SYTYCD Recap: The Right Stuff

28 Comments

1. 1
   Kammie
   Posted July 2, 2012 at 10:50 am

   I, too am PSYCHED at the ballet representations this year. Overall, I am very happy with the diverse group of people chosen this year. Or maybe I am just clouded by excitement of a new season!

2. 2
   Honeybee
   Posted July 2, 2012 at 11:27 am

   I think I read that the Mia routine was preformed twice. It had to do with four people fell during the routine. I watched that thing like three times and I didn’t see anything. But then I realized that it wasn’t live yet…so I’m the idiot.

3. 3
   wcsdancer
   Posted July 2, 2012 at 11:58 am

   Refresh my memory, please…what’s the deal with Alexa and Travis?

4. 4
   zbird
   Posted July 2, 2012 at 12:10 pm

   I’m so excited about some of these peeps — especially the ballet dancers and Cole! Absolute LOVE!

   I’m happy for Cyrus, too, but I’m not sure if he’s prepared for this. In fact, I can tell he’s not already — he is fantastic in his own style, and seems like a complete sweetheart, so I really like him, but he is not doing well with the choreo and frankly, I’m surprised he got through the audition rounds with some of those performances. They are definitely grading on a curve for him. But dangit, I like him anyway and I hope he can step up and prove me wrong!

   I noticed that Alexis was featured in Travis’ piece, but I don’t know the history behind them. Do tell, Potty!

   Thanks for another great recap, including your undying love for Cat and Hugh, which I completely share. Have a wonderful 4th and we’ll see you in 2 weeks!

5. 5
   R.
   Posted July 2, 2012 at 12:38 pm

   I loved the baseball piece. As Cat said, first chills of the season. Amazing stuff and really creative. However, I agree that Cyrus should’n being in the top 20. He reminds me of Philip, who was amazing in his own style, but certainly wasn’t ready to be part of the show (and Philip auditioned twice if I’m not mistaken). The saddest thing is that Feliciano seemed to do really well in Vegas. He should be reward for his hard work and probably would add a lot more to the show (if not, at least to his partner), than Cyrus. Same goes for Jill over Amelia. But Nigel, as always, chose personality over talent. Too bad.

   That being said, I’m really excited for this season. A lot of different styles, a lot of really good dancers and the return of Mia Michaels (as long she stays away from the judges table, I love her). It has the potential to be one of the greatests.

   Right now, my bets are for Witney (smoking hot!) and Cole to take it all.

6. 6
   georgiababe
   Posted July 2, 2012 at 1:05 pm

   I am SO STOKED for this season. Seriously. Not only do we get rid of the lame musical performances in the results show (hopefully) but the top 20 this year is AWESOME. Literally every single dancer that I was rooting for got in. SO psyched about the diversity this year – the representation of ballet, bellydance and ballroom in particular makes me so happy!

7. 7
   vallegirl
   Posted July 2, 2012 at 1:05 pm

   I don’t know if its because I watch too many competitive reality shows or if the bumper editors are just getting lazy, but they totally telegraphed that Lindsay and Chehon were in the top 20. They were both featured crying but it was obvious that they were tears of relief, like they both thought they didn’t make it but did.

   Not that I’m disappointed they both made it in but the editors used the exact same trick on consecutive bumpers.

8. 8
   hot cawfee
   Posted July 2, 2012 at 1:16 pm

   :::passing a cooler filled with fruit, wine, ice-cream,beer, coldcuts, Vodka and milk to Potty—total suckage when the power goes out!!!!

   And the cast is announced–sigh…..The season will be great. I am unsure about Amelia getting the votes to keep her on. You hit PM when you cationed “Gee..I wonder…” Amelia has a star quality to her–she is unusual enough looking. How will she do dancing with a partner and can she adapt to different styles? Remains to be seen.
   And like all the other ballet-lovers I am so happy to see good representation for ballet this year.

9. 9
   hot cawfee
   Posted July 2, 2012 at 1:17 pm

   OMG– I got it– Guest Judge and/or Guest Chroeographer——-Jabby Mills!!!!!
   How fun, right?????

10. 10
    lovesthehobbitses
    Posted July 2, 2012 at 1:21 pm

    My ONE concern/anticipated annoyance is Cyrus’s choreography. Before he made the top 20, they showed a review of all the styles and… I mean he was alright, but really didn’t keep up, let alone give it much flair. I watched him closely in the group numbers to see how he fared in choreo this time…. yeah, all of his moves were SUPER dumbed down. If you pay attention to him specifically, he’s doing a lot of walking and posing, and where there is dancing, he’s not keeping up. I fear he’s going to be another whatshisface (from a couple seasons ago?? the b-boy??) that the judges orgasm over constantly, who gets off on his charm, and really doesn’t do anything of substance.

11. 11
    zbird
    Posted July 2, 2012 at 1:21 pm

    Hot cawfee, you take that back. NOW! They might be listening! Don’t give them advice on how to ruin my favorite show

12. 12
    georgiababe
    Posted July 2, 2012 at 1:30 pm

    I have to admit, I’m a little worried about Cyrus. I love him, but I worry that he might not be trained enough and that he might turn into this season’s Cedric – amazing at what he does, but completely out of his league in other areas, so much so that he brings other people down when he partners them.

