"So You Think You Can Dance" 2010: Top 8 results

July 9, 2010 at 9:10am

All is not well in the "SYTYCD" universe. The show took a drastic nosedive this week, and tonight's episode did not rescue the "Dance" jet from an unsettling, fiery crash.

The opening routine, set to "When We Dance" by Sting, was set in heaven. It was anything but heavenly. The costumes were totally cheesy: glitter, wings, the whole nine yards. Everyone looked ridiculous. Lauren did some gorgeous extensions while partnered by Robert, who was...there.Billy also got a solo, but I wasn't crazy about it. Also, he was in a dress. I know we're short on girls, but seriously. AdeChike was given nothing to do AT ALL. He stood on a platform in giant wings and gesticulated with his arms. It wasn't good, but I think the choreography is really to blame in that situation.

And who was the choreographer of the cringe-inducing routine? Miss Emmy-nominated choreographer herself, Mia Michaels. Did not see that coming. Is it just me or has she gone WAY downhill this season? I used to love her -- on the panel, as a choreographer, everything -- but now I have the urge to slap her and say, "What's wrong with you?!" So disappointing.

Next up, obligatory self-congratulations. Mia was nominated for three routines: the addiction piece with Kayla/Kupono (duh), the butt routine with Randi/Evan (OK, it was ... different, I guess) and her group routine to the "Chorus Line" classic, "One" (which, if I recall correctly, didn't even have a kickline). Eh. Stacey Tookey was also nominated for...something, and the makeup department got a nod too. Adam was nominated as well, but for his choreographer/producer role in the Oscars. "SYTYCD" alum Chelsea Hightower was nominated for a Paso Doble she choreographed and danced on "Dancing with the Stars." Good for her. I adored her when she was on this show and I'm glad to see there is life after "Dance," even for the losers.

The hub-bub Nigel created over Emmy nominations was all well and good in my book. Then he plugged "Glee." Hellooooo, synergy! Oh, Nigel. Just keep digging your grave. You're not doing yourself any favors. Then he tried to plug the dance day thing again, which is apparently going to go national, thanks to a D.C. Congresswoman (Senator?). I was actually really psyched for this. I watched the YouTube video. I learned the dance. I was poised to dance my little butt off on July 31. After this week, I almost don't want to have anything to do with this show anymore.

But let's get to the charade of putting two more dancers in the bottom with the injured Alex, shall we? First two contestants: Lauren and Billy. Both of these two did excellent work Wednesday night. Billy was particularly spectacular in his "Cats" B'way routine, and fared much better than Jose in their Afro-jazz routine. Without so much as talking to Lauren, Cat announced Billy would be in the bottom. That's disappointing. He doesn't deserve to be there based on his performances, but I don't think he's got as much star power as I want him to, and I suspect that's why he didn't get the votes. Lauren was the breakout star of Wednesday's show. Her cha-cha sizzled and she was exquisite in her contemporary routine with Kent. And of course, she was safe. Her star is definitely rising in this competition.

After the commercial break and another plug for another fellow Fox show, "Idol" (ugh), it was time to find out the remaining five dancers' fates. Kent had a generally strong night Wednesday (hip-hop w/ Comfort and then contemporary with Lauren) and has a ton (too many) shrieking tween fans that, once again, put him through. You know what, I'm fine with that. What happened next, not so much. Jose's turn. He put out the same shit he's been doing since auditions -- no dance, just a stupid, dopey grin. And it got him through AGAIN! WHAT. THE. FUCK?! Jose makes it through ANOTHER week?! I'm gonna need a much stronger drink to make this OK.

Cat called on Robert next, who had a so-so week. I enjoyed his Barbie/Ken jazz piece (despite its technical flaws), but wasn't wild about his Quickstep with Ashley. Nigel's plea apparently worked, or at least scared Robert's fans enough to vote like crazy. He was safe, leaving Ashley and AdeChike. AdeChike had a worse night than Ashley by far (girl absolutely KILLED that hip-hop routine), but all of Mia's bitching created a huge backlash, sparing AdeChike and tossing Ashley in the bottom.

