Episode 22, August 9
So You Think You Can Dance 2, August 9: Everybody Dance Now by Sting7 -- 08/10/2006 No rest for the weary dancers, even on this, the last performance night of the season! The four remaining dancers must all dance alone, with each other in pairs, and in a group number! Can their bruised bodies take anymore? Who is told they are not worthy of the finale? Which dancer manages to stand out among the pack? The answers to all are here! Cat welcomes us to the performance finale. She tells us our final four will dance a solo and all will dance with each other, girl/boy, girl/girl, boy/boy. Hello judges! Tonight, Nigel Lithgoe, Mary Murphy, and Brian Friedman. Now would be a good time to remember what they are competing for – the competition's $100,000 grand prize, a new car, and a one-year contract with Celine Dion's Las Vegas show, A New Day. Life-changing stuff! Lots of dances to get through, on with it! Heidi and Travis get disco, and Doriana Sanchez says they will have to explode like a firecracker. Heidi and Travis, Disco Dancing to Peaches and Herb’s “Shake Your Groove Thing,” Heidi and Travis are completely capable and shimmy through this with everything but a yawn. There are a ton of lifts, each one Travis nails, and each one features Heidi gorgeously. Very solid job. Nigel first says Cat, with her silver sparkly dress, looks like a disco ball and should be hung from the ceiling. In a scary casting flashback, Cat says, “If you fix the wires, you can have me any way you like!” That may explain her hair for a couple of weeks. After an eyebrow flash, Nigel moves on the dancers. He loved their energy, says Heidi is the best female partner of the competition, and Travis is incredible. He advises Travis to keep the energy up throughout the night. Mary (showing her age) loved the song, but loved how they danced it even better. She says Heidi made a “hustle-basic” look fabulous, and Travis was great, he was like Hercules with all the lifts. Brian says he believed they were part of the era, his only critique was Travis didn’t lock his arms on one lift, but there were so many, Brian is satisfied. Last week, the return of the Benjelle got mixed reviews. This week, it is also the return of Viennese Waltz. Jean Marc gave them a challenging routine, but Donyelle thinks they got it in the end. Is she right? Benji and Donyelle, Viennese Waltz Dancing to “I’ll Be” by Edwin McCain, Benji and Donyelle seem to have the up-down that the waltz is supposed to have, but what is going on with the arms? Something is kind of wrong here. They sell it like they always do, but… I don’t know. Judges, help me, here. Nigel asks (rhetorically) if they had any classical training. They say no, emphatically. Nigel says it shows. It gets worse. He tells them their arms were “turned in” and not graceful (that’s it!). He didn’t like the leg work either, and thought it was not worthy of the finale for them. Mary says she is disappointed, considering it’s their second go at Viennese Waltz. She saw the chemistry, but the waltz didn’t happen for her. Brian says it felt tense and rushed, and if he just watched their faces, he would have loved it, but he watched everything, and it wasn’t good. Brian says they will have to bring it the rest of the night. Cat says coming up, something we never thought we’d see… Benji and Travis dancing together. “Tranji” Benji calls it. Heh! But first (my Julie Chen moment!), the final four were treated to the premiere of dance-inspired film Step Up. The contestants loved it and its stars. Its stars loved the final four and the extra publicity. They are even in the audience tonight! Imagine that! Love is all around. Heidi’s solo is to Celia Cruz’ “Rie y Llora” and she literally shakes a tail feather. More like a tail plumage! Heidi does more twizzling, which would usually be boring, but her body positioning is so stunning, every move is like a picture. She’s quite exceptional really. “What a frock!” comments Cat (hopefully, I have soothed those of you who thought she said “what the f**k”!). She so Bri-ish. Travis and Benji arrive for their choreography, with “Tranji” hats, to boot. Shane says he’s excited for this one, but “one of them can do things the other can’t.” He doesn’t elaborate. Benji and Travis do plenty of clowning. Travis says the girls got what they wanted… a Tranji finale! Travis and Benji, Hip Hop Dancing to “Gyrate” by Da Muzicianz and Mr. Collipark, it’s a hip-hop nutty professor sort of thing. Lots of intentionally dorky hip-thrusting, and then some serious hip hop hitting. I believe Benji may be hitting it a