Less crying, more cutting!

VEGAS, BABY: PART 2

Why this show needs a whole damn hour to show us which 20 people they chose is beyond me.

Janette is first and she’s going through. From everything I’ve seen, she’s an excellent salsa dancer and should be good for the competition.

Diana is next and I’m not interested in her at all, and she’s cut.

And if they’re going to do a whole weepy package for all 32 dancers, now I don’t know how they’re going to get through them all in one hour. Less crying, more cutting!

Vitolio is next, and we haven’t seen much of his dancing so far, but the clips they show us here are amazing, as is his life story. So of course he’s in the Top 20.

The next guys who get cut, evidently, do not deserve names. Bad dancer! No name for you!

Kayla is a tiny blond contemporary dancer—Nigel’s favorite—and she has adorable grandparents, so of course she’s in. I haven’t seen enough to know if she deserves the tongue bath Mia just gave her, though.

Kupono is next and the judges give him a bunch of notes, joke about his name and put him in the Top 20.

Paris, aka Chin Implant, is put in the Top 20. Ugh. I have no idea how I’m going to look at that chin week after week.

Jeanine, from whom we haven’t seen …anything? Gets in. She must not have a dramatic story OR cute grandparents. Stupid boring plain ol’ good dancers. Others who get in who we may or may not have seen who you may or may not remember include Ade, Karla, and Jonathan.

Brandon, and all the drama that comes with him, is next. Mia says, for some reason, “I can’t take you, as an artist, for what you bring to the floor. It annoys the shit out of me.” Mia: I can’t take what you’re bringing to the table, right now, as a judge, and don’t understand why you can’t articulate why you don’t like him more specifically or constructively. It annoys the shit out of me. Same with Lil C, he doesn’t like Brandon and can’t explain why. Mary goes nuts and actually says she can’t listen to their crap anymore. I’m SO CONFUSED. Is he being a giant dick off camera? Is there a question of his sincerity, or something? We have at least one week to figure it out, because he’s in the Top 20. And he handles Mia & Lil C with humor and grace, so good for him.

Tony, who for me is all personality and not enough dance, tells us a story about his brother in Afghanistan, and is put through. Nigel holds up a giant sign that says “We’re casting a TV show here, people, we need personalities and underdogs!” Not really, but he might as well. He admits that they’re going out on a limb for him. I’ll say.

(At this point, my laptop informs me that it is almost out of power and needs to be plugged in asap, and I find myself hunting around my bedroom for an outlet at 2:00 a.m. because that’s how crazy I have become. I decide a little bit of juice is better than none and opt to plug it into the power strip behind the TV, hoping to get it just enough juice to get me through the show… and accidentally turn off the power strip. Which turns off the TV and the TiVO. So I’m basically sitting on the floor typing this, waiting for it to boot up again. Hi, I’m a winner.)

Back to the other winners this week. Some guy named Maxim is in, despite wearing a leather vest over a bare chest: honey, no. Caitlin-the-mouth-breather’s-sister is in. Melissa, a ballerina we haven’t seen much from, is in even though she’s wearing the Worst Tutu Ever. Jason, whom I haven’t seen dance much but who seems to have impressed all the judges, is in. I was psyched to see more from him until his dumb victory dance in the hallway.

Ashley has auditioned for this show FOUR TIMES. That’s some serious determination, yo. She’s in the Top 20. Randi, on the other hand, succeeds in getting Mia to say “unitards” no less than FOUR TIMES. And in getting in the Top 20.

Alex, of the amazing first dance of Vegas, is next, and he walks with his feel turned out and absently rolls his foot on and off point while he waits. He even fidgets with grace and strength. Love! However, he is also under contract with a company in Miami and they won’t allow him out of it to do the competition. Weak. I love this guy. I love how hard he wants to try all these other styles, and he would have been such a strong competitor this season. “You have the appetite of a true artist,” Lil C says. Beautiful. I hope he comes back in a future season, ‘cause I don’t see myself getting to Miami anytime soon and I want to see him dance some more!

After all that, four more dancers you may or may not remember who evidently don’t deserve names are cut. I recognize one of the crybaby girls from the group choreography bit, and the hot Asian salsa dancer guy.

Phillip is next and is in the Top 20—duh. Which brings us to the final four, where they have left the two Broadway brothers for Maximum! Dramatic! Effect.

Deena (Deanna? They pronounce it both ways, which is annoying) and Asuka go first, however, and Asuka gets in. Deena is devastated. And between Evan and Ryan, the brothers who can’t stop hugging or crying, the judges choose Evan. Considering the talent of both, I’m going to assume it’s because he’s slightly younger and has more hair?

And with that, we have a Top 20: Ade, Ashley, Asuka, Brandon, Caitlin, Evan, Janette, Jason, Jeanine, Jonathan, Karla, Kayla, Kupono, Max, Melissa, Paris/Chin Implant, Phillip, Randi, Tony, and Vitolio.

Let the games begin!