Wednesday, June 18, 2008

surely I can sort this out

Aaaaaaaaaalrighty then. Let's get caught up:

Last week's results show kicked off with Wade Robson's latest creation, and Mac watched it with me and almost lost his mind over how weird and fun it was. Only one of the couples in the bottom three was one I'd predicted, but the one I did predict, Rayven & Jamie, was the one sent home.

Also, earlier tonight I went to a screening of Get Smart, and it was Awesome. And there was a dance-off in it, so yay! That's not all, there were a lot of other really great things about the movie, I'm just trying to stay on topic, kind of.

Let's get to tonight's show.

First of all, I would just like to say for the record that I'm kind of bummed that the adorable Cat Deeley was ever made to feel self-conscious about the way she says "judges," because now she always makes the audience say it for her, and, well, I miss the way she says it. *sigh*

1. Chelsea T & Thayne, Jazz: Raise your hand if you love a Mandy Moore jazz routine. Me too!! I like this couple, too, I think they're super cute. This routine, though.... The costumes were weird, okay. And I think they're great dancers, but the whole performance came out really tame and boring when I think it was probably supposed to be super fierce and dramatic. I'm with the judges on this one--meh.

2. Chelsie H & Mark, Argentine Tango: Beauty and the Freak! These two are so cute to me, oh my God. Also, when the music and the routine create a false ending in the middle, and you find yourself hoping it isn't actually over, that's a good sign, no? I find the adjective for these two together to me is... deft. They're swift, and focused, and smooth--deft. So nicely done. (Also do I need to say, again, some more, how fantastic and fabulous Cat Deeley is here, helping Chelsie out with her shoe? Love!)

3. Jessica & Will, Hip Hop: Oh, fine, these little packages are making me like the contestants more. I'm buying what they're selling, this whole "Will is classy and awesome and Jessica is a sweetheart" thing. FINE. Their routine is the first one to make me go "Wow" out loud. So precise, and yet so fun and relaxed at the same time. The choreography is brilliant, and their attitude is right on. Sure, Will is stronger than Jessica, (even "genius," as Mia said) but I thought she did great, actually. This is a big winner for me, so far. (Cat: "Word, Nigel. Word." OMG.)

4. Kourtni L & Matt, Foxtrot: If there were any more concerns about these two being "too heavy," I think they took care of them with this routine. I thought it was dreamy. I mean, you hear "foxtrot" and you think "boring," but this made me wish I could foxtrot so I could do this routine. Now, the judges give these two a lot of criticism, but it's interesting, because most of it is actually constructive advice to help them be better, and most of it is geared towards two really proficient dancers. Plus, they offer this kind of constructive criticism to some of the other dancers, but no one gets as much as these two. By the end of their critique I was feeling like, "Well... I thought it was dreamy, but y'all had a lot to say...because these two are so good you expect them to be better? Um, okay. I still think they're dreamy, then."

5. Courtney G & Gev, Contemporary: So, I'm watching, and it's nice, and their chemistry is great, and then it dawns on me how gracefully Gev is dancing, and I'm like, whoa. These two, for me, are kind of the underdogs in the competition because they're just this side of immature. I just wish they each had an ounce more strength or experience to be able to pull off their routines. That said, I thought that despite a few stumbles here & there, they did a pretty beautiful job with a very sweet routine that really suited their personalities. (Also, I heart Mia Michaels. She's always so constructive and honest with the dancers, yet classy enough to be gentle as well. I want to grab her & Cat and go get some pink drinks and gossip about just how lecherous Nigel really is. They live here in LA, surely I can sort this out.)

6. Katee & Joshua, Broadway: After last week, I have high hopes for these two. (Oh, and Tyce is welcome to join Cat, Mia and me for cocktails. Call me!) When I see they're dancing to "All for the Best" I squeal a little bit, because it's one of the numbers I learned in my musical theater dance class at the Y last fall. As for the number, I find it delightful. Granted, it's probably going to take a major screw-up for these two to end up in the doghouse for me, but this was so much fun, and so well done! As soon as I rewind my DVR to watch it again I know I have a new winner for the night. To the point that I don't care what the judges think, but I feel a little smug when I finally let it play afterwards and see Nigel get up out of seat and dance around because he's so overcome with the awesome that is Katee and Joshua. Love love love love.

7. Susie & Marquis, Salsa: Susie can finally show who Susie is? Oh, dear. And I think that vein in her forehead is coming to get me. Oh, fine, you caught me, I still don't like her. As for the dancing, for me it was a hot mess. I think these two are kind of the opposite of Katee & Joshua--they'd probably have to have lightening & moobeams & rose petals literally shooting from their hands and feet for me to be impressed, and I know I'm maybe not being fair, but this just didn't do it for me at all.

8. Kherington & Twitch, Viennese Waltz: Is it just me, or are these two the best-looking couple on this show? My, my, so much pretty. And so is their dancing. I'm starting to believe that Kherington can do anything she puts her mind to--she's vibrant and effortless here. Twitch isn't quite as effortless, but for a popper? DAMN. He really went for it and succeeded here, for me. Very graceful, both of them. I didn't need the heart-tugging story about Jean-Marc's daughter to make this piece moving for me, but knowing how personal it was for him just made me glad that these two did it so, so beautifully.

9. Comfort & Chris, Krump: YES. I love a good krumping routine. And this one's pretty good, actually. Not as tough as I would I have liked it, maybe, but I think they pulled it off for the most part. I think this is the most mis-matched couple of the competition, so I think they're kind of at an unfair advantage, just in general. This routine really showcases how mismatched they are, both in terms of size and in dancing style. Comfort is tiny and her moves are tight. Chris is big and his movement here feels big. I thouht they did a fine job, but I wish they could have found a way to overcome the differences in their physicality to match their dance styles better.

Overall, I think it's going to break down like so:

Staying:
Chelsie H & Mark, Jessica & Will, Kourtni L & Matt, Courtney G & Gev, Katee & Joshua, Kherington & Twitch

Bottom Three:
Chelsea T & Thayne, Susie & Marquis, Comfort & Chris

In conclusion, Mary Murphy's cleavage scares me.

5 comments:

Susanna said...

What, no comment on Nigel grabbing himself? Though, I kind of would like to forget that ever happened.

I thought Kourtni & Matt's piece was just so much fun. They looked like they were having a good time, and it actually made me smile. I was disappointed that the judges didn't mention that.

My other favorites from the night were Katee & Joshua and Kherrington & Twitch, but like you said, I think it's obvious that these people are good.

And while I would certainly like to see Susie gone, I actually felt kind of sorry for her this week. She's like the Carmen Rassmussen of SYTYCD.

Anonymous said...

all I have to say is..

WORD.

Dinah said...

I must say, I'm kind of impressed with myself for my right-on guess at the bottom three. And I'm a little relieved that Marquis, Susie, and Susie's Vein are gone.

Anonymous said...

It's almost like you could produce a reality show... I'll bet you could.

Anonymous said...

You totally called it! I was happy with who got sent home because even though I think Chris's solo was weak compared with Marquis, Marquis was struggling with partnering well. This gives Chris a chance, hopefully, to get a routine better suited to him than krumping. I was so glad that Kourtni & Matt weren't in the bottom three!
yay!
Amy