Comments on: SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE Top 20 Performances

By: Denis Werner

Denis Werner — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 01:17:25 +0000

Best season ever, the top ;20 were awsome. Louis Van Ansdel is a wonderful addition to the show. I loved his dancing on Dancing with the Stars, and I enjoy his coreography as Well

By: TV Blog Coalition - June 12-14 | Daemon's TV

TV Blog Coalition - June 12-14 | Daemon's TV — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 06:04:45 +0000

[...] This past week was a lot of fun. Jimmy Fallon & his guests had us laughing. Top Chef Masters returned to make us hungry. And our favorite reality show, So You Think You Can Dance, made us want to dance. (Give Me My Remote) [...]

By: Eva in Oakland

Eva in Oakland — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 06:47:12 +0000

Mattie B …

I liked the Tony and Paris number, too … I’m sorry you were bored by Phillip and Jeanine’s offering. The construction of the Tony/Paris number may have been more exciting (the choreography, maybe, even better than the first dance of the evening), the problem with putting someone like Tony (who is a solid Hip Hop dancer) behind Phillip, is that it highlighted, not Tony’s inabilities in the genre, but Phillip strengths. Phillip is an incredibly gifted Popper, whose growth over the years was demonstrated, last night, not only in his speedy ability to isolate, contract, and expand individual muscles as he performs –but in a newfound level of emotional expressiveness and complete focus on his dance partner. I found myself almost wishing Tony/Paris had danced a different genre (saving the number they actually performed for a different night).

By: Kimber

Kimber — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 21:25:25 +0000

Mattie B … I really loved the Tony/Paris number too … though it seems nobody else (especially the judges) did. Phillip/Jeanine were good, but they weren’t the most memorable for me, by far!

By: tessa

tessa — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 21:12:39 +0000

GMMR, I am totally with you about Melissa being distracting. In the contemporary pieces that we have been treated to before, the feet have been so much more expressive – they have included pointed toes, but not exclusively. Her toes were pointed the entire time, and for lack of a better word, they were sort of aggressively pointed. I found it distracting how her feet reverted so quickly to that rote position. Her dancing is lovely, but I think that there are some things that she is going to have to un-learn from her ballet training, and everything is laid so bare in contemporary that I think it got to me.

By: JMans

JMans — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 19:41:42 +0000

Awesome recap!
10 thoughts about the show.
1. Cat’s dress was hideous. Somehow it was matronly and tacky at the same time. C’mon stylist, bring us back to the glory days.
2. Jeanine is absolutely gorgeous. If you rewatch Vegas Week you’ll notice that she is depicted but not named in almost every single round. Example: she partnered Brandon for Sonya’s jazz.
3. Nigel was trying to be nice tonight but you could tell he was just one jazz hand away from blaming Tyce’s choreography for Asuka and Vitolio’s number.
4. Karla and Jonathan were great, however I think that since the judges love to send a couple home after the first show that it will probably be them. If the bottom 3 is Karla/Jon, Asuka/Vitolio, and Tony/Paris, the judges will not want to get rid of Tony or Asuka, and by virtue of their partners (and the send a couple home in the first week pattern) Paris and Vitolio will be safe.
5. Loved to see Lauren assisting Tyce again!!! I really liked that Evan and Ryan have “The Other Brother” – poor guy.
6. Did anyone else think that Caitlin with that much eyeshadow kind of looked like Fergie? Regardless, she was a much more attractive version of Fergie. I really like these two together and I would LOVE to see them dance a Wade or Sonya jazz or a Mia Contemporary. One of my favourite moments of the whole night was Caitlin’s headstand with the pointing and flexing of the toes.
7. Mary is a hot mess tonight and I wouldn’t have her any other way. She put the robodog on the hot tamale train, admitted to her Botox problem and quoted Lady Gaga. WTF I love her.
8. Wade’s Jazz. WHOA. Love the robodog. Love the piece. LOVE Wade’s wife amanda; she’s so fierce. But srsly, really cool routine. Would have preferred “No Cars Go” by the Arcade Fire or “Human Behaviour”/”All is Full of Love” by Bjork for the music, but it was AWESOME.
9. Oh Mandy and her hideous music selections. Did NO ONE ELSE think that this piece was just “contemporary by the numbers.” Ade has zero personality; I’m thinking we’ll lose him fairly quickly even though he’s great (a la Marquis, Shauna, Jimmy etc). Love Melissa though and I’m predicting she’ll make it to the Top 10 but just barely.
10. I am already SO OVER KAYLA. She’s not that great and I think that the stylist agrees with me because he covered her in hot pink feathers. That dress is a great idea for a samba or cha cha or jive, but once she stopped moving she just looked like she was molting. Also, she’s boring, I HATE her backstory and she lucked out to get this hot routine and Maks for the first night. Ugh.