    We’ll see…

13. 13
    sagittariuskim
    Posted July 2, 2012 at 1:57 pm

    I’m so excited! So much diversity! And so many of my early favorites! I would like to have seen what Sonya’s routine would have looked like with Janelle in it.

14. 14
    nooneinparticular
    Posted July 2, 2012 at 2:18 pm

    I would also like to hear the Alexa/Travis backstory as I don’t know it and can’t find anything on google.

    Honeybee Cat repeatedly said that they were performing live. So I think it was live.

15. 15
    justaguest
    Posted July 2, 2012 at 4:15 pm

    As far as I know, Alexa is a part of Travis’ dance company, Shaping Sound. I wasn’t aware there was a “backstory”?

16. 16
    Sahara
    Posted July 2, 2012 at 7:31 pm

    That’s what I heard too, justaguest.

    I’m really rooting for Cyrus to succeed this season. Instead of fearing that he’ll be this year’s Jose, I am hoping that he’ll turn into this years Ivan. While it’s great to see how talented these dancers continue to get every year, I still really love it when the contestants improve dramatically over the course of the season and then surprise with us an amazing routine!

17. 17
    Colleen
    Posted July 2, 2012 at 8:57 pm

    Sorry to hear about the power outage PottyMouth! I know a big chunk of the East coast is sharing in your misery right now…

    That said, I am so excited about the top twenty! I am ecstatic Eliana made it in, and I truly think she will be the female to beat. This girl can do any style of dance and is a freaking prima ballerina on top of it! I have to admit, I had tears in my eyes through the first half of the ballet routine, especially because I was glad Chehon made it through and moved by his reaction to the judges’s “fake out”. I also loved the last small group routine of Cole, Brandon, and Cyrus. The baseball theme and choreography were all very unique and entertaining to watch. I know Cyrus isn’t the strongest dancer out there, but he is like a big ol’ teddy bear to me!

    I am a little disappointed Megan Branch didn’t make it through. Granted, we didn’t see her in Vegas much (at all?) but I really enjoyed her quirky audition, much more so than Amelia, who comes across as contrived to me.

    Finally, I had forgotten about George Lawrence (another one cut from Vegas “Alexa hour” coverage), but he came back with a bang this week! I am predicting him as the male to beat. We should have like a fantasy dance league of our top picks, hehe.

18. 18
    Lizbot
    Posted July 3, 2012 at 5:03 am

    I’m really happy about the diversity this year (seems like Nigel was listening, finally!), but am I the only one who wasn’t so impressed with the ballroom girls? I don’t know, maybe it’s a maturity thing, but I can’t help but compare them to past ballroom girls like Anya, Heidi, and even Lacey. I’m no expert, but it seems like their leg movements just aren’t quick and sharp enough. That said, I do think they both have the potential to show do well in other styles and I kind of like their personalities (so far). Plus, the fact that they finally cast 3 ballroom dancers (I knew both girls were in by the way they telegraphed during the “coming up next” segments) makes me happy.

    I’m afraid Alexa is going to be Ryan 2.0. I feel sorry for her because the judges are going to chew her up and spit her out like it was her fault they insisted on casting her.

    I’m hoping Cyrus can pull an Ivan, Legacy or (what was his name from last year? the hip-hopper who made top 4) rather than a Cedric or Jose.

    I’m glad they’re more diverse in the cast, but I’m disappointed they weren’t more diverse in the choreography. All 3 big group numbers were contemporary/jazz. I would have loved to have seen something eclectic like that Men in Black number they choreographed for the top 10 boys last year.

    Looking forward to another season of your recaps PM. And I had the same thought when I first saw Cat’s dress (only you said it much funnier!)

19. 19
    Lizbot
    Posted July 3, 2012 at 5:05 am

    Oh by the way — I’ve noticed something about castings over the year. Nigel seems to be really scared of liability. If a dancer gets injured during auditions, there is no way they make it onto the show. Which sucks, because some really great dancers (like bacon girl) could mend well enough over the time between Vegas and the live shows to do well. I thin that’s probably why the girl who was in the accident with her brother didn’t make it through (although in that case, I don’t blame Nigel, but I’ve love to see her come back next year!)

20. 20
    WishICouldDance
    Posted July 3, 2012 at 5:57 am

    PM, you have my deepest sympathy on the power outage – been there, done that but at least it wasn’t 105 degrees for me. Glad to see you back up and running!

    Ok, it sounds like whoever gave Alexia the name Ryan 2.0 was dead-on! Ugh!!! Do we have another one of those mentor/favorite dancer situations?!? The Mia/Ryan thing drove me crazy and had me giving PM a run for her money on the foulest language screamed at the TV. I hated the whole “we love Mia so we can’t be critical of Ryan” thing and DO NOT want another season of it!! (gag, cough, spit, throw-up!!) sorry. I’m ok now. But it would help if someone explained this “history”.

