So You Think You Can Dance - Season 11 (1 Viewer)

[Josh Dial]

I can't see how Rickey loses this thing, like when Travis lost to Benji or Danny lost to Sabra (perhaps the biggest wtf in the show's history).

Bigger than Russel winning?

 

[Hanson]

Lol! I mean, Kathryn should have won and all, but she wasn't the same caliber of dancer as Danny and Travis. Russell beating Danny would have been he last episode I would ever watch.

 

[Patrick Sun]

But this show is about finding "America's Favorite Dancer".

Maybe Rickey will be terrible in other genres... (not likely)

 

[Citizen87645]

I thought the West Coast Swing number suffered for the same reason Disco rarely translates well to live stage performances. Hopefully Jessica will get some better material, but it's too late for Nick now.

I thought Valerie did a great job outside of her genre. She's actually an early favorite of mine, along with Ricky. No one else has really stood out to me.

 

[Patrick Sun]

I thought was was some over-praising going on this week, too. I think the first hip-hop number was far too high in terms of booty posture. Hahaha! Get down with it!

Leave it to Mary to talk about the last guy's junk (the crazy African style dance) in that multi-colored costume.

Yeah, I only know, like, 3-4 dancers' names so far...

 

[Citizen87645]

I didn't think any of the hip hop numbers were that great. Bridget was much too soft in her movements.

 

[Hanson]

I think it would be a mistake to downgrade Ricky after his uninspired waltz. That's one of those dances like jive or foxtrot that non-ballroom folks (and even ballroom folks) have to just slog through. But yeah, even for non-ballroom, that was not really well done.

Jessica is really tanking now. I didn't think she was nearly as good as Ricky in their contemporary number, and it appears that she was the Andrew Ridgely in that pairing. She also comes of like a giggly dimwit in her interviews.

Still loving the Tanisha. It seems like crazy flexibility has replaced huge lifts and tricks as the go to sizzle. If you can't lift your leg over your head past 180 degrees so it looks like it's 10:30, you might as well not even be in the competition anymore. I'm also liking Jacque more and more. For some reason, I'm drawn to Brooklyn, who looks like a triangulation of Cynthia Nixon, Amy Acker, and Amber Brkich. But I shouldn't get too attached since she doesn't seem long for this competition. I still hate her two tone hair. I also get Brooklyn confused with Carly.

Both of Tyce's numbers sucked HARD. The magic carpet one was a disastrous mish mash that bored me to tears. I assumed he had a falling out with Nigel when he failed to show up at the auditions. How can we engineer Tyce having a falling out with Nigel so we never have to see his craopla anymore?

No stand out choreo this week, which led to many lackluster routines. They also stretched their existing choreographers thin by pressing them into double duty. I don't really want to see one Tyce routine much less two.

 

[DaveF]

Valerie rises in my estimation, possibly topping Jessica. Ricky and Valerie made a ballroom dance interesting, which is not the easiest thing on this show.I was out of sync with the judges. The dance with canes didn't excite me. The judges were over the moon, all three giving it a standing O. Similarly for Tanisha's dance; it it could see they were doing a good job, but it didn't emotionally connect watching on TV. Is Misty being groomed to replace Mary Murphy? It's curious to see a guest judge two weeks in a row. She's my second favorite guest judge, and think she'd be a great new permanent judge.

 

[Hanson]

Is there something wrong with the ballroom dancers on the show or does America hate ballroom dancers? Or has the new voting system (which hasn't been analyzed much) stacked the deck against ballroom dancers? This is the second time 4 ballroom dancers were in the bottom six, and the second time both eliminated dancers were ballroom. I knew Brooklyn was as good as gone, but Tanisha hitting the B6 was surprising to me.

Interesting how Nigel brought up Misty's predilection for blindly praising the guys while nitpicking the girls to death. I've heard people talking about this for a couple of weeks now, and I really noticed it last night. I was about to tell my wife about it when Misty made completely non-specific and non-constructive critiques towards Jacque when Nigel stepped in and pointed it out.

Valerie hasn't been able to match Rickey so far, and while his lack of skill in last week's waltz made it less pronounced, it was clear that she lagged badly in the Bollywood number. I can't wait until they break up this pair. It's like watching the Harrison Bergeron story come to life, except in this version, the chains and weights are Valerie. BTW, Rickey's flesh colored tights made it look like he was dancing with a shirt sans pants, like an Indian version of Winnie the Pooh.