By: Mattie B

Mattie B — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 19:25:30 +0000

Am I the only one that didn’t like the Philip/Jeanine number? It ended and I was just so bored, and then the judges exploded. Then Tony and Paris’ number ended and I was excited as can be, and they were like “it was crap.” Huh? I will admit to a bit of a bias because I like Tony a lot, but still I’m not usually this far out in left field. I think Asuka and Vitolio were the weakest this week, overall.

By: HealthcareHottie

HealthcareHottie — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 18:53:16 +0000

Last night’s show was completely AMAZING!!! I don’t think there’s ever been a better first performance show. Even the not-so-amazing numbers were great. I liked Tyce’s Broadway number that he choreographed for Asuka & Vitolio. It had a lot of personality and I understood what he was going for, unfortunately, it didn’t win over the judges. I thought that the dancers did a good job with it. They most likely will end up in the bottom 3 tonight though, since everyone else was so completely over-the-top incredible it was sick.

I love Evan, he’s my boy. I completely fell in love with him and his brother during the auditions and Vegas week and when it came down to the two of them for the last spot in the top 10 guys, I nearly cried. I really thought they would take the older brother just to make it a bit more diverse and seriously, how many more years can he keep coming back? But since the oldest dancer this season is 29 and they’re making her out to be ancient, let’s face it, youth seems to always win out with this show. Last years “oldest” dancer didn’t make it that far either so I don’t have high hopes for Melissa making it past the early weeks. Her routine with Ade was nice, but it looked to me like they had a few slip-ups and I some of the turns and lifts looked awkward (not the one where he flipped her from behind he shoulders to the front, that was awesome). I think that will cost them and they’ll also end up in the bottom 3. My other pick for bottom 3 is Tony and Paris.

My absolute favorite routine last night was the bollywood routine. Jason is a keeper and Caitlin was also amazing. I just learned a dance to Ji Ho which is not nearly as complicated as that one and it’s so hard, I’m having trouble keeping up with how fast the steps and hand movements are. You have no idea how difficult that style is until you try it for yourself. They made it look so easy, it was as if they’ve been dancing bollywood forever. And that handstand? Are you kidding me? Caitlin’s gymnastics background served her well there.

My second favorite was the Wade Robson routine. I thought it was so unique and Ashly and Kupono did a great job with it. I hope Ashley sticks around for a while. It took her 4 yrs. to get on the show and her persistancy has paid off. I don’t think there’s any chance either one of them is going home tonight though.

Kath – you did a great job with the recap, I always enjoy reading your take on things. I know I haven’t been around for a long while. Having twins and going back to work full time will make you have to put your extra-curricular activities on hold for a while. It takes an amazing beginning of a SYTYCD season to bring me out of hiding and if the season keeps going in this direction, you will be hearing from me often.

By: Alyson

Alyson — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 18:46:13 +0000

What a great opening show last night! This season is crazy in that usually you can tell who the first 6 or so to go will be, but I haven’t the faintest idea who will go home tonight. I’m not a fan of Tony and Paris, so I wouldn’t mind if it were them; But, while I think Paris might be in trouble if she’s bottom three, I don’t think Nigel’s ready to let Ivan2.0 go this early, not when the tween girls are gonna love him so much. Asuka and Vitolio should be worried, particularly Vitolio. No idea who else will grace the bottom three.

My personal rankings for the night:
1. Ashley and Kupono (they totally pulled Wade off; it was so gripping)
2. Evan and Randi (my SYTYCD boyfriend this season rocked it last night)
3. Karla and Jonathan (there was something about this I just loved, I don’t know what)
4. Kayla and Maksim (hot, smokin’ hot)
5. Caitlin and Jason (Jason is such a little cutie)
6. Phillip and Jeanine (Thought they did a great job, but for me it didn’t hold up over the course of the night versus the other 5)
7. Brandon and Janette (It’s harder for me to get excited about foxtrots, but the lifts were great)
8. Melissa and Ade (I agree that this just lacked something)
9. Paris and Tony (It was kind of boring to me, Tony should be doing better than this in his own style)
10. Asuka and Vitolio (I thought Tyce’s choreography was horrible here)

By: Patty

Patty — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 17:58:22 +0000

Well, since there was bad weather in DFW last night, I didn’t get to see but the last dances. Color me peeved. I will have to search around to find the links.

