Comfort Fedoke and Will Wingfield are Eliminated TonightVIDEO VIDEO

Personality trumps technique tonight, as Will, arguably the best technical dancer in this year’s competition is sent packing. He had the chops, but his stiff personality didn’t win the voters hearts. That James Brown routine with the wig–an example of trying way to hard–exemplified his inability to connect. All I can say about Comfort going home–It’s about time. Now, let’s hope she doesn’t have some sort of Carrie-rising-from-the-dead moment. At this point, I swear she could. Stay healthy, girls!

Group Dance – by Chuck Maldonado – Song: “Universal Mind Control (UMC)” by Common – VIDEO

Nigel asks the viewing audience to “please educate yourself” and vote in the presidential election this year. That’s funny to me. Americans love to vote for their favorite reality show contestants. President of the United States? Maybe not so much. I vote for both! He pimps the website declareyourself.com.

The Bottom 2 Girls/Guys

  • Cat begins calling the contestants out to the center stage one by one. Katee is first. She is SAFE, of course. Will takes center stage, and learns he is the first of the BOTTOM 2 GUYS. – VIDEO
  • Comfort is next. She learns she is the first of the BOTTOM 2 GIRLS. Next is Mark. HOLEE CRAP MARK IS SAFE!!! There go my points. Mark is totally shocked, “Oh my GOD WHAT? WHAT?” He says. The look on his face is priceless. – VIDEO
  • Chelsie takes center stage. She is SAFE. The dancers left backstage look REAL nervous. Next, is Twitch. Cat informs him he’s in the BOTTOM 2 guys. He turns his back to the audience, clearly upset. He probably thinks he’s going home, but I don’t think so. Joshua is next. He (and we) already know that he’s SAFE. Courtney, left backstage by herself, is called to center stage. But, as the last girl standing, and with a B2 spot to fill, she already knows she’s in the BOTTOM 2 GIRLS. – VIDEO

In the Bottom, and dancing solo later in the show are: Will, Comfort, Twitch and Courtney.

Dancers from the Los Angeles Ballet – A duo from the company dance a Pas de deux. Song: “The Man I Love” from the ballet Who Cares?VIDEO

Solos:

  • Comfort – Song: “Like This” by Mims, Will – “Closer” by Goapele – VIDEO
  • Courtney – Song “Passion” by Kreesha Turner, Twitch – Song: “Hollywood Swinging” by Kool and the Gang – VIDEO

LL Cool J feat The Dream performs his new single, “Baby” – VIDEO

Elimination:

Comfort and Courtney take center stage: Comfort is ELIMINATED. Will and Twitch take center stage. Will is ELIMINATED. – VIDEO VIDEO

 
  • http://dreambabysdreams.blogspot.com/ Dream Baby Dream

    Mark is SAFE!!!!!!!!!! Wow. I wasn’t expecting that.

    Hmmm…I really wonder which of the other two guys will be in the B2. And I have to say, I hope it is Will that goes, regardless of which one it is. Will is a fabulous dancer, but he rarely makes me feel something. Twitch, Joshua, and Mark may not be as well trained, but they all have made me feel pretty regularly.

  • http://www.xanga.com/hisaki_chan707 Hisaki

    OMG, YES! MORE HAWT (possibly HAWTsie…:D) TO COME! *celebrating wildly*

  • Lisa

    I split my points between Will & Comfort. I had a feeling Mark would not go. Now I hope to heck it is not Twitch that goes instead of Will.

  • kozisedso

    I’m holding my breath…………please don’t let it be Twitch. I started out liking Joshua, but have been liking him less as the weeks go by. Twitch was all kinds of awesome last night.

  • http://dreambabysdreams.blogspot.com/ Dream Baby Dream

    Please let Twitch be safe!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Damn, this is the first night that has been really tough for me.

  • champ

    Holy. Crap.

  • KTINTN

    Notice they’re not asking the judges of what they think about the bottom 4. If I were them, I’d be abit peeved myself.

    I agree w/ the bottom girls, but not w/ the bottom guys … no way should Twitch be there.

  • KrazeeK120

    YAY MARK!!!!!!!!!!! I don’t even care that I lost 10 points!!

  • champ

    Chelsiiiiiie!!!!!!

  • gingerly

    Points are nothing next to Mark’s awesomeness. I hope its bye bye Will!

  • gingerly

    Notice theyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢re not asking the judges of what they think about the bottom 4. If I were them, Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢d be abit peeved myself.

    I agree w/ the bottom girls, but not w/ the bottom guys à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦ no way should Twitch be there.

    My guess is they are more upset about Will being there.

  • http://dreambabysdreams.blogspot.com/ Dream Baby Dream

    I’m thinking the judges will comment after their solos.

  • http://www.xanga.com/hisaki_chan707 Hisaki

    Nice going, Nigel. What the hell was Joshua supposed to do, act like he didn’t know he was safe? And yes, how nice to leave Courtney alone backstage like that, when she was in full knowledge that she was in the freaking Bottom 2. I’m not losing Courtney to Comfort. Comfort’s had what, now, 7 crappy solos in a row? Pft.

    By the way, did anyone catch exactly what Will’s shirt said? Looked like nutrition facts to me, or something.

  • katyness

    Holee Crap 42.1 % of the pool isn’t going to be happy.

  • http://dreambabysdreams.blogspot.com/ Dream Baby Dream

    Well, at least we know Comfort should be gone IV REAL this time.

  • http://dreambabysdreams.blogspot.com/ Dream Baby Dream

    TWITCH IS SAFE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Whew. I don’t have to go and kill anyone…and I’m not gonna cry.

  • grrrr

    Suck it, Nigel! Ha ha! /Nelson Muntz

  • Lisa

    YeeHaw!!!!!!! Thank God Twitch is safe! I had a really strong feeling it would be Will & Comfort.

  • catdog

    This is the part of the competition that I hate. Everyone left is so good but someone has to go. I had a feeling it was going to be Will. Although I think technically he is better than Mark he has no personality. Glad Comfort is gone! Geez!

  • http://myspace.com/abbynormal60 abbynormal

    Well, looks like Joshua is probably gonna win the whole thing now. Will should have won this…two years in a row the best dancers lost….and probably the best dancer ever on the show didn’t even make top 4…nice job KIDS.

  • dancingqueen

    Although, I’m thrilled Twitch is still in, I’d much rather have seen Mark go than Will. JMO, Comfort was a given. With Mark being #1 on Dial Idol – he seems to be the Jasmine Trias of SYTYCD – the Hawaiian vote is kicking butt.

  • http://www.xanga.com/hisaki_chan707 Hisaki

    You GO, America! I’m proud of the voting block tonight. :) And SCREW IT! I’d have gotten 20 points if I’d just participated in the pool…ugh.

    Guessing between the guys next year will be tough. Josh/Twitch are probably still splitting, but Mark now clearly seems to have a solid fanbase if he managed to garner more votes than Will. Gah.

  • RiaP

    Well, at least we know Comfort should be gone IV REAL this time.

    L-O-L! Anyways, I’m pretty much happy that Mark is safe! I rather him stay than any of the other doodes. And yay, Courtney is still in!

  • SpenserJ

    Whew – that was a close one. At least I get one more week of Twitch!

    Will should have won thisà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦two years in a row the best dancers lostà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦.and probably the best dancer ever on the show didnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t even make top 4à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦nice job KIDS

    I’ve been disappointed by the winner of this show a couple years in a row. I’m not sure the best dancer ever wins. It’s impossible for a general viewing audience to discern who is the “best” anyway. Most people watching know nothing about technique. They just vote for who “speaks” to them. That’s why they call it a competition for America’s “favorite” dancer.

    Beside the fact of how exactly you define best? Will was maybe the best contemporary male dancer on the show. But, how do you quantify that his skills are better than say the best ballroom dancer on the show?

    The makeup of the show itself makes it impossible to figure out who’s “best” in my opinion. And, it’s all very subjective anyway. I believe Danny was the best dancer ever on the show, but that’s not fact, just my opinion. And, he didn’t win either. Plus, for me, he lost to someone less talented than most of the people we have left at this point.

  • http://www.myspace.com/chachithegreat chachi

    YES! Will has the personality of a piece of plywood. He has the charisma of an eighty year old man sleeping. He makes dancing look more boring than fly fishing. And now I don’t have to drink three Red Bulls before SYTYCD in order to stop myself from falling into a coma while he is FABULOUS! in the most boring way humanly possible.

