So You Think You Can Dance: Top 18, 2 Eliminated

The first episode after an elimination this season, and this is truly the make it or break it time for the dancers. The second and third eliminations are usually where some strong dancers slip and end up going home mistakenly, and others who have exhibited some weak characteristics step it up and prove they should make it through to the Top 10. I’m very unhappy with the Bottom 6 this week and was tsk-tsking at America from my couch after every name that was called. Zero dancers of the six that landed in the bottom deserve to go home, but such are these early episodes where voting is based on charisma over skill more often than not. Misty Copeland returns as a guest judge for the second week in a row, which is out of the ordinary but in no way unwelcome. She has proven herself to be one of the best judges the show has ever had and if they made the panel four judges with Misty a permanent installment in the third seat I would be fine. It calls in to question, though, whether the show has started to lose its weight when calling upon guest judges or if this was a unique situation where the previously scheduled guest was unavoidably detained and Misty was available and willing. The lovely Elena Rivera joins us again this week after a week away, so without further ado let the critiques begin!

Cat Deeley Outfit Watch: Of course Cat Deeley can rock a silky black pantsuit from Bird, because she has mile-high legs. Accessorizing with long necklaces, dangly black earrings and some really stunning red lipstick, she’s mixing 70’s glam with 20’s flapper jewelry from XIV Karats, and it’s working for me. Her Emmy nomination as host last week was also so well-deserved. She’s such a sweet, genuine person with all the contestants, and I’m hoping she hosts her own talk show soon.

Top 18 Group Dance – Hip-Hop (choreographed by Pharside and Phoenix), “How It’s Done” by District 78

Whitney: I appreciate the makeup and costuming departments of the show getting a shout-out from the judging panel as they deserve every accolade they get for the unique and creative facets they bring to the show, but here those two pieces of production managed to take me completely out of the performance. Between the “living chess set” tableau and the over the top costuming, it was decidedly difficult to focus on one particular dancer in the madness or see how the entire routine was meant to come together. The entire thing came off like a rip-off of a Lady Gaga or Gwen Stefani concept video. Hip-hop with this many dancers at once (unless they are a highly practiced dance crew) tends to muddle everything rather than making it look sharp and impressive. After the energetic opening, the talent that was shown off didn’t impress me enough to keep my attention.

Elena: I don’t have a ton to say about the opening number other than it was funky and chess-themed, but I am so glad Misty Copeland’s back on the judging table. May she stay for most of the season! Her criticism is always specific enough for the dancer to really improve from it but explained well for people who don’t necessarily know dance as intricately. She’s my new favorite.

Zack and Jacque – Hip-Hop (choreographed by Mari and Keone Madrid), “Stay With Me” by Sam Smith 

Whitney: Right off the bat I had basically no trust in the choreographers to make a hip-hop routine work to this song, and I was right. As overjoyed as I am to see the show working through In The Lonely Hour seemingly track by track each episode this season, the song still has to work with the energy of the routine itself. The early floor work and tutting had just the right amount of specificity of movement combined with emotional connection and entertainment, yet as soon as they left the horizontal position I lost all interest. The majority of this routine was the worst thing a performance could be: boring. Even the costuming brought nothing to the table but the fact that it clothed them successfully. I’m not sure if Zack and Jacque actually deserved better from this routine, because I still don’t feel like I know what their capable of at this point. This could be their ceiling or it could be a sad case of choreography missteps bringing a couple down, but either way it’s not an especially good sign that I have no idea which it is heading into the Top 16 dancers.

Elena: I’ve mostly forgotten about this partnership since last week, but I’m all into married couple hip-hop choreography (NapTabs as the shining best of this). Keone and Mariel Madrid threw a lot of intricate hand movements into their hip-hop, tying the choreography to the story about a couple realizing they’re in love with each other. I enjoyed that this routine had a bit more tutting but still stayed on the lyrical side of hip-hop with some really tender embraces and hand-holds between Jacque and Zack. It had intricacies and character moments, my only criticism is I wish that Zack’s concentration didn’t show so much on his face. At some moments you could tell he was focusing on the dance instead of getting lost in it, but that’s understandable seeing as hip-hop is neither Zack nor Jacque’s style. Cat compared it to the amazing NapTabs routine to “Bleeding Love” with Chelsea Hightower and Mark Kanemura during season four (which is maybe my absolute favorite dance from the show), and while I don’t think it quite reached that levels, it did remind me of a different NapTabs routine, season five’s “Mad” with Jeanine Mason and Philip Chbeeb. Sam Smith also seems to be a really popular choice for choreographers this season, which I’m all about.

Jourdan and Marcquet – Contemporary (choreographed by Dee Caspary), “Disappear” by Mikkey Ekko 

Whitney: What perfect timing to discover that Jourdan is a gym rat, as she certainly shows off her strength in this performance. Of all the nice pieces of this routine, what most impressed me were the transitions from the floor to a lift and vice versa. The music felt like something Marissa would dump Ryan to during the heyday of The OC, and it almost took me out of the emotional component of the routine. I agree with Nigel that there is no connection between the dancers and the audience, but what’s really working against both Jourdan and Marcquet is their lack of emotional connection with each other. They both dance as if they are alone on the stage with a prop that they are dancing opposite to, which is preventing them from taking par-for-the-course choreography and bringing it to the next level. This can’t have been the performance Jordan was hoping for with her neck on the line tonight, even if it was technically impressive.

Elena: Dee Caspary has never been my favorite contemporary choreographer: while Travis Wall has that Mia Michaels emotionality and Sonya Tayeh has quirky and unsettlingly beautiful, Caspary fades into the background for me because he doesn’t have something that defines his choreography. The dance itself was just okay, because I don’t feel that Marcquet and Jourdan have enough chemistry together to sell a dance like this. I also didn’t understand the umbrella props, as lovely as they looked suspended in the air. I’m surprised that Marcquet, who was so dynamic in the Los Angeles callbacks, seems to be fading away with his partner Jourdan week by week.