The judges seemed shocked, but really shouldn't have been. Ashley definitely didn't deserve to be in the bottom (and I think both she and AdeChike knew it). But this is what happens when the judges play favorites for too long and start talking out of their asses. Voters get pissed. Voters ramp up their speed dials. And voters save dancers the judges chastise, leaving the judges with a nyah-nyah moment, being forced to cut dancers THEY like, but audiences don't.

Then, with both Ashley and AdeChike standing there, the inevitable happened: Mia apologized to AdeChike. Based on the rampage bloggers, fans, and even Facebook users (some of whom created an anti-Mia group), I'm not surprised she did an about face from Wednesday, but the apology still felt half-hearted to me. I think she was trying to save face and ultimately, I don't know if she accomplished that. I don't think her criticism Wednesday (however off the mark and harsh it was) was intended to be mean spirited, but that still doesn't excuse it. On a side note, the first words out of her mouth were something along the lines of "Ashley, I don't know why you're in the bottom." Translation: "You rocked, AdeChike should have been in the bottom." Maybe I'm reading too much into it, but her attitude this whole season has turned me off. She's going to have a very difficult time recovering from this week. Fans are jumping ship left and right and after Wednesday's bullshit, and I'm not surprised.

The highlight of the night by far was Anya and Pasha's Latin routine. Anya was an absolute beast, shaking her pink-fringed butt all over the place. Pasha wasn't shirtless, but still sexy as hell. Actually, the both of them were. Those two are sexy ballroom gods. The routine had very sharp footwork and retractions that went by almost too fast to see. There was also one lift sequence where Pasha got to throw Anya all over the place. This is what I want to see more off. (Although can Pasha be shirtless again? Pretty please?)

Guest performers tonight were from the cast of "In the Heights" singing "96,000." The routine infused some cool street-style dancing with some more traditional Broadway moves, but the real highlight was the singing. The lead girl powerfully belted out the main melody while the main guy rapped in the background. Not a whole lot of dancing, but still a very cool number. I can't wait 'til this comes to Rochester through RBTL next season.

There were only two solos tonight - Billy & Ashley - which made me even more apprehensive about the whole Alex situation. Billy's was first and he definitely utilized all 30 seconds he was given. He feebly tried to get the audience into it by having them do a slow clap. No, no, honey. That's not how to draw people into a performance. Still, he used a great deal of the stage and mixed up his moves between flailing, fighting movements and soft stalls in ponche and arabeseque. Ashley's solo had a lot of gorgeous pirouettes, which showed off her control and beautiful center, and a lot of punching the air. I understand that -- she's frustrated. Girl danced her ass off Wednesday and lands in the bottom for it. Poor thing. The judges can't send home another girl...can they?!

We had a few more moments of suspense during the musical performance. Tonight's guest was Natasha Beddingfield. Love her. Just a little ray of British sunshine (although her hair was a bit of a mess tonight). A group of all-stars backed her up in boring black and white suits with some sharp, groovy hip-hopish movements. The song took me a little while to get into, but by the end, I was happily bouncing along in my seat. I'm glad there are still parts of this program I can enjoy watching. She and Cat also seemed to be best buds. Adorable.

Time for the news. And it was not good. With these three in the bottom, there was no way it could have been. But Nigel delivered the final crushing blow: Alex would be leaving because of the injury (a ruptured Achilles tendon). It was the news no one wanted to hear. Even Ashley and Billy looked disappointed. Losing Alex at this stage in the competition is nothing short of devastating. I was dreading this all day, but didn't expect it to carry the emotional weight it did. There was nary a dry in the house (including my own). Nigel did indicate, however, that he would be allowed back next year. Did NOT expect that at all, but I am glad.

Alex is easily one of the best dancers we've ever seen on this show, and his star was just beginning to shine. He was a real contender for the title this year and I'm very sad to see him go. No doubt that when he does return to dancing (in about three months, according to the doctors' orders), he will do great things and do us all proud. Godspeed, Alex Wong. May your recovery be fast and may your future be filled with dance, for it is truly why you were put on this Earth.