  • http://myspace.com/susanatfox sumidol

    Holy Toledo – well, first off double hoorah that Comfort is gone and Twitch is safe and yes, Mr Mark I am so glad you got another chance after the bad cards you have been dealt lately. Ok now I am closer to my Joshua, Twitch, Courtney, Chelsea top four.

    If this was a contest judged and voted for only by professionals, based on technique, I could see Will winning but America, for the most part will always vote for someone that they can really connect to. So, the “kids” voted for what they liked best. Over 1/2 the people watching dont know a plie from a somersault but they do know what and who makes them feel good and that is pretty much the person who receives the most votes

  • http://myspace.com/saltwatercures pj

    I wish I had put 10 points on Will instead of 8.

    Bottom line… Will had a lot going against him. He was heavily pimped, but didn’t connect with the viewers. That means backlash. I wish him well. I’m sure his career is set.

    I voted for Twitch mostly. I heart him. This is a reality show, peeps.

  • http://www.myspace.com/swood1104 Sarah

    Two things:

    I hope Courtney, Chelsie, or Katee do not magically break some ribs this week.

    And Joshua is probably going to win regardless of whether Will was in the final with him or not.

  • KrazeeK120

    YES! Will has the personality of a piece of plywood. He has the charisma of an eighty year old man sleeping. He makes dancing look more boring than fly fishing. And now I donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t have to drink three Red Bulls before SYTYCD in order to stop myself from falling into a coma while he is FABULOUS! in the most boring way humanly possible.

    I love you, chachi. And ITA.

  • http://www.myspace.com/swood1104 Sarah

    He was heavily pimped, but didnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t connect with the viewers. That means backlash.

    I’m sure this is partially true, but I also think it’s a bit of a generalization to just say “Will didn’t connect with the viewers.” He may not have connected with SOME, but he obviously connected with some others if he made it to the top 8.

  • http://www.xanga.com/hisaki_chan707 Hisaki

    YES! Will has the personality of a piece of plywood. He has the charisma of an eighty year old man sleeping. He makes dancing look more boring than fly fishing. And now I donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t have to drink three Red Bulls before SYTYCD in order to stop myself from falling into a coma while he is FABULOUS! in the most boring way humanly possible.

    chachi, this is the freaking epitome of all things awesome. This should go down in legend, IMO. :D

    I hope Courtney, Chelsie, or Katee do not magically break some ribs this week.

    And Joshua is probably going to win regardless of whether Will was in the final with him or not.

    Yup. ITA.

  • smartcookie

    So next week Joshua and Katee will be back together, Twitch will dance with Chelsie, and Mark gets Courtney before they both dance out the door.

    IMO, Joshua and Katee have been pimped more than everybody else put together, and they will be the F2.

    It hurt my heart seeing Twitch in the B2 tonight, though. Maybe that will be what he needs to actually put him over the top and win this thing. Oh, hell. I swore I wouldn’t vote, but I am seriously considering picking up the phone for Twitch. What a sweetheart.

  • http://www.myspace.com/swood1104 Sarah

    If Joshua has been pimped more than any others, it’s not in the sense of him getting his own style over and over. He’s had his own style, hip hop, twice, but that is the only style he’s duplicated. If that’s not the epitome of “versatile” I don’t know what the hell is.

  • espentuk

    Random thoughts:

    Joshua has “IT” as does Twitch. Will didn’t.

    Mark does have the “Island block” to vote for him.

    I wonder if we’ll now see Debbie Allen judging.

    Will be sad to see any of the remaining 6 go next week.

  • SpenserJ

    I voted for Twitch mostly. I heart him. This is a reality show, peeps.

    Me too. And, I also heart PJ :)

    I must admit though – that the 14 year old girl in me did come out tonight. As much as I love Twitch and Joshua, I couldn’t see past LL tonight. But, I’ve adored him for over 20 years (damn I’m old), so I’m sure my other tv boyfriends will understand.

  • spritely

    Oh, that was sad when Twitch was upset! I wanted to pat him.

    Will will (hee) have a great career, and if the judges have anything to say about it, Comfort will, too. So now, having assuaged my guilt over being happy they’re gone, I can celebrate who’s left, yay!! It’s personality plus all over the friggin’ stage now. Even Katee has a personality now. Okay, not much, maybe, but it’s there, I swear. Next week should be lotsa fun if they don’t stick any of them with a foxtrot or quickstep. Or waltz. Or polka.

    This final four would make me do a happy squirm: Joshua and Twitch and Chelsea and Katee.

    I’m sorry, I want to like Courtney more than Katee, but Courtney’s smile annoys me almost as much as whatisname’s did.

  • http://www.myspace.com/swood1104 Sarah

    My post from yesterday breaking down the dance styles that each contestant has gotten this season, so far.

    ETA: Spritely, I think that is exactly the finale I want too. It’s tough to pick, but I think think I like that finale best. :)

  • http://www.xanga.com/hisaki_chan707 Hisaki

    I must admit though – that the 14 year old girl in me did come out tonight. As much as I love Twitch and Joshua, I couldnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t see past LL tonight.

    I suppose that means this 14-year-old is weird for not caring about LL Cool J. lol

    So now that Will and Comfort are gone…I am going to be really sad seeing any more people go. :(

  • http://myspace.com/saltwatercures pj

    Sarah, top 8 is great. You can’t deny that Will had the judges on his side, though. They made the decisions for awhile. As with singing, I don’t care if someone hits all the notes if they don’t move me. I extend that to dance.

    Spense, I was drooling over LL myself in chat. Damn.

    Heart you back!

  • KrazeeK120

    I don’t want any of them to leave now, but my picks are Twitch and Courtney. Courtney simply because she’s not as popular as the other 2 girls (although personally, I do like her better than Katee), and I think that Twitch is slowly falling victim to vote-splitting with Joshua and that will be his undoing next week. JMO.

  • http://www.myspace.com/swood1104 Sarah

    You canà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t deny that Will had the judges on his side, though. They made the decisions for awhile.

    Sure, he had the judges on his side. Only twice did they “save” him – and those weeks he deserved to be saved.

    And I don’t blame the judges for being on his side, either. I think he is a great technical dancer. And a couple of his dances DID click with me, so *I* personally can’t just write it off to “he didn’t connect.”

  • lala

    and probably the best dancer ever on the show didnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t even make top 4à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦nice job KIDS.

    Jeez, Comfort wasn’t that good.

    I had a feeling it was going to be Will. Although I think technically he is better than Mark he has no personality.

    I agree that technically Will is a better dancer than not just Mark, but Joshua & Twitch too. But all 3 of the remaining guys make people FEEL something when they dance. It’s not about perfection. That’s why we’re voting for America’s FAVORITE Dancer, not America’s Most Technically Perfect Dancer.

  • SpenserJ

    I suppose that means this 14-year-old is weird for not caring about LL Cool J. lol

    LOL – nope – I think it only works if you were actually a 14 year old in 1984 :)

    Spense, I was drooling over LL myself in chat. Damn.

    Damn my family obligations making me miss chat AGAIN. I really should just go to a hotel or something on Wednesdays and Thursdays. :lol_wp:

  • catdog

    I don’t usually pay attention to hip hop or rap singers but LL sure is mighty fine! I actually like his acting better though. Loved him in The Last Holiday with Queen Latifah.

    Joshua should win it all but Mark might be a stumbling block. That Hawaiian vote will be tough to crack!

  • lala

    With Mark being #1 on Dial Idol – he seems to be the Jasmine Trias of SYTYCD – the Hawaiian vote is kicking butt.

    I was thinking the same thing last night, but check out dialidol’s GeoPredictions. When you hover over Hawaii, none of the guys got any votes from Hawaii through dialidol. And while that obviously doesn’t mean that no one from Hawaii voted for him the regular way, it does mean that the dialidol results were not skewed in any way by massive Hawaiian voting.

    And anyway, there’s a big difference–Jasmine Trias sucked. ;)

  • dancingqueen

    My final 4, since top 20, have been Twitch, Joshua, Katee & Courtney. As much as I like Joshua, I wouldn’t necessarily say his genre is hip-hop. As we found out in auditions, he’s a much more well-rounded dancer, than we were led to believe.

  • http://myspace.com/saltwatercures pj

    And I donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t blame the judges for being on his side, either. I think he is a great technical dancer. And a couple of his dances DID click with me, so *I* personally canà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t just write it off to à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“he didnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t connect.

    So who did you want to go home?

