So, Carly Rae Jepsen is on the judging panel this week. That should be… fun? Anyway, onto the power list you’ve been waiting TWO WEEKS for.
THE BOYS:
8) Alan Bersten
Alan is entering a new pairing with Malece. Malece definitely finally broke through last week with a strong dance, so I think she’s safe this week. I do think that Alan is in danger, having lost his partner (who might have helped get him a few more votes). Unless people are feeling sorry for him, I think Alan is definitely in the bottom three this week. Will they keep him around after his second repeat in the bottom?
7) Bluprint
Bluprint’s lack of personality is bound to land him in the bottom sooner or later. The question is, will they keep Bluprint around, knowing how well Fik-Shunn is doing in the competition? They’ll have a hip-hop male dancer all the way to the finale, do they need to keep BluPrint around much longer?
6) Curtis Holland
Curtis landing in the bottom, and then not really having to dance for his life, feels like he wasn’t really in the bottom. I’m hoping he’ll rebound, but he’s starting to feel as immature as Malece in the competition. He’s just not enough of an adult to go the distance. Unless he starts tapping into something deeper, he might not last much longer.
5) Tucker Knox
People are still mixed on Tucker, but he’s still a more solid dancer than Curtis. I think he’s probably safe this week, but as weaker dancers are trimmed from the herd, Tucker will start having a problem against dancers who seem to really rally the masses.
4) Nico Greetham
I guess Nico does have quite a little following after all. Staying alive in the competition is more than just being cute though, and Nico is going to need to deliver stronger dances in the future in order to really succeed in the competition. I think when he loses Alexis (which will happen sooner rather than later), he might get paired with someone a bit stronger.
3) Paul Karmiryan
I still believe that Paul knows what it takes to win this competition. I think his fanbase is growing week-to-week, but he just lacks the “explosive” performances that Aaron and Fik-Shunn have had. I do think Paul is an interesting wildcard that could shake up the finale, and possibly lead to him winning his second SYTYCD competition.
1/2) Fik-Shun and Aaron Turner
Aaron and Fik-Shun have consistently good weeks, they have strong fanbases, and they each have a weaker contender (Bluprint/Curtis) in the competition in their style to knock out. For this week, I’m going to say they are evenly matched. What is interesting is that I believe Aaron benefits more from his pairing with Jasmine than Fik-Shun does from pairing with Amy. It will be interesting to see how these two pan out when they are paired with new partners.
THE GIRLS:
8) Alexis Juliano
There were a lot of fans, and bloggers, who voiced their opinion that Alexis should have gone home over Jasmine. I thought Alexis’s routine was better than Jasmine’s, and had they eliminated at the beginning of the show, I think we would have seen different results. If she’s in the bottom two weeks in a row, I don’t know if Nigel will save her, as much as he loves tappers. Her feedback last week was awful. Choreographers repeatedly tell her to do the same things over and over? No one wants to hear that.
7) Mariah Spears
She’s the most untrained female dancer left, and that will always be a wall for her. She doesn’t look great in ballroom styles, and her partner is now Bluprint. He isn’t going to ever be able to support her in anything… including their own style. She’s a better hip hop dancer than he is. When she’s able to drop the dead weight, she might fare better, but in the meantime… I think these two are going to churn out a horrific performance sometime soon.
6) Makenzie Dustman
She pulled herself to safety, but she might dip back down again this week. I don’t think they’ll send her home, but she should worry about repeatedly hitting the bottom. Somehow, Makenzie isn’t connecting with the viewers.
5) Jenna Johnson
Jenna is another “love her or hate her” contestant on the forums. She started out being a “love her” contestant early on, and now the haters are rearing their heads. Still, the average opinion on the web is that she didn’t deserve to be in the bottom last week. I think enough people rallied to keep her safe this week, but she’s got to start thinking about the long term, and how she can get fans excited again.
4) Malece Miller
Malece has moved up for me because she seems to skip the bottom 3 regardless of judges feedback, or how she danced the previous week. Her fans seem to be able to keep her safe, even though there seems to be more backlash against Malece than fans supporting her. Her performance this past week was pretty solid, and she might have started turning the tide. But maybe it was the tide that was keeping her safe?
3) Hayley Erbert
She’s a sleeper hit. Most people seem to love Hayley, but she’s often like the 2nd favorite. For people who are vote splitting, Hayley is getting by now, but she might not be when there are less girls in the competition. Hayley needs to be more #1 picks, and needs her fans to stop voting for other girls, in order for her to win the whole competition. If you’re voting for more than 2 girls, you’re not doing them any favors.
2) Amy Yakima
Where I think Fik-Shun and Aaron are equal, I think Amy and Jasmine are not. It’s not entirely Amy’s fault either. She just hasn’t had the same screentime that Jasmine had, crying about her boyfriend every episode. We don’t know as much about Amy, she’s more “at a distance” to the audience. She’s equally as good of a dancer as Jasmine, but she somehow has to force her personality through to the audience every chance she gets. All of her little “asides” to the camera need to flash her personality to us. In the long run, that could win her the competition.
1) Jasmine Harper
I think Jasmine’s on top, and she benefits largely from Aaron. Jasmine and Aaron’s chemistry is just stronger than Amy and Fik-Shun’s. They’ve been given the right routines that showcase this intense electricity between the two of them, something that Amy and Fik-Shun just don’t have. Jasmine is going to have to figure out a way to continue to connect with her rotating partners once she makes it to the Top 10.
