Episode 9, June 22
So You Think You Can Dance 2, June 22: Gone So-Low by Sting7 -- 06/23/2006 Wednesday night, the nine remaining couples put their best feet forward to stay in the competition. New favorites were crowned by Nigel, but two dancers are going home. And Rihanna is in distress! Dmitry and Joy (l-r) had a rough time on performance, and a rougher time when results came around! What does that mean? Read on! Before we delve into tonight’s drama, let’s consider Wednesday night. After all the dust cleared, I predicted the bottom three would be: Dmitry and Joy – Joy was just a mess, and Nigel wondered if Dmitry did enough to compensate for his obviously struggling partner. Good question. Ryan and Heidi – Heidi was the empowered woman in this story-dance, but Nigel said it was “pretending.” I’m inclined to agree. Ben and Ashlee – They were fine, but I think there will be some backlash from last week. No pity votes for them this time, but I don’t think they will actually leave. Now, on to tonight’s show! Shoo-be-doo-be-do! Dance! (You know, I will be the first to admit that I can miss a forest because trees are in the way… but even I am disgusted to admit that I just realized that the dancers in the filmed intro are the dancers from season one! Say it with me, “dur!”) We begin with the 18 dancers sizzling through James Brown’s “Get Up Off Of That Thing” (if that song doesn’t make you move something, you are dead). The dancers are moving plenty, all dressed in street wear (think camouflage cargos), once again, Travis, Musa, and Ivan are standouts in this routine. Benji’s smiles like he is in a pageant and Dmitry is buried in the back again. Poor guy. The ladies – my heart beats only for Allison. She must bear my children. Speaking of child-bearing, Cat looks quite dishy, cantaloupe dress, tight and low-cut, hair kind of Bardot-big. She’s making me forget about Lauren Sanchez. And in case we forgot about Wednesday night, we get a recap of the performances and critiques. Among the giggling nonsense, we see that all is not great in this Boogie Wonderland. Dmitry and Joy are not getting along so well. While Joy wants to do some last-minute cramming, Dmitry is not so enthused. As he firmly corrects her, he adds, “you should have wanted to rehearse more.” (Ouch.) Instead of taking this or walking it off, Joy makes a joke. Oh my. Will either of them survive? Wasting no time, we learn which three couples are in the bottom three: Jaymez and Jessica – are safe! Ben and Ashlee – are safe! Dmitry and Joy – are in the bottom three. (That’s one right this week, anyway. Joy is doomed.) The next group is: Travis and Martha; Benji and Donyelle; Musa and Natalie. None of them should be bottom three! And, they aren’t! They are all safe! The next group: Joseph and Aleksandra – in the bottom three. Ivan and Allison – are safe! Ryan and Heidi – in the bottom three! Cat asks the judges what they think of the results. Shane admits he liked Ryan and Heidi a bit less when he watched the show again. Mia commends them on their effort, but storytelling in dance is a very complicated thing, and the couple didn’t match the challenge. Nigel says taking dancers out of their comfort zones is always a risky thing. So now Joseph, Dmitry, Ryan, Aleksandra, Joy, and Heidi are Dancing For Their Lives. Joy is first and does some contemporary twirling that adds up to little. So do her comments afterwards. Dmitry, with the coolest pants on the planet, does a little toreador that has women screeching. Nicely done. Heidi does some dazzling hip twizzles, and ends with a split-flourish. She has fantastic positions and technique. I hope she stays. Ryan does some technical twirling and toe pointing. He says he felt shaky about it. Aleksandra dances to one of my favorite songs, Sia’s “Breathe Me,” which makes me like her, but I don’t know if she does much. Jason is last and he does plenty – some strange hybrid of contemporary and hip hop, he is easily the most entertaining. I still say Joy is leaving… and Ryan is joining her. The judges go back stage to deliberate. Meanwhile, out comes the lovely Rihanna and her ridiculously catchy smash, “S.O.S.” with that clever “Tainted Love” sample (ironic since “Tainted Love” uses a “Where Did Our Love Go?” sample). Who is Rihanna, you ask. She is an island-born beauty (the cutest nose this side of Jem) and a lock to win the Grammy for Best New Artist next year (you heard it here first). She shakes, she jerks, she flirts with the camera and the audience and her dancers and rescue is imminent. But