  • champ

    I only watched the clips MJ had up; in the actual airing were there more dancer reactions to the actual eliminations?

  • gingerly

    I don’t like Courtney. Her smile bugs me and I think she wasn’t very nice to Gev and then fawns over the other guys she’s danced with. She could go and it wouldn’t break my heart.

  • http://www.myspace.com/swood1104 Sarah

    So who did you want to go home?

    I put my points on Mark. So… Mark.

    Honestly, as long as Joshua is safe, I really couldn’t care less who goes home. I’ve just apparently tended during this season to end up taking the side of those who are the most disliked – Thayne, Jessica, Will, even Katee and Joshua to some extent (hated because they are “pimped”). Also, I appreciate technicality, so I enjoyed watching Will dance. *shrug* I’m one of the only ones, and that’s fine.

  • baxter

    With a birthday rapidly approaching for yours truly, I thank you abbynormal…you made my night. I’m a KID again…woooo hoooooo!!! :)

    BTW….my favorite color is red and I wear a size 8 shoe if you were having a hard time deciding what to get me. There is still time My Boo’s!!! :)

  • loosegoose

    What bugged me about the pimping of Will was that the judges totally dumped on the other dancer who was technically great but emotionally not as effective (Matt). Actually, I enjoyed Matt’s dancing much more than Will’s, and felt a lot more ‘connection’ with him than with Will.

    At any rate, I’m glad Will is gone so one of the guys with more IT can win!

  • idolwatcher

    Well I lost half my points tonight but I’m okay with that! Next week will be tough for both the guys and girls; not looking forward to elimination night at all.

  • kerfuffle

    My choice for Top 4 would be: Mark, Mr. Kanemura, M. K. and that “quirky” Hawaiian dude. :mrgreen_wp: Oh wait. That’s not right. Okay, Mark and either Twitch or Joshua (couldn’t care less which of the two – I like them both); and Chelsie and either Courtney or Katee. (Again, I couldn’t care less which of the two. I’m a little angry with Courtney for lusting after all her partners since – and with the exception of – Gev; and Katee lacks a touch of personality, imho.)

  • http://www.xanga.com/hisaki_chan707 Hisaki

    THANK YOU for the cap, MJ! Way cool. :D

    My choice for Top 4 would be: Mark, Mr. Kanemura, M. K. and that à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“quirkyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  Hawaiian dude. Oh wait. Thatà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s not right. Okay, Mark and either Twitch or Joshua (couldnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t care less which of the two – I like them both); and Chelsie and either Courtney or Katee. (Again, I couldnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t care less which of the two. Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m a little angry with Courtney for lusting after all her partners since – and with the exception of – Gev; and Katee lacks a touch of personality, imho.)

    LOL. Anyway, those are my choices for the Top 4 too, exactly (although I think I’d like to see Josh in the Top alongside Mark). Now please get out of my head. :)

  • lala

    My choice for Top 4 would be: Mark, Mr. Kanemura, M. K. and that à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“quirkyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  Hawaiian dude.

    Kerfuffle–get out of my head. :)

    How about Mark, Twitch, Joshua & Katee? That’s what it should be–I’m sick of the guy/girl crap. Chelsie has been bugging me with her little mean/immature BTS shenanigans with all 3 of her parters so far–Mark, Gev & Joshua. And I totally agree with your reason for disliking Courtney–when she made the comment about Joshua being “a MAN”, it felt to me like she was implying how nice it was to dance with a big strong man instead of Gev. Then she went and man handled Will this week when Nigel made his “300 The Dance-Off” comments. She’s like the creepy leering female version of Nigel.

  • schmed

    “Chelsie has been bugging me with her little mean/immature BTS shenanigans with all 3 of her parters so far”

    And tell me, when you saw the video package about Chelsie’s dance origins, didn’t you think for just a moment that JonBenet Ramsey was not actually dead….

  • lala

    Thanks for the cap MJ! I was so angry when Mark was so suprised he was safe–them big bad judges had lil Marky-arky thinking he was really as bad as they said he was. Bad Nigel! Bad Mary!

  • SpenserJ

    Also, I appreciate technicality, so I enjoyed watching Will dance. *shrug* Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m one of the only ones, and thatà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s fine.

    I appreciate it too, and I also liked watching Will dance. You’re not alone. I just love Twitch more than I love Will, so once that was the bottom 2 – I needed him to be sacrificed LOL.

    Sidenote: in this day and age, I can’t personally define technicality only by traditional dance standards. I think what the hip hop guys do is just as technically difficult. I’d probably define Will as the best all around dancer though. He sure was versatile.

    My ideal top 4 would be Twitch, Joshua, Katee & Courtney. I think Chelsie is fabulous, I just like watching the other two more.

    And I totally agree with your reason for disliking Courtneyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬’when she made the comment about Joshua being à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“a MANà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ , it felt to me like she was implying how nice it was to dance with a big strong man instead of Gev.

    I think Courtney just likes to jokes around, and she was responding to what the judges were saying at the time. I don’t think any of her comments had anything to do with Gev. She seemed to be perfectly nice to him, and joke around with him quite a bit as well.

    Plus, I can’t blame a girl for taking her opportunity to grab onto Josh’s bicep and feel up Will’s six pack.

    What I like about Courtney is that her solos are fun, and I usually am not a huge fan of the contemporary solos. Often, they’re just like the same old same old for me. Courtney seems to tell a story more with her individual dancing. I put a lot of weight into what a dancer does with their own piece. Maybe moreso than what they do with another choreographer’s vision and choice of music. That’s how Courtney has continued to grow on me personally.

  • drea

    Thanks for the recap and videos, MJ! I’ve rewatched Mark’s results 5 or 6 times. He’s just so surprised! I love it. I like the photo also!

    My dream final four: Mark, Josh, Chelsie, and Katee. If Mark had left tonight, I was on the Joshua train all the way. All the girls are lukewarm to me, but I think those two have been the most outstanding – not just good.

  • champ

    I really don’t see how Courtney saying the “man” thing about Joshua is a dig at Gev or that she has been “lusting” after her male partners. I think she’s just playing around. Yeesh. And as for Chelsie’s attitude toward her partners, I think the same applies. To me these all seem like friends joking around and having the time of their lives.

  • dorris

    I don’t think Will was really pimped (that much) by the judges. It’s just because the judges are dancers/choreographers themselves, they can appreciate his skills. If I will be put on the spot, I think the most pimped will be Twitch. If you will look at most of his routines (outside his style), technically, he is just hanging by, the ballrooms are just disasters and in the contemporary routines he is mostly the prop (remember the Kameron comment).

    What I also notice this season, the dancers it seems are not giving very good solos. No variety (hello Joshua) nor finishing their dances (which is a no, no past seasons). So far, the only one who showed the “dancing for their life routine” was Gev (who sadly was eliminated early). BTW, I wanted to share my fav solo dancer of all time who, although was one of the best dancers in his season, was also eliminated early (because he is such a bitch :smile_wp: ) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-GF6_LQqqRI

    To quote Nigel :eek_wp: , the winner of SYTYCD will have a combination of good technique, personality and performance. At this point, it’s everyones ball game.

  • izzitme

    MJ:

    You have the Comfort/Mark VIDEO attached to the Chelsie/Twitch/Josh/Cortney results…

  • LB2

    Hey MJ. I come by once in a while to read your posts but I had to comment. I absolutely love this picture of Mark. It’s hilarious. Thanks for posting it!

    He’s my favorite this season. I felt he was undersold this week and I’m thrilled he managed to stay another week. I wanted to see him back with a good partner – Courtney, Chelsie and Katee all qualify. But I was very shocked about him being safe, as it seems Mark was too. Glad to see people rallied. I haven’t voted in a competition since SYTYCD last summer and I’m glad it was worth the trouble.

  • http://myspace.com/susanatfox sumidol

    When it comes down to it – I hope the winner is either Joshua or Twitch – Joshua has always been my favorite but Twitch is sure creeping on in there. I still like little Courtney though, I dont see that little thing as a leering counterpart to Nigel? She just takes the lead from leering Nigel and gives some fun feedback. She probably felt more brotherly towards Gev and I think that she showed she really liked him too- how could you not behave a bit differently to a couple of 1/2 naked guys with big muscles compared to adorable wonderful little Gev anyhow? I still miss him by the way.

  • kerfuffle

    And tell me, when you saw the video package about Chelsieà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s dance origins, didnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t you think for just a moment that JonBenet Ramsey was not actually deadà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦.

    schmed,

    OMG! I thought the same thing. It was rather eerie, actually.