I'm almost ready to throw my hands up and surrender, Mr. Lythgoe. Arguably the most disappointing season so far. Hopefully the remaining promising dancers (namely Lauren & Ashley) will continue to kick ass and Jose will get a serious walloping from the judges next week. But I'm going to have a really hard time watching the rest of the summer. Between the bullshit Wednesday, Alex's departure, and the fact that Jose is still here (Top 7. TOP EFFING 7?!), I don't know if I can bring myself to keep watching this trainwreck of a season.

Comments for ""So You Think You Can Dance" 2010: Top 8 results" (15)

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Colleen Mooney said on Jul. 09, 2010 at 10:02am

Very good assessment of SYTYCD! I agree with every statement in this article. I feel that the situation with the judges has enormous room for improvement. I like Adam as he can critique a dancer in a way that gives advice and yet praise the dancer. I do not know what is going on with Mia Michaels. I believe that she needs a reality check. As a professional, she needs to keep it that way, not put in her personal opinion that has nothing to do with the performance of the dancer. Hopefully, she will see that her comments her not helping the dancers and they are hurting the show. I have been a loyal fan of this show, I love the dancers, the routines, the music, everything about the show with the exception of comments made by Mia Micheals. I will continue to watch but I will make my own decisions about the dancers performances. I am truly glad that Alex will be back.

Just Wondering said on Jul. 09, 2010 at 11:08am

I feel Mia has some type of personal vendetta against AdeChike or something. She backtracked and apologized b/c I think Nigel asked her too and b/c of all the buzz on the Internet. She has been riding him all season. When he did that Bollywood dance she was stressing how much she missed Alex. What does missing him has to do with AdeChike dancing. Then AdeChike did the same thing Jose did with the Bollywood dance in regards to adding his own personality to it and Mia praised Jose and put down AdeChike. Then she said Ashley should not be in the bottom, translating into AdeChike should be. AdeChike is a better dancer than Ashley or Jose. If they don't want him their they should step up to the plate and just admit it. Mia is practically wearing her emotions on her sleeves in regards to how she feels about Jose. As a judge she should be fair and partial. What she is doing is wrong. She knows it, and so does the viewers.

optizmo said on Jul. 09, 2010 at 11:40am

that is precisely because mia michaels is a snobby, racist @@#$% with really bad cosmetic surgery! what she did to adechike on national television was unacceptable! he is a good kid and a great dancer and he didn't deserve to be humiliated like that. she has no tact or class and now sounds like she has a personal vendetta towards this man. the apology she gave was lame. she is just a plastic @#$$%! this entire panel of judges keeps me from watching the show anymore but i just happened to catch the results last night and could not believe my ears! i think these judges will soon be the demise of this show. And the reason she probably loved jose when he did his bollywood routine is most likely because the cougar wants to "bed" him if you will! yes, they are all old cougars! mary was dating artem and i'm sure mia is no different. she's so transparent, it's embarassing! HEY MIA: IF YOU REALLY NEED TO BE CRITICAL OF SOMEONE, TAKE A GOOD LOOK IN THE MIRROR AND ASK YOURSELF HOW A CHOREOGRAPHER CAN JUST SIT BACK, EAT TWINKIES, GAIN OVER 100 LBS. AND CRITIQUE SOMEONE WHO IS ACTUALLY TRYING! put down the scalpel and dinner fork and stop thinking that you're the "cat's meow" because sweetie you ain't! yah? and the more you get plastic surgery, the more plastic you become SO JUST STOP! AMERICA VOTE ADECHIKE!