But of what I saw, I loved Kayla & Max and Melissa & Ade. It should be interesting the see who has to dance for thier lives. I love the solos!

By: ColoradoKila

ColoradoKila — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 17:46:56 +0000

Dancing with the Stars if officially So You Think You Can Dance’s bitch after that amazing Top 20 first week!!!

By: Sara V

Sara V — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 17:39:45 +0000

P.S. Just saw your tweet to @dizzyfeet, GMMR, and I couldn’t agree with you more. How annoying was the arm waving?! At least they didn’t pull out their lighters or cell phones.

By: Kristen

Kristen — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 16:28:37 +0000

I wrote this on Ducky’s post as well, but I had to check out GMMR too! You guys are just so candid in your reviews, I love it.
This was my first time watching a So You Think You Can Dance week one, since I just picked up the show this year and Oh My Goodness, is it that intense every week?! It was amazing! I now understand why you and Dan are always raving about it on the TV Talk Podcasts (which is why I started watching this season) and I totally cannot get enough of this show!

I think the bottom three will be the Broadway number, the second Hip Hop number and maybe the Cha Cha. But I loved it all and I thought everyone did a great job. My top three of the night to watch were probably Ashley and Kupono, Randi and Evan and Jeanine and Phillip. I thought those three had the most personality. But there were so many good ones it was hard to choose!

By: Ducky

Ducky — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 15:51:23 +0000

You know me so well (on the “Judges” audience along)

By: strunkette

strunkette — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 14:47:06 +0000

I was watching on the DVR after it had been on the air. As I watched I would vote and I must have voted for 8 of the 10 couples. I couldn’t believe the level of talent we saw. It’s so early and yet we are getting incredible performances… the choreography, the technique, the joy in the dancers. This is not the SYTYCD of the past. It’s *almost* a little sad that we don’t have the less experienced dancers like before. Now they look for those who are super well rounded. In the past it was all about dancers who were good at their craft branching out and learning new things before our eyes. I’ll miss that…for about 10 secs I love watching GREAT dance (eat your heart out DwTS!)

There is no way I could pick a favorite at this point. I’m in love with so many of the couples. My SYTYCD boyfriends…Evan and Jason. One for personality and one for hotness….

By: Beth

Beth — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 14:44:45 +0000

Shut right up! That was an amazing premiere…seriously. I don’t know what I was expecting but it definitely wasn’t a night as good at that! I have watched since season 2 and I dont think any of the premires came close to that!
Tonight solidified my decision to make Evan my SYTYCD boyfriend- stinkin wonderful! That routine was awesome- i agree with you GMMR- that is going to be one that sticks around for awhile (one we will see in the finale perhaps??)
And that last routine with Kayla and Maksim- LOVED IT! She is the girl to beat.

Also, so excited the show is back if only to see the amazing dresses Cat Deeley wears every week!

And I love Adam Shankman.

By: Sara V.

Sara V. — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 14:24:57 +0000

Wow. An unbelievable night of first performances. I kept going back to my computer to type my reactions, and then I would be reminded that we weren’t doing a live chat. Anyway, I’m left wondering the same thing as you…who are we going to get rid of this week? The ones on the potential chopping block – like you said – weren’t even that bad.

I will say I was totally distracted by Paris’ playing to the camera. And I agree with the judges that Tony needed to hit it a little harder (that’s what she said).

I think I’m already over Melissa, if only because she needs to stop doing the whole “sexy’ finger in your mouth look.

Oh, and LOL – “…and with that, Jason takes a slight edge over Tony. But congratulations, both of you are still in the running to be my Season 5 SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE boyfriend.”

As for my SYTYCD boyfriends, I’m leaning towards Evan and Jason.

By: SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE Top 20 Performances | Joe Hosting

SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE Top 20 Performances | Joe Hosting — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 14:21:57 +0000

[...] the whole story on Give Me My Remote Share and [...]

By: Kelly

Kelly — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 14:06:36 +0000

Wow this is the first Top 20 show that I didn’t dislike anyone. I would have to sat Asuka and Vitolio were my least favorite because I just didn’t get much from them. That may be from the choreo like you said.