  • http://myspace.com/girlgeek mj

    Hi Newbies! Welcome. Please read the guidelines before you post…

    http://mjsbigblog.com/?page_id=1172

    A reminder NOT to question the motives of your fellow posters. Everyone is entitled to an opinion. Folks are also entitled to be “haters” without being questioned.

    I edit and delete posts that don’t meet the guidelines.

    Thank you!

  • http://myspace.com/girlgeek mj

    You have the Comfort/Mark VIDEO attached to the Chelsie/Twitch/Josh/Cortney resultsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦

    Thanks, I fixed it…

  • redge_dc

    mj, the clip for the Los Angeles Ballet dancers goes to the “Chelsie takes center stage. She is SAFE. Next, is Twitch. Joshua is next.” clip.

    Surprised by the results. I thought them saddling Mark with Comfort would for sure mean that he’d get voted off. But happy about the results since I really enjoy watching Mark dance.

  • movin2thabeet

    Well, it looks like Will needs to be represented here. I know some others before me have risen to the occasion – please add my name to the mix. I think Will is an incredible dancer, the best of the bunch, by far. And while his style is more refined than street, it doesn’t mean he lacks charisma. He just doesn’t have the rough edges than many equate with personality. Therein lies the rub of this TV dance formula setup. It’s why Danny didn’t win as well as, I believe, Travis. Many viewers seem to equate refinement and technical skills with aloofness and lack of connection. I would venture to guess that few of these people attend professional dance concerts on any regular kind of basis.

    Yes, this is where I have a hard time with the show. I like when the judges have a say, as they are part of the professional dance community and know their stuff. But then, you throw it to the people, and it becomes more of a popularity contest. Did you see how surprised Mark was? It was clear he didn’t feel like he deserved to be in the Top 2, yet there he stood.

    Oh well. I think Danny and Travis are doing ok (although both need to be incredibly resourceful), and I believe that Will will soar in his dance career. He is likely to be picked up by one of the top dance companies out there and for those of you who do venture out to see dance live, there’s a good chance you’ll be able to see him in a major metropolitan city near you.

    I do want to acknowledge Nigel for putting in a plea for people to vote. What a classy thing to do – to use the forum you’ve got on this crazy TV reality show and bring it back to what is really important which is not Will or Twitch, but the presidential election. Because therein lies life or death, meat and potatoes issues which have real impacts on our lives and that of future generations.

    Also, I can’t tell you how much I appreciate that the show is featuring more diverse styles of dance now, from ballet to Bollywood to hiphop. Great way to honor the wide world of dance. Thank you SYTYCD!

  • erinnthered

    Less than an hour before the show I changed my men’s vote from 7 points for Will and 3 for Mark to 10 for Mark. grrrrrr

    Honestly, I’m kinda sad Will left. Funny how that works…

  • Grammie Kari

    Nigel needs to remember that this is “America’s Favorite Dancer” not “Best Dancer on the Show.” I am so happy for Mark. Now that Will is gone, will Debbie Allen return as a judge or choreographer?

    Comfort should have been gone a long time ago. She gets to go on tour; there’s her prize. All the remaining girls are so talented and do have personality. I lean towards Courtney or Chelsea as my favorites, but think Katee might be first runner-up.

    Just back from the Detroit AI Concert. What a terrific show!

  • http://myspace.com/susanatfox sumidol

    Having a large family like I do, I sure know what is really important in this world of ours. Times are hard and I know when the time comes I will do the right thing and vote in something other than a reality tv show. It is shows like this though that give you a little respite from whatever hardships you could be encountering. It is where you go to enjoy some well needed fun and enjoyment of dance or whatever it might be that helps take your mind off of what troubles you for an hour or two a week. I thank SYTUCD for that!

  • primeminister

    I’m so glad Mark’s safe; love the screencap, mj!

    Honestly, the Top 4 guys all had something going for them.

    My Top 4 would be: Joshua, Mark, Katee, and Chelsie

    I hope Joshua wins (40 points!), but knows? Maybe Chelsie has a lot of Mormons voting for her (along with other fans, of course).

  • weelassie

    Well said sumidol. I feel the same way.

  • geekygirl

    Oh poor Will, I thought he was amazing, but he took too long to get out of the starting gate with showing people who he was. Twitch, Joshua, and Mark have a whole heap of personality and maybe that did help them. Even judging by this forum, people get emotionally involved with them and don’t want to see them go. I just love them. I don’t think Will built up enough fanbase to save him. But I would have been sad to see any of the guys go this week, they are just all so talented. As some one said, I wonder if Debbie Allen will now judge or even choreograph. Maybe not a good idea as she will be one pissed off judge! lol

    The girls now become problematic too about anyone leaving. I like the remaining three.

    I guess the bottom line is the remaining 6 will make for some very good shows!

    And tell me, when you saw the video package about Chelsieà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s dance origins, didnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t you think for just a moment that JonBenet Ramsey was not actually deadà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦.

    Yea, that was a bit creepy! But junior ballroom is like that. Ewwww……

  • JudyOhio

    I’ve said it before, regarding Courtney and her partners since Gev, that I didn’t like the comments she made about her new “more manly” partners. Dunno, just hit me as not nice to Gev. In the general public, I’m sure there are others who felt that too, as some of us here did. It certainly didn’t help her cause. Just my opinion of course.

  • BlankSlate

    That group hug as the credits rolled did me in. This feels like a very tight group of dancers. I like that.

    I loved Mark’s shocked reaction. I was right there with him. Not that I wanted him to go but it felt like the writing was on the wall. I would have done a Angry Buffalo Shuffle if Mark was pulled down because of Comfort “She Can Dance but Just Okie” Fedoke.

    Twitch’s reaction to learning he was in the Bottom 2 was so genuine and sad. My heart broke for him. I’m so glad he’s back for more next week. I am not a big Joshua fan. Don’t know why I can’t feel it for him and I haven’t been blown away by his dancing. He does not have the grace of either Mark or Twitch so I will have to let him go home next week.

    How sad they left Courtney behind the stage all by herself when she figured out she was Bottom 2. Why didn’t they bring the last 2 girls up on the stage together as they usually do on this show? Why did she have to sit back there like a lost kitten? It was then that I presumed she had to be safe because they couldn’t kick her THAT hard in one show.

    The ballet was stunning.

    LL Cool J was not.

    Sorry.

    I love this show.

  • Layla

    Although, Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m thrilled Twitch is still in, Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢d much rather have seen Mark go than Will. JMO, Comfort was a given. With Mark being #1 on Dial Idol – he seems to be the Jasmine Trias of SYTYCD – the Hawaiian vote is kicking butt.

    Do you think this is the reason why? I’m just trying to find a reason why Mark is still there over an incredible dancer like Will. I mean MARK? He’s so insipid and leaves me yawning as a dancer.

    Fuck! It’s turning into a popularity contest….that’s what I hate about reality shows…but I guess that’s a bad side affect of shows like this.

    I will be ultra-pissed if he lasts past Josh and Twitch….that would be a crying shame.

  • BlankSlate

    Can someone please explain: What does it mean when the dancers touch their shoulders with one arm as if they were playing Simon Sez?

  • Layla

    I don’t think it’s the dancers fault that they are pimped…andWill has not been pimped to the extent that some of the others.

    Qurkiness underdog does not= a wonderful moving dancer!!!!!

    After rewatching Will’s performances over Mark’s performances it is easy to see that this is turning into a popularity contest. Will can dance circles around Mark.

    As a fomer “dancer” (way back in the day!) Will would have been the partner of choiceover Mark any day of the week!

    Oh well, my only hope now is that Mark isn’t partnered with Katee….yulk! Katee is the best dancer left and I would HATE to see her have to accomodate Mark’s lack of dancing technique and performance skills!

  • Grammie Kari

    Well, said sumidol. I feel the same way.

    Ditto, sumidol . I admit I am hooked on the talent driven reality shows. Even when there is debate, I feel enteretained.

  • http://stores.ebay.com/BookWomanBlues-Book-Nook Bobbi

    Personally, I would have rather Nigel leave the vote preaching out of his shows. Using the vote totals for SYTYCD and American Idol as some sort of shaming device is absurd as we all know, since these shows certainly do not practice the one person/one vote rule. His comment about he and Cat “not being able” to vote here really turned me off. There’s a reason for that, Nigel….you’re not citizens! Geesh! If you want to have someone urge Americans to vote have one of your guest stars doing it. I have a feeling LL Cool J would have gotten through to a lot more of the eligible but non-voting Americans than 59 year old, British citizen Nigel did anyway!

