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So You Think You Can Dance 2008: Top 4 SEASON FINALE RESULTS Recap

AnaDVR — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 13:46:46 +0000

The So You Think You Can Dance season finale results show begins with an introduction to the Top 10 dancers who will be on tour this fall. Once the music stops, Cat Deeley, for the last time this season, introduces us to the panel of judges. There are not just 3 judges on the stage. Mia Michael, Adam Shankman, Debbie Allen, Nigel Lythgoe, Mary Murphy and Lil’ C are all on stage.

Adam Shankman tells us a little more about the prize he has added to the purse. The winner of season four will be cast in a featured role in the new 3D dance movie he’s producing, Step Up 3D, which is the first dance movie made for 3D I might add. Everyone is so excited and ready for the show to begin.

Cat starts us off with a trip down memory lane set to David Cook’s Time of My Life. The top 20 dancers then come out and perform a fantastic dance to Boom by Sin featuring T-Pain.

The majority of the show was comprised of the judges favorite dances. There were some great routines, Katee and Joshua’s Bollywood, Katee and Twitch’s Contemporary routine by Mia Michaels, Courtney and Mark’s wicked Jazz routine…the list goes on (see the end of the article for a full list with video links).

Also, Mary and Dmitry got their Latin ballroom groove on to Baila Baila by Angela Via.

In the mix of the judges favorites there was a Popping Battle between Robert Muraine and Philip Chebeeb. You HAVE TO check out this clip. They’re simply SICK!!!

First Elimination

Next up is the announcement of the fourth place dancer. Courtney Galiano is not America’s Favorite Dancer. Yeah, I figured that. They go through a video clip of her journey and it’s off to another commercial break. Two more performances are scheduled before they announce the third place winner.

The top five guys perform their number to Five Guys Named Moe by Joe Jackson and choreographed by Nigel Lythgoe, and the dancers from Criss Angel’s Believe also perform a dance choreographed by Wade Robson. The song is called Homage to the Rabbits by Eric Serra. This dance was totally odd. It was a funeral scene straight out of Alice In Wonderland. Check it out.

Second Elimination

Now the show has been on for about an hour and a half so it’s finally time to announce the third place winner. All three remaining dancers meet Cat on stage. And the third place winner is…Katee Shean! (Video) Yeah, I was a little shocked, but I can see how America would like Joshua more. Cat has a nice surprise for Katee. Since she is the top girl in the competition she gets her own special prize. $50,000! Right about now Courtney is wishing for a recount. Then there were two…

Once the show returns from another commercial break Cat is sitting in Nigel’s chair between Mary and Debbie at the judge’s table. Since Mary got to shake her money maker it was my guess that Nigel decided to do the same thing. Cat and Debbie talk about her dance academy and introduce her dancers, both young and old, to Earth, Wind, and Fire’s Boogie Wonderland. Sure enough, Nigel comes out and taps with the kids. It was pretty fun, but I could have done without his commentary.

Three more judges’ favorites, and a song by the Jonas Brothers go by and it’s time for the last big dance. A video clip showing the success of past seasons’ dancers is shown then Cat introduces “The Best of So You Think You Can Dance” set to Rihanna’s Don’t Stop The Music. Awesome. Here it is.

The Winner Is Announced

After yet another commercial break the only thing left to do is announce the winner. Cat states that there has never been a “Street Dancer” to make it this far in any of the past seasons. Will it be Joshua, or Twitch?

And the winner of So You Think You Can Dance 2008 is (drum roll, please):

Joshua Allen!! (Video)

Wow. I was a little surprised to tell you the truth. He did leave me with one thought which made me happy that he won. He said, “With God you can do anything. So thank you God!” It’s always nice to see someone so talented be so humble. I think Joshua is a worthy champion.

So what did you think? Did your favorite dancer win? Should someone besides Joshua have won?