    The ballet routine was just amazing and I tend to agree, Eliana might just be the girl to beat! Loved the silly/goofy side they showed as well! She seems so personable and likable – someone you could just hang out with and have fun! All three dancers were amazing and the routine was stunning but my eyes went to her! Wow!!

    I am in Atlanta and yesterday morning, they interviewed Cyrus on one of the morning shows! Dang, I really like this kid!! He was sweet, funny and quite humble. He admitted that doing choreography is hard but said that everyone has been very supportive and he’s not giving up! No, he’s not in the same league as… Well, most of the other dancers but he gives people like me hope! He’s a brave kid and I really wish him the best!

    No big surprises in the top 20 but pretty impressed that it’s not SYTYCD Contemporary/Jazz again this year!

21. 21
    georgiababe
    Posted July 3, 2012 at 8:15 am

    I do love Eliana, but one thing bugs me about her – she isn’t always exactly over the box of her shoes, as she should be. I understand when you’re moving quite quickly it can be very hard to center your weight exactly, but if you’re doing an arabesque, say, your weight had better well be over that box and I find that she doesn’t always do that – it drives me CRAZY!

    Anyone else notice this? Or is it just me?

22. 22
    Gerrit Verstoep
    Posted July 3, 2012 at 10:13 am

    We could have used Hugh in the all male bare midriff routine. My faves so far are Eliana and Witney.

23. 23
    WishICouldDance
    Posted July 3, 2012 at 10:43 am

    Georgiababe, as you can tell from my name… I am NOT a dancer so I didn’t notice the Eliana thing. If they allow her to do more ballet, I will watch for it but… Do you mean that her feet aren’t lined up with the toes of her shoes? I enjoy learning more about dance so this is a serious question! I’m just not exactly sure how to word it?!? : / Thanks for the info!

24. 24
    jerseyj
    Posted July 3, 2012 at 2:00 pm

    I’m psyched overall about the top 20 but I did disagree with the judges on a few of their decisions. Should have been Megan Branch and Jill over Ryan 2.0 and Amelia. Ryan 2.0 just doesn’t excite me at all, and Amelia tries to hard to be quirky with her personality. Megan is beautifully quirky in her dancing and doesn’t need an over-exaggerated personality to sell it.

    Also, as much as I love Cyrus, I wish it was Feliciano instead of him. He needs another year to mature. It was clear from the brief clips they showed of Feliciano that he rocked many of the other styles in Vegas week. It seems unfair that Cyrus, who let’s face it…SUCKED in many of the other styles during Vegas week, would make it to the top 20 over him. Even in the baseball routine that I loved, it was clear he was hitting as crisply as the other guys during the parts with synchronized choreography. I wouldn’t say he’s the next Jose, since at least Cyrus is great at what he does. Jose wasn’t even a good b-boy! But, he has the potential to be that guy who gets by on his personality and has really dumbed down choreograph week after week. Oh well, at least I’ll like his solos!

    Also, I HATED that they featured Ryan 2.0 in the girls routine. She’s already gotten all the screen time, now she got a featured part in the dance. They need to stop shoving her down our throats!

25. 25
    jerseyj
    Posted July 3, 2012 at 2:02 pm

    clear he WASN’T hitting as crisply that is.

    Also, super-psyched about the ballet dancers! Australian guy is my eye candy for the season and Chehon is an amazing dancer!

26. 26
    georgiababe
    Posted July 3, 2012 at 3:28 pm

    @WishICouldDance

    Being over the box of the pointe shoe basically means that your weight is perfectly centered over your toes and your foot does that beautiful curve. If you’re not quite on the box, then the foot doesn’t curve as much and you don’t get the same line. I’m not sure how else to describe it, I hope you know what I mean. Perhaps Google images can help you out? It’s very obvious to me when I see it, but if you’re not looking for it, it’s easy to miss. And Eliana is an excellent dancer, don’t get me wrong, it’s just a little pet peeve of mine.

    Dancers who have problems getting over the box usually need to strengthen their ankles and feet in order to get a better point in the foot (which also makes a nicer curve) and an easier time getting up over the box.

27. 27
    WishICouldDance
    Posted July 3, 2012 at 6:25 pm

    Wow!! Thanks! I get it now!!!! I even re-played the routine and saw a bit of what you were saying. Maybe, hopefully?, it was simply nerves? IDK?

    Thanks for explaining and now that I think about it, wouldn’t it hurt if you weren’t ‘over the box’? Anyway, appreciate the info!

28. 28
    Enrique's Mole
    Posted July 5, 2012 at 5:11 pm

    While I like Cyrus for his humble personality and awesome style doing his own form of dance, Feliciano should have been cast over him. He (Feliciano) was the far better all-around dancer. And, who knows, he might have a great personality too. We just don’t know b/c they didn’t show it. Too much time wasted on silent movie girl and Ryan 2.0 (who I don’t mind, but there was waaaaay too much time spent on her).

    I lurve Chehon!!! Oder besser gesagt, ich liebe Chehon!