Every show I get a new favorite, especially on the boys side. The girls are easier, my fave 2 are Kayla and Jeanine (I thought she was adorable last night). The boys side I’d have to say Evan, Jason, and Philip (Tony is up there too because I really think he has potential). Kupono might move up there too – ugh I can’t decide!

So glad to have Wade back!

By: lifeofmytime

lifeofmytime — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 13:57:32 +0000

I was astounded by most of last night’s performances. Cannot believe how great this season is going to be.

My favorite top 20 performance ever was last year’s “No Air” routine by Katee and Joshua. It still reigns as my fave, but wow – a lot of these couples came really close.

I thought the first couple of the evening was amazing. Maybe I started out with lower expectations for the top 20 performances since these couples are dancing together for the first time, but Philip and Jeanine blew my expectations out of the water. It’s hard to pick just one routine as my favorite of the night, but I think that was it for me, followed by Max & Kayla, Ade & Melissa, Evan & Randi, and Ashley & Kupono.

I was not impressed by Asuka and Vittolio’s performance. The judges said the dancing was clean, but not enough personality etc. Maybe I need to watch it again, but I found the dancing a little sloppy, personally. But then again, I am no dance expert .

This season is going to be fantastic!

By: Laiq

Laiq — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 13:43:49 +0000

Just like Kimber I got into SYTYCD last season for the first time, because I wanted to be in the “gmmr and ducky talk SYTYCD” club!!

I was gobsmacked by the talent on that stage, especially for the first live show. I don’t think there was a group that didn’t bring it. I also have 2 potential BF’s – Jason, and Kupono (although there is some4thing so adorable about Evan and Phillip too!)

As for fave dances tonight:
1. Jason and Caitlin
2. Kupono and Ashley (I loved this routine)
3. Evan and Randi
4. Phillip and Jeanine

But they were all so good, it’s hard to choose. I cannot work out who might be in danger – although i did personally think Tony and Paris had the weakest performance.

couples to dance? 1. Tony and Paris, Karla and Jonathon, Auska and Vitolio?

By: Marc

Marc — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 13:40:10 +0000

WHAT A FANTASTIC PERFORMANCE EPISODE!!! This is only my second season watching SYTYCD, but this show is quickly rivaling AI as my favorite. Two solid hours of mind-blowing entertainment! The only performance I was lukewarm about was Asuka/Vitolio, and in their case, I was more disappointed in the choreo than the dancing.

Look at the list of contestants and try to narrow it down to a Top 10. Then, look at the dancers getting cut….. some are pure INJUSTICE!!!

I’d also like to remind everyone that last season’s supercouple, Joshua and Katee, debuted in the Top 20 with a NapTab hip-hop routine. Remember “No Air”?!?!?! Philip and Jeanine could seriously take their place. Evan/Randi and Max/Kayla could also reach supercouple status. This is going to be a GREAT season!!!

By: Lisa (aka lmr)

Lisa (aka lmr) — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 13:35:59 +0000

Screeeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaammmmmmmmmmm! Just had to do that! Been looking forward to your review, GMMR. I thought it was all good, even the ‘bad’ was good. I almost have no favorite (it’s kind of Evan but love them all). I do think TPTB stacked the deck a bit by giving certain dances to certain pairings but you know what, I don’t care. It’ all about the entertainment and that was some entertainment. I also think they chose wisely in having fan fave Adam as the first guest jidge and in having the truly insane but incomparable Wade in the mix. I loved every moment.

Thank you for the dance links. I do not know where my head was but watched live and didn’t DVR.

By: Kimber

Kimber — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 13:16:55 +0000

There were definitely some fanFREAKINtastic episodes in this episode! I was blown away. As I’ve said many times over, I started my SYTYCD obsession last season after listening to yours and Ducky’s podcasts. I didn’t watch the auditions, and I don’t think I even made the Top 20, but I loved what I saw, and was incredibly in love with the Top 4.

As for last night’s performances … WOW. Seriously. I think my top dances were close to yours … except that I really loved Tony & Paris’ number. The moves were fantastic, and the music was awesome … so I don’t know how the judges could have hated it. I even liked the costumes! Oh well. Also among my faves … the crash test dummy routine (so reminded me of “Dummy”, from Pushing Daisies, and the human dummies! But then, everything reminds me of PD these days…). The Bollywood number, and ballroom were also freakin’ amazing … overall, I think there were only a few numbers that I didn’t find overly fantastic … which I think is a good thing!