Ariana and Brandon are eliminated tonight. (If Noell is out for the season, Ariana will be back next week.) – VIDEO
I was really surprised to see Russell the krumper in the bottom 4. But I was pretty sure he wasn’t going anywhere. I think that spot was cast for shock effect. Poor Brandon Dumlao dragged to Hollywood for a day, and then sent home. Nigel promised him he’d try to get an exception for him, so he could audition for the show again, I hope that happens.
Ariana was so obviously cannon fodder. I thought her dancing was fine. But, that’s the roll she was cast in, sad for her. Hello, and goodbye!
Tonight, the Top 20 dance. The judges send home a boy and a girl. Because of major league baseball, there’s no results show tomorrow. The Paula Abdul chair is still there! Heh.
Nigel discusses about Billy Bell’s unfortunate illness, and Noelle’s “terrible accident” yesterday. Oh wow. It’s her knee, not her ankle. She’s going in for an MRI tomorrow. Wow, she’s got a mega cast on.
Recap after the JUMP…
Channing and Phillip – Jive by Jason Gilkison – “Rockin’ Robin” by Jackson 5 – Channing is a tomboy, Phillip is a poet. – That was really energetic,fun – Adam says, “very classy pairing, Channing danced with a lot of elegance.” Ha! Even I noticed they looked awkward on the drop. Mary says, “Not bad…lazy legs…fairly good performance…I want more.” Nigel says, “I was expecting you to be good…Channing you need to get your weight over your heels…sharper retractions…chemistry isn’t there yet.” – VIDEO
Ashleigh and Jakob – Broadway by Tyce Diorio – “Hit Me With a Hot Note (and watch me bounce)” Sophisticated Ladies (original soundtrack) – She had a back injury that kept her from dancing. Tyce is calling the routine “dirty, sultry Broadway” – Wow. Jakob is SENSATIONAL. He makes Ashleigh look good. – Adam calls the choreo incredibly smart. He goes crazy for Jakob. He tells Ashleigh she’s going to have a hard time keeping up with him. No sh*t. Mary loves Ashleigh, “Sexy, sultry…phenomenal.” Nigel thinks she proved why the judges had faith in her. He calls Jakob one of the most gifted dancers ever on the show. He tells Jakob he’s going to go a long way on the show. – VIDEO
Ariana and Peter – Hip Hop by Napolean and Tabitha – “Black & Gold” by Sam Sparrow -Ariana and Peter are androids – Hm. I liked this way more than the judges did. Adam says “You weren’t dancing like each other…not enough tension…action and reaction” Mary says, “Loved the beginning…the middle got sloppy.” Nigel says, “We never found it.” He points out that they are a tap and contemporary dancer out of their element. “I was disappointed,” says Nigel. – VIDEO
Noell and Russell – Foxtrot by Tony Meredith and Melanie LaPatin (Noell was hurt in rehearsal, Melanie took her place at the last minute) – “Vagabond Shoes” by Vic Damone – Russell comes from Roxbury, Boston, Noell is from the south. Noell says she has no idea what a foxtrot is. What? – Russell is the Krumper. He’s pretty good–I swear he’s had some training. Adam says, “Russell you continue to defy explanation…you were living the character…effortless.” Mary says, “You really did a respectable job right now…” Mary gives him some technical advice. Nigel says, “You are living proof why I get on a soapbox…it’s so important to focus on the arts.” He liked Russel’s lines, but thought his rise and fall wasn’t so good. But Russel will get a pass because he’s a Krumper. – VIDEO
Bianca and Victor – Contemporary by Travis Wall – “Wasted Time” by Me’Shell Ndegeocello – Aw. Bianca’s dog Louie is cute! Wow, the choreography is fantastic! Love this. Adam gives Travis Wall his props. He gives Bianca some tips–drop your shoulders, finish your toes. He says Victor is a revelation. Mary says, “Bianca..you are finally here…outside of your style and conquering…your passion sold me…chemistry…Victor…you took it to another level.” Nigel says, “This is the most connection between dancers I’ve seen tonight. – VIDEO
Karen and Kevin - Cha cha by Tony Meredith and Melanie LaPatin – “Push it” by Glee cast! – Kevin is a hip hopper and model! Karen’s performance is slinky, sexy…wow. Kevin the hip hopper? A little stiff. Adam made a gay joke! Hee! He was turned on by Karen. Heh. He said the last lift series was a little awkward. Mary puts Karen on the hot tamale train. But she thinks Kevin needs to work on the foot action. Nigel thought Kevin danced well for a hip hopper. Karen has it in her blood, he says. – VIDEO
Ellenore and Ryan – Jazz by Sonya Tayeh – “Arcadia” by Apparat – Ellenore is just fantastic. Both are really strong dancers. Ellen is inventive, creative…a force. “Sonya you rock my world,” says Adam. Adam says Ellenore and Ryan aren’t the best technical dancers on the show, but they are the most exciting. Mary loved the chemistry. She really loved Ryan. She loved that they didn’t break character. Nigel says to both, “You brought a completely new style.” – VIDEO