Full List of Judges’ Favorites With Video Links

Nigel picked Katee and Joshua’s Bollywood by Nakule and Marla – Song: Dhoom Taana from Om Shanti Om (soundtrack) – VIDEO
Mary picked Courtney and Gev’s Rumba by Tony Meredith and Malanie LaPatin – Song: Wishing on a Star by Rose Royce – VIDEO
Adam picked Twitch and Comfort’s Hip hop by Dave Scott – Song: Forever by Chris Brown – VIDEO
Lil C picked Chelsie and Mark’s Hip Hop by Napoleon and Tabitha – Song: Bleeding Love by Leona Lewis – VIDEO
Mary picked Katee and Will’s Pas De Deux by Desmond Richardson and Dwight Roden – Song: Imagine by David Archuleta – VIDEO
Adam picked Courtney and Mark’s Jazz by Sonya Tayeh – Song: The Garden by Mirah – VIDEO
Mary picks Katee and Twitch’s Contemporary by Mia Michaels – Song: Mercy by Duffy – VIDEO
Debbie picked Twitch and Kherington’s Viennese Waltz by Jean Marc Generaux – Song: A New Day Has Come by Celine Dion – VIDEO
Nigel picked Katee and Joshua’s Hip Hop by Tabitha and Napoleon – Song: No Air by Jordin Sparks and Chris Brown – VIDEO

So You Think You Can Dance 2008: Top 4 SEASON FINALE PERFORMANCE Recap

AnaDVR — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 13:07:07 +0000

Part One of the Season Four Finale was tonight. We are now down to the Final Four; Courtney, Katee, Twitch and Joshua. Each dancer had to dance with the other three dancers, do a solo, then close the show with a routine involving all four of them. I have no idea how those four learned all of those dances in one week to do them so well. It’s going to be a tough race to the finish line for the title of America’s Favorite Dancer. For the next to last time this season, Cat introduces our judges. Sitting in the guest judge’s seat is Emmy nominated Mandy Moore. We also have Mary Murphy and Nigel Lythgoe.

There were eleven dance routines on tonight’s two hour show so let’s get started.

The first couple to dance was Twitch and Courtney. Their Hip-Hop routine was choreographed by Tabitha and Napoleon to Church by T Pain. The spinning on the head trick was totally cool.

Courtney’s interview and solo was next. She danced to They Weren’t There by Missy Higgins. I’ve found it really hard to get into her solos. It’s my opinion that you would need to see her dance to an entire song to really understand her solos.

Katee and Joshua were next with a contemporary routine by Wade Robson. They danced to John Meyer’s Slow Dancing in a Burning Room. The way Katee breathed at the beginning of the routine was fantastic. She had me involved in the dance from the beginning.

Katee and Courtney lit of the stage with a Broadway routine choreographed by Tyce DiOrio. The routine was set to The Trolley Song, by Rufus Wainwright. This was an important dance for me because it backed up my opinion that Katee is a better dancer than Courtney. Nigel said it best when he said that Katee has a longer length to her. She extends more than Courtney does. Since he said this will America be more likely to vote for Katee because they agree or Courtney because they were upset at what he said? We’ll find out tomorrow.

Twitch was up next with his interview and solo to Wade Robson’s It Was All In Your Mind. The only thing I wrote down in my notes was, “Freaking cow!” My husband laughed and said no one would understand, but if you watched it, you’d understand.

Twitch was up again, this time with Joshua. They had a great intro into the dance where they showed them picking on each other in the rehearsals. They dance an AMAZING Russian Trepak to Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker Suite. I have no idea how these two managed to pull this one off! The jumps, and ground work was phenomenal! Oh, and by the way, someone needs to give Mary Murphy a tranquilizer.

Katee’s interview and solo to Hide and Seek by Imogen Heap was next. Like I said with Courtney, her solos are also hard to get into. I think the contemporary style of dance needs an entire song.

Katee’s duo with Twitch was next after a commercial break. They danced a Foxtrot to Michael Buble’s Feeling Good. It was choreographed by Tony Meredith. The lift in this dance was simply fantastic. Great dancing.

Joshua was up with his interview and solo to (Not Just) Knee Deep by Funkadelic. He was all over the stage. He even used the judges platform. Joshua danced so hard in his solo that even his shoe couldn’t stay on.

The last duo of the night belonged to Joshua and Courtney. They performed a Jive to The Dirty Boogie performed by The Brian Setzer Orchestra. Jason Gilkison was the choreographer. The ending was great, except the knowledge of how tired they were. You could see the exhaustion in Joshua’s face. But, who would blame him?

The closing routine was a Mia Michael’s creation to Hallelujah by The Vitamin String Quartet. I’m sorry to say that I totally did not understand what this dance was trying to say. But here it is if you’d like a crack at it.

The Top Four 2008 Ranking:

4. Courtney. She is a fantastic mover, and a beautiful girl. It’s my opinion, however, that she is the worst of the four. She cannot move like Twitch or Joshua, and Katee is a better technical dancer than she is. I feel bad putting her in last place, but hey, she beat out thousands, so I don’t feel that bad.