  • fred3798

    Where do you get info/rumours on the actual voting? What is Dial Idol? Thanks.

  • BootStar

    Well, I guess I’m in the minority here and very disappointed :wallbash_tb:. Although Joshua and Twitch caught my attention early in the competition (and I’m still wild about both), Will stole my heart with the sheer beauty of his dancing.

    I don’t get the “no personality” thing. Will’s obviously shy and a tad awkward, but for me that just made his talent that much more sublime. I actually think he’s too good a dancer for this show based on the results week after week. The crown goes to “America’s Favorite Dancer” (?), and clearly America prefers “personality” to talent. Oh, well. I hope the folks from Alvin Ailey take a close look at Will because I think he would do fabulously well with them if given the opportunity.

    Among the women, Courtney was my favorite Wednesday night and she’s really grown on me with her impressive routines and how she seems to bring out the best in her parters, although all three of the remaining women are fabulous.

  • KrazeeK120

    Ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s turning into a popularity contest

    No, it always was a popularity contest. It is the search for “America’s Favorite Dancer,” and therefore, a popularity contest. Although chances are, America isn’t going to choose a horrible dancer as its favorite…and it didn’t…all 6 left are fabulous.

    My ideal top 4 would be Joshua, Mark, Chelsie, and Courtney. But I do love Twitch and Katee, and I think that Katee will get there instead of Courtney anyway.

    And MJ…Hisaki and I REALLY appreciate the screen cap! Thanks!!!!!!!!!!!! Mark was so cute :)

  • Eline

    I like Twitch ““ he looks like a teddy bear ~~~~ so cute ~~!! I love him so much ~~~~ OH “my god~~~~he is so lovely`~~~~~

  • jenniewdc

    That screen cap of Mark really says it all! What a surprise and for me a good one. I’ve enjoyed Mark all along. I even thought his part of the Foxtrot was good.

    On the other hand, I think from the start Will’s dancing was beautiful. I didn’t even feel as strongly about what others have called his lack of connection with the audience. But, since he was up against Twitch, I was glad Twitch stayed.

    For my favorite girls, I keep going back and forth between Chelsie and Katee. The three remaining, including Courtney, are wonderful dancers and I think they all show personality. As with the guys, I think it just comes down to personal preference. Right now, I’m leaning toward Chelsie, but that’s just me.

  • BootStar

    Thanks for posting that link, dorris!

    This is my first year watching SYTYCD, but is this the same guy who was out in front of the others pirouetting when the American Idol contestants did “Please Don’t Stop The Music” on Idol Gives Back? Because he really caught my attention, and I had just assumed all those dancers were professonals since I didn’t recognize any of them, having never see the show before.

    I normally cringe at AI group numbers, but that one knocked my socks off and made me want to tune in after AI was over.

    I guess the “technical dancers” are the ones who really move me!

  • SpenserJ

    After rewatching Willà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s performances over Markà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s performances it is easy to see that this is turning into a popularity contest. Will can dance circles around Mark.

    I agree that Will can dance circles around Mark. But, this has always been a personality contest. It’s not just turning into one now – it started out that way.

    Using the vote totals for SYTYCD and American Idol as some sort of shaming device is absurd as we all know,

    It is a ridiculous comparison yes. But, ya’ know what actually is shameful? The number of eligible voters in the US who stay home. When you look at the people in the world willing to die for a chance for a free vote, not to mention the people in our own American history who’ve given their lives for our right to vote, we are the ones who should be ashamed.

    It’s the reason people in other countries think we’re stupid and lazy (well, not the only reason, but a big one). And, Nigel works part of the year in the US. His business generates a ton of revenue, and pays a big old pile of taxes to the United States government. He has a right to an opinion, and he has a big old tv show to express his opinion on. As much I think he can be an asshole, I can’t begrudge him telling off the 50% or more of Americans who don’t care who’s running their government.

  • http://stores.ebay.com/BookWomanBlues-Book-Nook Bobbi

    Never said he didn’t have a right, Spenser. But his comparison is ridiculous and moaning that he can’t vote is even more absurd. I don’t think his plea was effectively made or well timed. I’m sure we’ll be hearing more pleas on the next season of AI and at least then they will be more timely. For the record, I definitely agree our voting record is shameful. I just hope the pleas are more effectively handled and by a more well-chosen spokesperson. But……that’s jmo. :)

  • lucy

    For several weeks now, I’ve been bummed about the guy who was leaving, but also pleased with all the guys who are left. Same thing this week. I would like to see Will dance some more, but I’d like to see most of the guys from this whole season dance some more.

    I can’t really figure out my reactions to Will. I like him, but he really does leave me colder than the remaining three (and he also left me colder than Gev, Thayne, and Matt … ), even though I do love watching his fabulous technique.

    It’s strange, because the technical dancers are usually my favorites. I’m a ballet and contemporary-dance fan, and Danny Tidwell is my all-time favorite SYTYCD contestant, for instance. But while I admire the heck out of Will, and although I can often kind of “see” what his body is trying to communicate in each dance, for some reason his dancing itself just didn’t radiate through the screen for me, pretty much ever. I just haven’t gotten much of a charge out of any of his dances, for some reason. Whereas last year, with Danny, whom I think of as being somewhat similar, technique-wise, I got a charge almost all of the time.

    I wonder whether Will didn’t partly do himself in with the remark that the ghost dance would “make history” on the show. I didn’t get much — well, frankly, anything — out of the ghost-and-the-photographs-slow-hip-hop-thingy, but I think I was more disappointed with it than I would have been, had he not set me up with that comment. With his technique and Courtney’s energy, I expected a history-making dance between the two of them to be pretty intense, but it just fell pretty flat for me. And although I guess I mainly blame Tabitha and Napoleon for that, it didn’t help that, once again, Will didn’t manage to project emotion through the screen to me. Maybe he’s more somebody you have to see in person.

  • BootStar

    I have to agree with Spenser on this one. I think Nigel can be a horse’s ass, but I think he was asked to plug the voter registration site, and I’m glad he did.

    I don’t think he was moaning about not being able to vote; I think he was just saying that he and Cat, as wealthy and well-known as they are, do not have that privilege. And it is a privilege. And as much as I hate it when lazy-ass members of the media compare Idol’s voting statistics to that of the presidential election, I don’t think that’s what Nigel was saying. I took it more as, Americans can take the time to vote for hours in singing/dancing competition, but too many don’t take their most important civic duty seriously. And if it’s true that you can now register to vote on-line, that is HUGE, and I, for one, was unaware of that, even though I’m pretty up on all things political.

    Bottom line: If these folks can pimp all kinds of crap all season long, they certainly can pimp the presidential election, as far as I’m concerned. YMMV, of course.

  • loosegoose

    Re the vote plea: The next season of AI will start about the time the new president takes office. It will be too late then to urge people to vote in the ’08 elections and too early for the mid-terms.

    On a completely unrelated topic–Courtney and her partners. I remember seeing her being quite affectionate with Gev on their 2nd week together, and wondering if he was beginning to win her over. She continued to hug him a lot (he even looked uncomfortable with it at times) and I finally decided she’s just a huggy person. Her comment that Josh “is a MAN” struck me at first as a bit of a dig at Gev, but on the other hand, in one segment earlier in the season she raved about how unbelievably strong Gev was (their routine included lots of lifts, which he performed flawlessly).

    So, yes, she hugged and touched Joshua and Will a lot. But she did that with Gev, too.

  • http://stores.ebay.com/BookWomanBlues-Book-Nook Bobbi

    You’re right, goose! I got my timing wrong on AI.

  • SpenserJ

    Never said he didnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t have a right, Spenser. But his comparison is ridiculous and moaning that he canà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t vote is even more absurd.

    Sorry – I didn’t mean to imply that you did. See, I guess the difference is that I really didn’t see it as complaining. More like – If I could vote in your country, I would – you can, so why don’t you? Just my different perspective :)

  • http://dreambabysdreams.blogspot.com/ Dream Baby Dream

    With Mark being #1 on Dial Idol – he seems to be the Jasmine Trias of SYTYCD – the Hawaiian vote is kicking butt.

