SYTYCD The Results - Hooray for Bollywood!

Hooray for Bollywood!
That screwy, ballyhooey Bollywood!
Where any office boy or young mechanic
Can be a panic
With just a good-looking pan
And any barmaid
Can be a star maid
If she dances with or without a fan.
Hooray for Bollywood!
Where any choreography
Done in a rush
Without many rehearsals
Can look entertaining
As long as they have
Nakul Dev Mahajan
And ten top dancers
And complacent judges
And a forgiving audience.
Hooray for Bollywood!
Where ten top dancers
In not so perfect formations
Some lacking coordination
Could be considered terrific
If they’re even good!
Where anyone at all
From David Archuleta
to Mia Michaels
From Cat Deeley
to Nigel Lythgoe
Is equally understood.
Go out and try your luck
You might be Donald Duck.
Hooray for Bollywood!
Where five pretty dancers
And Mia
Can make the Ave Maria
Seem empty of spirituality
And Mia
Always on the edge
Can make it possible
For five pretty girls
To look not so pretty.
Just like beggars
On the edge of the stage.
Hooray for Bollywood!
Where an Old Mo’s
Old fashion dance
Done just to feed
The ego of the producer
Showcasing the top one
Of the top five
As he is expected to win
The Will of the voters.
Hooray for Bollywood!
Where everything is IV Real
And where “the judges hate me” remarks
Put you at the bottom of the pack.
And where the extreme dancer
Fearless Gev
Is also sent home before his time
Hooray for Bollywood!
Where Twitch and Comfort
Will stay
At least one more week
Hooray for Bollywood!
Where Mark and Chelsie
may dance together again
And about my predictions
I must admit
I was so wrong
I should have listened to my wife
Who insisted that K the soccer player would be out.
Hooray for Bollywood!
Where we were both wrong
About the guys.
Who could have thought?
That people would not have known
Who’s who
And who should go home.
Hooray for Bollywood!

LINK TO HOORAY FOR HOLLYWOOD by Doris Day

SYTYCD Top Ten: Perfect Pairing – Random never got it so right!

Tonight Cat in a Golden Lame (no pun intended) gown, gives a metallic touch to the night’s costuming and perfectly matches the tone and flow of her golden locks as she introduces the new couples to us. But before that happens, Jessica starts the night with this gem: “I broke two ribs and fractured one”. So, I am not sure of what she meant: Did she mean something like having her cake and eating it too? Okay, I hope that she recovers and does well on the tour, but I cannot help but think that the SYTYCD casting department had something to do with this.

Comfort is under pressure now, seeing that she was kicked off once already… lets see how the new couples do then. In the longest, dance packed show with 30 numbers total it is hard for me to be punchy, but I will try…

Courtney and Joshua: The show starts with a slap in the face to Joshua in an electric, monster performance. Dave Scott’s hip-hoppish/Broadway-comic routine is extremely entertaining and Courtney really shows off a side of her that she had been hiding from us before, the frizzy side! Was it the electricity or the chemistry? In Mia M’s language, the number is “stinky bad!” which in Mary M’s language means that they deserve an ear exploding screammmmm!!!!!

Dr. Spankenstein’s Joshua: 9. Bridezilla Courtney: 8.5.

When Courtney and Joshua do the Rumba, it is hot!! Joshua shows a hidden side also, a technique hiding under his football player past. His brushing of the floor with his toes was very good and natural. Honestly, they were almost flawless in this number, which is even more impressive for a new couple still getting used to each other. His score for this one is 9 for a total of 18 points. Courtney was again in one of those dresses that didn’t hide that much. Her performance however was not as electric or hot as she has done before. She had some good moves and I love her personality, so she gets an 8.5 from me, for a total of 17. Her athletic contemporary solo is well executed but nothing really extraordinary, so I give her an 8.5 for it and a total of 25.5 for the night. Joshua’s solo was good. However, there are two things that make Joshua quite special, one is his personality, which shined through; the other one is his versatility and we couldn’t see that in his solo. For his solo, Joshua gets a 9 from me. His total for the night: 27.