3. Joshua. This man makes my jaw drop. I have no idea how he makes his body move like it does. The jumps he did in the Russian number were outrageous! BUT…he has hardly any technical training whatsoever. It’s hard for me to put in above Katee who is technically perfect. When he dances you can see the “street” in the way he moves.

2. Katee. Katee is second simply because Twitch is in my number one slot. Although, I really enjoy watching her dance. I was struggling with my ranking tonight trying to decide if Katee deserved to win more than Twitch. She is a fantastic dancer but she’s not my favorite dancer. The winner receives the title of “America’s Favorite Dancer” so I had to go with Twitch.

1. Twitch! This man has been my favorite for a while now. He has the moves, personality, and charisma that anyone needs to win a contest like this. When he was on stage I wanted his routines to last a while. Nigel said to him that he was glad that he was in the bottom so that he could see one of his solos. I totally agree.

This has been one of the toughest seasons to judge, and I have to say that any one of these dancers could easily dance away with the win.

Who do you think will win?

AnaDVR is an aspiring human television recording machine who enjoys watching good looking people dance on reality television programs while slowly being eliminated and never heard from again. She is also one of Pop Critic’s top commentors and can be found lurking on pages all over the site, leaving brief comments like little nuggets of information everywhere she goes.

So You Think You Can Dance 2008: Top 6 RESULTS SHOW Recap

AnaDVR — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 14:48:15 +0000

The show begins with a performance by the top six contestants to Bette Midler’s The Rose. It was a beautiful dance choreographed by Mandy Moore (the dancer, not the singer/actress). The judges are reintroduced, Adam Shankman, Mary Murphy, and Nigel Lythgoe. Also, Nigel has wonderful new! The number of people who have registered to vote on DeclareYourself.com shot up 400% after Nigel pleaded with America to become active in our political system. Now, let’s see if those people will actually read up on the issues and vote.

Shankman also has great news. He has added to the $250,000 winner’s purse a featured role in a new movie he is producing.

Cat starts off the solos with Courtney‘s introduction. She danced to Almost Lover by A Fine Frenzy.

Mark danced to Wind It Up by Gwen Stefani. I have to say this was one of the most entertaining solos I’ve seen him do. Good job, Mark! The way he used his suspenders was awesome!

Katee grooved to Jon McLaughlin’s Beautiful Disaster. Her solo seemed as if she was pleading with the audience to please, please, please let her stay!

Joshua performed and reassured my putting him in the top two this week. This man can move! His solo was to I Can Make You Dance by Zapp.

Chelsie comes out “swinging” and has the most energetic solo of all three girls. She danced to The Girl’s Gone Wild by Travis Tritt.

Twitch was next, and I have to say, my favorite. He not only danced to Bobby McFerrin’s Don’t Worry Be Happy, but he danced Hip-hop to it! Amazing. I also dug his shirt with his glasses on one side and his Super Twitch symbol on the back.

Now Cat introduces Lil’ Demon. A 6-year-old who has been dancing hip-hop for the past 2 years. This kid moved better than most adults!

So FINALLY, Cat brings out the girls. Who is going to be the first one safe? Well, that’s an easy question. The first girl going into the top four is Katee! Come on, everyone knew that. After a commercial break Cat brings out the guys. The first guy who is safe is Joshua! Right about now is the time where I started to get worried for my favorite, Twitch. Mark beat out Will last week. Will he be able to conquer Twitch too? We’ll have to wait and see.

While we’re put in suspense, Lady GaGa performs her single Just Dance. I didn’t know there were people like her in this world. I know there are some STRANGE people out there but with her 80′s jacket, black light microphone and bike reflector shoes she ranks up there pretty high. Then she whips out her quarts sunglasses and a matching, glowing scepter and I just had to laugh. Check it out for yourself.

We’re down to the last few minutes of the show and it’s about time to announce who is going home tonight. They bring out Courtney and Chelsie. Courtney…is safe! Sorry Chelsie, but you’re going home. I wasn’t too shocked about this since it was difficult for me to rank them on Wednesday. I felt a little sorry for her because here solos were better than Courtney’s. But Courtney IS better looking so there you go. Twtich and Mark come out next and I’m pleading with the TV to let Twich stay. Mark…will be going home tonight. I was very happy that Twich is staying. Sorry, Mark. Wednesday I said that Courtney and Mark would be going home. Well, I got it half right.

