'So You Think You Can Dance': One more dancer is gone, and it's not a shocker
Tonight, the top nine dancers on "So You Think You Can Dance" are cut down to eight.
Wednesday's performance show was one of the best, with numerous routines (Adechike/Lauren G., Alex/Twitch, Lauren/Neil) proving that with great partnerships and choreography, there is still great dance on "SYTYCD."
Opening Performance: Top nine, "O Fortuna (from Carmina Burana)" by London Symphony Orchestra and Richard Hickox
The music is dramatic and the choreography in the routine definitely reflects that. Not entirely sure if the costumes entirely match the routine, but to each his own.
Now before we get on with the results, Nigel announces some changes for next week's performance show. Instead of dancing one routine, the finalists will now be performing two. The finalists will be dancing with an all-star they've never performed with, and they will also be paired with one of their fellow competitors.
My predictions for the bottom three? Melinda, Jose and Billy. Robert could also be in the bottom too.
Who's Safe? Who's Not?:
Alex - Safe (Loudest cheers, by the way.)
Ashley - Safe
Adechike - Safe
Kent - Safe (Oh Cat, almost gave the boy a heart attack!)
Lauren - Safe
Robert - Bottom Three
Billy - Bottom Three
Melinda - Bottom Three
Jose - Safe
I am shocked that both Billy and Robert are in the bottom, but at least this means the dancer who will be going home is as obvious as can be.
Spotlighting the All-Stars:
Courtney and Mark, "The Garden" by Mirah
(Choreographer: Sonya Tayeh)
Tonight, "SYTYCD" debuts a new feature that puts the spotlight on some of the 12 all-stars and how we first met them. They will also perform a memorable routine. Tonight, it's all about Courtney (Season 4) and Mark (Season 4).
The Fillers:
1) "Didja Ever"/"Return to Sender" by Elvis Presley
(Performed by cast of Cirque du Soleil's "Viva Elvis")
The army routine is choreographed by Nappy Tabs and Mandy Moore, and it's the first of two guest performances on the show. It's entertaining and even has some sick tricks (i.e. the roll near the end of the performance).
2) "Beautiful Monster" by Ne-Yo (Television debut)
This song is perfect for the club scene.
The Bottom Three:
1) Billy, "Fly" by Ludovico Einaudi
(Contemporary; "dance for your life" solo)
This 30-second glimpse just shows you how technically gifted he is.
2) Robert, "Hater" by various producers
(Contemporary; "dance for your life" solo)
He's taking on the quirkness of the Sonya Tayeh routine that he performed this week and tapping into that for his solo. He really does remind me a little bit of Mark.
3) Melinda
(Tap; "dance for your life" solo)
There is no music playing this time around. Instead, it's Melinda showing that she can perform without any accompaniment. I'm still not sure tap really translates well to viewers and the audience.
The Results:
The results are pretty clear, and the judges make that known. Melinda is going home.
First Impressions:
Now that the judges have eliminated Melinda, I feel like the competition isi just getting interesting. It's going to be tough to determine the bottom three next week, unless someone truly bombs in the performance show.
What are your thoughts on this week's eliminated dancer? Discuss below!
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Photo credit: FOX
i've never understood tap with music. the tap beats never match with the music beats. her acapella was much much better than previous solos
@the world -- agreed 100%. The music and taps always clash and it was too distracting. Melinda's solo last night, while not enough to save her, was definitely more entertaining to watch.
Sad to say, this is the most predictable season, and it hasn't been good for the girls. If this were a regular top 20 season instead of all stars, Cristina and Melinda might have been able to grow in their dancing. Unfortunately, Nigel likes to fix things that aren't broke. This show has now jumped the shark.
I thought pairing the newbies with former contenders would be a great idea, but I'm wondering now what is going to happen if all the girls get eliminated and we're left with just the guys? I think some of the girls are very good, but more of the guys are GREAT, OUTSTANDING, more deserving of being in the final 3-4. i really was hoping a girl would win this year, but the guys always seem stronger.
If tap is choreographed well to appropriate music, it can sound great with accompaniment. Although Melinda is a gifted tapper, her music choices were a bit odd for the hoofer style she was doing. Her New York solo had some nice sounds and musicality, though. With that said, I thought Mia and Nigel saying they made a mistake on network television was completely inappropriate, especially since Melinda had a solo to perform after that devastating comment.
Alex is brilliant...my money's on him.
"...This show has now jumped the shark."
And yet you're still watching.
Tap can work on the show if you have the right dancer. Everett, on So You Think You Can Dance Canada, made it to the final four. He was the most entertaining taper I have seen. He seemed to work his upper body into the dance, not just his feet. http://www.ctv.ca/mini/dance2009/bios/competitor20.html
I am glad the tapper is gone. I was getting tired of watching her. The show was about being able to perform different styles of dance. Besides, after being in the bottom three, three weeks in a row, she definetly deserved to go.
The problem with the last 2 or 3 seasons is that the judges have become fixated on who they WANT to win and they give that person a free ride from criticism. This year that person is clearly Jose. He's fun to watch but he never really is given anything challenging. When b-boy Legacy was on there, they made that kid do very difficult routines. Jose is strategically asked to do very little by the choreographers. This type of blatant favoritism ruins the judges' (and the show's) credibility.