Paula and Brandon – Smooth Walz by Jason Gilkison – “You Light Up My Life” by Whitney Houston – Brandon is a hip hop dancer, taking the place of Billy Bell. Brandon just got thrown into the mix a day and a half ago. Adam says they had some beautiful performance moments. Mary says, Jason created a romantic waltz…dynamic chemistry. She had some technical pointers for Brandon. Nigel said it felt a little bit like a prom couple…not strong enough. Nigel is talking like he wants to cut them. – VIDEO
Kathryn and Legacy – Hip Hop by Dave Scott – “On & On” by Missy Elliott – Adam says, “This is hot..this is about meeting in the middle…your chemistry was so fantastic…you have an amazing opportunity to learn from each other.” “Pebbles and Bam bam were busting a move in the cave tonight,” said Mary. She gave them a scream.” Nigel says, “great chemistry…another couple I’m looking forward to developing across the season.” – VIDEO
Mollee and Nathan ‘“ Disco by Doriana Sanchez – “Turn the Beat Around (Pablo’s 12″ Remix)” by Gloria Estefan – The dance was supposed to be like Mexican wrestling. Nathan seems really out of his element here. Mollee is full of energy, but she does dance like a little kid. Adam calls them “really cute.” He says their dirty lifts didn’t seem that dirty. Mary says, “that was really hard and you guys really pulled it off…you are a dream team…I think you are going to be here for a long time.” Nigel says, “You guys bring the fun to this competition.” – VIDEO
Ariana, Brandon, Pauline and Russell have to dance for their lives. Everyone else is safe. – VIDEO
Elimination: Unanimous decision to eliminate…Ariana. Brandon is leaving tonight. Wow. that was short lived for Brandon. Nigel is going to talk to the powers that be to change the rules so that Brandon can audition again next season. His time on the show was insanely short. – VIDEO
Why on earth did Russel have to “dance for his life”? His is my favorite of the whole bunch – has been since his first audition.
Yeah that confused me too. Maybe the judges wanted to throw a scare into him to dance better :S . Whatever. Russel danced better than most of the guys.
I agree… I think it sucked that Russell was in the bottom… He and Melanie were great… In my opinion it should have been Peter in the bottom instead of Russell!
I loved Jakob. He had unbelievable tours, turns jumps,and extension while Ashleigh struted around the stage and did a double. I still don’t get the hype. Victor,Ryan,Kathryn,Eleanor were great. Russell should not have been in the bottom. I was OK with the two girls in the bottom since I knew Ashleigh wasn’t going to be there. I thought Brandon didn’t have a chance, but thought the decision was fair. No way should Russell should have been there. Nathan and Mollee…arg.she was better than I thought, but Nathan is better than this paring.
ProDancer… You thought Ashleigh didn’t deserve to be in the bottom and the other girls did? Really?
I’ll give you Pauline, because her solo SUCKED BIG TIME but I certainly didn’t think Ariana deserved to be in the bottom, not for the Hip Hop routine (which she performed better than her partner Peter, who should have been in the bottom instead of Russell) or her solo.
No izzitime Ashleigh did belong in the bottom. But you knew the judges were not going to put here there. Let me make myself clear. I think she’s going to get a long pass.
Do you think they wanted to give Russell a chance to do an early solo and solidify his fanbase? Otherwise, I don’t much understand why he was in the bottom.
Jakob continues to amaze. If Victor and Bianca weren’t so good, and Russell hadn’t danced that fierce solo, I’d give tonight to Jakob, too. So, if his performance in the Wade piece was any indication, he should be able to sell a character driven piece as effortlessly as he masters technique, which means this season is gonna be way fun. WHY did they pair him with Ashleigh of all people, though? Blergh.
Nigel continues to annoy me with his lame reactions to the more quirky, out of the box pieces. Bleh bleh, I don’t know what to call that, impossible to critique, but what you did you did well, yada yada yada…. Shut up, Nigel, and stop insulting my intelligence. That Sonya piece was mind blowing, and I didn’t need a translation, kthx. One of her best, up there with The Garden.
Travis is, as always, brills. Victor and Bianca sold it very well. Best of the night, I think.
Loved the show tonight. There were so many highlights:
* Absolutely adored Travis’s choreography. Delicious!
* The pieces I loved the most were:
>Bianca and Victor – “Wasted Time”, by Travis Wall
>Ellenore and Ryan – ‘Arcadia”, by Sonya Tayeh
>Kathryn and Legacy – Hip Hop, by Dave Scott
All 3 of those pieces were jump up and down, applauding widely kind of great. So impressed to see both great choreography and great dancing right from the start. I really cannot express how amazing the Travis piece was to me. Absolute perfection! And the Dave Scott hip-hop telling of the stone age! Kathryn and Legacy completely inhabited that world. Loved it! I can easily see all three of those pieces skyrocketing to the ‘best of’ the season. If they can keep that caliber of dance on every show, we will, indeed be in for an incredible season.