Stanley and Jessica – Hip-Hop (choreographed by Tyce Diorio), “Funkier Than A Mosquito’s Tweeter” by Nikka Costa

Whitney: I’ve never been a fan of Tyce Diorio, but one thing I will give him credit for is that for all of the crazy and creative concepts he throws at dancers on this show, he always knows exactly how to execute the choreography follow-through of his ideas so they don’t seem quite so absurd. Making “magic carpet ride” a legitimate performance takes exactly that type of mind, and I am happy he was paired with Jessica and Stanley tonight to give them something more out of the box. I understand constraining them to the carpet’s area was part of the concept but watching two of the show’s most explosive and energetic dancers forced to stop short of moving across the stage like they should was borderline painful. Everything else worked well to combine into an aesthetically pleasing piece; the music didn’t take away too much from the story while still being light, and the costuming allowed them to move naturally with only the smallest pieces of distressed netting giving the sense of flying.

Elena: A new couple this early in the competition can have the chance to develop chemistry quickly and succeed, but they can easily be mismatched. I’m not sure this Tyce Diorio jazz number did anything to make the new couple stand out or be memorable, but it was a fun two minutes. The concept of a magic carpet ride didn’t really read in the choreography other than having the couple dance on a giant bargain bin rug, but Stanley and the Khaleesi of Dance (I can’t unsee Jessica as Daenerys, all of her hairstyles and her face are so much like Emilia Clarke’s in Game of Thrones) had some great air on their leaps. And while Nigel’s glad to have Tyce Diorio back as a choreographer, am I allowed to reveal how much I think he’s overrated and way too full of himself? He’s always grated on my nerves, and while he does have some spectacular choreography, it doesn’t negate his pompous attitude.

Emilio and Bridget – Jive (choreographed by Pasha Kovalev and Anya Garnis), “Happy” by Pharrell Williams 

Whitney: This is what “Happy” was meant for. I don’t know about you, but this is exactly how I dance along to “Happy” when I’m in my apartment cooking dinner or vacuuming. The whole routine was fun, fresh, entertaining, and up-tempo in all the right ways. Bridget is still falling into the same mistake that all the girls left are, in that she doesn’t know how to stop grinning when she’s on stage, but fortunately for this routine she was meant to be beaming from ear to ear as she bounded around the stage. She  looks so perfect as a 50’s pin-up if I were casting a Broadway musical or movie set in that era Bridget would be one of the first names on my list for a chorus role. The little bits of solo work Emilio got near the end were a nice nod to his native style while still fitting well with the rest of  the routine. This is the high bar for jive routines for the rest of the season, which usually doesn’t happen until an All-Star is in the mix, so high praise for these two indeed.

Elena: Anya Garnis and Pasha Kovalev as choreographers is kind of my dream team of ballroom dance, but jive is one of the more difficult dances that a couple can get on the show. The flicks and kicks have to be so quick and precise, and it’s a dance that’s heavy on footwork and foot retraction. Anya and Pasha choreographed a dance that catered to Emilio’s hip-hop background but also showed off Bridget’s technique by including a lot of lifts and some musical breakdowns for Emilio to do some flips and floorwork. Jive isn’t the most emotionally connected dance, but at least Emilio and Bridget seemed to dance it well and it wasn’t a complete trainwreck.

Teddy and Emily – Contemporary (choreographed by Tyce Diorio), “Ne Me Quitte Pas” by Nina Simone 

Whitney: Switch the dancers in both Tyce routines tonight and I think everyone does a lot better. Stanley was built to dance a contemporary routine to Nina Simone, and Teddy and Emily would have had a blast getting to go on a magic carpet ride. As it is, both pairs were stunning but the entire time I was watching these two I wanted it to be Stanley up there catching Emily in midair. That isn’t to say this was a bad routine in any way, it was actually one of my favorites of the night, and I think it’s safe to say Emily and Teddy saved themselves from elimination with this showing. Emily’s lines continue to be some of the best out of the entire cast and her inability to be undaunted by anything thrown at her bodes well for her (hopeful) future on the show. Other dancers on this show could learn from the chemistry between these two and how to really let the music encapsulate your movements. Nina Simone was an inspired choice and, as Nigel noted, the lyrics in English work very well with the story of this routine as well.

Elena: More Tyce Diorio, but now with contemporary. Since Teddy reminds me so much of season two’s Ivan Koumaev, I’m strangely not surprised that he did so well in contemporary. Perhaps it was that the duo were in the bottom two tonight, but there was a rawness to their performance that was missing in last week’s hip-hop. The angst and hurt of “Ne Me Quitte Pas” was articulated through their bodies; I totally agree with Misty who said that Emily’s body just sang the words of the song. I loved all the moments with flexed feet instead of pointed toes, that stopped the lifts or the extensions in interesting ways. I’ll give this one to Tyce, I really enjoyed the movements combined with the music. (I also have been watching a ton of the French drama “Les Revenants,” so I might be biased towards being in love with French things right now)

Casey and Brooklyn – Jazz (choreographed by Bonnie Story), “Crazy Little Thing Called Love” by Michael Buble

Whitney: This was sort of painful. What’s worse than how I felt about the performance is the fact that I’m not really sure why I feel that way. It was an entirely serviceable ballroom routine, yet somehow stilted on Brooklyn’s side of things and strained on Casey’s end. You could practically see him straining under the pressure to make things looks smooth and normal to no avail. It looked like a high school production of Grease where the two leads were cast only because they had a few years of dance lessons when they were kids. Brooklyn not only looked uncomfortable in the dress but with most of what was asked of her as well. It surely does not help that if you put Casey and Brooklyn in a lineup with 10 other random dancers I might not be able to pick them out accurately. Even though I don’t out and out hate Michael Buble in any way I felt like the music was a big misstep as well. All in all, a misfire for me and hopefully America votes more intelligently heading into next week.

Elena: A Bonnie Story high school prom jazz routine (from the choreographer of High School Musical)! The great thing about jazz that’s different than contemporary is it’s a lot more staccato: it’s a lot about hits and holds, whereas contemporary is more about fluidity of movement. The routine itself was sweet and simple, not entirely memorable but not half-bad, either. Casey had two really cool turns: one where he did a one-legged spin with his foot bent up on his thigh, and another where he did fouettés that turned into slow spins with bent knees towards the ground. He was given a lot more things to do that showed off his technique than Brooklyn, who didn’t really stand out to me.

