Thursday, June 18, 2009

Are you voting?

After writing up my opinions on last night's show, I decided to battle a bit of insomnia by watching all 9 dances again without any biography packages or any of the judges critique. What I discovered is that some dances weren't maybe as good as I thought they were, and others were better. Which leads me to believe that I just like some people better than others. I bring it up simply because as this fairly unpredictable results show begins, I find myself feeling SO CURIOUS as to how things will play out.

The show kicks off with Cat Deeley in a white pant suit and the World's Greatest Hair, followed by a Mia Michaels routine that blends traditional Maori dancing, complete with the face paint and the bug eyes and the tongues, with sequined tuxedos, stadium lights, and Stevie Wonder. Just to prove that there are, in fact, still original ideas in the world, I guess.

This is followed by a send up of Lil C and his use of Big Words. Which is admittedly highly humorous, despite the fact that ultimately they're just making fun of the fact that he has an awesome vocabulary and a fairly artful way with an analogy. God forbid they encourage their audience to understand what he's saying or, you know, read or something.

Next up we have Melissa & Ade, Caitlin & Jason, and Jeanine (WHAT is she WEARING) and Phillip. Of this group, I thought it should be Jeanine & Phillip in the Bottom Three for their weak-ass tango, but predicted it would be Caitlin & Jason. I was madly in love with Melissa & Ade, and so was "America," so they are safe. And right about Caitlin & Jason, so we get to see their solos later. Which I'm kind of excited about.

Our second group includes Janette & Brandon, Karla & Jonathan, and Ashley & Kupono. Considering that I predicted that Karla & Jonathan and Ashley & Kupono would be out of luck this week, I'm already wrong about one prediction. Janette & Brandon have really begun to annoy me, but they are, of course, safe. And my friend Chip's empirical data suggesting that High Praise from the judges can keep you safe has proved correct here, and Karla & Jonathan are safe. Meh. Unsatisfying.

The third group contains Randi & Evan, Asuka & Vitolio and Kayla & Max. Randi & Evan could be in danger if only because the judges weren't super crazy about them, but they did super love Asuka & Vitolio, whom I thought were boring and a bit rough. Randi & Evan are safe; Asuka & Vitolio are safe (an event that they celebrate WAY overmuch). Kayla & Max, whom I thought were fairly fabulous, are in the Bottom Three.

Um. What?

Again, this supports the "High Praise from Judges = Safe" data. It also supports my general theory that sometimes people are really stupid.

So now our bottom three includes Caitlin & Jason, Ashley & Kupono, and Kayla & Max. Of that mix, I'll feel disappointed if they lose anyone, but I guess I'd be disappointed the least by Ashley & Kupono? I mean. Sigh. You guys. Clearly, the people who watch this show and vote can no longer be trusted. Am I going to have to start clearing my Crazy Schedule to be home on Wednesday nights so I can hang out and vote on the phone now?

Watching the solos, I feel like Caitlin, Jason, Kayla & Max cram so much dance into their time, and Ashley & Kupono cram a lot of style into theirs. While the judges deliberate some chick lip syncs, so I fast-forward my DVR and worry. And think about Helen Hunt in Girls Just Want to Have Fun: "Whatever I lack in substance I make up in style." Maybe whoever goes home tonight can spray their hair up all crazy and ride into the season finale on a chariot.

And considering the girl leaving turns out to be Ashley, who is darling, maybe that would be super fun. They also split a couple for the first time this season--and maybe for the first time so early in a season--and decide to lose Max.

Overall, I find this result to be unsatisfying. I mean, I'm not super attached to anyone but Melissa & Ade at this point--maybe Kayla, maybe Jason? But it still just feels like things happened in the wrong order this week.

So here's my question for all of you. I have Crazy Schedule and often have to watch the show after voting has completed on my DVR. What about you? Are you voting? Who are you voting for? And how do you feel about tonight's results?

4 comments:

Unknown said...

Yeah. Well.

I put it all in my blog, but long story short: I call bullshit. I have no particular love for Max (actually, he kind of bugs the crap out of me), but no one in their right mind could possibly think that Max and Kayla should have been in the B3.

Ashley, I kind of thought may go home, so I was not surprised there at all.

Then again, I don't vote, so what do I know? :D I'm at the mercy of powerdialing 15-year-olds...

Dinah said...

See, I'm very curious about this voting thing. I know so many busy adults with jobs who either have to record everything and watch it later, or just don't have time to spend more than the 3 hours a week this show takes up. So we watch the show, we love the show, we make predictions about the show, but we don't vote.

According to Nigel, that means that we have no right to get pissed when people we like are sent home.

HOWEVER. The judges passed out some High Praise this week that was undeserved. The waltz was not worthy of Mary's tears--Vitolio's story, yes. His and Asuka's dancing, no. And Karla & Jonathan's contemporary routine was just okay, and quite frankly, had Mia been one of the judges this week then we would have heard about it, because she's not afraid to be a "villain" in order to speak the truth. Regardless, they gave out some ridiculous compliments that clearly influenced the voters.

The biography packages the producers (Nigel) do are also extremely manipulative. They make choices, suggestions, and edits that all add up to whatever story they want to tell us about these dancers. It also affects the voting.

They work so hard to get us to vote for the ones they like, that I think they're genuinely surprised when it doesn't work. They were grooming Twitch to win all last season, it seemed pretty obvious to me. The only reason they weren't successful in seeing that happen is that they made the mistake of casting a superior dancer, Joshua, in the same season.

I don't know what they're trying to do this season, but I doubt they were surprised by last night's results. Overall I feel this attempted manipulation from the production of the show, and I feel the voting was incorrectly influenced this week.

Which is a really long-winded way of saying I think it's the judges fault that Ashley & Max went home early.

And it's definitely their fault Max went before Kupono, because they picked him, which was simply the Wrong Answer. Maybe they thought the powerdialing 15-year-olds like Kupono better? Who knows?

Alison said...

I'm not eligible to vote, which means I spend many a results show yelling "at America." I was very surprised to see Kayla and Max in the bottom three last night, and don't know what the voters were thinking. He's not my favorite, but there's no way Max should be gone so early.

Erika said...

I just get annoyed that they send the ballroom peeps home so early. I'm STILL pissed about Anya. And if we based that on solos and the dancing from the previous evening, then it should have been Ashley and Kopono going home. Now we have no strong ballroom guy (Jonathan is supposedly ballroom, but he's too boyish and adorable for it, IMO). I really liked his and Karla's routine, but I'm aware that I may have gotten caught up in the song, which I love so much. I'm not sure.