So You Think You Can Dance: Season 5

[HarleyQuinn]

Maybe I'm the only one who watches this show but the 2 hour season premiere is tomorrow and I can't wait! I particularly love Mia Michaels' contemporary routines and the dances are really fun at times. So in honor... here are several memorable dances from season's past.

Travis and Heidi contemporary

Travis and Heidi's Contemporary from Season 2

Chelsie and Mark - Bleeding Love - You Can Dance Final

Mark and Chelsie's Hip Hop from Season 4 (Bleeding Love)

Benji & Heidi Black Mambo

Benji and Heidi's Mambo from Season 2

 

[Exslade ZX]

Sweet, I'm not the only one. This is definitely one of my top 5 shows on television. Some of the routines performed are amazing.

How dare you not post anything done by Katie and Josh.

 

[starvenger]

Yeah, the No Air routine helped vault Katee from zero to $50K.

If you're interested, MGK's blog lists his top 12 routines in various genres for the three versions of SYTYCD (US, Australia, Canada).

Similar to Ex, this is one of my Top 5 reality shows (Amazing Race, Top Chef, Ultimate Fighter and Idol round it out).

 

[naiwf]

Chelsie was my favorite last season and I think she was the most well rounded dancer though I knew she wasn't going to win. I'm glad to see that she made it onto DWTS. I still think Katee should have won that season, but there was no way Josh wasn't going to take it.

 

[HarleyQuinn]

Really loved seeing the two previous "almost" contestants at the end make it straight through to Vegas. The extra year of training clearly paid off for both and it shows how much training/refinement can improve a skill.

I'm also an utter fanboy for anybody who can tap dance, so I'm pleased the tap dance guy made it straight through.

 

[naiwf]

Does anyone else think that the last guy (I think his name was Brandon) looks like a much more muscular Carlton Banks or a smaller version of Big Baby Davis?

 

[HarleyQuinn]

Really loved the two brothers (Evan and the other one). I loved Evan because I'm a fan of the old 40's/50's style dancers and he nailed it.

 

[starvenger]

Evan made it to the final cuts last season, so I'd say that his odds to make Top 20 are probably good this season, plus he looks to have a good personality to connect with voters. His brother, the Evan Handler lookalike, would seem to me like someone who won't make it too far in Vegas (he seems just a bit TOO off) but if he can do some nice work on Evan's solos I can see him landing a choreography position on the US or Canada show.

 

[naiwf]

Evan made it to the final cuts last season, so I'd say that his odds to make Top 20 are probably good this season, plus he looks to have a good personality to connect with voters. His brother, the Evan Handler lookalike, would seem to me like someone who won't make it too far in Vegas (he seems just a bit TOO off) but if he can do some nice work on Evan's solos I can see him landing a choreography position on the US or Canada show.

I think it's the opposite. Evan strikes me as a one trick pony. While he's very good at what he does, he will struggle mightily trying to do hip hop or ballroom which makes up about 60% of the dances, with contemporary making up another 30-35% and everything else fitting in that last 5-10%. His brother seems like he's not as good at his "best" style, but appears to be a little more versatile. A guy who dances like Gene Kelly isn't going to last long even if he makes it into the top 20 since there may be at most one Broadway style routine and it's more than likely not going to be the first week.

 

[starvenger]

The real question I suppose is how he earned his way into the final 40. If he didn't have to do a solo until the end, it would seem to indicate that he at least didn't fuck up during the rest of hell week. If he did, he's probably a hell of a talent at what he does.

 

[naiwf]

He just reminds me of the tap dancer(s) from seasons past. They're amazing at their genre and not good enough at everything else to make the Top 20.

 

[starvenger]

OK, it's pretty obvious that at least one of the Broadway brothers is making it onto the show. And it looks like Cheebo might make it as well.

Also that chick Kaitlin's dancing seems like it would work pretty well on the exotic circuit...

 

[starvenger]

Because we don't really care about the guys, here's the Top 10 Girls:
Randi Evans

Paris Torres (and Paris Torres' chin)

Melissa Sandvig

Kayla Radomski

Karla Garcia

 

[starvenger]

And the second half of the girls
Jeanine Mason

Janette Manrara

Caitlin Kinney

Asuka Kondoh

Ashley Valerio

 

[Czech]

My sister watches this show. I might have her do a guest-post about it!

 

[HarleyQuinn]

Janette is the only one I recognize immediately.

 

[starvenger]

Once again, America hates Asians - unless you're an extremely pale Asian chick who gets paired with a dancer that gets pushed to the moon by the judges.