little harder than Travis, but then, Travis finishes every move, Benji does not. I can’t call this one. Neither can the audience, at the end, both factions are loudly chanting the name of their heroes! Nigel says it was a great routine, they are a couple of closet crumpers, and noticed (during one part of the routine, both boys flirtatiously lifted their shirts) they both have nipple rings. “It’s just horrible! Bring back Dmitry!” Nigel jokes. Well done, great fun. Mary loved it loved it loved it, and gives them a WOOOOOO! With extra gusto. Brian gives a WOOOOO! Of his own, and says they were “dork-tastic.” He thinks they make a great team. Now for Donyelle’s solo. Dancing to Dionne Farris’ “Human,” Donyelle pulls out her contemporary trick bag and does a passionate routine. Following her, dancing to “Konstantine” by Something Corporate, Travis does a little shilling for applause and then gets down to business for his solo. Again, the body control, the innate musically, and clearly the best turns in the competition, Travis infuses passion and humor in his solo, like he has all season long. This is his competition to lose. Heidi and Donyelle meet Tice Diorio for their routine. Tice wants hot fun. The girls promise quiet fire and spit fire. Heidi and Donyelle, Broadway Dancing to “Big Spender,” from the Sweet Charity soundtrack, I couldn’t pick a winner between Benji/Travis, but I think Heidi outdances Donyelle on this. Heidi seems to have more energy, and there is bigger movement from her. Donyelle seems a bit, just a bit, lethargic. I wonder if that toe of hers has taken its toll. Judges? Nigel seems a bit concerned with the choreography, and thinks it was simplistic. When that happens, the dancers have to bring so much more of themselves into it, and it just didn’t happen. Mary thinks the routine needed more attitude, but thinks the dancers did a great job. Brian thinks they executed the routine perfectly, but performance wise, it was bad. Time for Benji’s solo. Dancing to the Brian Setzer Orchestra’s “The House Is Rockin,” so is Benji. That pistoning action with his legs is unreal! Benji injects plenty of personality into his solo, and does some things you wouldn’t think he could. His confidence is about 20 times higher than it was when the competition started! Travis and Doneylle meet with Mia Michaels for their contemporary routine. Mia says it’s a lazy sort of relaxed looking routine that is actually quite difficult. Travis says it’s hard to look lazy. Let’s see how the dance goes. Donyelle and Travis, Contemporary Dancing to Ray Charles’ “Georgia On My Mind,” the costumes immediately take us back in time, and Ray Charles and the dancers do the rest. Travis and Donyelle brilliantly represent a pair looking up at the stars and extrapolating that feeling in dance. There are dazzling positions from both of them, a couple of times Donyelle holding Travis or supporting his position! Donyelle has a minor balance check (I am sure it is the toe now), but not enough to mar this gorgeous routine. Nigel says the routine was not designed to “grab you” but take you back. He expected them both to be good at contemporary and they were. It was beautiful. Nigel says he was captured. Mary says it was beautiful, and they were captivating to watch. She loved how the movements melted and blended together. Brian says it was art. He says Donyelle did what he asked of her. It was his favorite from her of the season. Now, Heidi and Benji take on Salsa. Benji says they had it in half an hour and collected on a bet from Alex Da Silva. He gets Ron’s car for a day! Heidi and Benji, Salsa Dancing to “La Comay” by Sonora Carruseles, Heidi and Benji flirt their way through this fun and witty routine. Both tempt each other with pinpoint accurate footwork and attitude. Their awareness of each other is very real and well-utilized. The ending is great – Heidi left in a back-bend, while Benji runs a comb through his hair, and then “magically” pulls her into a standing position. How she stayed in that position I will never know. Nigel will love that! Nigel? Nigel repeats that Heidi is the best partner of the girls, and Benji is the best partner of the guys. He says there was so much to enjoy. Mary says it was terrific and very, very cool. She says she is on the Love Boat again. Brian asks if they will do that at his next birthday party. He is on the Love Boat too. Cat promises a dazzling group routine with all four finalists, choreographed by Wade Robeson (hasn’t he been a presence this season? How much you wanna bet they dance to a Wade Robeson song?). Heidi, Donyelle, Benji