*GASP*

That was the only audible sound in the room when we heard Cat tell Robert, "No!" As in, "No, you're NOT in the bottom 3 again this week." Meaning that Lauren IS.

??????????????

There is no accounting for how people vote, that's for sure, but my guess is that it was a combination of the "popular" folks splitting the vote (Kent and Lauren), and people rising to help the folks they suspected would be in trouble (Robert and Adechike). In any case, that was the moment that we knew both Jose and Billy would be going home, because let's face it, NOBODY thinks Lauren should go home. And I mean nobody - have you seen the postings on this girl?

It was an unfortunate outcome, I think, because detractors be damned, this was a big week for Billy, while neither Robert nor Adechike had particularly outstanding performances. Yes, Robert's contemporary number with Kathryn was beautiful, but if you go back and watch it again (as I have, more than once), you realize that the number is beautiful, and Kathryn is exquisite, but Robert's just kinda...window dressing. He did well, don't get me wrong, but compared to, say, Billy's "homeless" dance, it was really nothing special.

But that's the show, folks, and when you don't vote for the folks you like, you can't complain when they don't win. In this case, I think there were just enough people who were ticked at Billy for not dancing last week (and not going home as a result) that it cost him the vote in a week when Robert and Adechike's fan clubs finally kicked in. Further proof that the judges should've let Jose go last week, because then there would've been another person in the mix this week, and Billy mighta made it.

If only they'd had a fan judge last week to keep them straight... *sigh*

What was your reaction?

Well...!

Much better show than I feared, and I am crossing my fingers that Billy adequately redeemed himself with the other voters, because he certainly did with me. Here's the rundown, blow by blow, 'cause it's my blog and I can do it if I wanna.

Kent (cha-cha w/ Anya): Mia, Mia, Mia! That is Kent’s face! I think she is dead wrong – I think he has absolutely taken the note about his face, and I think the “face” he had during this dance was appropriate for the number, the style, and the moment. As he was dancing, I was marveling at how much he’d grown up on this show, and I was absolutely annoyed when Mia criticized his face again. Lettigo, Mia, lettigo.

Robert (contemporary with Kathryn): Way to go, Stacey Tookey! What a marvelous routine, with a twist that literally took my breath away. I caught my breath when I saw the ending, and it was then that I teared up. But, oh, right, this is about the dancers. I’m with Adam – I know this was about Rob, but Kathryn is unreal. And Rob was pretty good too, I have to admit. Now can we talk about Nigel’s comments? Um, so, let me get this straight: now, exactly one performance later, he thinks Robert has grown a lot this season? Wasn’t it just last week that he told Robert he wasn’t growing? Hello? Is Nigel suffering from amnesia or is that me?

Jose’s solo: not bad. Didn’t really hang together especially well, but at least he “tricked it up” a bit this week.

Adechike (jazz, with Courtney): Had a hard time figuring out what I thought, so I was a little relieved to have the Judges’ opinion (for a change). I think Adam had it right – this was just dancing – for better or worse. I kept trying to put the routine into a box, and you can’t, really. There was no real story, it was just dancing, and I think it was that freewheeling-ness that was what I really loved about it, because it let Adechike just dance. I understand Mia’s critique about his need to polish his athleticism a bit with style; and I think that Adam and Nigel are probably right that he was a bit restrained for the music. But on the whole, I think he did it really well…but it probably won’t end up in the top performances of the night.

Lauren’s solo: THAT was dancing with abandon, Adechike! She perfectly married the song, the style, the costume, and her personality. I hated that it had to end so soon.

Jose (hip-hop, Comfort): ARE YOU KIDDING ME?? HE GOT HIP-HOP?? Someone, please convince me this show is not rigged. That is ALL I have to say on the subject. How he danced is entirely irrelevant for me at this point. (But for the record, I didn’t think he danced it all that well – for once, I wholeheartedly agreed with Mia. Not that the routine was all that good - Napytabs look even more brilliant to me now.)

SIDE NOTE: He pulled his groin and that’s why he wasn’t in the group dance? BUT HE COULD DANCE HIS SOLO WITHOUT DIFFICULTY??? Yeah, right.

Billy’s solo: YES, YES, YESSS!!! THIS is the Billy Bell we have been MISSING! THAT was the routine he should’ve done the last two weeks for his solo. It was well thought out, it was danced with ENERGY, and it had soul. He had expression. He had heart. Welcome back, Billy!!!

