Ellen: No, that’s not what I mean by horrible, but thanks for the lesson in aging. I meant that she looks gaunt and unhealthy. I was thinking it while watching but after a while my wife asked whether she has recently been ill, or something. She looked drawn and she either had too much eyeliner or oddly bug-eyed, or something. I’ve heard there’s this thing called ‘makeup’ which ‘television people’ use to make themselves look good for the camera. We just felt that despite that, she didn’t look very good.
Mia: The point of my comment was that most of the season she’s seemed to be cranky and bitchy, but last week she was all butterflies and daffodils. I know all about “artists”, having worked in live theatre and dance for my first career. I’m also intimately familar with depression and the effects of mood-altering medications. I don’t know why you’d find my comments curious.
I think they are all kinda like that. Watching this show has convinced me that dancers are the most sentimental slobs in the world, WAY out in front of actors. Actors are vain, writers are torured and drunk, musicians are drug addicts and dancers are big globs of emotional goo. Which is cool or creepy, depending. I think everyone was more than a little over the top about the breast cancer dance, for instance. Get a grip, people. If you didn’t KNOW what the dance was about, would you have been that choked up? (Although it was cool that Nigel was losing it.)
And by the way, what is the secret behind Mary? Am I being punked? Can she possibly be real? Are we all on board for the camp factor, please tell me that’s it.
Question…you know the ending bit where Cat announces the phone lines are open and then the dancers have fun around the stage? Is that filmed earlier? Because everyone’s hair, makeup and clothing had changed. Left me a bit confused.
When Cat threw it to him after one of the pieces, I was thinking “Just say ‘it was awesome’, dude. Just say it without all the verbalistic gymnastics”. Then he launched into five minutes of gobbledygook, finally closing his comments with “it was awesome”.
I think Kayla’s terrific and should win it. I also think it was a little oogy for Nigel to call attention to Jeanine’s chest (“I guess you can’t ‘tie down’ talent!” nudge nudge, wink wink, referring to the laced-up front to her outfit). We can all see that she’s more endowed than the typical dancer, and we’ve seen it all season. It was just sort of creepy that he felt it necessary to point it out to several million people.
I’m kind of pissed off – I was kneedeep in something online and though I had the TV on, it’s across the room and I wasn’t paying full attention. Didn’t seem like any of the pieces last night were particularly great – or was there one and I missed it because I was distracted?
Just watch tonight’s show and you’ll get the gist when they recap the dances. I thought the last show was a little flat. Some sloppy executions by some clearly fatigued dancers. It’s been a long season and we’re at the end of the marathon.
The more I watch, the more I suspect the producers have a big influence on what we’re seeing. The “random” draw out of the hat has been mentioned upthread. It definitely has a limited number of dance routines each week, which corresponds to which choreographers are available. But they could arrange it so all the papers for Melissa read ‘pas de deux’ or all of Phillip’s are ‘hip hop’ in a given week. And they could ensure the partner mix in a similar fashion.
Also, I think if there’s two dances, they arrange the ‘better’ dance at the end of the show. That way, the judges can pan their first performance and praise them for an amazing comeback. (They do that even if the second dance was sloppy)
And how come we’ve never seen a major disaster with the high risk elements? Some of those lifts have a significant chance of failure, yet it never happens on stage. Do they get do-overs during tapings? Or do they splice in a successful lift from rehearsals?
I can believe they drop high risk elements that constantly fail in rehearsal to improve their chances, but it’s hard to believe all of those risky lifts are pulled off in front of the audience on one try.
I voted for the first time ever last night after 5 years of watching this show. I was incredibly impressed by Brandon, and will be PISSED if he’s voted off. I probably put a dozen calls in for him. I also put some calls in for Kayla and Melissa.
The dancers really did looked fatigued–I can’t imagine how taxing all that dancing has to be on the body.
Mentally, too. This week they each had to learn three new routines AND comeup with a fourth on their own.
Personally, I have no idea how you learn a dance – especially something like those hiphop routines with the long sequences of arm movements. Are there even terms for those kinds of positions, so the dancer is chanting to himself “Woggle, blether, three dimplas, then a reverse hinder” and so forth? I suspect not. Somehow they must remember it on a physical/muscle level. A whole different kind of memory, at least.
I’m willing to bet money that Evan’s brother has been choreographing his for him.
I took tap for many years*, and, yeah, it’s totally muscle memory. If you’re thinking about what you’re doing, you’re gonna screw it up – your feet (arms, head, torso) need to be on autopilot.
*obviously, though, at a “just for fun” level – I don’t compare myself in any way to any of the folks on this show!