Tanisha! Oh yeah. I mean... egads.

It would be hilarious to label Jessica as the Grim Reaper since all of her partners since Rickey have bit the dust (meaning Casey is next), but it's just a trick of fate. They've all been voted off based on the previous week's routine and not the one she participated in. Still, she's quite the merry widow. She's due for a B6 appearance next week -- no one is that bulletproof.

Much better choreo this week, with three Sonia numbers and three Travis numbers. Maybe they didn't all hit, but even the least of them were a thousand times better than whatever shit dribbles out of Tyce's ass.

 

[DaveF]

The Travis Wall dance on breaking free (with the bed frame) is one of the best I've seen. Everytime he describes his emotional concept dance I think, this is too much, it's not going to work. And every time, it's powerful.

Jessica: my earliest favorite, she has dropped in my estimation. She's a great dancer. But she doesn't have the performance mojo required. She smiles too much. What should have been a sultry and smokily-sexy dance was high-school prom giddy. Compared to Tanisha's...I don't know what that was but it was a hell of a thing...and I see Jessica doesn't have the acting maturity needed ti ainu SYTYCD.

I was surprised by the scathing critique of the ballroom dance. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and was impressed they were paired so well and moved so fluidly as a couple. But Mary tore into them.

I was doubly confounded as that came after glowing reviews of the Bollywood routine by Rickey and Valerie. Granted, I don't get Bollywood. I think of it as a large-group dance. I don't understand it as a paired dance and continue to be perplexed by its use in SYTYCD. And this performance: I thought they were crashing through it. They looked rushed and harried, racing to go from movement to movement. It didn't feel nuanced or skilled -- except in the way of doing a really fast thing really really fast. I expected clear critique on this. And nothing but love of Bollywood and their efforts at it.


This is one of the unfortunate moments where the "show" comes through and the judges have to overtly signal their intentions: Praise the favorites, lambaste the dancers going home. Regardless of what actually happens on stage that night. They signal who's getting axed.



It seems YouTube or Fox has completely clamped down on SYTYCD videos. I can't find anything from the Top 16 show.

 

[DaveF]

Agree or disagree, I really enjoy your analysis of the show, Hanson. Please keep it up!

Tanisha! Oh yeah. I mean... egads.

 

[Hanson]

The Rickey and Valerie hip hop was great. There was a little "contemporary dancers doing hip hop" vibe to it (especially the krumpy parts), but the amazing choreography smoothed a lot of that over. Plus, it incorporated a lot of lifts and moves that made it a blend of the two styles, so that didn't bother me much at all.

I felt like Jessica and Casey got a lot of overpraise from the judges to justify keeping them in the top ten. The tell for me was Mary saying, "you know" over and over again because she wasn't being terribly honest. It was probably better -- much better -- in dress rehearsal. Not that it was bad, per se, but it felt lackluster. I would have taken Carly over Jessica in a heartbeat as well.

The girls routine was good, but I didn't really get the effusive overpraise from the judges. The guys routine, OTOH, was as freaking PHENOMENAL as advertised. That was one of the best pieces of choreography I've ever seen on the show. Abso-freaking-lutely should win an Emmy. Don't know if it will, but it's hard to see anything topping that routine this season from any performance show. It was jaw dropping.

Emilio and Tanisha continue to impress with the versatility, but Tanisha is unbelievably good at whatever genre she tackles. She's as smooth as butter. Face it, there aren't many weaknesses there.

I thought the Paso was bleah. I don't get the whole Zack thing. He seems just OK and not much more. Also, very doughy looking for a dancer.

 

[Josh Dial]

I would have taken Carly over Jessica in a heartbeat as well.

That sound you heard was my jaw dropping.

 

[Hanson]

The only good things under Jessica's belt (performance - wisely, to be clear) are her Vegas DFYL solo and her first routine with Ricky (which, come on, was more Ricky than Jessica). Overall, Carly has outdanced Jessica.

