is Pono Aweau sitting in the middle ground. I would have thought he’d be a bit more popular than that. Maybe it will just take some time for people to get to know him. Although with that said, I think he could potentially rub people the wrong way.
All in all, I feel pretty good about these poll results predicting which people will make it to the top 4. We might see one or two people shift a little, but the top slots do seem to be some of the best dancers and the most popular ones as well.