I’m kind of embarrassed to admit that I noticed this, but Brandon came up with his solo some time ago. He did it for his audition in 2008. Same music, same outfit (or lack of outfit), even.
I think I’m rooting for Jeanine. Kayla’s an amazing dancer, but I’m just not terribly enthusiastic about her.
I have to say that I was impressed he didn’t go to the well with his Orff bit earlier, since the temptation I’m sure was high. He saved it for when it mattered, and I think he’s going to be safe.
Ditto Evan–he may have gotten some technical criticisms on both numbers from the judges, but he didn’t look bad or out-of-place performing either; they were both fairly well up his alley, which is kibble for his (likely very large & loyal) fan base. I think he’s safe, too.
Which means it’s Adios Ade. He seems like a nice guy, but his solos are always the same and he may be strong and adaptable, but everything’s personality-driven at this point, and he’s got the least pronounced of the remaining guys (and his only so-so night didn’t help much).
Similarly, I think Kayla is like Brandon–maybe not as forceful of a personality, but definitely has the technical chops, and while I’ve never been much of a fan, I was enormously impressed with her last night. They had the best pair of numbers and she really stood out to me in a way that I hadn’t noticed before (though her solo is always the same summer-dress-romp). I think she’s vulnerable but probably safe.
I think Melissa was a good pairing with Evan because he didn’t show her up and she got to show the playful side that is a winning component for her. Almost all the criticisms about their numbers were related to him, so she continues to prove herself adaptable and easily handling a fairly large range of styles. Also vulnerable (there’s nothing that demonstrates she has the same degree of following that he does), but still probably safe.
Jeanine’s a real cutie, with a great smile, a sexy body, and a quick learner of other styles, too. And while she was definitely an under-the-radar contender, I think that only gets you so far. She doesn’t have a “hook” the way everyone else does.
Brandon: Mia Michaels victim
Melissa: Naughty Ballerina/Old Lady
Evan: Gene Kelly Wonderbread
Kayla: Always with the grandparents in tow
Jeanine and Ade don’t have anything similar, and their skills and past performances, while undeniably fine, I doubt are sufficient to compensate for that character void. Certainly, Jeanine has a much better shot of making Final 4, and neither of her competitors are sure things, but I suspect those two (whose pairing, by the way, weren’t to either of their advantage) will be leaving tonight.
Am I disremembering or in past seasons didn’t the last several weeks eliminate only one dancer per week? I don’t think they did the one guy/one girl all the way thru to the finale. And wasn’t the finale 3 dancers? or 2?
Last night I thought both group numbers were quite good. Kayla really stands out in every group number she’s in. To me she just dominates the stage with her performances.
Don’t like anyone’s solos this year, although Brandon’s was superb last night. Evan’s are always cute but are getting repetitious. I seem to remember Twitch and Jason’s solos as always being entertaining and unique. This year they’re just blah. Ade’s solos seem to be rather frantic and totally wrong with the music he chooses.
Performance wise I have to say that Brandon and Kayla were the best of the night. They definitely bring out the best of each other.
As much as I love Evan he just doesn’t seem to click chemistry wise with his partners. Maybe he’s just used to dancing side by side w/his brother. He has improved, but in the broadway dance I didn’t get any connection between him and Melissa. BTW my daughter thought Melissa’s part was the stripper from the batchelor party the night before. I must admit the costume seemed to back that up.
The first week of the top 20 my so had me pick the two I thought would be in the finale. I chose Evan and Melissa. So I’m doing pretty well.
I think Jeanine and Ade will be going home tonight.
I really liked the boys’ group number (though had to giggle at two of the least masculine men in the universe going on and on about being manly men), but was underwhelmed by the girls’.
We’ll see tonight if Evan continues his reputation as the kiss of death for his partners; although Melissa has been on the chopping block before, she performed well last night and may win some sympathy points for her 'oh, I’m on the tail end of my career ‘cause I’m ancient’ thing. Jeanine, OTOH, was bottom two last week, so perhaps the ax will fall her way.
All of the solos appeared to be identical to last night’s, but I don’t have a problem with that. Give them something of a break.
I enjoyed watching the memorable dances from last season–the “Bleeding Love” number is one of my all-time favorites. Nigel alluded to Mark and Chelsea’s success since losing last year; I know Chelsea became a dancer on Dancing with the Stars, but what happened with Mark? What is his great success?
Glad to see my frantic voting for Brandon wasn’t in vain. Seriously, I was gonna be most unhappy if he had been cut. Sorry to see Melissa go, and while Ade is a better dancer than Evan, Evan is more personable.