Tell me what you think? Did your favorites make it to the final four? The Season finale starts Wednesday August 6th and wraps up on Thursday the 7th. Don’t forget to get your tickets for the tour when they go on sale August 2nd!

AnaDVR is an aspiring human television recording machine who enjoys watching good looking people dance on reality television programs while slowly being eliminated and never heard from again. She is also one of Pop Critic’s top commentors and can be found lurking on pages all over the site, leaving brief comments like little nuggets of information everywhere she goes.

So You Think You Can Dance 2008: Top 6 PERFORMANCE SHOW Recap

AnaDVR — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 13:40:54 +0000

Okay America, So You Think You Can Dance is coming to the end very soon. Will your Favorite Dancer be the last one standing? The show was only an hour long this week. Three couples performed along with 6 solos to win the heart of every wanna-be dancer in America (you know you secretly want to be on this show.) Adam Shankman was introduced along with Nigel Lythgoe, and Mary Murphy as judges. Last week America voted off Comfort and, in a big surprise, Will. To tell you the truth I was upset that Will was booted off instead of Mark. Let’s see if Mark used this chance to validate himself.

Courtney Galiano and Mark Kanemura

Courtney and Mark started off the show with a Viennese Waltz choreographed by Jason Gilkison. They danced to David Cook’s The Time of My Life. This was a very “pretty” dance, as most waltzs are. There’s not much to say about other than it was pretty. For me, waltzs seem to be very much a routine. They’re nice to look at, but there is no wow factor. Their next dance was a Jazz routine by Sonya Tayeh. This dance was perfect for Mark. I told you last week that his dance was “weird.” Well, Tayeh’s routine fit him like a glove. It was a burlesque love story and I’m guessing some will vote for Courtney simply because of the outfit she wore. It was a weird routine, but very awesome in it’s own way. Sonya Tayeh has a very unique style.

Viennese Waltz by Jason Gilkison
Song: “Time of My Life” by David Cook

Jazz by Sonya Tayeh
Song: “The Garden” by Mirah

Katee Shean and Joshua Allen

Joshua and Katee’s two styles were Contemporary and the Pasa Doble. They danced Contemporary first choreographed by Tyce DiOrio to All by Myself by Celine Dion. The lifts alone in the number is enough to get these two into the final four. Skip the next dance and their solos, they’re already in!!! The pasa doble wasn’t the equal to their first number, BUT it was awesome! I love this dance and they performed it very well.

Contemporary by Tyce DiOrio
Song: “All By Myself” by Celine Dion

Paso Doble by Jason Gilkison
Song: “Filet” from Le Reve (soundtrack)

Chelsie Hightower and Twitch

Chelsie and Twitch danced the Mambo and Hip-hop this week. Tony Meridith choreographed them to a Victor Manuel song. This dance was HOT! Chelsie can move those legs! She is really great at ballroom dancing. Their hip-hop routine was choreographed by Tabitha and Napoleon. It was to Janet Jackson’s Control performed by The Vitamin String Quartet. Chelsie looked like the lead in a vampire movie. This was a pretty sweet routine as well. It’s going to be hard to pick the rankings this week since everyone, even Mark, was fantastic! But of course I’ll give it the old college try.

Mambo by Tony Meridith and Melanie La Patin
Song: “Ahora Me Toca a Mi” by Victor Manuel

Hip Hop by Napoleon and Tabitha
Song: “Control” by the Vitamin String Quartet

Here is my ranking for the FINAL 6:

6. Mark – Mark did a very good job this week. Not so good that I think he deserves still being in the competition more than Will, so he’s on the bottom of my list.

Solo: Mark – Song: “Bum Like You” by Robyn

5. Courtney – I have swayed back and forth on her being the bottom girl in the competition but in my opinion, Chelsie outshined her this week. She’s a wonderful dancer but it just seemed like she was tired of the whole thing and didn’t have any more to give.

Solo: Courtney – Song: “Rock Your Soul” by Elisa

4. Chelsie – Chelsie stepped it up this week. Her duets were great and her solo was amazing. She looks as if she’s determined to win this competition.

Solo: Chelsie – Song: “When I Grow Up” by Pussycat Dolls

3. Katee – She is my top girl this week. Her duets with Joshua were out of this world crazy, slap your mama fantastic and her solo showed how great of a dancer she is.