Julie said on Jul. 09, 2010 at 1:18pm

Last week Mia was already making me uncomfortable, but this past Tues night I found myself wanting to punch her in the face. While her self-indulgent, biased oozing and lack of constructiveness were egregious, the other judges were also imbalanced and inarticulate in their "critiques" and absurdly hyperbolic in their praise. Furthermore, no judge should ever say, while judging a particular contestant �" on his/her merits �" "we made a mistake to let so-and-so go" or "I sure miss what's his name right now." It is this aspect of the show that is pushing it down hill, not so much the dancing itself. As for the dancing, I do understand why Jose deserves praise as a b-boy courageously stretching himself, but he needs to stretch more, especially it seemed in his afro-jazz no., in his upper body, and the judges would have done him a service to give him some pointers rather than just gushing all over him. In his "contemporary" dance, he tapped into a new side of himself, but he had very little actual dancing to do, and this should have been said. Why Jose's Bollywood was better in a certain way than AdeChicke's was not the "heart", of which AdeChicke has plenty, but the fact that Jose, in spite of his sloppy beginner's technique did make an effort to adopt the style, which , with it's emphasis on striking poses, and flexed feet,may be a more natural fit for a break-dancer in some ways than for some contemporary dancers. I agreed with the judges that AdeChicke approached it as if it were african dance, though this seemed to embarrass them for some reason and so they glossed over it rather than explaining *how*, and what qualities of the indian style he missed. AdeChicke has especially impressed me in his solos. Jose wouldn't be in the top 7 if the show had the old format, starting with a top 20, and given that what is most exciting about it is the mix of classical and street, we do want dancers like him on the show. Bring the old format back. Bring Mary Murphy back. Mia is better when she's on her guest behavior.

Heidi said on Jul. 09, 2010 at 3:19pm

Agree agree...

Just one small note - it wasn't Adecheke on the platform - it was Ade...Adecheke was dancing.

Betsy said on Jul. 10, 2010 at 11:21am

Glad to find these comments as I am totally in agreement about the professionalism of Mia Michaels this season. Actually she made some serious comments last year about a young African American contestant which almost brought her and Mary Murphy to blows. BTW, he came in second.

Hopefully all these comments will make the judges be much more professional in their comments and make them not show their biases based on personalities.

Cat Deely is great.

Shayna said on Jul. 10, 2010 at 3:15pm

The Bob and Kathie routine was not that great. i'm sorry but i believe his dancing is not that good and i think he tries too hard! Would not vote for him. The other dancers show more personality.

Phyllis said on Jul. 10, 2010 at 11:49pm

I agree about Mia Michaels and the word "professional" does not describe her.
I used to love this show- am getting really disgusted with some of the outrageous "critiquing". While Jose is adorable, he should not be there any more. How lame was his part in the dance with Billy- no energy, fire, lines, etc.
Go Lauren, you are really coming into your own.

hmm said on Jul. 10, 2010 at 11:50pm

I found it quite strange that Mia hated Brandon last season (who was African-American) and is now picking on Adechike (who is also African-American)

enough! said on Jul. 18, 2010 at 8:23pm

I am sick & tired of everyone playing the "race card" when someone is criticized. I agree that mia was a little harsh, but to call her racist is rediculous. The comments here are racist.

Natalie said on Jul. 21, 2010 at 4:32pm

I'm fairly new to this show..and Mia Michaels, but she has sparked my interest because after the first shows I was asking"who is this chick and what credentials does she carry?" To be a judge on these "talent" shows carries a responsibility to teach by giving "constructive, positive suggestions" to improve the dancers' skills. Remember, these are all amateurs and wouldn't be there if they weren't serious about their craft and want to improve to share their love of the craft with audiences.

Duane said on Jul. 21, 2010 at 9:45pm

What is the deal with Mia. Does she like to hear herself talk? She finds a flaw in virtually flawless performances. I wish this would be her last season as a judge. Maybe she could take Simon's place on American Idol

BJ said on Jul. 21, 2010 at 10:53pm

I believe the word Nigel was looking for tonight to describe what was missing from The Matador number is Passion. The brought anger to the number instead of that animal sexual tension that you see in the Spanish dancers. This is not the fault of the dancers but of the choreographers. If they cannot explain it to the dancer how can the dancer display it?

Trey said on Jul. 22, 2010 at 3:59am

Um... I'm fairly sure that ADE' was the guy on the platform during Mia's routine. Whenit comes to Jose, he is a great patner and preformer, and he makes up by far... I hate to see dancers who have rediculous technique, but are like emotionless drone. Oh, and I feel as if Robert's Ken was the most technically sound he's been, his off hand is ALWAYS doin somethin retarded besides that routine.

Shannon said on Aug. 07, 2010 at 4:54am

The man on the platform is most certainly NOT AdeChike...take a closer look because you can see Ade with the other dancers..........dancing.

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