Ricky and Valerie – Viennese Waltz (choreographed by Lacey Schwimmer), “I Won’t Give Up” by Jason Mraz

Whitney: …And we go straight from a high school production of  Grease to a Taylor Swift music video. All I want at this point is for Ricky to be with any other partner besides Valerie. He does all of the work on stage (which I’m almost fine with because it lets him show off his myriad of skills) but other than hitting her spots and doing serviceably well on the footwork I didn’t see any facet of her performance here that further endeared me to her presence on the show. It is definitely a bad thing for Valerie that I’m already thinking “why is she still here?” after only one elimination has taken place. I honestly don’t understand her appeal to the audience of the judging panel, even if she did look like “Cinderella at the ball”. On the other hand Ricky was consistently amazing yet again, handling every lift and swing with ease and every footwork combination with precision. Ricky for president. Ricky for emperor. I honestly don’t care. Lacey also dipped back into the well of Jason Mraz’s catalogue that the show has found success in time after time over the years. You really can’t go wrong attempting to choreograph any type of love story to Mraz’s emotional lyrics, and it was great to have Lacey back on the show the week after her brother returned to choreograph as well.

Elena: Lacey Schwimmer’s back, and with the Viennese Waltz, which is always dreamily romantic on the show. Valerie and Ricky seemed to lose their steam when doing the normal steps around the floor, but quickly found their energy again when they launched into a series of lifts. The lift where Ricky spun her around by the arms and then let her slide across the floor was gorgeous with Valerie’s big princess dress. Ricky’s strong partnering showed throughout the dance, and both dancers had big, genuine smiles on their faces throughout the whole routine. I’m still waiting for something as amazing as Ricky’s last Los Angeles callback solo from him, but this was a great continuation of their partnership.

Serge and Carly – Hip-Hop (choreographed by Luther Brown), “Senile” by Tyga and Nicki Minaj

Whitney: It is time to end the hip-hoppers in skeleton suits trend. Done, squashed, out of here please. There is no longer anything creative about this costuming idea, especially since I remember my friends in high school wearing homemade outfits like this for a Halloween party dance crew performance we had junior year. Carly was by far the better partner in this routine, seemingly having an out of body experience (sorry for the coincidental phrasing there, I still hate the outfits) during many of the loose sequences. Serge, after such a stellar performance last week, slipped back into boring dancing instead of continuing his upward momentum. It’s possible my disillusionment with this routine stems from my general lukewarm feelings about Luther Brown’s work and Tyga’s music, but when it comes down to the wire it is the dancers job to entertain and pull the audience in to their orbit. That didn’t happen here.

Elena: Serge and Carly had my favorite routine of last week, so I was hopeful that they would hit Luther Brown’s hip-hop hard and precise, but unfortunately they didn’t pull it off for me, and the odd skeleton make-up that obscured their faces didn’t help. Carly got down and really moved her body in a way that matched the music and the choreography, but Serge didn’t involve his hips and back enough. His torso and hips stayed really stiff during the movements that should have hit harder by using the power and force of his torso. I’m bummed my favorite couple last week had an off-week, but hopeful they’ll find their groove again.

Tanisha and Rudy – Broadway (choreographed by Warren Carlyle), “Sing Sing Sing” by Fosse (Original Broadway Cast) 

Whitney: For most of the first part of this routine I wasn’t getting much energy out of Tanisha in comparison to Rudy, and then just before the halfway point she exploded into the smiling, exciting, dancer we first got a glimpse of way back in her first audition. Rudy was truly in his element the entire time, and it should really prove a point that he stole the show when he was dancing next to a beautiful blonde in a sparkling flapper dress and I still could not tear my eyes off him. Taking into account the difficulty of dancing with props in addition to the fast footwork and synchronicity on display, this may very well be one of the best routines of the night. I’m also not sure I’ve seen anything more adorable than the budding romance between Jacque and Rudy that’s happening in front of our eyes. They’re obviously playing it up a little bit for the show but there hasn’t been a behind the scenes partnership to ship since Melanie and Marco, and that was all wishful thinking as they both had significant others at the time. Rudy and Jacque forever! (Or until one of them gets the boot).

Elena: Now that the prize for the season winner includes a role on Broadway, the broadway style of dance seems even more essential, as does having a strong stage presence. Warren Carlyle gave the pair a tricky old school broadway number with a bit of soft shoe and some fun cane tricks. Rudy seemed totally at home hamming it up on stage doing and doing slides into knee lifts, and the two reminded me of Bérénice Bejo and Jean Dujardin at the end of The Artist. They each had their own energy: Tanisha’s was cool and sophisticated while Rudy’s was explosive and bombastic, but they seemed to balance each other out in the ways the best partnerships on the show have.

A Great Big World performs “Say Something” live, which makes absolutely no sense to me at all. They already know this show’s audience is familiar with the song because a couple danced to it on the show last season. It’s also already a worldwide hit and could not possibly get any bigger at this point, when in reality it is waning in radio plays and chart position. Wouldn’t it be the smart choice as an artist to promote another single or new music in front of an audience this large? Especially since I’m pretty sure they don’t have another duet with Christina Aguilera stashed away somewhere.

Elena: I agree with Stanley and Jourdan going home, but really I thought Marcquet should have been right there in the Bottom 6 with them. I’m hoping the Khaleesi of Dance can bring some of his personality back next week in their new partnership, because if not I have a feeling he’ll be in the bottom soon.

Whitney: I’m right with you as far as Stanley and Jourdan going home out of the dancers there were to choose from. If Jourdan had some more time to focus on her stage presence she may have improved past the technically beautifully but emotionally flat performances she gave the past few weeks. Unfortunately, the nature of the show is such that time is not a luxury and unless you prove your worth early on you don’t get many second chances from America. Stanley was the right choice out of the men available, but I wish we got one more contemporary piece out of him before he left the show. I absolutely agree with you Elena that Marcquet should have been voted into the bottom and gone home in Stanley’s place, but neither of them were on the winning track so it probably doesn’t matter much in the long run.

So You Think You Can Dance: Top 20, 2 Eliminated

Last week, we got our first look at the Top 20 dancers performing live on stage. This week, two of those dancers will find themselves in the unenviable position of heading home first leaving only 18 left in the competition. The dancers will also find themselves out of their comfort zones in regards to styles of dance assigned to each pairing after having the opportunity to show off their preferred styles last week. The show maintains the same elimination format that it adopted last season, with the bottom six being announced by Cat at the top of the show but still getting to dance their planned routines before the judges make a final decision The guest judge beside Mary and Nigel this week is Misty Copeland, former principal soloist of the American Ballet Theater and one of my favorite judges from the audition rounds returning for her live show debut. I had no idea she first began ballet at the age of 13 and not four or five which is when most professional ballerinas in the world began their training (as informal as early ballet classes are). It makes me love her that much more.