and Travis, Pop Okay, I’m wrong. Dancing to Justin Timberlake’s new hit, “SexyBack,” Wade Robeson promises a take on the fashion industry with this dance, and that it is. All four start with their runway walk and then lots of posing interspersed with Robeson’s effortlessly cool choreography. Seeing all four dance at the same time is an excellent idea, because you get to see who really stood out. And I have to admit, the person I can’t stop watching is… Travis. Judges? Nigel says the last three routines were brilliant for him, and they all showed exactly why they are in the finale. But… all four don’t deserve to win. That is for America to decide. He does note that Benji should be cast in the next Zoolander film if there is one. Mary loves the choreography, and all four did a great job. She says Travis is a bit of a standout, she doesn’t know why. (I said the same thing.) Brian says he loved it, and Travis sold the number for him, and it was couture dance elegance. Time for the predictions! Here’s how I think it should finish: 4. Donyelle – I think she’s injured, and it’s a shame. She hasn’t been herself in weeks. 3. Benji – he’s fantastic, but I think he was a bit outshined by Travis and Heidi tonight. 2. Heidi – can’t believe I saw her demise two weeks in a row, earlier. She’s got it all! 1. Travis – mah boy! He didn’t disappoint me. I said he was my Pick to Click when he auditioned and when the Top 20 started, he was my pick to win. I’m standing behind it. Here’s how I think it will turn out: 4. Donyelle – without the injury, she may well have won. 3. Heidi – so solid, but the boys are just too popular for her to overcome. 2. Benji – his fans are rabid, but just louder, I think. Benji had a hell of a ride, and a win from him would not surprise me (or disappoint me) in the least. But. 1. Travis – it’s all his. The fact that his faction was as loud as Benji’s tonight either says it is growing or they are getting more aggressive. That only helps. Another website says Travis was the highest vote-getter last week. How they’d know that, I don’t know, but if it’s true, Travis may well build on his lead this week. And this is the one that counts! Am I right? Let’s find out together next Wednesday for the finale of So You Think You Can Dance!http://www.realitynewsonline.com/cgi-bin/ae.pl?mode=4&article=article6337.art&page=1
So You Think You Can Dance 2, August 9: Everybody Dance Now by Sting7 -- 08/10/2006 No rest for the weary dancers, even on this, the last performance night of the season! The four remaining dancers must all dance alone, with each other in pairs, and in a group number! Can their bruised bodies take anymore? Who is told they are not worthy of the finale? Which dancer manages to stand out among the pack? The answers to all are here! Cat welcomes us to the performance finale. She tells us our final four will dance a solo and all will dance with each other, girl/boy, girl/girl, boy/boy. Hello judges! Tonight, Nigel Lithgoe, Mary Murphy, and Brian Friedman. Now would be a good time to remember what they are competing for – the competition's $100,000 grand prize, a new car, and a one-year contract with Celine Dion's Las Vegas show, A New Day. Life-changing stuff! Lots of dances to get through, on with it! Heidi and Travis get disco, and Doriana Sanchez says they will have to explode like a firecracker. Heidi and Travis, Disco Dancing to Peaches and Herb’s “Shake Your Groove Thing,” Heidi and Travis are completely capable and shimmy through this with everything but a yawn. There are a ton of lifts, each one Travis nails, and each one features Heidi gorgeously. Very solid job. Nigel first says Cat, with her silver sparkly dress, looks like a disco ball and should be hung from the ceiling. In a scary casting flashback, Cat says, “If you fix the wires, you can have me any way you like!” That may explain her hair for a couple of weeks. After an eyebrow flash, Nigel moves on the dancers. He loved their energy, says Heidi is the best female partner of the competition, and Travis is incredible. He advises Travis to keep the energy up throughout the night. Mary (showing her age) loved the song, but loved how they danced it even better. She says Heidi made a “hustle-basic” look fabulous, and Travis was great, he was like Hercules with all the lifts. Brian says he believed they were part of the era, his only critique was Travis didn’t lock his arms on one lift, but there were so many, Brian is satisfied. Last week, the return of the Benjelle got mixed reviews. This week, it is also the return of Viennese Waltz. Jean Marc gave them a