 

[DaveF]

I loved all three group numbers this week. But the women's was my favorite. It really hit me. I need to re-watch the men's routine; it was great but I was still recovering from the women's and maybe didn't fully appreciate it. If I'm dancing for my life, I want Travis Wall to choreograph it. And he did for Jessica and Casey. It was yet another amazing Wall routine. And it was perfectly suited to Jess's stage presence. She can do blissful in-love perfectly. I was fully expecting them to be saved after that routine. I was uncertain about Ricky and Val's hip-hop, and was happy to see the judges loved it. Tanisha and Emilio: wow! What an enthralling and sexy routine. So powerful. This episode had a surplus of great dances!The paso doble was a disaster. The music was a misfit for the routine. And the dancers attitude failed to match either. It was a failed performance to me. Christina Applegate confirmed she is my favorite judge. She's witty, fully engaged emotionally, and knowledgable about dance. Loved having her on this episode.

 

[Patrick Sun]

 

[Patrick Sun]

Okay, now that we're down to top 10, I finally know at least half of the dancers' names without looking them up.

Don't care, I like staring at Jessica's dancing. She was the one my eye was tracking through most of that top 7 girl group dance. And then Valerie.

Valerie's versatile, probably lucked out being paired with Rickey.

Tanisha, I find just a bit off for me, just a slight bit of lumber at times, like she gets to her mark just a slight bit late at times. If she was a little lighter on her feet, I'd be a bigger fan. But she exudes attitude in her dancing.

Bridget and Jacque are middling for me, somewhat forgettable for me.

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Rickey is probably at the top of the heap for the guys, and ballroom is not his forte, but he's got plenty in the tank to get through to the end.

Casey is a good partner, but not enough star power.

Emilio has more star power, but not technically accomplished.

Rudy is the try-hard kid, too much personality, needs to show more versatility (or his dancing hasn't made much of an impression on me with Tanisha over-shadowing him of late).

Zack is okay, gives a lot of effort, but his partner hasn't matched him in intensity.

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I could not have minded Carly replacing Jacque or Bridget, but still all 3 are interchangeable to me. Emily didn't get any favors being paired with Teddy, who's good as a singular performer (enjoyed his personal number this week), not as much as part of a pair. Serge had lesser star power, so he never got the votes.

 

[DaveF]

I was too distracted by the female group dance. A second viewing was needed to appreciate the male ensemble. Pretty amazing.

 

[DaveF]

I love this dance. It's a favorite, up there with Turn to Stone.

 

[Hanson]

That was the first time I actually liked Jessica in a routine, although that seemed more jazz than hip hop. Actually, it was barely hip hop. But I was annoyed that it took so freaking long for them to actually begin dancing. In retrosepct, I probably liked more for Jessica's outfit than the dancing.

Tyce sucks! So does Ashley or whatever her name is. Apparently, it's Valerie. Don't really care.

Zack's dancing, much like his physique, was merely adequate. I mean, it would have been insulting to Sonia for the judges to not act all choked up over yet another dead person dance, but as a mere observer, it was just... okay. Emilio's hip hop was way more entertaining. Too bad he got voted off, since that was one of the best numbers of the night.

Kathryn! And some guy.

I wanted to love that contemporary ballet so much - I wanted to love it more than any other number on the show. But Jacque is not the kind of ballet dancer who can make the choreography blow up. I wanted more elegance. I wanted her to look like she was ethereal and dancing an inch off the ground. But the thing I realized is that Jacque isn't some highly trained ballet phenom -- she's a grocery checkout girl who can competently dance on point. So instead of something like this:



It was mostly Chehon laboring to carry her around. It was disappointing for me. I was expecting too much.

Not a huge fan of Rudy and his manic mugging, but I had to rewind to make sure he wasn't a ballroom dancer. He totally killed that cha-cha.

Disco Bollywood! Disco Bollywood! Disco! Disco! Disco! ...Sucked. BTW, did you know it was Disco?

I loved LoFro, but that ugly ass tat on her torso was flurge central. I'm glad the costume covered it up during the perfomance, but just knowing she did that ruined the entire number for me. A couple of cool tricks, but frantic and annoying to watch. I dunno, it might have been better than I remember, but I couldn't stop thinking about that tattoo. Just horrible.

Love Leonardo and Miriam. Love Tanisha. Ryan I could live without. Maybe not the best tango the show has ever seen, but I thought it was great.

BTW, that was the worst opening routine of the season. Some sort of prostitutes versus gay cowboys thing that never worked EVER. It was so bad I was convinced it came from the anus of Tyce Diorio.