Top 20 Group Dance – Broadway (choreographed by Josh Bergasse), “New York, New York” by the Original Broadway Cast of On the Town 

One of my favorite movie musicals of all time ( and one I still own on DVD), any song from “On the Town” would have been a nice choice for a routine here but this one worked wonderfully. It’s a perfect staging for a large group of people while that is still a possibility, and most importantly it looks like everyone is having fun on stage instead of focusing too hard on where their next step will fall. This piece was also a realistic way to represent and interweave many styles together whereas last week it looked overwrought and out of place if a jazz sequence transitioned into a  contemporary sequence. My one complaint here is that the girls did not have much to do, which is understandable seeing as the story centers around three male sailors enjoying the city, but disappointing nonetheless.

So. FOX really loves their corporate shilling, huh? At first I wondered why the entire panel was wearing baseball uniforms, but I should have known it was a deal Nigel made with the network to save his ass in the future.  Anything they can do to keep this show on the air is fine by me, but this particular instance of promotional tactics stung due to its blatancy. More on this later on.

Tanisha & Rudy – Jazz (choreographed by Sonya Tayeh), “You Need” by Bengsons

Tanisha does not do abrupt movements well, which is more of a letdown than an outright surprise. The routine as a whole underwhelmed me in its timidness; Sonya said it was about aggression and I’m not entirely convinced I saw much passion or aggression for more than a quarter of their time on stage. The urgency of the music should have dictated the sharpness of their movements more, yet it looked like a first or second dress rehearsal instead of a performance in front of a live and excited audience. Although I liked the bit with the chairs scooting inwards at the end, the movements that transitioned into that fun moment were lacking in energy too. I disagreed with literally everything the judges felt about this dance (this turns into a running theme tonight) and I hope at least Tanisha is in the bottom three next week. Maybe I’m being too harsh for this early in the live shows, as the dancers always improve markedly after the first few Top 20 performances as they get used to the format and rehearsal schedule, but I don’t think so.

Valerie & Ricky – Contemporary (choreographed by Travis Wall), “Oh Darling” by Gossling

My first thought when they announced he was choreography these two dancers was please stop wasting Travis Wall on people that don’t deserve him. And by ‘people’ I mean ‘tappers’. Valerie ended up acquitting herself respectably with the routine, but at most points it looked like Ricky was carrying her through this performance both literally and figuratively. There’s a difference between being simply thrown around by your partner and having some agency as a dancer while being lifted and thrown. Even while acknowledging the aesthetic of the routine was meant to have a rag doll quality to it, the emotional punch was lacking because of Valerie’s performance opposite Ricky. The one part that made me sit up and pay proper attention was the slow dip to the floor while Valerie was standing on Ricky’s knees need the end. Ricky maintains the frontrunner status he cemented in the first week, and at this point I almost hope the judges acknowledge that and just toss him Travis Wall/Sonya Tayeh routines every week. [Sidenote: I never want Cat to stop saying dance partayyy]

Bridget & Emilio – Hip-Hop (choreographed by Luther Brown), “Work” by Iggy Azalea

An issue that most ballerinas find themselves confronting when transitioning into other styles, Bridget very much needs to stop smiling when she is trying to paint a sexy, aggressive, or sad picture with through dance. Emilio brought everything he had here and made Bridget look better as a result, although Bridget did just fine on her own. Both overcame the early slip up of Bridget’s necklace falling to the stage, which shows that they are both comfortably performing live and can handle on-stage difficulties. Iggy fits this routine well, as the story isn’t so serious as to necessitate a more intense rap and most of the action matches up with the focus of her lyrics. In a routine about a hot girl strutting her stuff in front of a guy, what better than a song that plays in clubs where hot girls strut their stuff in front of guys? Hoping neither goes home any time soon, as I feel like Emilio could teach Bridget how to look more intense on stage which will for sure help her as a soloist down the road, and Bridge brings out a great energy in Emilio’s dancing.

Jessica & Nick – West Coast Swing (choreographed by Benji Schwimmer), “Respect” by Aretha Franklin (Live ca. 1971)

As much as I was excited to see Benji come back for the first of his standard couple appearances every year, this was a huge disappointment. The only way Jessica’s injury could have impacted this dance is with her confidence levels early in the routine, yet I wish it was slightly more severe so I would have something on which to blame this performance. Neither dancer was committing fully to the lifts and swings that were required, Nick got completely lost at multiple points as well. He’s clearly not a strong enough dancer for this type of routine, and his showing here all but locked in his elimination tonight. I did love Jessica’s shuffle across the stage as it was one of the few moments that had really energy and fun. Jessica’s pantsuit is great for this type of routine, allowing lifts to be performed more easily and placing her solidly in the 70’s era while dancing to the Aretha classic. I would argue one of the main reasons Benji got so carried away with the difficulty of this routine is partially due to his choice of music. As the song picked up the pace, so too did the steps which is how it should be. However, these two dancers were not expert enough to keep up with that pace and were overwhelmed as a consequence. The entire thing could have benefited greatly from a steadier 70’s jam.

Carly & Serge – Contemporary (choreographed by Sonya Tayeh), “Latch” by Sam Smith

All of my Sam Smith dreams are coming true y’all. It was only a matter of time before a song off his debut album tracked a routine, and I am so happy it was a Sonya Tayeh routine. Not only did she choreograph a beautiful piece that worked well with Smith’s acoustic version of one of his strongest songs off the album, but Carly and Serge both made up hugely for their performances last week. All of their lifts were executed effortlessly and lovingly, giving Serge an opportunity to prove that the partnering skills he had during callbacks didn’t disappear. I hope these dancers don’t get broken up for a while because they both work so well together and look comfortable on the stage for the first time this season. The emotion just pouring out of this routine was breathtaking to watch and went a long way towards making me love one or both of these dancers and their talents when neither have been a personal favorite throughout the process that got them to the Top 20.

Emily & Teddy – Hip-Hop (choreographed by Dave Scott), “Don’t” by Ed Sheeran

Of all things, I definitely wouldn’t have expected back to back episodes with songs by Ed Sheeran, yet here we are. I also would not have expected anything from Sheeran’s catalogue to work so well with a hip-hop routine but once again, proven wrong. Teddy and Emily wouldn’t have been two dancers that I would have matched up right off the bat if given the option but the chemistry they bring to the stage works like gangbusters. Emily has the same problem Bridget did in that she smiles far too much at the audience instead of focusing on her routine and the mood that she should be representing.  Note to producers: put Teddy in suspenders more often. A cute, fun, energetic routine, that was well executed by both parties (especially after learning Emily’s back went in to spasms during rehearsals) that should be just enough to land them in the middle of the pack next week even if I’ll probably forget it ever happened three weeks from now.