while Rihanna is saved, two dancers are doomed. Ladies first. Heidi is asked to step forward. She does so, a bit wobbly. Poor thing. Nigel says he thought her dancing was fake last night, and she completely made up for it in her solo. It was the first time he was convinced she was related to Benji because “that was a Benji performance!” She is safe! Joy, step forward. (Organ dirge.) Nigel says she is a like a jack of all trades, but master of none, as the expression goes. He suggests that she submerge herself more in the world of dance if she leaves tonight. (If??) Aleksandra, step forward. Nigel calls her solo “pitiful” and remarks that she could not even articulate an answer when Cat asked if she was nervous. She could not articulate in her dance solo either. (I thought it was just me!) She needs to work on her solos in case she is there again, since she is staying, Joy is going. Good night. (Surely, she knew her flight was taxiing on the runway.) Cat, who appears to be fighting back tears, consoles Joy and we see the dance funeral video. Later, Joy. The gents. Dmitry, step forward. Nigel says Dmitry was impressive last night, and was impressive in his polished answer to Cat’s question, “Are you disappointed in your partner?” More importantly, he was impressive tonight, and Mia thought he looked like a Greek god. Safe, indeed. Ryan, step forward. Somehow, says Nigel, Ryan has a wall between him and the audience. He is an excellent technician, but he’s not “touching” us. Something he will need to work on if he stays. Joseph, step forward. Nigel remembers that Mary called him a “floodlight from Heaven.” Nigel thinks the floodlight was off, or the bulb needs changing or something. Nigel says he saw no personality in the dance, no expression on the face, and when the light is out, it is over. And it’s dark. Joseph is going home. So, to recap: no more joy, no more light. What a sad night it has become. In better news, Aleksandra and Dmitry, who have lost their partners, will become a pair. I like this pairing, they look good together! Down to eight pairs. Travis & Martha and Benji & Donyelle are looking to make it a two team race! Will they stumble? Will another pair rise to their level? Let’s see next week!Source: http://www.realitynewsonline.com/cgi-bin/ae.pl?mode=1&article=article6210.art&page=1
So You Think You Can Dance 2, June 22: Gone So-Low by Sting7 -- 06/23/2006 Wednesday night, the nine remaining couples put their best feet forward to stay in the competition. New favorites were crowned by Nigel, but two dancers are going home. And Rihanna is in distress! Dmitry and Joy (l-r) had a rough time on performance, and a rougher time when results came around! What does that mean? Read on! Before we delve into tonight’s drama, let’s consider Wednesday night. After all the dust cleared, I predicted the bottom three would be: Dmitry and Joy – Joy was just a mess, and Nigel wondered if Dmitry did enough to compensate for his obviously struggling partner. Good question. Ryan and Heidi – Heidi was the empowered woman in this story-dance, but Nigel said it was “pretending.” I’m inclined to agree. Ben and Ashlee – They were fine, but I think there will be some backlash from last week. No pity votes for them this time, but I don’t think they will actually leave. Now, on to tonight’s show! Shoo-be-doo-be-do! Dance! (You know, I will be the first to admit that I can miss a forest because trees are in the way… but even I am disgusted to admit that I just realized that the dancers in the filmed intro are the dancers from season one! Say it with me, “dur!”) We begin with the 18 dancers sizzling through James Brown’s “Get Up Off Of That Thing” (if that song doesn’t make you move something, you are dead). The dancers are moving plenty, all dressed in street wear (think camouflage cargos), once again, Travis, Musa, and Ivan are standouts in this routine. Benji’s smiles like he is in a pageant and Dmitry is buried in the back again. Poor guy. The ladies – my heart beats only for Allison. She must bear my children. Speaking of child-bearing, Cat looks quite dishy, cantaloupe dress, tight and low-cut, hair kind of Bardot-big. She’s making me forget about Lauren Sanchez. And in case we forgot about Wednesday night, we get a recap of the performances and critiques. Among the giggling nonsense, we see that all is not great in this Boogie Wonderland. Dmitry and Joy are not getting along so well. While Joy wants to do some last-minute cramming, Dmitry is not so enthused. As he firmly corrects her, he