Kherington and Mark: Ronnie and Brandi teach a Country Two Step to Mark and Kherington—a complicated dance that does not match the skills of these two dancers, especially Mark’s. Their smiles were amazing, considering the disaster that the routine was. It was tough to watch, but at least they did not stumble. Mark seemed uncomfortable, moving too slow and then almost posing. The problem, however, was Kherington, who tonight seemed to have reached the limit of her capabilities. Mark: 8, Kherington: 7. For their second number, Tyce gave this new couple a jazz routine, well executed but that almost seemed in slo-mo! With that great song—“Canned Heat” by Jamiroquai (famous for the movie “Centerstage”)—and Mark’s capabilities, you expected a lot more. To me, it was obvious that the choreography had been slowed down for Kherington to be able to do it. Mark’s timing seemed off, fast in his parts and then slow next to Kherington. He was a good partner through and through, however, and for that, I give Mark an 8.5. Kherington gets a 7 (toooo sloooow!). Makes it 16.5 and 14 (ouch!) for each. Kherington’s solo is ok, demonstrating that she is one of the top ten dancers, but not much else. It lacked the athleticism and sharp moves that we saw in some of the other solos. I’m sorry K., your smile is beautiful but your solo did not shine: 8 for it and a total of 22 for you tonight. When Mark does his solo he shows why he is where he is. Great solo, his first since the auditions, brings back his animalistic electric moves. I give him a 9 for a total of 25.5 for the night.

Comfort and Twitch: Comfort back to the Waltz, seemed to do better this time. However, she lacks the technique needed and it is hard to fake it. Twitch was a little stiffer and more mechanical than usual. It was a pretty routine, but not especially great. It looked like they were thinking it a little too much. They looked uncomfortable (pun intended). Twitch 7.5, Comfort 7.5. When it comes to their second number, it’s built up as the top of the top for Hip Hop. But, was it really? I honestly saw no originality, not many interesting moves, no buck… (sorry Lil’ C). Maybe it was Comfort’s best as Lil said, but what can I say then? Is that the best dancing they can step up to? The make up was cool though, and the costuming matched the theme of the night: gold for Cat, copper for Mary and silver for them! By the way, was Cat confused with all the mirrors in Twicth’s top and thought that this was a group number? She talked about them as girls (pointing at Comfort) and boys (pointing at Twitch)! Anyhow, 8 for both, just because they do hip hop well: 15.5 for each for the night. Super T does his one dance. I like you, Super T, but your solo wasn’t superspectacular. A super 8 for you –total: 23.5 points. Comfort repeats on her solo what we have already seen. She’s good at what she does, but we are tired of seeing the same thing over and over and over again. She has had the opportunity to wow us so many times, but she seems to refuse to do it. For that, she gets a 7, and a total of 22.5 tonight.

By the way: it seems that product placement for the tour has started already with the IV Real and Super – T shirts, as well as tie dye Top Ten banners. Can see them already at the Tour’s merchandise booths!

Katee and Will: They start with a boat-rocking Broadway number, but was it just me or was this Tyce D’Orio’s routine overrated by the judges? There were a couple of brilliant moves, ciseaux, and the like that showcased the dancers, but the choreography was mostly dull and seemed to me that it was a waste of talent (the dancers’ talents). Katee and Will could have done a lot more. Honestly, they didn’t rock my boat. Still, the dancers did what they were given to do and they did it well. Katee: 9 and also for Will. When it comes to their second number, poor John Lennon must have tumbled and twirled in his grave with that horrible version of Imagine by David Archuleta, spinning more than Katee and Will did in their routine! Sorry, but I couldn’t totally enjoy their dancing because the song was distracting me. However Katee and Will did make this number their own, despite the horrible song. It was a traditional modern dance pas de deux through and through; a hard number and they did great… Will gets a 9.5 and Katee a 9, for her small stumble, but imagine, how hard is perfection when trying so hard! That gives them 18.5 for him and 18 for her. Katee’s solo redeems contemporary and makes it pretty! 9.5 for her on this one, gives her a total of 27.5 for the night, and when Will does his solo as a modern dance it is something to watch. Amazingly he does no floor! At some point all this writhing on the floor by these contemporary dancers gets a little old… no? 9.5 for him! Total of 28, the highest for the night!

Chelsie and Gev: They step it up with a contemporary by red Sonja. I felt bad for the Sonja routine that Matt and Kourtni did a couple of weeks ago, so poorly costumed that it put them in a bottom three position when perhaps they did not deserve it. With this number, Sonja showed us why she’s getting to the top of the choreographers food chain. To me, this was the best number of the night and I hope to see it live on the Tour! For this number I give Chelsie and Gev a 9.5 (Sonja gets the 10). Mary scream and all!!!!