Solo: Katee – Song: “Can’t Stop” by Maroon 5

2. Joshua & 1. Twitch – Both Joshua and Twitch have the least training but they’re both in my top two this week. They have got the passion I love in a dancer as well as the personality that shines through when they dance. Twitch is still my number one man because he does moves that make me wonder how the heck he got his body to move that way. It’s as if he’s one of those slap bracelets we use to have back in the 80′s. One little motions and he’s in a totally different position than when he started.

Solo: Joshua – Song: “Like That” by Memphis Bleek

Solo: Twitch – Song: “Midas Touch” by Midnight Star

*On a side note. The sharing of the grill between Twitch and Cat was seriously nauseating.

The finale is next week and tickets for the tour goes on sale on Saturday August 8th. Let’s see if I’m right or totally off like I was when Will was voted off last week.

AnaDVR is an aspiring human television recording machine who enjoys watching good looking people dance on reality television programs while slowly being eliminated and never heard from again. She is also one of Pop Critic’s top commentors and can be found lurking on pages all over the site, leaving brief comments like little nuggets of information everywhere she goes.

So You Think You Can Dance 2008: Top 8 RESULTS SHOW Recap

AnaDVR — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 13:52:50 +0000

I’m sorry America, I missed the first five minutes of the show and didn’t get the explanation as to why Cat was dressed for a Halloween party at a frat. Perhaps someone can explain it to me. I was able to catch Nigel’s lecture on voting. America needs to get educated on the issues and vote! Well, since Nigel put in his two cents, let me put in mine. It’s embarrassing to have a foreigner come to our country and tell us to vote. That just shows you how low our voter turn-out really is. But I can go on and on about politics. Let’s get to the fun part of the show!

Cat gets right to business and brings out the first contestant, Katee. Safe! (Of course.) Next out comes Will. Safe, right? Surely, he wouldn’t be in the bottom two. He’s too good, right? …Wrong! It’s the bottom two for Will. Everyone is shocked and in disbelief at this news. Comfort is next. She is no stranger to the bottom two. Heck, she’s no stranger to the bottom one. So of course, she’s one of the bottom two tonight. Mark comes out to learn his fate. Safe! He is as shocked as I was! My guess was that Will took his place in the bottom two. Chelsie. Safe. Twitch. Safe? Nope! He was so upset that he had to turn away while crying. He did manage to pull himself together and come back to Cat.

By this time I’m in awe of the situation. Will and Twitch in the bottom two? I couldn’t believe it. Poor Twitch. I didn’t think he’d be in the bottom two either. Through the process of elimination Joshua, of course, is safe, and Courtney, of course, is not. Will, Comfort, Twitch and Courtney will all perform on stage again.

We come back from a commercial break and two dancers from the LA Ballet perform to The Man I Love from the ballet Who Cares. It was beautiful.

The bottom four perform their solos. All are amazing in their specialties. Nigel comments after Will’s performance that neither him nor Twitch should go home since they are the best of the four male dancers left.

LL Cool J featuring the Dream sings us a little ditty called I’m Your Baby and then it’s time for us to learn who will be going home. Comfort will be leaving us tonight. No big surprise there. She knew it was her time to go. Will will also be leaving tonight. Since it was either him or Twitch getting the boot, I’m glad it was Will. I like Twitch so much more than Will. I guess it’s because we really didn’t see his personality as much as we saw Twitch’s. My prediction was right on with Comfort, but I totally did not see Will being voted off. Mark’s got another week to improve, so let’s hope he makes the best of it.

So tell me what you think, America. What this what you predicted would happen? Did you correctly predict Will would be voted out over Mark?

AnaDVR is an aspiring human television recording machine who enjoys watching good looking people dance on reality television programs while slowly being eliminated and never heard from again. She is also one of Pop Critic’s top commentors and can be found lurking on pages all over the site, leaving brief comments like little nuggets of information everywhere she goes.

So You Think You Can Dance 2008: Top 8 PERFORMANCE SHOW Recap

AnaDVR — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 19:00:38 +0000

Only two more weeks until we find out who is America’s Favorite Dancer! I know, I know, the anticipation is killing me too… On to tonight’s show! The format is the same as last week’s show. Four couples are picked at random, each couple dances two routines, and each dancer performs a solo. America votes and the girl and guy with the lowest number of votes gets booted off. Cat introduces the judges, Nigel Lythgoe, Mary Murphy, and singer, dancer, choreographer, and director, Toni Basil! Of course, I know her best from her song, “MICKEY.” (Which, by the way, was stuck in my head through the entire show.)