Malene & Stanley – Broadway (choreographed by Spencer Liff), “I’ve Got Your Number” by Nancy Wilson

Even if I agreed with her ending up there, I was shocked to see Malene in the bottom 6 this week as I thought voter love would be on her side, but after this routine I’m OK with it. The largest issue here was a huge overuse of the phones as props, resulting in Malene and Stanley not being able to interact for more than 2 seconds at a time. They weren’t in synch during the parts they were supposed to be, and didn’t look like they were even supposed to be playing off each other for the rest of the time. Malene looked uncomfortable and stiff on the stage. Nancy Wilson’s music would have been a nice choice for a Broadway routine that had more entertainment in it but here I was focusing more on the depressing misuse of “I’ve Got Your Number” for this choreography. The failings of the dance were mostly Spencer’s fault as a choreographer as this would have been nice as a solo routine for a 40’s era movie musical, but not for a competition of this sort. All of the judges agreed they didn’t have any sort of chemistry as dancers, and I’m on board with the panel wholeheartedly. Hopefully this routine didn’t shake Stanley’s confidence or hurt his chances at a deep run in the competition.

Jordan & Marcquet – Jazz (choreographed by Sean Cheeseman), “Work Bitch” by Britney Spears

This routine was…hmm…how to phrases this…so. freaking. hot. Jordan redeemed herself in her jumps and lifts off the table as well as in the way she connected with Marcquet in order to sell the opposition of the dance. Both of them worked great together as dancers, the only nitpick really being that it seemed like they ran out of energy during the last 30 seconds of the routine. Jordan was the first girl all night that transitioned to a different style confidently and successfully, but fell into the same trap as the others by smiling when it was entirely unnecessary. I would have been happier with the use of “Work Bitch” if the routine didn’t have such a clear story, which the song didn’t really work well with entirely. A more loosely plotted dance that took place on the street or in another more casual setting may have been more believable for Britney to be singing in the background (an Olivia Newton John inspired work out themed dance, anyone?).

Brooklyn & Casey – Argentine Tango (choreographed by Miriam and Leonardo), “Gallo Ciego” by Luis Bravo’s Forever Tango

First off and most importantly, I have to point out just how beautiful and impressive the strings in “Gallo Ciego” were. This routine required half a rewind because I caught myself getting more lost in the music than watching the dancers on stage. Early on, it looked as if they were focusing too hard on the intense movements of the dance and not feeling the music and emotion of the piece, but that changed after the first minute and transitioned into one of the best routines of the night. Both dancers showed off their impressive lines and Brooklyn was on point with her flicks and extensions throughout the piece. I didn’t feel what Mary was saying about the two of them melting together at all, but I also didn’t need that from this routine at all. An Argentine Tango is more about each dancer executing every movement perfectly and maintaining the proper spacing and positioning than the partners coming off as fluid.

Jacque & Zack – African Jazz (choreographed by Sean Cheeseman), “Dibiza – Kick Ass Mix” by Danny Tenaglia

The good news is that were was at least some energy present, but the bad news is that it was not quite enough to make this kind of routine work. They looked out of shape and tired by the end, not even getting their kicks up past their knees during the last few bars. A fun piece from Sean (and a welcome respite from the more traditional African Jazz routines we have seen on the show before) but even with all the splashes of color and floofs all over the place it didn’t leave much of an impression. Both need to work on their placement in relation to each other and the stage, as Zack almost flew right off the edge at one point near the middle. Zack looked good to me but in a way that was more “looked good for a tapper” than looking good outright as a dancer. Even while appreciating the vision and inspiration that Sean had here I disagreed with the judges’ opinions once again, making me being on the opposite side of the fence from the panel an official theme of the night.

I would almost never object to a group of talented people dancing to Beyonce, but the dance crew routine went on way too long and lost whatever originality it had when the ladies kept the exact same pacing and movements going throughout the piece. This whole thing is a complete waste of time, and I would rather have Misty Copeland performing or another talented professionally than this farce of a side-competition. Or better yet, give us more than 10 seconds to get to know the 20 dancers you still have in the real competition.

As far as the closing eliminations, I’m not super sad to see Malene go as I think most of her maturation as a dancer was done after callbacks. Yes, she got let down by Spencer’s choreography this week but she also didn’t bring much of her own touch to it besides looking good dressed as a 60’s pin-up girl. Nick was the obvious choice to be sent home and I’m happy the judges chose properly there. I did get sad watching Ricky cry in the corral of dancers as his friend got eliminated though. Looking at the overall trends this episode, the girls need to stop grinning from ear to ear throughout every routine and most of the boys need to work on becoming stronger partners.

It’s a little sad to see all of the corporate shilling that Nigel and Co. are forced into at this point. National Dance Day and a few musical acts here and there are one thing, but forcing them into MLB team jerseys to promote the upcoming All Star Game is too much. How much of a crossover does FOX even think there is for those audiences? Myself, and maybe 4 others? Not only is it an ineffective marketing strategy for an event that already has enough promotion, but it risks turning off even a small percentage of the remaining So You Think You Can Dance audience. It is an obvious and embarrassing promotional tactic by the network and I can only hope we see less of it in the future.

SYTYCD: Callbacks Week

They’ve taken to calling it “Callback Week” but I’m going to stick with what seems accurate and call it “Hell Week”.  SYTYCD is one of the few reality programs that can say it “pushes it’s contestants to the breaking point” and truly, sincerely mean every word. Hell Week is a week full of injuries, tears, disappointments from both the dancers and judges, and ultimately 20 dancers rising from the ashes to come out the other side on The Green Mile. This episode is one of my favorite points in the season annually, as it is the first time during the season that everyone cuts the bullshit and shows what they have to offer. Yes, there will be rude people who get cut because of their attitude towards the judges, but overall the emotion that dancers put forth is genuine and heartfelt and only makes watching people get cut all the worse. During my years as a dancer, I went through a yearly camp that involved 32 hours of dance over just 3 and a half days (my quads and abs hurt just thinking about it). So no matter how critical I may seem to any specific dancer, trust in the fact that I understand what they go through on some level. This week’s post will be a mix of a live blog and an overall amalgam of thoughts about each round as the week progresses. Without further ado…

The introduction of the expanded judging panel includes some legitimate pleasant surprises, which isn’t always the case. In addition to the usuals (Mary, Nigel, Adam Shankman) we also have Tara Lipinski (sadly the Ying to her Yang Johnny Weir is nowhere to be found), Twitch (always welcome) and the [updated] former principal dancer of The American Ballet Theatre Irina Dvorovenko.