Kent’s solo: HOW DO YOU LIKE THAT FACE, MIA?! I loved it, and I thought he was in it. Now if he could just keep his eyes out of the audience when his dance is done…

Lauren (Broadway with Allison): SIDE NOTE: I love Allison. Okay, now that I’ve gotten that out of the way: WOW. Is Tyce having some kind of Damn Yankees fantasy this season? If so, I LOVE IT! If I could see a show with that routine and the Kent/Neil routine together in it, I WOULD BUY TICKETS EVERY NIGHT. Awesome. Absolutely awesome.

Robert’s solo: pretty, but nothing spectacular. But maybe that just reflects my overall feeling about Robert…

Billy (contemporary, Ade): OUTSTANDING. That was one of the most moving routines on this show, moreso than almost all of the romantic-themed contemporary dances. Adam has it absolutely right: it was evident in his solo, and then this dance that Billy has just finally arrived – welcome to the show, Billy.

Adechike’s solo – what a beautiful show of strength.

Kent and Jose (Broadway): Well, if that didn’t demonstrate the difference between the two, I don’t know what could. First two segments of the dance: Kent – 25 moves; Jose – 2. Seriously? Now, once the choreographer actually gave him some moves to do, he wasn’t bad, but…he wasn’t Kent either. Once again, the routine was dumbed down for him – and once again, the judges didn’t seem to notice (except for Toni, and she was mighty diplomatic about it). Meanwhile: I desperately hope that Kent will go to Broadway and have a career there. I will be so disappointed if he gets sidetracked to Hollywood or a dance company somewhere. If ever there was a man born to dance on a Broadway stage, it’s Kent.

Lauren and Adechike (Foxtrot): Sleek and slick, and not bad. Not sure it gave me fever, exactly, but it was enjoyable. I think Nigel had some good points, most on the mark of which was that up against some of the other routines of the night, it was just kinda…good.

Billy and Robert (Bollywood): I think Billy won that. I honestly think Billy’s slightly smaller frame lent itself to him having the more delicate and refined looked of a female Bollywood dancer (and I mean that in a good way, not to feminize Billy); it made Robert look a little big and bulky by comparison, and his smile was just a tad too goofy for me. I diverge from the judges on this one – Billy was the clear winner of that role, of that dance, and of my vote.

What did YOU think?

Are you ready?

Tonight is show night! Are you ready? I have to admit, I'm not so much.

Sidetracked this week by a kid with a broken foot (and a cast that can't get sandy or wet with saltwater, 10 days before the big family beach trip), I can't say my head has been in the SYTYCD game. And when I do think about it, I must also admit a little trepidation. After last week's decision fiasco, I'm almost afraid to see what happens this week. I worry that no matter how bad Jose is - or how good Billy is - it will be Robert and Billy going home, or in any case, some couple of people that does not include Jose. I know I will find that utterly unfair, and I will be peeved, and I am not looking forward to that. Then again, maybe I can use the show to take out the rest of the week's frustrations. Hurling insults at the television set is relatively harmless, in the bigger scheme of things...right?

What do you think will happen?

Rearranging Deck Chairs on The Judges' Platform

There's been a lot of chatter this season about the changes to the judges' panel, namely the sabbatical of Mary Murphy, the addition of Mia Michaels as a "permanent" judge in her stead, and the choice not to have a rotating additional judge each week. At the beginning of the season, many people (myself included) were excited to see Mia return after her absence last season, and we looked forward to what she would bring to the panel. Many folks also lamented the loss of a rotating judge, but were willing to see how it would play out. So, how has it gone?

Hm. Well, I miss Mary. And I don't think I'm alone, judging by the comments to that effect on the Facebook and Fox SYTYCD pages. Who'da thunk we'd find ourselves longing for "the Hot Tamale Train" and her rollercoaster emotions bookended by rivers of tears and screams in a range generally heard only by dogs? But alas, we do miss her, and I'm afraid it's because her replacement hasn't lived up to expectations. On the contrary, Mia has been on the receiving end of some of the most viscerally scathing fan commentary for a wide range of behaviors this season, from incoherent, babbling feedback to inappropriate and often downright insulting critiques. With all due respect to Ms. Michaels, who I genuinely believe to be a brilliant choreographer, I have to agree that she's been the weak link in the judging chain this year, and I am hoping Season 8 will see her return to the studio and vacate her seat on the platform.