I pretty much agreed with the judges for most of the night. Occasionally I thought they were being a tad too generous to some of the weaker dancers, mainly, I think, to keep the first competition show on an up note.
Besides the 3 pieces I highlighted in which I felt that all of dancers involved did an incredible job, I was also particularly impressed with Jakob’s lines and Karen’s hot sultry dancing (oh Adam!). I share Nigel’s sorrow at not having a chance to see Billy Bell and Jakob go head to head. Sigh. I was also shocked to see Russell in the bottom 4, but figured they wanted to help further build up his supporters cause the guy is crazy amazing. Did you notice now people couldn’t stop screaming after he finished his solo?
Whoa…Jakob! I couldn’t even see Ashleigh when he was dancing. He’s amazing! I hope I get to see a taping this season because I’d love to see him in person. Gravity-defying!
LOVED the choreography from Sonya and Travis tonight.
I loved Russel.
Am I the only one that HATES the new stage? All of the bright, bright lights behind the dancers combined with the high camera angle (at times) is really distracting. All sense of intimacy is gone.
I adore Russell. I hope he reacts competitively to what happened last night. I hope it makes him work even harder, because he’s got some fierce competition in Jakob. It sure is making *me* react competitively. The judges have galvanized me to vote next time, and I’ve never voted during any season previously, not even for Josh, my fav up to now. I love the dancers who show so much spirit and life and sweet energy that they light up my tv screen.
Travis! Omg. The baby choreographer rocks so hard.
As someone who has been in the audience and hopes to be there again, I don’t like it. Before, the audience could wrap around the stage and go up on the catwalk, so there were maybe six or seven rows max. Now everyone’s forced in front of the stage, and I saw about twenty rows of people. The floor is flat and you’re standing for three hours, clapping over your head. The people in back won’t see much unless they’ve really raised that stage higher.
As far as performance goes, I haven’t noticed yet.
I loved Victor and Bianca. Bianca may not have the mad skills as some of the others but she has personality to spare. Just loved it. Victor just shined tonight.
Ryan surprised me. Not bad.
I really like Nathan’s dancing..not his shining moment for sure. My back ached for him on some of those lifts.
Jakob is a constant stream of perfect poses isn’t he. He seems almost double jointed when he stretches his legs out. Beautiful to see.
I want Billy back. Loved his fluid movements and passion.
My 2 favorite couples from last night are Kevin/Karen and Legacy/Katherine, the rest were just ok except I did love Russell, Jakob, Ryan and Elenore too.
Initially I didn’t like Katherine at all but that was based on her screechy crying edit, I loved her dancing and her chemistry with Legacy so i’m reversing my opinion and Dave Scott is SO much better than the over-rated NappyTabs, I want more from him.
Mean of me I know but I hope Noelle does not come back next week and Arianna does. How can she not know what a foxtrot is? Seriously? She a dancer! Ugh, she annoys me as much as Mollee. I was sad to see her paired with Nathan and in the last spot. I’m guessing she’s there for the younger Taylor Swift/HSM/Disney voting crowd.
I love Travis and his choreography is amazing but I did not love Victor and Bianca. I don’t know what it is about her, maybe it’s that she just doesn’t seem very feminine and graceful to me, I don’t know but the whole thing seemed odd.
I don’t understand Russell being in the bottom 4, that was weird, i’d have put Peter or Philip there before him and I felt bad for Brandon it was obvious he wasn’t staying so I hope they change the rules and let him back on. This means that Pauline will now dance with Peter right? And if Noele doesn’t come back will Arianna dance with Russell?
I am so happy Adam is on the panel permanently, I like him and it’s nice to see new choreographers, at least I think they were new?
No, I don’t like it either.
It’s sad that Brandon just came and went. I appreciate Nigel attempting to make an exception to the rules that would allow him to compete again. However, what about Billy Bell? He made it to the top 20 and actually performed with the top 20 before falling ill. He never competed. Will he be allowed to join the show again?
Regarding the set – I hate it, too. There is too much set/lighting behind the dancers and I much preferred the “theater in the round” set.
Perfect description. I have watched Nathan and Mollee’s Disco performance 5 times, and their background has been the most distracting of all the dances. It is too loud, too busy. At times, they seem to get lost in it.
Who is advising the camera man on what angles are needed? I wish someone from the show would pick up on these flaws and correct the problems!
the videos in your yahoo account have really bad quality. i couldn’t see their faces when they dance. any way it can be improved? thanks. i know why u can’t upload these to youtube.