I’ve never bothered to read all the details, but apparently there’s a program you install, and it dials the phone numbers for you when you vote and keeps track of how many busy signals you get – the theory being, the more times a contestant’s number is busy, the more votes that contestant is getting. The data from all the people with the program get aggregated and then they predict the order of finish.
It’s at DialIdol.com if you want to know more.
Added: The number is directly related to the number of busy signals, but I don’t know if it’s a count or percentage or what.
I assumed that Evan would be in trouble. Apparently I’m mistaken. His solo number was startlingly good, and contrasts to the mediocre showing he’s made (at least, from the judges) in his partnered routines.
I didn’t notice, until the group number, that he was the only white guy left.
Emmy Nominations are in and SYTYCD pulled in 4 for Choreography: NappyTab (“Bleeding Love”), Mia Michaels (“Mercy”), Tyce Diorio (“Adam and Eve/Silence”), Dmitry Chaplin (“A Los Amigos”).
Regarding the comments about Evan sticking out, or being described as a “milk shake” or “light bulb”, I wonder if this is one of those “okay to be racist against a white male” situations?
What sort of outcry would there be if Ade were the lone black guy in a group Russian Folk Dance number and he were described in that manner?
I think there’s a difference between “racism” and “not pretending to be color-blind”. Nobody (here, or on the show) said anything derogatory about Evan, other than noticing that he was the only white dancer in an African dance routine…which is blindingly obvious, not racist.
I actually liked Kupono’s solo better than Brandon’s. And I just *liked *Ade’s & Kayla’s solos on first viewing. But it’s not “so you think you can choreograph,” & I didn’t weight the solos so very highly.
I love paso doble, & Randi & Kupono danced it passably. But yeah, they have too much tough competition for a merely good paso to win.
At the other end of the taste scale, I really have no love for Hair, but Brandon & Melissa did well with it.
Still, I’m not really rooting for Randi sans Evan, nor for Melissa, now. And I have a really hard time warming to Kupono, though he has great body intelligence. Brandon’s gained some grudging respect from me, but he’s not really my fave either.
**Evan & Kayla **did well. I’m coming around to Kayla’s lineyness. Evan had a cool solo, but perhaps the hardest time with the group dance.
Philip was a fave of mine; now he is gone, I have to vote for Jeanine. She did well. Not as nuts about Jason, but he is smooth.
Janette & Ade were my favorite woman & man respectively. I was looking at Ade all night. Now he’s not just holding up Melissa, he shines. And Janette? “Miami.”
Randi & Melissa were the bottom two women, and Kupono & Ade the bottom two guys. All 4 did solos (though they were largely identical to last night’s solos, including the music and in some cases their wardrobe).
I’m actually not really shocked about Ade. I know a lot of people find Evan the weakest (and I can’t really disagree), but take a look at who he was up against.
Brandon: Who really is just phenominal.
Jason: May not be as great overall, but this week’s routine was the best of the evening.
Evan: Has a huge following. Seems like a really personable guy, dorky, ok with his dorkiness, as you can tell during the african dance where he puffed out his stomach to show his lack of six pack.
Kupono: He was going to go home.
I’m not particularly surprised at all by the Bottom 4 results.
The thing is, when it comes down to charisma vs. skill, the former always wins in SYTYCD Land. Otherwise, last season would have included Will in the finale… when it came down to him or Twitch, Will was by far the better dancer of the two.
Leaving out the blatantly obvious picks (Kupono and Randi):
Ade - unbelievably powerful dancer, but both Brandon and Evan have great awww-shucks appeal as boy-next-door types, and next to them Ade comes off a bit… meh. In a lot of ways, he’s been flying under the radar since the start… I don’t think he’s doing a good job of standing out next to the other competitors so far.
Melissa - cute and a great dancer, but she has some annoying tics that might be hurting her in the popularity department. In particular, could she please stop sticking out her tongue constantly, particularly when she’s nervous? It reminds me of a lizard. shudder
Looks like we’re down to nothing but talent now. I’m really interested to see how it all sorts itself out going forward… it’s going to be less about talent, and more about how much of a following each dancer has gained and how appealing each dance-of-the-week ends up being (Og have mercy on the next couple to get the paso doble).
Your points about charisma/likability (two different things, of course) vs. straight skill make sense – I like Evan a lot, though I don’t think he’s a particularly strong dancer, esp. in this group. For straight skill, I really think I might give it to Ade, which is why I was surprised to see him in the bottom two last night – but you’re right, I don’t think he’s developed the same personal following as most of the other guys.