So You Think You Can Dance 3: Ranking The Top 10
By Jacob D.
July 20, 2007
This week was the eve of the turning point on So You Think You Can Dance. The top six couples took to the stage in an effort to earn spots in the all-important top ten, which holds many changes in what happens to the dancers and how the show works. Here's who danced what:
Sabra & Dominic- jive
Jaimie & Hok- Broadway
Sara & Pasha- jazz
Anya & Danny- foxtrot
Lauren & Neil- contemporary
Lacey & Kameron- hip hop
Everyone wants to be in the top ten, but Anya/Danny, appearing in the bottom group for a third time, were in danger as well as Jaime/Hok and Lauren/Neil, each for the second time. They each gave inspired solos, but the judges had a choice to make and they axed Anya and Hok. I love both, but I'm not mad at the decisions. The judges usually save the lyrical dances over the hip hop dancers right before the top ten, but this year there were three representatives of the hip hop genre and Sara and Dominic had proved to be more flexible than Hok. As for Anya, she had been floundering over the last couple weeks, whereas the judges have begun to notice Jaimie and Lauren gave the solo of her life.
Now that we are left with ten, everything changes. First, the top ten dancers are the only ones who get to go on the national SYTYCD tour. More importantly, the game changes drastically from here on out. For one thing, the couples are no longer bound together. Each week, they will randomly choose different partners, just as they randomly choose their dance styles. This is where we see who can really adapt to an ever changing slate because now no one person can rely solely on the other. Second, we are voting for individual dancers and not whole couples. This is where we see who is really garnering the votes and get more of an idea of who the audience really likes. For example, was Dominic carrying Sabra and can Jaimie survive without Hok? Is Lacey the star and Kameron really a second fiddle?
The most important thing though is that the judges no longer decide who stays and who goes. From now on, it is all up to us America so your votes are more important than ever. Don't forget to vote for your favorites, no matter what!
By the way, let's never have Wade Robson as guest judge again. Way too many long, rambling, all-over-the-place speeches.
Lacey
Current Ranking: 1 - Previous Ranking: 1
There's no doubt that Lacey has star quality. The judges have praised her for it time and again. She is also a fantastic dancer, tackling her routines with aplomb. However, I don't think she is THE frontrunner for a number of reasons: Wade questioning her sincerity, whether or not she really has any room left to grow, the increasing competition from others, and the simple fact that she is the sister of Benji, last year's winner. Still, I have left her in first place because, along with Kameron, she is one of the only dancers to never be in the bottom group during the first half of the competition. She has a fanbase, but we'll see how strong it really is in the second half of the competition.
Dominic
Current Ranking: 2 - Previous Ranking: 5
Dominic is one of the standouts in the competition and, I think, a contender for the title. He most embodies what the show is about. Sinking in week one, he has risen considerably and shown such a spirit and talent for dance beyond his world as a B-Boy. If he can keep bringing the heat in this second half of the competition, I have no doubts about his chances of winning.
Sara
Current Ranking: 3 - Previous Ranking: 2
Sara is one of the standouts in this competition and definitely a favorite of mine. She really embodies what this competition is about. She is a dancer taken out of her comfort zone and thrown to the sharks only to adapt brilliantly and keep her head above water. I don't know if Sara is quite as popular as say Dominic or Lacey, but I do feel she is among the most flexible. We'll see where she stands in the coming weeks, but I hope she is held in high esteem!
Kameron
Current Ranking: 4 - Previous Ranking: 3
Watching the clips that preceded this week's dances, I found myself rekindling interest in Kameron. He combines all the qualities I like in that he's cool, unique, silly, and a hard worker, but he doesn't feel the need to constantly advertise said qualities as I've discussed with Neil. He is a terrific dancer and a terrific person.
However, if we are going to knock people for not making an impact, I'm afraid we must include Kameron. Kameron is the most prominent example of criticism from the judges about not being a star performer or standout and he's been called out more than once. I would've ranked him lower, but I decided to give him another week based on the fact that he and Lacey are the only ones to never be in the bottom group in the first half of the competition. Now that we are down to the individual's portion of this contest, Kameron will get a chance to really show us what he's made of.
Pasha
Current Ranking: 5 - Previous Ranking: 4
Pasha is a great dancer and, with Sara, seems to have been re-energized and become popular again. He has been lauded as the best at partnering in this cast, but individualism, especially solos, is also central to the show and he hasn't shown much success there. Pasha has yet to be a real dominant force in the competition.