In their next number (the last one for the night), Gev and Chelsie’s Jive pull off a high energy number that ends the night in a great note! Nigel gives Mary a killer look when she mentions “Dancing With the Stars” (that competing dance show) complimenting Chelsie as a “Star” and calling Gev an “Amateur”. Did you notice? Nigel stared at Mary as if throwing little knives at her with his eyes, and for what seemed as an eternity! But I think that Gev did a commendable effort, and he seemed really into it! I don’t know… I think she gets a 9 and he an 8.5. That makes it 18.5 for her and 17.5 for him. In his solo, Gev shows his amazing skill at break dancing, but it does not make me wanna shout, (lemme hear it, wanna shout, all together wanna shout…) 8.5 – total: 26 for him. About Chelsie’s first solo: better than Heidi, but –no shoes for Latin Ballroom? It was an ok number that really did not make me want to write too much. Just an 8.5 for her on this one, and a total of 27 for the night.
To me, the best numbers of the night and the ones that I would like to see at the Tour were Chelsie and Gev’s contemporary by Sonja, and Joshua and Courtney’s Hip Hop (Spankenstein and bride). I also expect so see Katee and Will’s Rock the Boat and their Pas de Deux (with a different version of Imagine, please!!!!).

Rankings for the night:
Will: 28
Katee: 27.5
Joshua: 27
Chelsie: 27
Gev: 26
Mark: 25.5
Courtney: 25.5
Twitch: 23.5
Comfort: 22.5
Kherington: 22

The results do not look favorable for Miss K or for Comfort. Will Comfort be out again? I expect it to be so, and it would be the fair thing to do, since she was just a replacement for the night. But I have been so wrong with Comfort in the past, kicking her out when they didn’t, keeping her in when they kicked her out (but then I was right after all because they kept her, didn’t they?), that I may be wrong again. Twitch is at the bottom of an excellent bunch, and I expect that he’ll be out. However, will it be Comfort or will it be Kherington? In the end, I think it will be Comfort and Twitch out. Well, who knows what the scriptwriters of this reality show have in mind... I think it will be a couple leaving, and that couple will be Comfort and Twitch.

Spoiler: Comfort is Back! - Top 5 Couples

We have a spoiler for you. Comfort is Back! Reason, Jessica is injured and needs to rest 4-5 weeks (rest of the competition). According to our sources, the 5 Couples are:

• Gev and Chelsie
  
• Katee and Will


• Comfort and Twitch


• Kherington and Mark


• Joshua and Courtney

Enjoy!

P.S. About the "IV Real" T-Shirts, all we have found out is that the shirts were an "inside" joke among contestants. Comfort, Joshua, Twitch, and Will wore them. It meant something about SYTYCD's fourth season -- i.e. Season 4 = IV = FOR REAL. Now we still do not know exactly what the joke meant. I guess it is an inside joke and we're in the outside!

SYTYCD Episode 15: IV REAL?

Squiggly light worms squirm as the 12 remaining dancers perform a great routine choreographed by Napoleon & Tabitha. Cat, beautiful and feminine as always, introduces our first couples.
No surprise in our first two couples, Thayne and Comfort are part of that 50% that is going to be in danger, Katee and Joshua are safe. Cat asks Mia her opinion on the Thaynefort predicament and Mia seems to spill the beans as she says that it is sad that at least one of them is going to be sad. When Jessica and Will are bottom-threed (over Mark and Chelsie—not a big surprise), Mary also gives us the preview: Will’s mentor, Debbie Allen is in the audience. He’s not going to be voted off! For the last couple: it is T & K, so I missed one! Even though there was a 50-50 chance of any couple being in the bottom, there is a certain vote manipulation by the producers in the final choice (read the fine print if you don’t believe me). Showcasing Twitchington’s solos actually makes sense at this stage.
For the break before the solos we get Alvin Ailey Dancers—a lot better than Robert Muraine! Thanks Nigel!
The solos seem to be almost irrelevant, as the results may have been previously announced. The solos do show that the “contemporary” style is rather ubiquitous and generic nowadays. Either by the…

(I wasn’t paying attention to the singing number during the break for the jidges decision until I hear the lyrics “I kissed a girl, I liked it” sung by this all legged/short skirted young girl! What’s going on with this show? I found the Pussy Cat Girls singing “When I Grow Up” very inappropriate for a show that has a very young following. And after last night’s Garden of Eden I was feeling kind of uncomfortable with the “amorality” —lack of moral standards, not meaning “immorality”—of the show. This song choice tonight kind of tops it for me. I’m not a prude but there are a million better choices that could’ve been made that would’ve offered so much better role models for the young crowd that sees this show! I understand this is a business as any other, but why not be socially responsible also? Is SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY completely foreign to Fox?)