Courtney Galiano and Will Wingfield

Courtney and Will started off the show with a Samba choreographed by Jean-Marc Genereux. They danced to I Fell In Love With The DJ by Che’Nelle. This was a good way to start off the show. It was a little slow, and not too sexy, but good nonetheless. Their next dance was a Hip-Hop routine by Tabitha and Napoleon Duma. Another slow dance to Like You’ll Never See Me Again by Alicia Keys. This was a sad story about a woman who misses her husband, boyfriend, lover, and the yearning for one more moment with him.

Katee Shean and Twitch

Twitch and Katee‘s two styles were Contemporary and Broadway. You can tell these two to dance in potato sacks and it would still be awesome. Mia Michaels choreographed the first routine to Duffy’s Mercy. This dance had everything. Even a front door. Katee played a psycho exgirlfriend VERY well, and Twich was very cool. Was it me or did she look like Amy Winehouse? Their Broadway routine was choreographed by Tyce DiOrio to Sweet Georgia Brown. It was cute and had a lot of energy. I agreed with Toni “Hey Mickey, you’re so fine, you’re so fine you blow my mind!” Basil when she said that the woman in the story needed to more sultry to match the woman’s voice in the song.

Comfort Fedoke and Mark Kanemura

Mark and Comfort danced the Foxtrot and Hip-Hop. Their first routine was choreographed by Tabitha and Napoleon to Party People by Fergie featuring Nelly. They both did pretty well in this routine. The second was choreographed by Jean-Marc Genereux to Lady Luck by The Brian Setzer Orchestra. I don’t have much to say about this dance besides the fact that I was a little bored with it.

Chelsie Hightower and Joshua Allen

Chelsie and Joshua had the Argentinian Tango and Disco. Dmitri Chaplin, finalist from Season Two, choreographed the Tango to A Los Amigos Forever Tango, and Dorianna Sanchez choreographed the Disco to Gloria Estefan’s Everlasting Love. These two dancers can dance to anything and have it be entertaining. However, I thought that it seemed like there were so many lifts in the Disco number to compensate for the lack of training on Joshua’s part. Dorianna knew he was very strong (Runningback strong in my opinion) so he’d be able to do lots of lifts. Overall, good dancing.

Here is my ranking for the FINAL 8:

8. Comfort – She’s a good dancer and all, in fact, she’s a great Hip-Hop Dancer, but I think that is where her talent is limited to. In all the other dances she’s done, she simply seems out of place. She’s lucky she had another hip-hop routine this week. Maybe that will save her like it did last week because she out shined Mark in hip-hop.

7. Mark – Even though Comfort was better in the hip-hop routine, Mark was better in the Foxtrot. I’m putting him ahead of her because I believe he is a better overall dancer. His talent isn’t limited to one style of dance. However, as I was taking notes about the show tonight the only thing I could put down while he was performing his solo was, “Weird.” His little intro was weird, the music was weird, and his dancing was weird. That’s it.

6. Joshua – This man can move his big hiney all over the place! His solo was great. He is awesome at hip-hop, but I did find his couples dances a little lacking though. He was a great partner for Chelsie in the Argentinian tango, but there wasn’t much too his part other than being her partner. Plus, he seemed a little off during the disco number when it came to the turns. I’m guessing that’s because he was concentrating on the many lifts in the number.

5. Chelsie – She has shown us what a good ballroom dancer should be like. Her moves are smooth and she seems fearless when it comes to the lifts. The reason why she is number five is not because she’s lacking talent. It’s because the top four are just that fabulous! Chelsie’s got some great legs, and as ZZ Top would put it, she knows how to use them. However, during her solo I was remembering Heidi from two seasons ago and I believe Heidi did a better job. I think Heidi even made it to the top 4…but I digress. On to number four!

4. Will – Will has moved down slightly in my opinion. He has great technique, and his emotions seem to flow through him while he’s dancing. I just don’t see the passion in him that I see in some of the other dancers. Even some that I’ve ranked lower than him. I know that he wouldn’t be on that stage if he didn’t have passion in his heart for dance, I just don’t see it oozing out of him. I’d like more of that please. Plus, the hand circles he did during his solo were odd.