The show has put a real effort in to including a ballerina in more of their judging panels both this year and last and with only two facets of the competition completed there have already been two, which gets a big cheer from me. Starting the montage of everyone’s solos with Tanisha Belnap dancing to “Work Bitch” is almost too easy, but it’s an appropriate kick-off to the next few days of aggressive choreography. No one we really need to care about is cut during the solo dances (a little over 30 out of a total of ~150 dancers end up getting sent home), which isn’t a shock seeing as they have some time to prepare a great solo between auditions and their arrival in Hollywood, but the same is not the case during the Hip Hop round.

Somehow, I feel as if the music for the hip hop round being “Turn Down For What” is a twisted sort of coincidence after I enjoyed One Direction so much during the audition choreography rounds. One song is a guilty pleasure, the other is a torture chamber. Thankfully the section of TDFW chosen for the actual dance doesn’t include the title phrase, so is at least manageable as far as ear worm status goes. Putting hip hop first is a strategic move, as they know the largest percentage of the contestants aren’t strong in this style and as such will make their job that much easier and pare down the group in a big chunk right off the bat. Most of the dancers they spotlight are abjectly awful, which lowers the entertainment value of this portion of the show but goes a long way towards proving just how difficult this actually is. Strangely, some of the dancers they spotlight that eventually get sent home aren’t even the early favorites that are left to the same fate. We lose Meghan Marcano (sobs) to a throwaway comment from Cat, and other solid dancers aren’t even afforded that courtesy as their exit is marked by only a shot of their exits from the theater.

The jazz round proves to be more in depth, and having Amy from Season 10 and Travis (TRAVIS WALL ALERT) show up to show the contestants how it’s done is one of the most intimidating things imaginable. “Hi everyone here’s one of our best jazz dancers ever and one of our best dancers ever period do what they do and you won’t go home OK cool?”. The judges make some smart decisions, and even make up for a few previous dumb ones by sending people home who they forced through from the previous round (so happy I’ll never have to hear the name “Marie Poppins” again). Even understanding that they don’t show each and every person that the judges ask to dance for their life, I’m still consistently impressed with the amount of positive outcomes there are when they single out competitors to do so. Here, it was Jaja the popper who managed to blow everyone away after dropping the ball with her partner during the routine. Most “dance for your lifers” the show chooses to highlight eventually make it to the Top 20 or close to it and there’s something in the way the emotions come through so strongly in her entire body that tells me that trend will continue with her as the prime example. The jazz portion gets a short shrift as it is one of the only rounds that does not last through an entire night, but it is the first major representation of who is strong enough in multiple styles to be remembered and who is hanging by a thread.

Ballroom is the trickiest round to judge based on the talent left, as it is usually the style that has the least amount of professionals left at this point but it is also the easiest to transition to from other styles as it has the least amount of lifts/tosses/strength facets to a routine. Without taking anything away from ballroom as a genre, it is the most “fake it ’til you make it” of the four choreographed sections of Hell Week. Even with that in mind, JaJa shows off her dancer’s physique and surprising talent in ballroom during this round, and many other specialized dancers step up to the plate and really prove their worth as a multi-talented dancer. Johnny Wacks in particular is a special surprise as far as someone who is still around. Personally, I’m not sure how the judges keep their focus with Ke$ha on repeat but they do and cut it down to more manageable number of dancers heading into the contemporary round.

The Sam Smith era on So You Think You Can Dance continues! And may it’s reign be long and never-ending. “Lay Me Down” makes a third appearance already this season which only makes me more confident that his music will be used by a choreographer or three during the live shows (they also use “Stay With Me” at a later point to send home REDACTED just in case the fact that the producers aren’t in love with that album was obvious enough). Basically what I’m trying to say is why has a full ballet not been put together using that entire album already? Get on that, America and/or Earth. The contemporary round doesn’t do much beyond giving the show more time to highlight certain dancers or ones they might have missed previously, and set up some advance story lines for the group round based on who is on thin ice or looks like a favorite.

The group round this season is given a decidedly quick edit, assumedly due to the many strong dancers that deserved to be featured in previous sections and the lack of outright drama during this year’s group practices. There were two groups who stood out and got an expanded feature; one for the better and one for the worse. The first group, including an eventual member of the Top 20 and dancing to a cover of Adele’s/Bob Dylan’s “Make You Feel My Love” , fell into the all too frequent and easy to find trap of putting most of the choreography on one dancer’s back and then following them blindly through a routine. It takes away the group aspect of the project and forces a decidedly disjointed quality on the performance. The judges rightly called them out on this, but instead of sending them all packing forced them into a situation that comes around rarely on this show – figure out amongst themselves who to send home and then report back. Resulting in the most drama of the entire round for obvious reasons, tears ensued throughout their discussion and continued once they were back on stage. In a moment some may call merciful but I saw as cruel Nigel decides they all will make it through to the final round of solos after each of the dancers agrees that they wouldn’t throw another competitor under the bus for a mistake in which they all took part. Maybe he really felt that way, but from where I sit it seemed more like a ploy to ramp up the stress and tension and needlessly putting this group through the wringer when the judges probably could have picked out the stronger competitors to have stay.

The second group that stood out was more or less a group of Hell Week All Stars dancing to “All of Me” by John Legend (also a favorite to appear as a song in the live shows for those of you counting at home). For a group that includes Malene The Hottest One Left on the Show, Johnny Wacks and Zack The Tapper, they do not disappoint with either the choreography they put together in one night or the execution of it. Leaning heavily on contemporary movements while including small moments of whacking and hip hop was smart, as the mixture didn’t overwhelm them in the end result. Mixing unique elements into a seamless performance is one of the skills that separates the wheat from the chaff during this round every year and although I would have liked to see a lot more of the group performances and practices the sampling they gave us worked well enough with the amount of time they had to work with. Fox has been cramping the show into smaller and smaller time allowances over the past few seasons, and unfortunately this was the first year of auditions/callbacks that it was truly noticeable in a negative way. Next week when we have to vote two people off without even being properly introduced to the Top 20 it will be even more apparent how the “quick hits” editing style of this week’s episode served to undercut the audience connection with the dancers.