Okay, back to the results…

As I was saying, either by the audition process or because of the general pool of dance instruction out there, “contemporary” seems to be a catch-all that throws in a lot of tricks, and glosses over a lot of technique. Of the top 20, 13 defined their style as contemporary or contemporary/other. The next category was Hip-hop with only 3 self defined dancers in this category. Clearly either contemporary is a vague category or it is taking over.
However… I am sad to see such a great “contemporary” dancer as Thayne leaving. As seen in his solo he has the technique, strength and training, but given the mix of styles required and the way the show is structured he did have to leave. I am not so sorry to see Comfort go, because despite the fact that she is a great hip-hop dancer, she has really shown zero growth, doing poorly outside her style, and always the same in her own style. Jessica has shown growth and versatility, and for that she deserved to stay, despite my prediction of last night.

P.S. About the IV Real Shirts, I have not found out exactly what they meant (I know, of course, that it means For Real). Someone suggested to me that it has something to do with Season 4, but that’s all I’ve found out so far….

SYTYCD July 9, 2008. Episode 14: About the fabulosity of mixing Tarzan and Jane, the Hot Chahhhhccchaccchacchaaaah, a pair of absobloodylutely...

...dirty gangsta, a golden Bollywood couple and lots of back stabbing by the fabulous Mia.

Please welcome your host… Cat Deeley! In a breezy quasi halo dress, she looks like a girly girl ready for a summer afternoon tea. I am glad that she is out of that techno-retro fashion style and into something more becoming. Maybe all that contemporary-lyrical dancing is having some effect on her. I did think that after the tall dancers left last week she would wear lower heels, but she still had 20" heel shoes on. Perhaps it is her way of Pointe? Her hair, though, could have used some Shear Genius. Oh, well, about the dancing:


Mark and Chelsie start the night with a hot Salsa number. Chelsie nailed the number and, regardless of what the jidges said, I think Mark did too! Mia, with a killer hat (was she sharing that hat with Alex Da Silva?), tells Chelsie that she is so gorgeous she wants to stab her!! Wow, it is becoming really difficult to understand what this judges are saying most of the time. I think I have to go back to school and take MSL 101 (Mia as a Second Language).
For their second number, Mark and Chelsie do Broadway, and I really enjoyed watching this number!! I even forgot that I was supposed to “judge” and write my comments for this blog because I was just into their dance!! And that’s the difference between watching amateurs and watching professional dancers! When watching a professional dance, you can just sit back and enjoy! This number was a chemical reaction all over, from the couple, the jidges and the audience. However Mia, always the shocker, says that Mark does not have training and technique… ?!?! Please… if that’s the case, what do most of the others dancers this season have then?!?! I don’t know what Mia has against Mark, or where was she coming from, but honestly I do not see her point. Or, I wonder, maybe she thinks he’s so gorgeous that she was just showing her appreciation by backstabbing him with her comments? Again, I really have to enroll into an MSL 101 class asap! After their two numbers, my score for Chelsie and Mark tonight: 9.

Let’s move on…

Comfort and Thayne: Hip Hop. A well choreographed routine with sharp movements. Comfort in her zone (or so we expect) and Thayne working hard at it. Unfortunately the costuming did not help at all, with so many shoulder snaps and movements hidden by Comfort’s padded fluffy vest and Thayne’s oversized jacket. Definitely, not a number worth remembering. Comfort and Thayne’ second number was… flat! Poor execution, no magic. It was not a number for which you want to stop everything you are doing and watch. I think I’ll go feed the cats (not… I’ll watch every second so I can write this for you). Overall score tonight for Thaynefort: 7.5.

For Jessica and Will’s first number, Tyce D’Orio choreographs a number he says is evocative of the Garden of Eden… which for him means scantly clad dancers doing snake like moves, trying to show us what all that fuss about the Original Sin is about, however… the panting was not effortless. It seemed a little strained, but then it was primitive times back there in that Garden, wasn’t it? To me, Jessica struggled through most of the choreography, but Nigel, Mary and Mia say that Jessica is growing. Hence, I question myself, who will be voted out tomorrow, Jessica or Comfort? Because I truly believe that it will be one or the other… Mia says the music was to sleep by. My opinion? This was a good choreography that somehow was too hard for these dancers to perform without making it look too difficult… Does that make sense?
Will and Jessica’s second number: Quickstep AKA The Kiss of Death (remember Chelsea T?). The choreography showcased Will’s skills. The number was okay, though, nothing to write home about (or a blog about). The judges blamed the choreography, the costuming and Jessica for everything wrong. Hint: Will will not be voted off if he’s down. By the way, since when did Nigel become a purist about mixing styles? The Quickstep, mixed with Twist and Jive a problem? We have seen hip-hop/contemporary, lyrical/waltz, disco/salsa, and many other impure dances before. This couple’s score tonight: 8.

