So You Think You Can Dance 12 Top 8 Power List

This past week featured what I predicted would be JJ’s elimination, and kind of a disappointing elimination of Edson (but, honestly, I had him ranked in 9th, so not that surprising). I’m surprised Derek has lived to see, yet another day. But, I’m just going to keep trying to send him home predicting his elimination every week.

8) Derek- Because, honestly, why not? I mean… his dance was better than usual last week, but still users aren’t connecting to Derek. I don’t know how the base here at MJ’s feels about him, but he seems to have very few fans. Every poll I’ve seen for Derek has him always at or really near the bottom. Somehow he gets just enough votes to survive. But without Edson around to eliminate, who would he send home? Gaby? Jim? Hailee? All three have never been in danger before, which tells me that there should be a big enough gap between each of them and Derek, who has been perpetually in danger. Derek’s gotta be going home this week.

7) Neptune- I have a bad feeling this week. We saw Megz hit the bottom for the first time ever, and we still have two remaining Team Street dancers who have never been in the bottom. Either we are in for a shock elimination, or Neptune is about to meet his end. It would be a tragic elimination for Neptune, as I think he has grown a lot on this show, and he’s turned into a contender. But with two dancers going home this week, I think Neptune is in serious danger. I do think his routine was strong last week, but honestly his solo wasn’t the strongest on Team Street. If anything, Megz may be saved by her solo. I will not be happy, whoever goes home this week. There are 8 dancers left, and I feel like I’m a fan and emotionally attached at least on some level to 7 of them.

6) Megz- A huge demotion from #1 to #6, but she answered the question of “who is most vulnerable” by dropping into the bottom before Virgil and Jaja. Plus, her dance last week left me wanting more from her. It was really stiff and the routine itself wasn’t really memorable. The only benefit she gains is from fans rallying to save her, knowing she was in danger last week. I think she’ll be in the bottom again this week, but she might end up sending someone else home. Based only on last week though, Megz deserves to be eliminated.

5) Jim- I can’t help but feel that Jim is somehow being de-pimped a lot. I actually LOVED his dance last week and really thought he connected to it. I actually understood that dance more than Edson’s, but we can’t help but love Travis Wall routines apparently no matter what, so Jim suffered. Someone else has to share the bottom with Derek this week, and I think it might be Jim. He’s getting further and further from the crown as Gaby and Hailee keep making the case for them to be the final two Team Stage remaining. But, look at all the amazing dancers who never won So You Think You Can Dance. Jim is not in bad company at all.

4) Jaja- I still think she’s hindered by her technical ability some. I wasn’t absolutely in love with her Bollywood last week, but she did an admirable job. She’s got fans, and every poll I see has her in the top 3, consistently, all season long. She’s got personality, and this is the season of female hip-hop. I might feel differently if Megz ever goes home, as Jaja might absorb more votes from her base. Right now, if there’s a shocking elimination next week on Team Street, I’d say Jaja over Virgil.

3) Virgil- I’m pretty certain a girl will win this season. This feels very much like a girl power season to me, and with Team Stage really evolving into a Gaby/Hailee race, Virgil is likely to be the only guy in the final four, which could help him. I’m still waiting for someone to realize that he needs to dance with Fik-Shun. Virgil also seems to get a lot of hip-hop dances, and stay in his style. I’d love to see him be challenged more, possibly with a Paso or Tango. Maybe they don’t want to show us that side of Virgil. I don’t think he can win just continuously pulling Hip Hop from the hat. Though, a top 4 finish could mean we see another Virgil/Hailee pairing, and they’re the closest thing we’ve got to a “favorite couple” of the season.

2) Gaby- No, I’m not putting Gaby in first yet. I still think Hailee’s the one to beat on Team Stage. I think Gaby made a HUGE play for the title last week, and even had a better solo than Hailee. I think this week will come down to whether or not Gaby can fully overtake Hailee. If we get more solos, I think she can. Hailee is not a great soloist (apparently), and benefits from being choreographed more than Gaby does. I didn’t love Gaby’s dance as much as everyone else, mainly because she had the misfortune of dancing with Joshua, who won for a reason. He’s not just good in his style, he’s great, and Gaby couldn’t help but pale slightly in comparison. What I once thought was going to be a Team Street victory is looking more and more like a Team Stage victory in the end.

1) Hailee- I thought the Broadway number pulled the best out of Hailee, even if it wasn’t memorable. Even though she’s not a Broadway style dancer (neither is Brandon), she proved that she could have a future in that style if she wanted. It’s what she’s been doing all along. Her likability is off the charts, and she doesn’t feel like someone who was shoved down our throats from the first audition. She’s been a frontrunner since the Top 20, but not really before that. That’s a good thing too, as voters often like to make up their own minds about who should win the show. Hailee needs to watch out for Gaby, (and honestly, still a little from some others), but with Megz clearly weaker than I had expected, this is now Hailee’s to lose.

So, what are your thoughts? I know some people disagreed with me last week, but maybe you agree with me now? If not, it’s OK to disagree. Sound off in the comments below!

And for reference sake, my rankings last week were:
10) Derek
9) Edson
8) JJ
7) Neptune
6) Jaja
5) Gaby
4) Virgil
3) Jim
2) Hailee
1) Megz

About SirMac 241 Articles
Contributor to mjsbigblog.com. EIC of macthemovieguy.com, Contributor at houseofgeekery.com. Holds a BA in Film from the University of Central Florida.