3. Katee – I think it’s funny that Katee’s parents noticed her on her toes all the time so they put her in tap class. Wouldn’t you want to put her in ballet if she’s always on her toes?? Anyway, I can’t really say anything bad about Katee. She’s exactly what you’d want in a dancer. She’s in third place right now because even though her choreographed numbers were wonderful, I felt that her solo was lacking. There was a lot of jumps and twirls, but that was about it. I know, I know, there’s only a limited amount of time, but I still felt it needed more.

2. Courtney – This girl is a great dancer, has great personality and is beautiful. She kept up with “Technical Will” during their samba and hip-hop routines which speaks volumes about her skills. Plus, her solo was simply wonderful.

1. Twitch – This Dude Rocks! To learn that he started training years after everyone else in the competition and is this good makes me realize exactly how great a dancer he is. He brings so much energy into each dance. I believe I would buy a ticket to the tour just to see him dance. The kiss at the beginning of the Mia Michaels’ routine didn’t hurt either.

So there you have it America. If you haven’t already guessed, my prediction is that Comfort and Mark will be going home Thursday night. Do you agree with my ranking of the Top Eight? I’d like to hear your thoughts.

AnaDVR is an aspiring human television recording machine who enjoys watching good looking people dance on reality television programs while slowly being eliminated and never heard from again. She is also one of Pop Critic’s top commentors and can be found lurking on pages all over the site, leaving brief comments like little nuggets of information everywhere she goes.

So You Think You Can Dance 2008: Top 10 RESULTS SHOW Recap

AnaDVR — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 17:09:14 +0000

Last night’s episode had a lot of filler including not one, not two, but three performances by our wonderful dancers. The opening number was a Bollywood routine set to JBJ from the Jhoom Barabar Jhoom Soundtrack. It was a great routine with lots of energy and everyone looked fantastic.

After the dancing, Cat informs us that Shane Sparks, Wade Robson, Mandy Moore, and the Makeup Team have been nominated for Emmys. Great job, guys! After a recap of last night’s show it’s time for choreography from none other than Mia Michaels. The girls did a contemporary routine to Ave Maria sung by Celine Dion. They all had long messy hair and weird makeup on so it was hard to tell who was who. BUT they did have lots of face time for Katee.

After this dance number, it’s time to get down to business. The two girls in the bottom two are…Comfort and Kherington! Shocked? I wasn’t. I predicted Comfort would leave and Kherington wasn’t at her best Wednesday night.

After the sigh of relief from Courtney, Chelsie, and Katee it’s on to a dance performed by the top 5 boys. Who choreographed this one? Well, it’s a MYSTERY CHOREOGRAPHER! Did you guess Nigel as well? Well, then, you’d be correct! Five Guys Named Moe by Joe Jackson was the song they danced to. I’m not sure what type of dance it was, but it was very jazzy in my opinion so I’m going to say it was a jazz routine.

Now it’s the boys’ turn and we find out that the bottom two guys are…Mark and Gev! Not too surprising considering how good Will, Twitch, and Joshua are. Before we find out who are leaving we’re given a chance to see them perform one last time in their solos, and the judges give us their input on the each dancer.

The girls are up first. Comfort and Kherington are the bottom two girls, and the one leaving is…Kherington Payne. All the dancers looked shocked and Twitch looks downright sullen with his head buried in his arms. Now, it’s the boys’ turn. The bottom two boys are Gev and Mark, and the one leaving is…Gev Manoukian. Courtney falls apart, but Gev keeps it together and says he is excited about the tour coming up.

OK, so I was wrong by choosing Comfort and Mark to go home, but was I surprised to see Kherington and Gev leave? Not so much. This just means that Comfort and Mark will be the ones going home next week. I’m guessing that Kherington is really missing Twitch as her dance partner now. He seems to give a little extra to his partner to make her look good.

So tell me what you think, America. Was this what you predicted would happen? Or are you in total disbelief?

AnaDVR is an aspiring human television recording machine who enjoys watching good looking people dance on reality television programs while slowly being eliminated and never heard from again. She is also one of Pop Critic’s top commentors and can be found lurking on pages all over the site, leaving brief comments like little nuggets of information everywhere she goes.

So You Think You Can Dance 2008: Top 10 PERFORMANCE SHOW Recap

AnaDVR — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 13:18:15 +0000

Today’s recap comes courtesy of a brand new writer here at Pop Critics. Although new to writing for Pop Critics, AnaDVR is by no means new to Pop Critics itself. In fact, AnaDVR has had her season pass set on Pop Critics since day one and has been one of our top commentors month after month.