In my opinion, while the other criticisms generally have at least a kernel of validity, Mia's greatest offense has been that she has so obviously and indefensibly endorsed favorite contestants. (As an aside, kudos to Cat for calling her on it after the infamous Adechike Bollywood fiasco.) That not only harms the dancers in their development (because really, what has Jose learned, other than that a pretty smile goes a loooooooooong way?), but it also diminishes the credibility of the judging panel and ultimately the show. While Nigel, and to a much lesser degree Adam, have also been guilty of pandering to pet performers, it's not a giant leap (er, jete?) to think that it's Mia's influence that has changed the tenor of judging on the show this season. Would we really have seen no one go home last week if Mary had been the third judge? Or if the fourth judge hadn't been a true "guest," but one of the show's own choreographers? Mary may have been an emotional firestorm, but she respected the show's format and, for the most part, the voting audience's contribution.

So I'm really hoping she returns next season. (Of course, I'm also hoping they'll decide to incorporate audience/voter feedback, by, say, appointing a "fan judge," but I digress.) What about you?

The Most Unbelieveable (Non)Decision

Those of you who have watched the show religiously since the beginning were no doubt screaming at your television sets last night to hear Nigel announce that the Judges had decided NOT to decide who to send home. All three "bottom" vote-getters (well, two bottom vote-getters, plus a sort-of injured Billy) were passed through to next week without so much as a tongue-lashing. A gentle reminder to Robert and Jose to demonstrate growth, and a liability-protecting save for Billy for choosing not to risk further injury, and a few million voters are left saying, "Whaaa...???"

So here's my take on what happened last night, for right or wrong, but how I would've judged it if I'd been on that platform:

First of all, you don't praise Robert to high heaven immediately following his dances and then suddenly feel he neglected to demonstrate growth this week when the judgment day comes. It must've broadsided Robert, and while I'm not his biggest fan, I thought that was unfair, and worse, a blatant attempt to justify not letting Jose go.

Secondly, Jose has GOT to go, and the judges - and choreographers - need to stop protecting him just 'cause he has a sweet smile. I don't care how nice the kid is, he is not the same caliber dancer as the others, and it is now so painfully evident in his performances that the judges cannot expect to keep giving him a pass and then be surprised that everyone is up in arms about it. His shine has worn off, and even the voters thought he should be a candidate for leaving, so Judges: HE SHOULD'VE BEEN.

Now to Billy. Oh, Billy. I have been a Billy fan all along, but I have to say that I winced with each of the last two weeks that he found himself in the bottom 3 and then couldn't even begin to conceal his disappointment. His face registered absolute dejection, and his solos were, in turn, lackluster, I suspect because he was simply too bummed to summon the energy for more. That's a shame, of course, because he is exceptionally talented, and this show is, after all, a competition. It's hard not to take the voting personally, but I hated to see him do it nonetheless.

And then this week happened. Is he really injured? Should he have danced? Only Billy really knows. From where we sit in the TV audience, given his history and Nigel's explanation, it sure seemed more like he was afraid to dance than unable to do so. Lots of folks who posted to other fan pages seem to think he didn't want to be shown up doing the Step routine. Me? I am not sure the outcome would've been any different if he'd had a contemporary assignment. I think he would rather have been in the bottom automatically because of injury than risk the emotional zing of having been voted there. But whether or not I'm right, the judges' decision, I think, was actually the right one, and the one thing I agreed with - although I thought their explanation of it was a little backward.

Sure, Billy opted not to dance, even though the doctors said it was his choice, but that doesn't give him the same automatic discharge as Alex and Ashley, who were unable to dance. The reason is absolutely justifiable from the show's perspective: if they had sent Billy home for not dancing, the message to future dancers would've been that they should go ahead and risk further/worse injury or they'll be sent home. That's a huge responsibility for the show to accept, and I think they were right in considering the precedent when determining what to do with him. That said, I think he'll have to be absolutely stellar next week to not be sent home if he lands in the bottom 3 again.

But even if they kept Billy, that was no reason to also keep Jose. And for my part, I could even make a case for dismissing Robert, who I actually thought danced very well this week (and who didn't bug me nearly as much as usual): Robert has been in the bottom 3 a lot. The Judges don't understand this, because, like Jose, they love Robert. But what the judges fail to understand - and the reason I think having a "fan" judge each week has merit - is that there is something the VOTERS don't connect with, and since this is, after all, a competition to identify *AMERICA'S* favorite dancer - NOT the Judges' favorite - they should respect that. If they couldn't bring themselves to send Jose home, then they should've sent Robert. To say that the decision was just impossible, or to suggest that all were on par with each other and that choosing one would've been unfair, completely undermines the premise of the show and the credibility of the Judges. It's not the first time a tough choice was before them, but it was the first time they let their feelings for the dancers get the better of them, and I think that signals a dangerous turning point for the show.

What do you think?