Finally, SYTYCD recap...

Hi Delicious-

So we have FINALLY caught up and as my public (aka Mattie) has requested here are my thoughts on this week's SYTYCD, the last week that the judges have all the control.  (ok and I am SO over this Paula Abdul thing...don't WANT her on there anyway and clearly she doesn't want to be there..let it go @dizzyfeet!)

I thought about listing them in order of performance but decided to keep ranking my faves:

KATHRYN & LEGACY
My second couple moved up a notch this week based on the choreography they got.  They danced a Stacey Tookie (sp?) contemporary number in which he was fear.  It was very remniscent of Mia's Addiction but I was very impressed by just how good Legacy was and she came alive for me.  Last week I said she was the second luckiest girl on the show but I have to say that watching this number it's obvious that he was pretty lucky too and this is a great partnership.  I love how she conquers her fear at the end---sublime.

RYAN & ELLENORE
This was one couple that danced a great number extraordinarily and under dire circumstances.  I love both of them seperately and even more together.  But getting your heel caught in your dress and dancing as if you don't?  That's a champ!  And scary.  And even thought they don't run these live, that's good TV. 

PAULINE & PETER
this discarded couple whose partners both left last week got the good fortune to get Wade Robson.  I have to say I think I liked this number more than either of them, Wade's just so cool and this concept was bigger than both of them.  The costumes and the set and music, just so cool (I know I said that already, but it was).  I also think that Peter's a weird looking dude and this routine fit him while it didn't do very much for Pauline with me.

KAREN & KEVIN
Finally, NappyTabs is back!  LOVE this routine and that Hot Tamale Karen.  This time it's the guy who's lucky but he is going to keep getting completely outshone by her cuz he couldn't even do better than her in his own style. 

MOLLEE & NATHAN
I think every Bollywood routine will be forever compared to the first one by Joshua & Katee and while this one maybe wasn't quite there, it was really good!  They did such a good job with it and for the first time she didn't annoy me.  Very cool choreo and these two aren't going anywhere.

JAKOB & ASHLEIGH
(yes I intentionally put him first)  Ashleigh didn't annoy me this week as much either.  They danced a Viennese Waltz as a couple's first wedding dance.  If my husband is more elegant and fancier than me like Jakob was, I'd be sad but as a dance it was good and right at the middle of the pack for me.

The rest went downhill from there.  VICTOR & BIANCA butchered a Tyce Diorio number, NOELLE never got up to RUSSELL's level in their tennis hip hop match and CHANNING made her samba with PHILLIP look ridiculously hard.  Everyone's solo sucked to me and I think Phillip got the short end of the stick by being in the bottom 4.

Let's hope everyone likes my faves as much as me when the voting starts next week!

PS Also, to find all the great songs like Apparat's Arcadia from Ryan & Ellenore's cool first dance and Move Shake Drop from this week's hip hop, check out @SYTYCDmusic on twitter :)

SYTYCDance, Dance, Dance, dance...

Hi Delicious-

I was questioning whether SYTYCD would get old if they put it on for two seasons back to back without the usual winter break.  I still love Kupono, Jeanine, Jason and the rest of Season 5 so I thought it might be hard to embrace new dancers.  The stupid auditions and Vegas week didn't really help that feeling.  But the producers brilliantly decided to level the playing field this season and introduce us to everyone in a special that showcased all of the dancers in their own style with some stellar choreographers and routines.  Great idea and wonderful show!  It totally got me psyched and ready for the competition to start.  Which it DID last night, making me remember why I wish this show was on 24 hours a day like a new MTV---SYTYCDTV!  With the drama out of the way of Billy Bell leaving *tear* and some poor doe-eyed guy being brought in last minute to replace him and Noelle injuring herself, they jumped right in! 

I won't go routine by routine (although I could cuz they all had their own things going on), but here are my faves, in a very particular order.  ---If you haven't watched yet (@caboomer) stop reading cuz you gotta see it!!!---

Right from their auditions it was so clear that both Ryan and Ellenore were STARS and stand outs and completely memorable in very different ways.  Ryan is gorgeous but also amazingly talented and just possesses that ability to command attention.  In the special on Monday night he was dancing with two hot ballroom chicks with next to nothing on and usually you can't take your eyes off those girls but even J said that Ryan was so good, HE was the one you're watching.  *Big Sigh*  And Ellenore's audition was so quirky and humorous and GOOD that it not only had the judges laughing but the viewers remembering her.  So to make possibly the BEST PAIRING that the show's ever had, they put them together---YAY!  And then they had quirky, dark, memorable Sonia choreograph them.  I'll be saving this one and watching it again!  Faves, faves, faves!

I mean, I don't really need to like anyone else on this show cuz I've got my fave guy and girl in one pair BUT...my next favorite dance of the evening was the Dave Scott hip hop...Legacy and Kathryn.  Boy the producers did her a favor cuz she could have been completely forgettable and Legacy already has a decent fan base.  But she kept up with him and owned that routine as much as he did.  It was fun and completely engaging and they danced the hell out of it!  Plus Missy Elliot's On and On is just too much fun. 

Next...Bianca, the tapper and Victor...not sure how this will pan out but their contemporary piece by Travis, was of course, amazing!  Travis can do no wrong with his routines and I really enjoyed Bianca...she totally kept up with Victor and it was pretty moving.

To me, the rest got completely outshone but here are the other pairings:
•Phillip & Channing–Jive (I wanted to like this but kind of, yawn)
•Nathan & Mollee–Disco (it was like two children dancing it well.  I love him, but   she and her perkiness have got to go.  Although they will be voted for cuz they're cute as pie!)
•Brandon & Pauline-Smooth Waltz (hey, they had a day and a half...pretty good for that!)
•Jakob & Ashleigh–Broadway (wow, another girl who should be thankful for her pairing...it's the only way she'll stay cuz she is as annoying as Jakob is talented!!! Reminiscent of the Will/Jessica pairing altho Jessica wasn't as unpalatable as this chick)
•Russell & Noelle-Foxtrot (Russell is amazing & gets points for doing so well with Melanie.  Noelle is annoying & not being on the first show is not helping her at all)
•Karen & Kevin–Cha Cha (first passenger on the hot tamale train!!!)
•Peter & Ariana-Hip Hop (not even NappyTabs could help them out!)

Can't wait till next week!!!