From here on out the contest is going to be a tad different. Each contestant will have two choreographed dances with a partner along with a solo. At the end of the show, the television audience votes and the guy and girl with the lowest numbers gets the boot. The judges no longer have a say as to who is America’s Favorite Dancer. It’s up to us, America!

At the top of the show, Cat “the Amazonian Queen” Deeley explains why there were only 9 dancers grooving out in the introduction. Jessica King has injured herself and will not be able to compete for 4 weeks. So, of course, they need to add another girl dancer and it’s only fair that the one kicked off last gets the second chance. Out jumps Comfort from backstage with a smile on her face big enough to outshine the moon. So, Comfort Fedoke gets a second chance. Let’s hope she redeems herself and gets her groove back. Also joining Mary Murphy and Nigel Lythgoe is Lil’C, as a guest judge.

Katee Shean and Will Wingfield (The couple to beat.)

Can I just say how perfect these two are! I mean, my goodness, they can do no wrong! Their first dance style was Broadway, and they danced to a song from Guys and Dolls. Tyce DiOrio was the choreographer and he did a great job! I loved the choreography, the dancing, the energy, everything. The ripping open of the shirt was a little much though. BUT, I could even watch these two dance to elevator music. Oh wait, that was their second dance, a Pas de Deux to David Archuleta’s version of John Lennon’s Imagine. This was choreographed by Desmond Richardson, one of Nigel’s favorite peeps. It was rather beautiful, and the ending was pretty sweet with the twist that Katee does in Will’s arms. Their solos were great of course. I can see these contempary dancers going to the top four and fighting it out in the end.

Courtney Galiano and Joshua Allen.

Courtney and Joshua came out in usual SYTYCD style, weird costumes and a crazy story. You’d think it’d be entertaining, but I was actually kind of bored with their first routine. The electrifying kiss at the end was cool, but other than that…yeah, I was bored. Their next routine and solos saved them for me. Courtney is a contempary dancer, and Joshua is into hip-hop, of course, they shined in their solos. I didn’t want Joshua’s to end. Their followup routine is what makes them my next favorite couple. They did a Rumba by Jean Marc Genereaux that would set your hair on fire! Yeah, it was sexy, and Joshua didn’t even have to take his shirt off!

Chelsie Hightower and Gev Manoukian.

This couple did a contempary piece to an Otis Redding song, and more great choreography by Jean-Marc, a Jive. I don’t really understand the technique behind dance besides pointing your foot, so the contempary style really doesn’t even begin to enter into my logic. BUT, the first dance they performed was rather good. I enjoyed the story behind the song and their emotions showed through in their movements. Good job. Gev also had a cool solo where he played with his shirt. I won’t say much about their Jive performance. Just watch it. This choreographer is great!

Comfort Fedoke and Twitch.

These two will out crump anyone. The waltz, well, that’s another story. I have to say I’m a sucker for Journey and Open Arms is a great song, but when you dance a waltz to it… It was rather boring in my opinion. I loved Twitch’s solo. He is one of my favorites but the waltz was so bad I had to put him in the 4th place couple. Comfort’s solo was foreshadowing. She danced to a song titled, “Need a boss.” Sorry Comfort but I think you’ll be leaving us again this week. Your only hope is if Kherington sprains her ankle. That said, their hip-hop routine was rather good, which is why they’re one above Kherington and Mark. It was a futuristic dance choreographed by Dave Scott. I liked it.

Kherington Payne and Mark Kanemura.

Kherington lost Twitch this week and I’m guessing he took her “oomph” with him. Kherington and Mark’s first performance was a Country Two Step, which we’ve never seen before on the show. Now, I know, I’m from Texas and here anyone who has rhythm knows how to two step. Let me just say the cowboys I’ve seen at the local dives can dance better than these two did. I felt as if I was watching it in slow motion. The only thing good about the dance was the stunts, but they were few and far between. Their jazz routine was good, but it reminded me of an Old Navy commercial. There was lots of energy in it and it was fun to watch so I’ll give them that.

Who is leaving us this week:

It’s no longer a “dance for your life” competition. The girl and guy with the lowest number of votes is going home. That means you’re not safe even if your partner is really good. That said, Comfort and Mark cannot depend on their partners to carry them through to the next round. Comfort left us last week, and is only back because of an injury to a better dancer. She won’t win like that. Mark is simply forgettable. So my picks are Comfort and Mark.

What do you think? Am I simply talking through my butt on this one?