SYTYCD Episode 4: Nice is the Nigel Night

Nigel the producer has come a long way since the first days of American Idol (remember, he is also producer of that show). Maybe, maybe he is realizing that people actually count too. With AI’s ratings way down, and the push to make David Archuleta the new American Idol, it was a stunning and stinging surprise that David Cook actually won by such an overwhelming margin of 56% over 44% of the total vote. Even the scripted remarks of Paula Abdul and Simon Cowell could not overturn the vote in that show. Lesson learned: respect the audience, maybe they’ll watch. But do we have to swing the pendulum so hard? What was up with Nigel tonight? I’m sorry, but I think I like mean Nigel better. What was all that about “You look great? You’ve lost weight?” “You’re not going to make it but we’ll let you through choreography anyway so you’ll learn from the experience?” Is it just me or was Nigel channeling Paula Abdul tonight?

On the feel-good feel of the show, most auditions were one of three types: (1) “Dog, you’re good… now hear this, hear this… you need wings! You’re going to Vegas!” (2) “…now hear this, hear this… you’re beautiful, you’re strong, you’re not going to Vegas this year, see you next year” (cue to tears and sobs all around) and (3) “…now hear this, hear this… Sorry, you are not going” (cue to tears and sobs all around).
Highlights: Keeping tap alive! Two tappers went to Vegas direct! Wow, I really would like if they showcase the talent of tappers this season, but I doubt that they can actually include any tap numbers in the competition as a general category. What do you think? Don’t you think that tap, as well as Pointe and classical ballet, are dances that require very specific skills that not everybody can do well without years of specialized technique? Anyway, about the two tappers, one of them (Bianca Revels) was good, dancing and tapping in the old style. The other one (Lizz Plott) offered a more unique and more contemporary style, in my opinion. Both demonstrated tap in the best tradition of G. Hines and Savion G. as well as the awesome Jason Samuels Smith. That heel clicking was disgusting! …as Mia Michaels would say… Now, the open question mark is: can these tappers do anything else? We’ll see.

Best Audition: Tracy (Travis)… what can I say? Entertainment is what TV shows are all about, right? And this was entertaining, right? We all knew about Tracy from Season 2, right? Remember all the rumors about Travis’ alter-ego Tracy? …Are you telling me that you didn’t know? Never heard about her? …Really? Well, I even remember when a full thread on T/T was deleted by the Fox police on the official SYTYCD discussion board on Season 2 so the show wouldn’t lose Travis’ pre-teen fans… Anyway, it was fun to see her on stage. She is a good dancer! She dances a little like a man though…
Enough for tonight. Let’s see what goes on tomorrow. We’ll talk about the top 20, including some local folks (at least one) that we already know made it into the top 20. Have a Nigel (=nice) night!






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