challenging routine, but Donyelle thinks they got it in the end. Is she right? Benji and Donyelle, Viennese Waltz Dancing to “I’ll Be” by Edwin McCain, Benji and Donyelle seem to have the up-down that the waltz is supposed to have, but what is going on with the arms? Something is kind of wrong here. They sell it like they always do, but… I don’t know. Judges, help me, here. Nigel asks (rhetorically) if they had any classical training. They say no, emphatically. Nigel says it shows. It gets worse. He tells them their arms were “turned in” and not graceful (that’s it!). He didn’t like the leg work either, and thought it was not worthy of the finale for them. Mary says she is disappointed, considering it’s their second go at Viennese Waltz. She saw the chemistry, but the waltz didn’t happen for her. Brian says it felt tense and rushed, and if he just watched their faces, he would have loved it, but he watched everything, and it wasn’t good. Brian says they will have to bring it the rest of the night. Cat says coming up, something we never thought we’d see… Benji and Travis dancing together. “Tranji” Benji calls it. Heh! But first (my Julie Chen moment!), the final four were treated to the premiere of dance-inspired film Step Up. The contestants loved it and its stars. Its stars loved the final four and the extra publicity. They are even in the audience tonight! Imagine that! Love is all around. Heidi’s solo is to Celia Cruz’ “Rie y Llora” and she literally shakes a tail feather. More like a tail plumage! Heidi does more twizzling, which would usually be boring, but her body positioning is so stunning, every move is like a picture. She’s quite exceptional really. “What a frock!” comments Cat (hopefully, I have soothed those of you who thought she said “what the f**k”!). She so Bri-ish. Travis and Benji arrive for their choreography, with “Tranji” hats, to boot. Shane says he’s excited for this one, but “one of them can do things the other can’t.” He doesn’t elaborate. Benji and Travis do plenty of clowning. Travis says the girls got what they wanted… a Tranji finale! Travis and Benji, Hip Hop Dancing to “Gyrate” by Da Muzicianz and Mr. Collipark, it’s a hip-hop nutty professor sort of thing. Lots of intentionally dorky hip-thrusting, and then some serious hip hop hitting. I believe Benji may be hitting it a little harder than Travis, but then, Travis finishes every move, Benji does not. I can’t call this one. Neither can the audience, at the end, both factions are loudly chanting the name of their heroes! Nigel says it was a great routine, they are a couple of closet crumpers, and noticed (during one part of the routine, both boys flirtatiously lifted their shirts) they both have nipple rings. “It’s just horrible! Bring back Dmitry!” Nigel jokes. Well done, great fun. Mary loved it loved it loved it, and gives them a WOOOOOO! With extra gusto. Brian gives a WOOOOO! Of his own, and says they were “dork-tastic.” He thinks they make a great team. Now for Donyelle’s solo. Dancing to Dionne Farris’ “Human,” Donyelle pulls out her contemporary trick bag and does a passionate routine. Following her, dancing to “Konstantine” by Something Corporate, Travis does a little shilling for applause and then gets down to business for his solo. Again, the body control, the innate musically, and clearly the best turns in the competition, Travis infuses passion and humor in his solo, like he has all season long. This is his competition to lose. Heidi and Donyelle meet Tice Diorio for their routine. Tice wants hot fun. The girls promise quiet fire and spit fire. Heidi and Donyelle, Broadway Dancing to “Big Spender,” from the Sweet Charity soundtrack, I couldn’t pick a winner between Benji/Travis, but I think Heidi outdances Donyelle on this. Heidi seems to have more energy, and there is bigger movement from her. Donyelle seems a bit, just a bit, lethargic. I wonder if that toe of hers has taken its toll. Judges? Nigel seems a bit concerned with the choreography, and thinks it was simplistic. When that happens, the dancers have to bring so much more of themselves into it, and it just didn’t happen. Mary thinks the routine needed more attitude, but thinks the dancers did a great job. Brian thinks they executed the routine perfectly, but performance wise, it was bad. Time for Benji’s solo. Dancing to the Brian Setzer Orchestra’s “The House Is Rockin,” so is Benji. That pistoning action with his legs is unreal! Benji injects plenty of personality into his solo, and does some things you wouldn’t think he could. His confidence is about 20 times higher than it was when the