Anya and Pacha do the Cha cha for Courtney and Gev… And they not just bumped hips and crot…s (can we say that word in national television?) but they shaked every little muscle and extremity. Watching them dance this choreography, however, I couldn’t help but imagining Pacha and Anya in their place and how much better it would have been. Sorry, I like Gev and Courtney, and I think they really did their best with this number. But the choreography was not tailor made for them, or they did not make it their own; Courtney and Gev just looked like very good imitations. The judges loved it, however. They loved it so much that new words came out of everybody’s mouths!! Absobloodylutely says Nigel, Magic Hot Chahhhhccchaccchacchaaaah says Mary as she puts them on that Mexican train to the border. Fabulosity is the term that comes from Mia – After Will’s abs, Gev’s chest gets in the picture, with a little more detail than we really wanted to know. Apparently it itches! Courtney rubs it down and Nigel, with all his wisdom and experience suggests that he should wax it.
Courtney and Gev’s second number was pretty good. A cool choreography by Mandy Moore that was well executed and, two weeks ago, would have kept any couple safe. However, with a 50:50 chance of being in the bottom three this week, I’ll say they will be in the bottom tomorrow. My score for them tonight: 8.5.

Kherington and Twitch: This was Krump! Twitch’s turning, Kherington’s chest heaving, both their faces in a toughie look made this the number of the night so far (competing with Katee and Joshua’s Bollywood for best of the night). Kherington, who knew?!? And it is the first time in SYTYCD that I enjoy watching Krump. Twitchington’s second number, a smooth tango, did not work as well as their Krump. The costuming and lighting worked. The dancing didn’t. Oh, if they'd just kept their Krumpy attitudes for this tango, they could have killed it! Instead, they kind of murdered it. They looked good, however, and considering their strong following it is very likely that they will be safe tomorrow. Twitchington’s score tonight: 8.5.

Katee and Joshua do a Waltz inspired on the Pas de Deux from Le Sylphide, and the “City of Angels” fallen angel Seth—whose movie theme was that Goo Goo Dolls song Iris (remember the Angel that comes down to Earth, falls in love with Meg Ryan, and then she leaves with Russel Crowe?). Anyway, the whole ghost story did not really materialize (or it materialized too much?) because the choreography did not keep through the illusion of them not being able to touch each other. Hence, it was a pretty waltz, but nothing amazing. The judges comments made me wonder, could Joshua be in trouble tomorrow? But, then came Bollywood and all my worries faded away (as you can tell, I have become to appreciate Joshua’s mass appeal). That Bollywood number was cheesy and fake and oversold by the judges as an “ethnic” dance but it was also so entertaining and enjoyable and cool and precise and well performed… I would not call it authentic "Indian cultural dancing" as Nigel said (but what do I know?)... I must admit, however, that I loved it!! Congrats to the dancers who made it really wonderful! Tonight, Joshua and Katee along with Mark and Chelsie demonstrated once more that they are able of creating magic through their dancing. These four dancers have been consistently great. They come, as Mary Murphy said once referring to Joshua, with a label: Satisfaction Guaranteed!!! Katua’s score tonight: 9.5! (A 10 for their Bollywood).

My prediction for bottom three tonight: Courtney and Gev, Will and Jessica, Comfort and Thayne. Who will be out? Among the girls, I know that the decision will be between Comfort and Jessica. Based on the comments that they received tonight, I believe Jessica will be voted off. Among the guys, the decision is even more difficult. Gev has worked really hard and done a very good job throughout the season. However, he does not have the level of technique than any of the other two. Will has not done such as brilliant a job as was expected from him, especially after all the building up during the auditions: He’s Debbie Allen’s protégé and is supposed to possess very strong training and technique. He’s been fair, but not amazing. However, Jessica has been blamed for it. Thayne, a very strong technician and the dancer with the most professional experience in the show (he’s 27 years old and has been dancing professionally with a company for sometime), has been in the bottom too many times and criticized for his lack of chemistry and audience appeal. I like Thayne, and agree with Mia (for once) in that he is a wonderful dancer. He's done things through the show that I doubt any of the other dancers could do. But I believe Thayne will be out (he’ll go in the tour anyway as traditionally they hire two understudies; Mia even hinted at it by saying that no matter what, even if he’s out, she’ll love to work with him). I'll like to watch his solo tonight for sure!

In summary: Jessica and Thayne are the dancers that I predict will be out.