SYTYCD Week 2 - Performance

Alex

Sorry I didn't update this earlier guys - I had some bad sushi and my insides are waging war. In lieu of this information, I apologize in advance if this entry doesn't make sense. Here's how I think things went down last night:

Yes!! Brian Friedman is BACK! This season is shaping up to remind me a lot of Season Two. See, Season two had its bigshots - Shane, Wade, Mia, Brian, Mary, Tyce (grr)... then with season 3, we lost Brian and Mary, but it was okay, because Shane, Wade, and Mia made the perfect Trifecta of choreographers, and we added on choreographers like Dave Scott, Lil' C, Mandy Moore, and Doriana Sanchez who helped spice things up. Then, for season 4, we lost Shane and Wade and Mia started losing it. We rushed in the help of Sonya and Tabitha & Napoleon, along with tripling the work load for Mandy Moore and Tyce (grrr). This season we're back with Shane, Wade, and Brian - along with the addition of Louis vanAmstel who is probably my favorite ballroom choreographer ever. With all the other added-on choreographers getting stronger and stronger, I'm incredibly pleased with how this season is shaping up.

Evan + Randi - Jive - Louis vanAmstel - Ray Charles - Shake a Tail Feather
This was fantastic! Randi was definitely better at this than Evan, but Evan held his own pretty well. And yes, they had FUN. I had FUN watching it. The two of them make me so happy. I vote for 'em every week, and you should too! I'm really, really nervous for these two getting hip-hop.

Ade + Melissa - Jazz - Sonya - Terry Poison - 24 Tours (remix)
This was very reminiscent of last seasons Jazz piece to The Garden by Mirah... except this time, they wore hot pink. That in itself was intensely distracting. Now I honestly expected Melissa to have some problems here, but she did really well. What I loved what how in sync these two were. There were times that if the camera angle was different, you would have only seen one dancer! Melissa needs more grunge though. You can still tell she's that perfectionist ballerina who needs to let herself go.

Jason + Caitlin - Hip Hop - Shane Sparks - Trey Songz - Missing You
Okay here's the thing. Mary was incredibly disappointed because last week they were so in sync and this week they weren't... but if you remember my blog last week, I clearly stated that it looked like they learned the choreography in different rooms. This week wasn't much different, and I think I figured out why - Caitlin has no idea how to partner! The only time she killed it in the entire piece is when she went off by herself for a second. I feel like Jason is going to get overshadowed by her because she's pretty but keeps messing up. It's a shame because I like her a lot, but she just can't keep up. She's a solo dancer in a couples competition.

Brandon + Janette - Disco - Doriana Sanchez - Brainstorm - Love is Really My Game
This was really good. It wasn't anything stellar, but Disco routines tend to be a bit of a Kiss of Death on this show. Brandette did a pretty killer job with it though, so I'm proud of them. I don't know if the routine on it's own warrants votes, but their personalities are stellar. Janette is still my fantasy dancing partner. (Also, when Nigel said "if I could stand up..." was he insinuating that he couldn't due to arousal???) Just a thought.

Vitoleo + Asuka - Waltz - Louis vanAmstel - Enya - Dreams are More Precious
This... this was beautiful. Now, if we want to get really technical, it was easy to tell that Asuka was the one that really knew what she was doing, and there were times where Vitoleo was moving just a little too fast. Also, I don't think that Vitoleo's story really came out through the routine. However; it's my "job" to be critical on this blog. In reality, none of the technicalities mattered because it was such a beautiful piece. We were all just sitting in stunned silence.

Maks + Kayla - PopJazz - Brian Friedman - Nadia Oh - Hot Like Wow
See, this is why I'm so happy BriFried is back - yes, he may be insane, but wow, this routine was awesome! ...okay, Maks has to dance a little bit more manly, but in the long run this routine was wicked. I'm so proud of the two of them!

Jon + Karla - Contemporary - Stacey Tookey - The Frames - Falling Slowly
This routine was pretty good. Karla was actually amazing in it... and I'm starting to remember her more and more. With Jonathon... I think a few people, including Mary, missed that when someone says "wow, you're better at this than your own style!"... it's an incredibly backhanded compliment. It says "Man, you're great at contemporary! ...why are you a ballroom dancer again?" (Please see my last blog for why I think Jonathon is an idiot.) It was a nice routine... but it was honestly a bit forgettable, too. I'm glad to see Stacey Tookey on board.

Phillip + Jeanine - (Argentine?) Tango - Tony Meridith - Bailango - Violento!
Poor Phillip! He was an absolute train wreck! It's a shame, because I really, really like him - but that routine was a complete shit show. During judging you could see this poor kid shaking. That did not go well for him... Jeanine was beautiful though. Gotta give her props! I see her accidentally going a long way - I think in the beginning she was incredibly forgettable, but she's getting to be really, really fun!

Kupono + Ashley - Hip Hop - Shane - Black Eyed Peas - Imma Be
For starters, I hate this song.
Secondly, this routine was... eh, it was kind of a mess. The first half was pretty strong, but the second they took off their coats, they just lost all energy and completely blew it. I really wasn't proud of them last night.


PREDICTIONS:
Bottom 3:
Kupono + Ashley
Jon + Karla
Jason + Caitlin

Going Home:
Ashley + Jon

It's really hard at this point, because I don't really want to see anyone go home - that never happens this early in the game!!! I'm going to be bummed after elimination tonight. I'm really, really not excited about it. I'll keep you posted though!!