competition started! Travis and Doneylle meet with Mia Michaels for their contemporary routine. Mia says it’s a lazy sort of relaxed looking routine that is actually quite difficult. Travis says it’s hard to look lazy. Let’s see how the dance goes. Donyelle and Travis, Contemporary Dancing to Ray Charles’ “Georgia On My Mind,” the costumes immediately take us back in time, and Ray Charles and the dancers do the rest. Travis and Donyelle brilliantly represent a pair looking up at the stars and extrapolating that feeling in dance. There are dazzling positions from both of them, a couple of times Donyelle holding Travis or supporting his position! Donyelle has a minor balance check (I am sure it is the toe now), but not enough to mar this gorgeous routine. Nigel says the routine was not designed to “grab you” but take you back. He expected them both to be good at contemporary and they were. It was beautiful. Nigel says he was captured. Mary says it was beautiful, and they were captivating to watch. She loved how the movements melted and blended together. Brian says it was art. He says Donyelle did what he asked of her. It was his favorite from her of the season. Now, Heidi and Benji take on Salsa. Benji says they had it in half an hour and collected on a bet from Alex Da Silva. He gets Ron’s car for a day! Heidi and Benji, Salsa Dancing to “La Comay” by Sonora Carruseles, Heidi and Benji flirt their way through this fun and witty routine. Both tempt each other with pinpoint accurate footwork and attitude. Their awareness of each other is very real and well-utilized. The ending is great – Heidi left in a back-bend, while Benji runs a comb through his hair, and then “magically” pulls her into a standing position. How she stayed in that position I will never know. Nigel will love that! Nigel? Nigel repeats that Heidi is the best partner of the girls, and Benji is the best partner of the guys. He says there was so much to enjoy. Mary says it was terrific and very, very cool. She says she is on the Love Boat again. Brian asks if they will do that at his next birthday party. He is on the Love Boat too. Cat promises a dazzling group routine with all four finalists, choreographed by Wade Robeson (hasn’t he been a presence this season? How much you wanna bet they dance to a Wade Robeson song?). Heidi, Donyelle, Benji and Travis, Pop Okay, I’m wrong. Dancing to Justin Timberlake’s new hit, “SexyBack,” Wade Robeson promises a take on the fashion industry with this dance, and that it is. All four start with their runway walk and then lots of posing interspersed with Robeson’s effortlessly cool choreography. Seeing all four dance at the same time is an excellent idea, because you get to see who really stood out. And I have to admit, the person I can’t stop watching is… Travis. Judges? Nigel says the last three routines were brilliant for him, and they all showed exactly why they are in the finale. But… all four don’t deserve to win. That is for America to decide. He does note that Benji should be cast in the next Zoolander film if there is one. Mary loves the choreography, and all four did a great job. She says Travis is a bit of a standout, she doesn’t know why. (I said the same thing.) Brian says he loved it, and Travis sold the number for him, and it was couture dance elegance. Time for the predictions! Here’s how I think it should finish: 4. Donyelle – I think she’s injured, and it’s a shame. She hasn’t been herself in weeks. 3. Benji – he’s fantastic, but I think he was a bit outshined by Travis and Heidi tonight. 2. Heidi – can’t believe I saw her demise two weeks in a row, earlier. She’s got it all! 1. Travis – mah boy! He didn’t disappoint me. I said he was my Pick to Click when he auditioned and when the Top 20 started, he was my pick to win. I’m standing behind it. Here’s how I think it will turn out: 4. Donyelle – without the injury, she may well have won. 3. Heidi – so solid, but the boys are just too popular for her to overcome. 2. Benji – his fans are rabid, but just louder, I think. Benji had a hell of a ride, and a win from him would not surprise me (or disappoint me) in the least. But. 1. Travis – it’s all his. The fact that his faction was as loud as Benji’s tonight either says it is growing or they are getting more aggressive. That only helps. Another website says Travis was the highest vote-getter last week. How they’d know that, I don’t know, but if it’s true, Travis may well build on his lead this week. And this is the one that counts! Am I right? Let’s find out together next Wednesday for the finale of So You Think You Can Dance!