    I can’t really buy into the whole “Hawaii is saving Mark” idea. LOL. The population of the entire state is only something like 1.2 million. It is unreasonable to think that everyone in Hawaii is watching the show, and even less reasonable to think that everyone in Hawaii who watches the show is voting, and even less reasonable to think that everyone in Hawaii who votes is voting for Mark simply because he is Hawaiian. That is like with Rock Star: Supernova when people claimed that Iceland was saving Magni. Let’s get real, folks! It is only a small percentage of the population in any area that actually even watches the show, and a much smaller percentage of the population of any area that votes.

    Let’s look at it another way. I’m from Dallas. Comfort is from Dallas. By that reasoning, I must be voting for Comfort. BWAH!!!! Not gonna happen. Sorry folks, but this reasoning just isn’t working for me.

  • lala

    I am not a big Joshua fan. Donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t know why I canà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t feel it for him and I havenà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t been blown away by his dancing. He does not have the grace of either Mark or Twitch

    I agree about this–Josh has always been my second fave after Mark, but I’m starting to realize that it’s because I love Josh OFF stage–onstage, especially this past week for me, he seemed very cumbersome on the dance floor.

    After rewatching Willà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s performances over Markà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s performances it is easy to see that this is turning into a popularity contest. Will can dance circles around Mark.

    Again, this is so subjective–I have liked Mark from the beginning, the 1-2-3 punch of the Mia “Tim Burton’s wedding” contempo, the awesome Arg Tango, and the Bleeding Love businessman number did me in for him. Will has never grabbed me emotionally in even the tiniest way. And to me, it seemed like in the last week or 2, Will has been trying TOO hard to be liked, and it has come off very forced & OTT to me. But again, just my opinion.

    Like someone else said using singing as a reference–A singer can be technically perfect, but if they don’t MOVE me it doesn’t matter.

    And I also want to say that my faves for past seasons (didn’t watch season 1) were Travis & Danny. I didn’t start watching season 2 til the middle, but watched 3 from the beginning and loved Danny from the word go. Watching that boy dance could make me cry. I can’t compare either of them to Will at ALL, because Travis & especially Danny, with all their technical ability, still were able to convey emotion through dance, at least to me. Will never did that for me.

    To compare it to AI again, Will was like Syesha for me–technically skilled, but missing that little something special that made me FEEL it. And then they both tried to make people feel it, and it came across more as acting that sincere emotion.

  • ealbino

    BTW, I wanted to share my fav solo dancer of all time who, although was one of the best dancers in his season, was also eliminated early (because he is such a bitch ) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-GF6_LQqqRI

    Wow.. thanks for sharing that..I forgot how great he was..

    I am hoping now for a Joshua/Twitch – Katee/Chelsie F4. I like Courtney but I think the dances for the couples in the finale will be better with those 4. To win…I think it will be Katee although I want Joshua/Twitch to win.

  • http://absinthedreamers.blogspot.com/ Starrlight

    Mark should have gone LOOONG before Will and frankly I’d have sent Twitch over Will as well. Lucky us with popularity contest voting we get the dancing Sanjaya.

  • loosegoose

    No worries, Bobbi! This campaign has already gone on it seems like forever. It’s hard to imagine that it will actually be over in just over 3 months.

  • http://myspace.com/susanatfox sumidol

    Wow, now Mark is being called the dancing Sanjaya? My favorite is Joshua but I have really admired all of Marks performances in the past. I never heard him referred to badly really until recently. I am going to have to watch him more closely but I dont see a Sanjaya performance with him. I am one of the few that got the Ghost dance with Will and Courtney. I think I related due to personal circumstances and I drive my family and friends crazy on myspace asking them to send pictures or put up pics of all the years of my life and my kids. A very bad person burned all of my most prized possessions, my photo albums and videos of my kids. So, I saw myself in Courtney pouring over photos searching for faces of those you lost or havent seen in years and want so badly to feel and see again.

  • AInoob

    So, yes, she hugged and touched Joshua and Will a lot. But she did that with Gev, too.

    That’s how I saw this myself, so I wasn’t understanding so many of the comments I’ve been seeing online about how she’s all over her new partners and treated Gev cold. Everyone always raved about their chemistry together and I can’t imagine how anyone who watched the two of them interacting together (not only while performing but in the backstage clips and while receiving their critiques) could ever say they both were anything other than affectionate to each other. Courtney always seemed very touchy-feely to me. And here is a clip of Courtney touching Gev’s chest (while they discussed him shaving the hair off) – seems like she’s an equal opportunity chest feeler, LOL.

  • lala

    Oh sumidol, that is so sad. My pics of my kids are my most prized possessions too–I would be devastated if they were all gone.

    And calling Mark the dancing Sanjaya. Wow. Again, since I am Mark biased, this is all subjective, but I think of the top 4 guys, Will is the most technically skilled, Mark is 2nd, Josh 3rd and Twitch is the least technically skilled. And when I say “technically skilled” I mean actual training in different styles, because I think Twitch is unbelievable “technically skilled” in his genre.

    Maybe the judges comments regarding Mark lately have made some start to believe them–that’s a shame, cuz he should have the same opportunities on the show as the others, and the judge manipulation is pretty cruel.

  • loosegoose

    >And here is a clip of Courtney touching Gevà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s chest (while they discussed him shaving the hair off) – seems like sheà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s an equal opportunity chest feeler

    LOL! Sounds like a girl after my own heart!

  • KrazeeK120

    I think a lot of people (in general) confuse the (purported) purpose of AI with the purpose of SYTYCD. AI is marketed as the search for America’s best singer (at least that’s how I interpret it, although that’s not REALLY what they’re looking for). The folks at SYTYCD don’t even bother to try to fake us out, they flat out say they’re looking for “America’s Favorite Dancer.” Therefore, it IS, by definition, a popularity contest. Although I think America has enough sense not to let a horrible dancer win.

    I’m so glad Mark got to stay because the last 2 weeks, he’s drawn the short straw when it comes to partners AND dance styles. He was fabulous with Chelsie. At least next week he’ll have a good partner, and hopefully some better dances. Honestly, I think he’s a better technical dancer than Twitch (although I love me some Twitch!). That foxtrot really wasn’t bad until Comfort entered the dance. And he did a nice job on the two-step, but with Kherington missing all over the place, the dance as a whole didn’t work.

    /off soapbox

  • BootStar

    The comparison of Will to Syesha is a reasonable one, but I actually HAVE been incredibly moved by Will’s performances, probably because I do find him rather understated. Syesha always struck me as trying to pull off the OTT diva routine, and I don’t think she was anywhere near as talented a singer as Will is a dancer. I feel bad for both of them though because I think they both did try too hard to “connect” with the audience in a forced manner, and it really backfired in the end–although neither has anything to feel ashamed about going as far as they did in their respective competitions.

    I can see where some might make the same argument about Will that the guest judge (Toni?) made about the “Broadway dancers” who dance from the outside in as opposed to the inside out (like Twitch), but I was blown away emotionally by a few of Will’s performances. Syesha never really impressed me with anything besides her beauty and boobies, with the exception of her performance of “One Rock and Roll Too Many”on ALW week. She definitely belongs on the Great White Way.

    And for the record, I think Mark is a lovely dancer. Love, love, love his lines, but I also loved Thayne. I also found Chesea’s chemistry with Gev delightful, at least while dancing, especially on their last night together.

  • lala

    BootStar, I agree with just about everything you said. I agree that Will is a better dancer than Syesha is a singer, but I also loved “One Rock & Roll Too Many” from her–it was the only performance of hers I enjoyed.

    And I definitely don’t think that Will didn’t touch anyone, he just never touched me. Like KrazeeK said, it is a popularity/dance contest–people vote for the person who grabs them, with their dancing skills, their personality & their stage presence. So each dancer brings a different mix of those qualities, and since every viewer is different, everyone takes something different from each dancer.

    None of them are horrible, or even bad for that matter–they’re all awesome dancers, and in the end it just depends on who “touches” more voters.

    And I also loved Courtney & Gev together–I guess that’s why her “he’s a MAN” with Josh bugged me. I think Courtney doesn’t know what to do with herself when they’re with the judges, so she hams it up and makes goofy faces, just like Mark. I am always yelling at him on the tv–stop doing that! Yes, people like the quirkiness, but you’re dangerously close to the “weirdo” line–chill with the faces Mark! :)

  • mtm

    I actually quit watching this show a few weeks back. You can only disrespect your audience for so long before they quit taking it. Anyway. my daughter’s friend talked about Will being voted off during carpool.

    Will was done no service by being pimped by the judges from week 1 auditions to the minute he was voted off. It became a big joke with people I know that watch it how Will was canonized constantly. Will also didn’t help himself in that he continually threw “Debbie Allen” in our faces.