 

[Conspiracy_Victim]

They've kept Kupono about 2 weeks too long. He's been mediocre at best for most of the season, and his solo was basically him pulling at his shirt and looking at the lights. Yet, he's kept over a guy who actually looked like he gave a shit that he was dancing for his life in Vitolio. I guess they're trying to create Mark 2.0 and the audience apparently doesn't give a crap. At least Phillip got to do his solo.

As for the women, no big shock. Jeanine had a good solo and for some reason all the judges seem to love that Kayla chick. Karla knew she was toast as soon as they announced Jeanine was safe.

 

[starvenger]

Kayla and Kupono had the worst solos by far this week. At this point you can pencil him or Jason in as the last guy cut, and Caitlin or Kayla as the last girl cut depending on which blonde Nigel likes better.

There's a theory going on that they've held back some better dancers for Season 6 since that's in the fall - hence we'll probably see Natalie, Ryan and Alex the ballet guy there. Meanwhile, they give us maybe 4 people with a realistic shot of winning this and Phillip since people like the popping thing (although not enough to give him the title) for this summer. The two that they seem to want in the finals are Brandon and Evan, and I think they'd prefer Melissa and Janine there from the girls.

 

[Conspiracy_Victim]

It seems like Ade has gotten a big increase in fan support since the start of the season. I don't know if it's enough for him to win, but he'll probably be there at the end unless he "draws" the quickstep.

I like Evan, and I don't get why the judges are bitching at him so much. The only time they've liked him so far has been his contemporary from the GODDESS OF ALL THINGS DANCE Mia Michaels. I guess he doesn't flail around as much as the contemporary dancers, so it denotes a lack of passion or whatever.

Season 6 oughta be good with Alex and Evan's brother already getting a lot of exposure. Alex's solo before they chose the top 20 this season was amazing.

 

[starvenger]

OK, so now REALLY I have no idea why they kept Kayla other than she's blonde and Karla would've been screwed with Kupono as a partner this week anyway. Kayla/Kupono were easily the weakest of the 6 duos and I don't see any of the other girls being weaker than Kayla at this point. They might possibly send Caitlin home but she's been pretty good in the dances and good in the solos. Kayla has had some weak-ass solos but the judges like her to the point where they're willing to sacrifice a perfectly good dancer (Maks) to get her one that gives her a better chance of advancing.

The other bottom 3 couples will probably be Janine/Chbeeb and Jason/Caitlin. They might eliminate Philip if they feel that he won't progress any further, and Jason really isn't that good, but Kupono has brought the suck pretty much every week and by now it should be obvious that he's not Mark Kanemura v2.

Thinking that Melissa actually has a good chance of winning this now.

 

[Exslade ZX]

Yea, I really have no idea who's getting eliminated tonight. This week it all depends on how the votes go especially. For the guys I'd say it has to be between Jason and Kupono (Jason Kapono ) but that's of course pending they're in the bottom. They won't eliminate Philip, regardless of his progress because he's going to put a lot of butts in the seats during the tour. So they want to keep him.

For the girls, they've praised everyone pretty much, so it's hard to say. I'd say most likely Caitlin, which is a shame because she's probably one of my favorites, because I love the mixture of gymnastics/dance, and she's hot, but if she's not in the bottom I have no idea who. Maybe Randi, as she doesn't really offer anything that the other girls can't do.

 

[Conspiracy_Victim]

Well, Nigel was foreshadowing Phillip's boot all night long. Barring Jason falling into the crowd and breaking a leg, the judges were sending Phillip home. I called it when Nigel went on his big long speech about how the tour will still need alternates, and was confirmed when Kupono was safe AGAIN (ugh). All that being said, I thought Jason's solo was WAY too frantic and completely ignored the music, while Phillip's movements actually worked with his music.

As for the girls, I wasn't completely sure, but again I had a pretty good idea that Caitlin was going home when Nigel started going on about how the judges took in to consideration their previous dances. Since Caitlin had been in the bottom 3 more than the other two, I guessed it would be her. Then her solo looked too balletic and was totally overshadowed by Michelle.

So in the end, Nigel gets his usual parade of contemporary dancers in the top 10. Once Evan goes home, I don't really give a crap who wins. I'm going to guess Brandon, with Ade a strong second.

 

[starvenger]

Caitlin was toast the minute Kayla was safe. Which is a shame, because Kayla really was the weakest dancer left.

Janine was safe by virtue of being put on the Train, and I don't really know much about ballet, but if they dressed in an Octagon Girl outfit all the time more guys would probably go watch

 

[Czech]

[quote author=The Czech Republic's younger sister]The theme song sounds like they're saying "shoobydoobydooby dance" instead of "so you think you can dance." How do you know other people who watch the show?[/quote]

 

[starvenger]

I think this is like RealTSMers telling people the difference between a stunner and a cutter...