disappointed

I have so much to catch up on in here, but I just want to go through this first.

Last week I wasn't able to watch the results for SYTYCD because I was at Comic-Con in San Diego. So I borrowed Mac's iPhone to check them online, figuring they'd be the predictable Comfort & Mark anyway.

But, as you know by now, it wasn't. Comfort, yes, but then Will was voted off.

As a fan of Will's, I'm hugely disappointed. I was also kind of angry at SYTYCD fans for not voting for him (myself included, although I almost never watch the show in real time, so I never get the chance to vote in the allotted window). I mean, how on EARTH could one of the best dancers this show has EVER SEEN not even make it to the Top 6? With guys like Mark & Twitch still in it???

Here are some theories:

• Voters assumed he'd make it through, and voted for an underdog instead. This happens with these shows all the time, and you can never take for granted that your favorite dancer will make it through--you have to vote.
• Debbie Allen backlash--even though they made it super-clear that she wouldn't be involved with the show because he'd studied with her, some viewers may have thought that their relationship still resulted in some unfair favoritism.
• Judge backlash--No one likes to have a contestant shoved down his/her throat, and the judges have certainly fallen over themselves to heap praise on Will. I think the fact that even when they switch out a judge every week, they still have 3 dance experts unanimously agreeing that he's the best dancer on the show should tell people that maybe they're right? But still. It could have just been overmuch.
• Young voters aren't familiar with James Brown enough to love the solo? I thought it was fantastic, but with James Brown, there could have been a generation gap. He might have been better off doing more of his Alvin Ailey thing.
• Too professional--I've heard feedback that people like to vote for more amateur dancers that need a break, and not dancers that seem to have a professional dance career already in the works. I've looked him up, and it doesn't seem like he does, actually? But he gives that impression, and maybe that worked against him.
• Not enough personality. Now, I disagree with this, because I think Will has a charming, albeit low-key, personality. And it would bum me out hard if this was the ONLY reason, because then it just means the show will pander to voters who want More! Personality! and that's how we get contestants like Susie Ho-bag. But, you know, he wasn't ever really anything more than charming and sweet and professional, and I can see how that's not everyone's favorite.

So, that's a lot of potential reasons to work against a guy. It really makes me wonder what kind of backlash Twitch would get if the show made it more obvious that, of all of them, he's the only one who's ever actually WORKED with one of the judges. Oh, yeah, you didn't know that? Our guy Twitch, aka Stephen Boss, worked with Adam Shankman on Hairspray, where he was one of the dancers from Maybell's store. I didn't even realize it until I was watching a snip of it on HBO the other day, and recognized him. And I don't think it should count against him, but if being a "working dancer" counts against Will, I don't know why the same shouldn't be true of Twitch as well. Plus, hi, the dancing in Hairspray isn't exactly the locking that Twitch is known for--someone's had way more training than he let on.

Suffice to say I'm hugely disappointed. Will should have been Top 4, at least. Even if every single one of my theories is correct, it doesn't change the fact that Will was the best dancer on the show. And I know people vote for their "favorite" dancer, and all that. But Mark? Over Will? To me it's like voting for an In-N-Out burger over a perfectly cooked filet mignon. I like a good burger; I love a perfect filet. Then again, that might be the best explanation of all--we just live in more of a fast-food America than one that appreciates a really good steak.

We'll see what happens tonight, of course. I may even have to be sure to get home from my dinner w/ my work peeps early to be sure and vote. God forbid fans of this show vote off Katee & Joshua next, or I may stop watching altogether.