    He could have easily walked away the winner if he wasn’t so pompously acclaimed the Messiah of dance.

  • http://dreambabysdreams.blogspot.com/ Dream Baby Dream

    Yes, people like the quirkiness, but youà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢re dangerously close to the à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“weirdoà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  line

    I happen to like weirdos. LOL. Granted, it is quite possible that I am a weirdo myself…

  • lala

    I happen to like weirdos. LOL. Granted, it is quite possible that I am a weirdo myselfà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦

    I am most definitely a weirdo, and I’m sure that’s one of the reasons I love Mark. But I know that not everyone loves a weirdo–goofy, yes, strange, not so much. While on national TV, Mark needs to keep his feet firmly planted in goofy-town. :)

  • lucy

    mtm wrote:
    Will was done no service by being pimped by the judges from week 1 auditions to the minute he was voted off. It became a big joke with people I know that watch it how Will was canonized constantly. Will also didnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t help himself in that he continually threw à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Debbie Allenà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  in our faces.

    I agree. I think they pushed him too hard, and then, in the past few weeks, it seemed that they kind of pushed him *solely* in relation to Mark, making it clear that they wanted Mark kicked off, and not Joshua or Twitch, whose technique also pales beside Will’s. (Or that’s how it seemed to me, anyway.)

    And I think that set up a backlash.

    I really think that there were a lot of great guys this season (both Will and Mark included) and that each of them has major strengths but also fairly significant deficiencies (Will included, his deficiency being that his dancing often didn’t “read” emotionally through the tv screen to some of us). In the end, I can’t see that it is much but a matter of taste who stays on to the end, in a season where many of the guys are quite good.

    I don’t think we could ever have come up with the “perfect” dancer, out of this crowd because, although I know Will is that to some, it’s clear that there’s something about him that doesn’t project emotion and meaning adequately to too big a portion of the tv audience to say that he’s actually perfect. (and that doesn’t include just people who don’t know dance or don’t like technical dance or who vote mainly on personality, because I, at least, found Will a bit lacking and I don’t fall into any of those categories.)

  • Grammie Kari

    Plus, I canà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t blame a girl for taking her opportunity to grab onto Joshà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s bicep and feel up Willà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s six pack.

    I literally choked and laughed at this comment. I enjoyed all the dancers, but do wonder if Twitch will be given a more difficult dance next week?

    One day, these judges will realize the over praising sometimes works against the dancer. I still don’t believe that Katee is the best girl dancer to appear on the show.

    sumidol, how sad that someone would be that cruel.

    I have already sent in my absentee ballot.

  • TDL

    First time commenter here. Have enjoyed reading MJ’s blog all throughout AI and am a major Cooktard.

    But with SYTYCD, I am a big Mark fan. Mark started out very strong and gained a lot of goodwill in the process. He has the longest fan threads on other internet forums (by a mile) so don’t be surprised he has a lot of fans.

    Now with regards to his recent performances, I agree they may not be as “up to par” as the other dancers out there. But I see it more as him being “thrown under the bus” with the partners he’s been getting and the dance styles he’s had to perform. Plus when he does well, the lukewarm response from judges only stoke the fans to vote harder.

    He gets the bum rap over styles like the Two Step and Foxtrot and really, I noticed I was enjoying him less because he was made to dance more of these types of dances. Now with other dancers, I don’t seem to be noticing them doing as much ballroom stuff. I’ve seen Will without his shirt so many times and it frankly has irritated me.

    Honestly? I was happy to see Will leave. I felt he was overly favored and I also felt that he expected to win or at least outlast most others.

    I see Mark being treated unjustly. His group dances are fantastic (I think Mark was the best with the group Bollywood) and shows that he’s a fantastic dancer. Maybe not as technically strong as others, but definitely oozing with personality and entertainment.

  • BootStar

    lala and lucy,

    You both raise really good points.

    Maybe because I only watched the very first of the auditions (which I couldn’t bear) and then started watching regularly several weeks later, I missed a lot of the pimping of Will. He didn’t really catch my attention the first few weeks the way Joshua and Twitch did, but I think that may have had as much to do with Will’s partner (Jessica?) than him.

    A lot of what put me on the Will Train was watching him in the group numbers; I just thought that, for the most part, he stood out by a mile among the other guys. Really, I loved all the guys, but he was the only one who I could see going straight from the stage and dancing with a dance company of the stature of Ailey.

    Clearly, though, he was lacking something or he wouldn’t have gotten voted off so early. I just hope it wasn’t because the judges over-pimped him, because that isn’t Will’s fault.

    I told my DH (who knows nothing about dance but thought it was “obvious” Will was going to win the whole thing from the few dances he caught him do), that I felt ashamed about being bitter over Will’s loss, because David Cook’s winning AI was absolute bliss for me and I had no right to be so greedy!

  • lala

    I told my DH (who knows nothing about dance but thought it was à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“obviousà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  Will was going to win the whole thing from the few dances he caught him do), that I felt ashamed about being bitter over Willà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s loss, because David Cookà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s winning AI was absolute bliss for me and I had no right to be so greedy!

    LOL! That’s exactly what I was thinking yesterday when I thought Mark might be going. After 7 seasons of idol, my fave from auditions finally won it, so I should be happy with that, because really, what do these poor dancers get from being on this show, as far as fame & money? Besides the winner’s money, not much. So I am just gonna be super happy with my David Cook album, and just hope that Mark gets a fair shake on this show. :)

    And I truly think that part of Will’s early elimination was a result of the judges over pimping, and Mark not being in the bottom 2 last night was probably a case of people who don’t normally vote, but thought Mark was getting a bum deal, so they rallied.

    Maybe one day they will learn to just give honest praise and critiques to each dancer and let the cards fall, and they might get a closer semblance of the ending they would like.

  • B

    I still donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t believe that Katee is the best girl dancer to appear on the show.

    Definitely not. I would actually say that it can be argued, but for me, the best all-around female dancer has been Allison Holker from s2. She was eliminated at the top 8 in a “shock” elimination.

  • lala

    but for me, the best all-around female dancer has been Allison Holker from s2

    For me too.

  • kerfuffle

    Definitely not. I would actually say that it can be argued, but for me, the best all-around female dancer has been Allison Holker from s2. She was eliminated at the top 8 in a à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“shockà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  elimination.

    Allison is such a beautiful dancer. Definitely one of my all-time favorites of the girls. I always loved watching her dance her solos, or with Ivan.

  • katyness

    Is it just me or is it becoming harder and harder to watch this show outside of the US?

    The two torrents for this week haven’t turned up, a large part of people who posted perfomances on YT have been suspended, and those that haven’t need the torrent to put up clips.

    And now Redlasso has banned blogs from using their services due to a Fox lawsuit. Fox really cracked down, didn’t they?

  • Layla

    Mark should have gone LOOONG before Will and frankly Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢d have sent Twitch over Will as well. Lucky us with popularity contest voting we get the dancing Sanjaya.

    I had to laugh here even though I don’t completely agree…Mark isn’t very good and is relying on goofiness and “charm” and building a fan base on this quirkiness, but I don’t think he is the Sanjaya of the programme….he does need to go home next week, tho’.

  • http://myspace.com/girlgeek mj

    And now Redlasso has banned blogs from using their services due to a Fox lawsuit. Fox really cracked down, didnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t they?

    I just got the news about this. I’m really upset. Ugh. I’m going to have to upload my own video now, which sucks. And if I do that, it will probably be taken down in a minute. I’ve also been looking for the torrents, and they haven’t surfaced. Double suck. :( .

  • Layla

    OH NO!!! That really sucks about Red Lasso..really really sucks! How am I going to get my fix with my morning coffee?????

    When does this take affect?

  • sunchick

    Been reading for a long time to follow David Cook, just registered to comment on Mark. Anyway, I voted for Mark, and not because he got a “bum deal” but because his performance in the hip hop this week was, for me, the single best performance of the night. He was buck LOL. A lot of people don’t pay much attention to the weaker performances, and there was a lot of them this week (Josh’s disco being the worst- he fell out of a turn! and the judges said nothing!, Will in the samba was very stiff and had the wrong carriage, Courtney in the hip hop showed little emmotion, Twitch basically acting as a prop for Katee in the contemporary, and of course Comfort and Mark’s foxtrot) and vote based on their favorite performance of the night. Also, I love Mark’s solos. He is the best choreographer in the competition. So, there’s one possible explanation…Mark had one amazing performance and one meh performance, while Will had one okay performance and one meh, which doesn’t prompt casual voters to vote.