adds, “you should have wanted to rehearse more.” (Ouch.) Instead of taking this or walking it off, Joy makes a joke. Oh my. Will either of them survive? Wasting no time, we learn which three couples are in the bottom three: Jaymez and Jessica – are safe! Ben and Ashlee – are safe! Dmitry and Joy – are in the bottom three. (That’s one right this week, anyway. Joy is doomed.) The next group is: Travis and Martha; Benji and Donyelle; Musa and Natalie. None of them should be bottom three! And, they aren’t! They are all safe! The next group: Joseph and Aleksandra – in the bottom three. Ivan and Allison – are safe! Ryan and Heidi – in the bottom three! Cat asks the judges what they think of the results. Shane admits he liked Ryan and Heidi a bit less when he watched the show again. Mia commends them on their effort, but storytelling in dance is a very complicated thing, and the couple didn’t match the challenge. Nigel says taking dancers out of their comfort zones is always a risky thing. So now Joseph, Dmitry, Ryan, Aleksandra, Joy, and Heidi are Dancing For Their Lives. Joy is first and does some contemporary twirling that adds up to little. So do her comments afterwards. Dmitry, with the coolest pants on the planet, does a little toreador that has women screeching. Nicely done. Heidi does some dazzling hip twizzles, and ends with a split-flourish. She has fantastic positions and technique. I hope she stays. Ryan does some technical twirling and toe pointing. He says he felt shaky about it. Aleksandra dances to one of my favorite songs, Sia’s “Breathe Me,” which makes me like her, but I don’t know if she does much. Jason is last and he does plenty – some strange hybrid of contemporary and hip hop, he is easily the most entertaining. I still say Joy is leaving… and Ryan is joining her. The judges go back stage to deliberate. Meanwhile, out comes the lovely Rihanna and her ridiculously catchy smash, “S.O.S.” with that clever “Tainted Love” sample (ironic since “Tainted Love” uses a “Where Did Our Love Go?” sample). Who is Rihanna, you ask. She is an island-born beauty (the cutest nose this side of Jem) and a lock to win the Grammy for Best New Artist next year (you heard it here first). She shakes, she jerks, she flirts with the camera and the audience and her dancers and rescue is imminent. But while Rihanna is saved, two dancers are doomed. Ladies first. Heidi is asked to step forward. She does so, a bit wobbly. Poor thing. Nigel says he thought her dancing was fake last night, and she completely made up for it in her solo. It was the first time he was convinced she was related to Benji because “that was a Benji performance!” She is safe! Joy, step forward. (Organ dirge.) Nigel says she is a like a jack of all trades, but master of none, as the expression goes. He suggests that she submerge herself more in the world of dance if she leaves tonight. (If??) Aleksandra, step forward. Nigel calls her solo “pitiful” and remarks that she could not even articulate an answer when Cat asked if she was nervous. She could not articulate in her dance solo either. (I thought it was just me!) She needs to work on her solos in case she is there again, since she is staying, Joy is going. Good night. (Surely, she knew her flight was taxiing on the runway.) Cat, who appears to be fighting back tears, consoles Joy and we see the dance funeral video. Later, Joy. The gents. Dmitry, step forward. Nigel says Dmitry was impressive last night, and was impressive in his polished answer to Cat’s question, “Are you disappointed in your partner?” More importantly, he was impressive tonight, and Mia thought he looked like a Greek god. Safe, indeed. Ryan, step forward. Somehow, says Nigel, Ryan has a wall between him and the audience. He is an excellent technician, but he’s not “touching” us. Something he will need to work on if he stays. Joseph, step forward. Nigel remembers that Mary called him a “floodlight from Heaven.” Nigel thinks the floodlight was off, or the bulb needs changing or something. Nigel says he saw no personality in the dance, no expression on the face, and when the light is out, it is over. And it’s dark. Joseph is going home. So, to recap: no more joy, no more light. What a sad night it has become. In better news, Aleksandra and Dmitry, who have lost their partners, will become a pair. I like this pairing, they look good together! Down to eight pairs. Travis & Martha and Benji & Donyelle are looking to make it a two team race! Will they stumble? Will another pair rise to their level? Let’s see next week!