SYTYCD Mid-season Musings

As I've already expressed, I absolutely love So You Think You Can Dance. Every season (except for Seasons 1 & 4 which I, for some reason, did not watch) I watch in awe as young men and women take to the stage performing some of the most amazing work. Every season I have my own favorite dancers and routines, and my own gripes and complaints. And, I'm vocal about it to anyone who listens. I'm probably even vocal about it when no one else is in the room... (my cats listen, right?).

Anyway, a couple of weeks ago, Chris and I were contemplating what to watch on our DVR queue. The most recent SYTYCD week was listed. I hadn't had a chance to watch it yet, but I was not about to suggest it. Chris does not watch those types of shows, or anything else I like for that matter (unless it is NBC's Thursday night "Must See TV", HBO, It's Always Sunny, or Planet Earth). I was about to suggest popping in a movie or letting him pick when Chris suggested SYTYCD. I think my mouth fell open. I told him that I didn't want to make him watch it, but he told me he wanted to, because apparently my "commentary was fun to listen to." (I guess I do talk out loud.)

I figured, if Chris can stand my SYTYCD commentary, so can all of you! I know that we are already down to the top 10 dancers and the season is more than half way over, but here are my thoughts thus far...

1. Everyone says "Sasha Fierce" will win. And everyone is rooting for her to win. Not me though (not yet, at least). I don't know if it's because I liked her sister, Natalia, better or if I find her personality grating and fake, but as of this post, she hasn't won me over yet. And, she's definitely not even in my imaginary top 3.
2. Speaking of grating personalities, at first I found Jess super annoying. Again, I don't really know why -  was it his height (or lack thereof) or his cheesy smile - who knows? Unlike Sasha though, he's starting to grow on me. I mean, he is an excellent Broadway dancer. And, if he can sing and dance you can count me in to see one of his shows. I am a sucker for good musical numbers. (He's not in my top 3 though yet either.)
3. Who is in my top 3, you ask? Definitely Melanie and Tadd, although the 3rd spot is up for grabs. Maybe Marko or Caitlynn? (I mean, Marko has a BULLET in his shoulder!) Each season I have that one "favorite" - Travis (S2), Kayla (S5), Kathryn (S6), and Robert (S7) - and this season none of them have jumped out at me yet. We'll just have to wait and see now that the competition is becoming fiercer. (btw, anyone else notice that none of my favorites have won? Maybe I should say my favorite is Sasha...)
4. Also, I wasn't too much of a fan of Ryan, but I think the producers wanted us to be a fan of her. Don't get me wrong, she is a GREAT dancer and she is probably suuuper nice in person, but she just did not connect. I'm kinda bummed she got the boot though because I think she is more talented than Jordan and Clarice, but, oh well, that's the game.
5. Now on to Cat. Love her. I think she completely deserved that Emmy nod last week, and I am really hoping she wins it! But, who is dressing her for some of these episodes? Yes, she oftentimes looks Awesome (with a capital A), but one week in particular I thought she looked like a hot mess:



Adam Rose/Fox for InStyle

The strange rhinestone/bedazzled multicolored fake-tatoo-as-a-necklace "skin jewelry"? The strange rat-tail braid amongst her wavy hair which usually looks lovely? And, the very purple eyeshadow? HOT. MESS. The poor Catherine Malandrino dress was overshadowed by all of the other ridiculousness going on. (I think I talked more out loud that week about her "look" than about the dances.) Here's to better outfits on our Emmy-nominated host!
6. Judges. First, I'm super glad Mary Murphy is back! It's great to have a ballroom expert on the panel. Secondly, I'm suuuuper happy about the guest judge arrangement they've made this season with a mix of celebrity judges and/or choreographer judges. Not only do we get the expert opinions from the likes of Tyce Diorio and Lil C (along with his vocabulary lessons), but we get a little slice of celebrity along with it. My favorite so far was last week's Jesse Tyler Ferguson from Modern Family. Not only was it incredibly endearing that Ferguson was SUCH a fan of the show (I love TV stars that watch TV), but he was HIL-LARIOUS. On another note, Carmen Electra was a dud. She might have dance cred, but she could not articulate a single sentence. 
7. Lastly, formatting. I have to be honest and say that I was not a fan of the changes made in Season 7. I did not like the "All-Stars" format since I love watching the pairings of newbie dancers attempting to rock out their dances and create chemistry. (I love the drama of great dancers being paired with the not-so-great ones too!) And, I did not like starting the competition with only 10 dancers. But, this season is my favorite format thus far. I get my 20 dancers, I get the paired contestants, AND, I'll get the All-Stars (which grew on me). Plus, is it me, or are the producers really trying to give viewers more of a taste of the dancers' personalities and talent through more group dances and interviews? Liking it so far!

Well, that's my musings on SYTYCD so far. Maybe next time I shouldn't wait 6 weeks to comment. Or, I should keep my comments to myself, and my cats.