  • kerfuffle

    I think Mark is the best all-around dancer left in the competition. Yep. I said it. I admit I’m not an expert, but I’ve been watching this show every week since season 2, and I know what’s right and what’s not.

    sunchick, ITA about the mistakes that were being made right and left in the performances on Wednesday. Mark (and Comfort) alone were singled out to have mistakes pointed out to the “dumb” masses (lest they have the temerity to actually vote for these two losers). I saw Josh stumble, Twitch not really doing much dancing in the Contemporary, Chelsie’s not entirely graceful splits, poor holds all around, etc. I also saw Mark doing quite well in the few seconds of the Foxtrot before Comfort “joined” him. If it had been Will she’d been dancing with, it would have been pointed out that Comfort was an albatross.

    (I guess we know Comfort really didn’t have the desire to be an all-around dancer when she admitted she’d had classical dance instructions – ballet, etc. – and she … I don’t remember the term she used, but she in effect “ghetto-ized” them.)

  • http://dreambabysdreams.blogspot.com/ Dream Baby Dream

    So I can blame Fox for not being able to find good quality youtubes of this week’s performances then, huh? Ugh. Why are they doing that??? WHY??? I know nothing about torrents, or anything like that, but it really sucks that they are starting this kind of crap right now. I love having embedded vids of the performances in my blog.

  • Calliope

    As a long-time lurker here, as well as a former dancer (injuries suck), I feel that Mark is getting a bit of the short-end of the stick with the technique argument. While I like Mark, I favor Twitch, but I still think Mark is a better all-around dancer. I think he has just drawn the short end of the stick with some dance styles and partners (and I was one of the few who liked Comfort on the show, even if she was awful at ballroom). He has technique. He also has an interesting style, and I like his artistry. As someone who danced, I think that counts for quite a lot (which is probably why I favor Twitch as well — I enjoy his style). In a way, the stressing over “technical” dancing reminds me of when I was dancing at college and how people viewed contemporary as “the dance” to contrast all other styles. It’s the measure, and part of the reason why people are coming hard down on Mark since his style is easier to compare to Will’s, even though I feel Mark’s style seems to not fall into one style that easily.

  • SpenserJ

    Again, since I am Mark biased, this is all subjective, but I think of the top 4 guys, Will is the most technically skilled, Mark is 2nd, Josh 3rd and Twitch is the least technically skilled. And when I say à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“technically skilledà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  I mean actual training in different styles, because I think Twitch is unbelievable à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“technically skilledà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  in his genre.

    Even with your bias, it’s a fair assesment. Twitch is clearly the least classically trained. But, of those 4, for me he’s first in musicality and innate rhythm. And, from my own personal perspective, that’s what I really like. I’m a huge fan of the natural ability to dance – with or without ballet class. (That’s my bias).

    Will had the best all around training. Mark is probably best at inhabiting the character of the dance. Twitch has the best musicality. And, Joshua is versatile, skilled, rhythmically gifted as well and works his ass off.

    Again – this is the reason why I can’t be pissed about Will leaving, or so and so outlasting him. Any of those 4 guys leaving was going to be a disappointment. A case can be made for any of them, based on their individual abilities, to stay in the game. And, this is why next week, when Twitch (dead man walking) meets his inevitable end, and I’m sad – I won’t be mad at either Joshua or Mark. Dance is art. It aint a science. I cannot measure their gifts against each other and come up with the proper formula to dictate who should leave when.

    ETA:

    I literally choked and laughed at this comment.

    Glad to be of servie Grammie :)

  • http://www.xanga.com/hisaki_chan707 Hisaki

    Ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s turning into a popularity contest

    No, it always was a popularity contest. It is the search for à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Americaà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s Favorite Dancer,à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  and therefore, a popularity contest.

    Yes, it’s always been a popularity contest. If America really did vote for the best dancer (that’s obviously subjective, as these are just my opinions of the “best” technical dancers each season), then the winners would have been Blake (but of course, even with his talent, he left early because he was a huge, arrogant git who insulted Dan Karaty), Travis (runner-up to Benji), and Danny (runner-up to Sabra), in that order. Again, that’s JMO.

    but for me, the best all-around female dancer has been Allison Holker from s2

    I think Donyelle Jones from the same season was the best all-around the show’s had, but that’s just what I think (seeing as she was my ultimate favorite that season, lol). Allison was pretty amazing as well, though.

    Re: Mark = Dancing Sanjaya; I disagree. I think Mark’s proven himself a very capable dancer in at least half the dance styles he’s picked out of the hat. IMO, he was just brought down by having Kherington and Comfort as dance partners the last two weeks, and freaking TWO-STEP (!) and the foxtrot aren’t really dances you get too excited about (screw you, hat). In fact, I don’t think the show’s had any “moment” dances that were either two-step or foxtrot.

  • sunchick

    Whew, kerfuffle, I’m glad i’m not the only one who thinks Mark is the best all around male dancer. Of the guys that are left, I think Twitch is the worst partner dancer, Josh is the worst soloist, and Mark’s aptitudes are the most evenly distributed. The only week I didn’t vote for Mark was the week of the two step. I voted for Katee that week. I actually think Mark’s musicality is off the chain, which makes his solos so awesome. Twitch is up there, too, great musicality and great solos. Both of them have Josh beat in that respect. Josh’s biggest strength is the chemistry he generates with partners. Seems like he could generate chemistry with a broom handle, but as a solo dancer he’s a lot less interesting to watch than Mark and Twitch.

  • lala

    Sunchick–get outta my head. That is the exact same way I feel about the 3 of ‘em.

  • http://www.myspace.com/swood1104 Sarah

    The only one of Mark’s solos that I’ve liked was the one in Vegas. Didn’t love last week’s, didn’t love this week’s. I’ve liked several of his partner routines (and think that this week’s hip hop was one of the best hip hop routines of the season – which is saying a lot, because there have been some damn good hip hop routines.). I agree that he was a good partner with Chelsie (though the fact that her style of dance requires her to be a good partner cannot be ignored), and I agree that he is pretty versatile.

    But the best all around, most versatile dancer, even breaking it down to only male dancers? Not from my point of view.

  • http://www.declareyourself.com Declare Yourself

    Did you hear Nigel’s shout-out?

    http://www.declareyourself.com/multimedia/multimedia.html

    REGISTER TO VOTE!

    register. vote. declare yourself.

    http://www.declareyourself.com

  • buck

    Um… so we won’t be able to see the performances here anymore? Poopy pants.

    Our TV isn’t hooked up to anything other than the dvd and vcr. This was my manna from heaven! Lame!

  • jpfan

    Poor Will. Well, it is a popularity contest so that does explain it. I enjoyed Hisaki’s post because she named the best dancers I remember from the show and of course they all lost. I only remember one winner – Benjy. I’m just happy winning this show is completely meaningless for their careers. I’m still wondering why someone as accomplished as Will would be on this show. Anyway, while all the rest of the dancers are lovely, none is that amazing or full of personality so I kind of hope Katee wins the whole thing. (She’ll probably get the boot next week instead.)

  • Grammie Kari

    Maybe one day they will learn to just give honest praise and critiques to each dancer and let the cards fall, and they might get a closer semblance of the ending they would like.

    lala, I viewed Will’s farewell tape and he really is a talented (gymnastic) dancer. He also showed some genuine personality. I believe what you say to be true. It might have been better if we did not know he was a student of Debbie Allen’s. However, it is possible TPTB wanted some drama.

    B, I do remember Allison Holker as being a wonderfully talented young lady.

  • http://myspace.com/girlgeek mj

    Umà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦ so we wonà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t be able to see the performances here anymore? Poopy pants.

    I’m still going to cut and upload video, it’s just going to take a little longer…
    :) .

  • http://myspace.com/susanatfox sumidol

    “I am most definitely a weirdo, and Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m sure thatà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s one of the reasons I love Mark. ”

    LaLa – I am proud to say I am a weirdo too and love goofy “weirdos”. Awww and even though Joshua still comes first to me I sure do enjoy Mark. From here on out is when it gets really tough to lose any of them. Thanks for your kind words & Grammies – if you come back here anymore to even see this, I am a few days behind? You all might be long gone, off to defend another “weirdo” somewhere else, heh?

  • buck

    Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m still going to cut and upload video, ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s just going to take a little longerà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦

    Yay! Thanks. Ü