I don’t have much to say about the final solos from the remaining 44 dancers, as the time crunch once again allowed for only a few to be shown in full. But I will comment on Ricky’s solo because it was downright incredible and maintained the high level of adorableness and entertainment he originally showed us in Atlanta. My only notes about his performance were “FUCK YEAH RICKY” and mixed with the emotions that “Skin and Bones” by David J Roch gives me every single time it pops up on this show in a routine (a pox upon anyone who ever forgets the Melanie and Marco performance below), I think it’s safe to say Ricky has maintained his status as an early favorite.

Overall, not the best showing tonight from a production stand point this episode. What is usually one of the best and most fruitful installments of the season got turned into a jumbled mess of editing and highlighting all of the wrong dancers. I’m not sure whether this is due to a change in management behind the scenes or whether half the production and editing staff were just sick the day this episode got put together but it was very not good as far as giving us a look at what we can expect from these dancers next week and beyond. At least we can be comforted by the fact that the live shows make it very difficult to cut too much important content, and actually benefit from a harsh cut when all is said and done. The full Top 20 list can be found below – I tried my hardest to find snapshots of them outside of the SYTYCD world to get more of a sense of who they are as people – and I will most likely have a full post about the strengths and weaknesses of these dancers as well as some thoughts on who the early favorites/early exits are shaping up to be up sometime before the first live show next week (hopefully with a special guest writing with me).

(Cat Deeley voice) TUP TWINTY DANCERS:

Ricky Ubeda (LOVE)

Jacque LeWarne

Jessica Richens

Teddy Coffey (this is filled with teenage angst and I love it)

Stanley Glover (gorgeous, just gorgeous)

Bridget Whitman

Carly Blaney (well we know she can pull off gymnastics elements for sure at least)

Emilio Dosal

Valerie Rockey

Zack Everhart (this is supposedly his senior picture which is adoooorable)

Jourdan Epstein

Casey Askew

Emily James

Nick Garcia and Rudy Abreu

Tanisha Belnap

Serge Onik

Malene Ostergaard (also THIS PICTURE OH MY DAMN GURRRRL)

Brooklyn Fullmer and Marcquet Hill

SYTYCD: Season 11 Premiere

 

For 10 years now, So You Think You Can Dance has brought the talents of thousands into our living rooms during the hot summer months. With the exception of one or two less than exciting seasons a few years back, every season has been better than the last. SYTYCD’s 10th anniversary brought with it the first year where the influence of the show on dancing across the country was plain as day, as many of the contestants specifically attributed their love and passion for dance directly to watching early seasons when they were younger. I imagine that trend will continue this season as more of the first generation that grew up watching the show put their talents to work.

I will be recapping the dancing throughout the summer, hopefully mostly consistently from week to week, but looking ahead I already know some week’s I will have to sit out writing if not watching as well (next week I’m already missing a night as I will be in Texas for the 3rd annual ATX Television Festival). Throughout the auditions that take up the first few weeks, it will mostly be rundowns of the standout performers and the music they choose for their first impressions (although the show has moved away from this for the better in recent years, I will be avoiding any recaps of the purposely terrible auditions). Once the live shows begin, these write-ups will take a turn towards more analysis of whether the music makes or breaks the routine, especially as new choreographers and old favorites make appearances throughout the season. I already have some examples in mind as to which choreographers are surely going to make missteps week in and week out as far as music decisions go, and I’m sure you do as well.

Without further ado…Week One of Auditions kicks off in New Orleans and Chicago!

Shelby Rase: A strong, if not show stopping, start to the season. I would have liked her to dance to the Avicii version of “Wake Me Up” in order to facilitate more explosiveness in her routine, but the Madilyn Bailey cover she chose didn’t harm her routine so much as leave it flat. As with many covers Bailey performs (which you can see on her YouTube channel if you are so inclined) she doesn’t bring anything to the composition that any amateur wouldn’t be able to come up with. Her voice is pretty but there’s nothing behind it, which is more or less how I feel about Shelby’s routine. I agree with Mary that she has great stage presence, but thought the use of that presence could have been more well employed. Annalise’s routine also brought with it the first “awkward family member” called to the stage from the audience, in which her dad did some NSFW things with a water bottle while “Blurred Lines” played. Let us never speak of that portion again.

Tanisha Belnap: Tanisha is one of 12 siblings, so while her story was the first feel good clip show of the night, all it did was bring to mind the kind of musical theater stagings this family of dancers could and should have done at home (7 Brides for 7 Brothers complete with almost full stable of understudies!). Although I appreciate Tanisha’s willingness to work her ass off to get herself studio time, something about this routine still left me wanting. Her technical ability was present but didn’t blow me away, and although I don’t necessarily agree with Nigel that she should have danced with a partner, an additional facet to the performance would have been nice. Staging ballroom steps to “Take it Slow” by Odny (feat. Reija Lee & Kito) was nothing groundbreaking but I liked her willingness to take a risk and pair her style with dubstep. Even as dubstep slowly takes over the entire country taking no prisoners and leaving no survivors, most times when it pops up it is exclusively paired with anything besides classic ballroom routines, so that was a nice difference to see.

Megan Marcano: The skills of a classically trained dancer with the expressiveness and stage presence of a Browadway veteran. Megan is such a clear Top 20-worthy dancer I almost don’t want to talk too much about her here so I can save all of the adjectives needed to describe how great she is for down the road. The song she used was “Oh Heart” by Tank and the Bangas. I had never heard of this artist before finding this song, so I guess I can also thank Megan for introducing me to a new talent in that regard as well. The music matched up well to her dancing, but more importantly it felt like the song matched up with the attitude she puts out into the world. An under the radar choice that paid dividends during her performance. For now, her back story is the classic reality show tragedy-turned-triumph cliche (not in a bad way) and her talent is undeniable. All I keep repeating over and over in my head is “Don’t fall apart during Vegas week, don’t fall apart during Vegas week”. Fingers crossed!

