With absolutely no official feedback from America, this Power Ranking list could be completely proven wrong. However, with 10 seasons prior of trends, and some candidates getting some serious screentime, there is a formula here. There’s also a bit of spacing… which I’ll try to indicate. Instead of ranking them traditionally, we will go on a 1-100 scale.
THE BOYS:
95) Ricky Ubeda- I’m not sure if he can win, because he’s been so heavily pimped and gushed upon. But, he earned his stripes this week with one of the nights most compelling dances, if not the best. Plus, his solo in Call Back week when he fought for his Top 20 spot was crazy good. I almost feel like he wasted it there, and should have saved it should he ever need to dance for his life. Right now, he’s a standout. He’s the standout.
89) Stanley Glover- Black male contemporary dancers have struggled on this show before, with respect to making the finale. Yes, some make the finale, but so many more bow out before the finale that the odds are a bit against Stanley. I think what separates Stanley from the others is that he is actually compelling to watch. He infuses his dance with real, raw emotion, and dances with a masculine quality that I think voters will be drawn to. In the long game, I think Stanley is one to watch.
82) Zack Everhart- Nigel loves his tappers, and I expect him to get super pimped in the coming weeks. In my opinion, he was one of a few pairings where he outperformed his partner. I think Zack also showed in Call Back week that he was versatile enough, something that I fear for Marcquet and a few other more obvious frontrunners.
80) Rudy Abreu- He’s been getting generally favorable feedback on the interwebs. I don’t get him, personally. I know people were touched by his crying at Top 20 selection. I think if Rudy can get a good partner, and get some momentum, he could do well. I’m not sure he can win. Not yet, anyway.
79) Emilio Dosal- I can’t imagine we don’t have a hip hop dancer in the Top 10. Emilio is a much better hip hop dancer than Teddy (more on Teddy later). The only problem Emilio has is that we also have three ballroom dancers, and I can’t imagine the top 10 without at least one of them. I think Zack, Rudy, and Emilo are all really close in rank to me, and could shake up in the coming weeks as the ballroom dancers define who is strongest outside of their style.
75) Serge Onik- If America (and the judges) give him a chance beyond this week, I think he’s the strongest candidate of the ballroom males to have a shot at the Top 5 boys. From everything I’ve seen, I feel like he’s the one who transitions best into other styles.
72) Marcquet Hill- There was a reference to Marcquet’s weakness in Hollywood round during last weeks performance show. He has been heavily pimped, but I’m not sure Marcquet (who always seems happy and nice) can handle either the depth of an emotional contemporary piece, or a gritty hip hop. Maybe he’ll prove me wrong.
70) Casey Askew- I think he’s going to be forgettable. I don’t think he has the depth that Stanley and Ricky have. He’ll have to prove himself fast if he doesn’t want to be the first contemporary male eliminated.
68) Nick Garcia- He seems almost like a child when he dances, and his piece last week was overpraised. I don’t have a lot of faith in his ability to do other styles well, and he comes off sometimes as cocky in his packages. I’m not sure who his fanbase is. He might be spared this week.
63) Teddy Coffey– He might save himself with a tap routine as a DFYL this week. However, with votes, I’m reminded of Teddy’s virtual lack of screentime prior to the Top 20, as well as his dancing seeming more like he was auditioning for a boyband. I’m surprised he listed hip-hop as his primary style, because he just got showed up by Emilio. I think Teddy is this weeks elimination.
My predictions for tonight: Teddy, Casey, and Serge are bottom three. Teddy goes home.
THE GIRLS:
90) Bridget Whitman- The girls are a bit closer matched, in general, with there not being a clear standout yet. Bridget had a great week, showed a lot of emotion in her piece, and has had substantial screentime. I’m not saying she’s a winner, but I think she’s at a solid advantage right now. The best thing about her right now is that she doesn’t seem like TCO.
89) Jessica Richens- Nipping at her heels is Jessica, who is basically everything Bridget just is, just a little perkier. She actually may be a more obvious choice for TCO, but I think these two are neck and neck, and their performances this week will help more clearly define who is in the lead for the girls.
84) Malene Ostergaard– Here is a girl who knows how to dance ballroom. She’s so different from everyone in the competition, and seems older than everyone. I’m looking forward to seeing the results this week, because I’m not 100% sure she translates into votes. I voted for her. Did you?
82) Emily James– A strong dancer, possibly slightly at a disadvantage due to the amount of contemporary dancers in the program who are very strong, but I think Emily has a shot (as does Carly). It’s all about versatility in the coming weeks, and who can truly stand out above the rest.
81) Carly Blaney- Basically everything I just said about Emily, I feel about Carly. I think as more dances are done, we’ll be able to see which of these contemporary girls is the true star. I am fairly certain a contemporary girl is going to win this season.
75) Jourdan Epstein– Has some screentime, and looked like she slightly outperformed Jacque. I’ve been told by people who know ballet that their technique was incredibly rough, and that their dance was actually the worst of the night. Good thing they’ll both start performing out of their style. I think Jourdan has potential in other styles, so I’ll give her the benefit of the doubt… for now.
72) Tanisha Belnap- I worry about her likeability factor versus the amount of screentime she’s had. I think she comes across as overly pimped, and there’s something about her personality that seems to be grating on Dance fans. I wouldn’t be too surprised to see a bottom three appearance. I think she’s really going to have to come through and connect emotionally if she wants to stay alive in the competition.
69) Valerie Rockey- Seems a bit over her head in the competition. We’ve had better female tappers, and they struggled. I have a great fear that Valerie will be thrown ballroom, and get eliminated early on. Nigel loves his tappers, and I can’t see her getting at least one more week to prove herself.
65) Brooklyn Fullmer- Someone should have stopped her from going through to the Top 20, honestly. I don’t think she has the presence on stage, and gets enveloped by her dance partner. And that was in her own style! We lost good girls for her, just so she could balance out the ballroom couples for the Top 20 week. I think Jaja would have been much more successful at drawing an audience in to vote for her.
60) Jacque Lewarne- No screentime. Bad routine. If she survives this week, which I don’t think she will, she’ll need to come out of the gate every week swinging. If she’s handed krump, she has to krump like her life depends on it. She’s at such a disadvantage right now.
My predictions for tonight: Jacque, Brooklyn, and Valerie are bottom 3. Jacque goes home.
Who is YOUR favorite contestant?
(PICK THREE)
(PICK THREE)
Who would YOU send home?
(PICK ONE)
Join me tonight for the live blog!