Trevor Bryce: THIS ladies and gentleman is how you incorporate multiple styles into one routine. If he had come out and just done the hip-hop aspects of this piece I would have been tempted to send him to choreography (tempted, but not completely convinced to do so), but because he worked in so many other ballet and theatre facets he was able to blow everyone away from the beginning. From what I can tell, the music choice he went with was a remix of “Da Dip” by Freak Nasty, combined with a techno track that utilized Windows 98 start up sounds and ticking clock effects. I enjoyed what he did with the music, and the way that the beat contrasted with his more balletic movements. The only thing I’m worried about with him going forward is his ability to work well with a partner or as a group. It’s a small quibble, but the only thing that may sink him as the rounds go on.

Courtney Barnes: This was a Bring It On blooper brought to life, tracked by “Turn Down For What” which I definitely did not need to hear any more than I already have. The judges have made it clear in the past that flipping and tumbling to music does not a routine make, and that reasoning stands here. A Wendy Williams impression (even an hilarious one) should not give someone a ticket and I’m happy to see Nigel stood his ground here while Mary and Wayne could not and unreasonably sent Courtney on to choreography.

Novien Yarber: Sam Smith alert! Sam Smith alert! There was an 150% chance that someone would use a Sam Smith song during the auditions this year and I am seriously overjoyed it came this early in the season.  I cannot make this clear enough: if you have not heard In The Lonely Hour, call up your closest mental hospital and kindly admit yourself until you have done so. Pleading insanity is the only option for not having at the very least watched his breakout performance during the Louis CK episode of Saturday Night Live.  “Lay Me Down” is one of my personal favorites from his flawless debut album and it makes for an appropriately emotional pairing for this routine. As far as the routine itself, it isn’t likely to be remembered seasons from now, but it was technically very well done and I look forward to seeing what Novien brings to the table when paired up with other dancers.

Caleb Brauner: I really, really wanted Caleb to come back this year much improved over his audition last year. The heartbreaking story about his dad’s unexpected passing after they danced together on the SYTYCD stage was truly gut wrenching like not many contestant clips are (as hard as the producers may try) and his earnestness was endearing. Unfortunately, his skill remained at the level it was last year at this time with no signs of any additional training or aspects of his dancing. Jason Mraz has also been so overused on this show both in auditions and during live shows (especially “Words”) that unless the routine is flawless and emotionally affecting it isn’t worth it to try and force a connection using any of Mraz’s songs. As sad as it was to see him break down after getting cut during Choreography (which, c’mon cameramen, don’t follow contestants in emotional states such as this for that long please) it was the right choice and we can only hope he takes the judges advice to heart and does more partner work before next year, giving him a much better chance at getting to at least Vegas before falling short.

Marqoet Hill & Brooklyn Fullmer: Why couldn’t they have danced to anything else in the world besides “Blurred Lines”? A lot of talent on display here between these two and it was all brought crashing down for me by the presence of Robin Thicke being all rape-y and skeezy in the background. Stop choosing this to dance to, everyone. It isn’t trendy anymore and it does you no favors with the audience in house or watching at home. Other than that unfortunate song choice, Brooklyn and Marqoet had chemistry for days and the execution that everyone knows makes Mary shed tears of joy. Their toe flicks stood out for me, but their spins and symmetrical sections were was just as impressive. They promised sexy and delivered more, which at this early point in the competition is really all we can hope for from ballroom duos.

Not sure about everyone else, but all I saw during the time when they said Justin Bieber was on screen was this:

Come on, SYTYCD, you can do better than him as a ratings draw for this season’s shameless promotional stunt. I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt when it comes to adding in a dance crew competition, but involving Bieber in any way is just plain dumb. It is plainly below the quality of entertainment that this show subscribes to and whoever is behind this decision should be sent back to America’s Got Talent where they belong.

Nick Garcia: Even with a few slip-ups as far as sharpness in his steps, Nick came to impress and accomplished just that. He was fiery, energetic, and has ridiculous control over his core which is a must for any ballroom dancer. Many ballroom contestants rely on their partners to control their upper body and arms, thereby hiding any structural weaknesses they may have. As much as I would have liked to see him dance with his sister due to what I’m sure is a great connection between them on stage, something tells me the opportunity for him to audition solo that stemmed from his sister’s ankle surgery was a blessing in disguise that allowed him to show off just how strong a dancer he is. His song choice, “Begging You” by Madcon, brought just the right balance of energy and sexiness to his performance as well. The whole thing screamed “Miami” so loudly I forgot for a minute he was auditioning in frigid Chicago. A performance that makes you forget where you are? Sign me up for that any night of the week.

Rudy Abreu: “Stabat Mater” by Woodkid is a song of epic proportions, and Rudy danced to match that sentiment. His presence on stage is nothing short of magnetic, and the way he used his strength to complement his skill as a dancer instead of using it to compensate and falsely impress is something that few people are able to do (or realize they need to do) when they first appear on the show, which makes Rudy one to watch. The strength he had on display here means he will probably acquit himself well with a partner when the time comes for him to pair up with someone. Is it wrong that I’m already wishing for a Megan/Rudy duet choreographed by Mia when we aren’t even close to the Top 20 yet? I can’t possibly be the only one thinking about it.

Caleb Brauner Part 2: Oh Caleb…Caleb, Caleb, Caleb. I can’t recall if a dancer has ever showed up twice in the same round of auditions but in different cities. Regardless, I was skeptical of what he could have possibly changed in such a short time. I won’t say he proved me wrong completely as his skills were basically in the same range as they were a mere days/weeks beforehand, but he was very smart to frame it the way he did for the judges. By showing up and being honest about the fact that he was coming at this routine with a different strategy and a different mindset, while also admitting it was still going to be his style of dance, he didn’t set their expectations too high and was able to prove himself. The fact that he used yet another Jason Mraz song, this time “Details in the Fabric” (a personal favorite), doesn’t give me much hope when it comes to his originality, nor does his match-matchyness of the song and the theme of the dance. However, Caleb was able to step it up during the partner portion in order to push through to callbacks. I admire his perseverance, even as I don’t think he’ll make it much farther than the next round.

(Side note: I am so happy – sans sarcasm – that the choreography song this year is “Story of My Life” by One Direction. It’s one of my guilty pleasure songs this year and am not against hearing snippets of it two or three times an episode for the next month.)

All in all, an impressive first week back with the SYTCYD crew and this crop of new dancers. Next week Chicago auditions continue, and I will be back with a recap of the episode the following week.

What did everyone else think? Who was your favorite dancer to have made it through tonight? Any instances where you adamantly disagreed with Nigel/Mary/Wayne/Jenna? Let me know in the comments!