Lauren
Current Ranking: 6 - Previous Ranking: 9
I was worried that Lauren wasn't taking the competition seriously. Then, when she went on about how cute Neil is, I worried she was vapid. Her solo changed my mind though! I loved it! I felt the passion, the energy, the devotion to dance, and I liked that unlike her first solo, she used her sex appeal, but not overtly so. Lauren showed that she can buckle down and give us something worthy of the title "America's Favorite Dancer", but is this a one time thing? I mean, it took five weeks and two appearances in the bottom two to drag this out of her. Will she be able to carry on the spirit she showed in her solo?
Jaimie
Current Ranking: 7 - Previous Ranking: 7
Jaimie is lovely and elegant and certainly rising in the ranks with the judges. Her work in the pair's routines has been solid and her solos, though not extraordinary, have been fine as well. What does America think, though? Has Jaimie done enough to rally support? In looks she reminds me of last year's Allison, but will she have the same popularity?
Danny
Current Ranking: 8 - Previous Ranking: 12
I don't agree with the judges that Danny had some major breakthrough this week. I still feel like he's the same old Danny. Along with Anya and tied with Cedric, he has appeared in the bottom group three times, more than any remaining dancer so far. Is it because of the heightened competition or is he unpopular? We'll see in the coming weeks.
The reason I have ranked him above Neil, however, is because I feel he is the sharpest dancer out of the bunch. Also, surprises have happened. Last season, I was shocked when under-the-radar dancer Ryan made it further than the much adored Dmitry.
Neil
Current Ranking: 9 - Previous Ranking: 10
To be frank, Neil gets on my nerves. I mentioned last week that I wasn't sure if he was taking this competition seriously and after this week, my doubts have deepened. He made a lot of mention about how he's a jokester and joked about how his jokes are so funny and such classics, and enough already! If there's one thing I hate, it's when people feel the need to drive the point home with a sledgehammer. That's what bugged me about Benji and what now bugs me about Neil: yes, we get that you are goofy/a jokester!
Now what of this dancing competition? At least with Benji, you could tell that he worked hard and had a palpable love for dance. With Neil, I feel as though he is very laissez-faire and could care less if he stayed or went and his solo didn't help my opinion. It just seemed like a lot of leaping and similar to his other solo. He appears to be popular, but until he can convince me that he's in it to win it, don't count me as one of his fans. With that, and the fact that he's appeared in the bottom group twice, I have placed him near the bottom.
Sabra
Current Ranking: 10 - Previous Ranking: 8
I have put Sabra in last because I am just not sure how much of an impact she has made with the voters. The judges compliment her and she is a fine dancer, but I always forget about her once the show is over. The winner needs to be someone who stands out in peoples' minds and I feel like Sabra doesn't. We'll see one way or the other for sure starting next week!
Hok
Eliminated: Week Five
Hok was the fifth guy eliminated from So You Think You Can Dance 3.------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Anya
Eliminated: Week Five
Hok was the fifth girl eliminated from So You Think You Can Dance 3.------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cedric
Eliminated: Week Four
Cedric was the fourth guy eliminated from So You Think You Can Dance 3.---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Shauna
Eliminated: Week Four
Cedric was the fourth girl eliminated from So You Think You Can Dance 3.---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jessi
Eliminated: Week Three
Jesus was the third girl eliminated from So You Think You Can Dance 3.---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jesus
Eliminated: Week Three
Jesus was the third guy eliminated from So You Think You Can Dance 3.---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jimmy
Eliminated: Week Two
Jimmy was the second guy eliminated from So You Think You Can Dance 3.---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Faina
Eliminated: Week Two
Faina was the second girl eliminated from So You Think You Can Dance 3.---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ricky
Eliminated: Week One
Ricky was the first guy eliminated from So You Think You Can Dance 3.---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ashlee
Eliminated: Week One
Ashlee was the first girl eliminated from So You Think You Can Dance 3.---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jacob D. is a twenty-something native of Austin Tx who spends his time
listening to music, posting on Austin based messageboards, playing
video games, and watching TV. Jacob also enjoys reading Shonen Jump,
Garfield and Calvin & Hobbes strips, playing Texas Hold 'em, drawing
cartoon chickens, and tending to his neopets. Though shy in real
life, he loves to sound off on his favorite shows and enjoys
interacting with other fans.
You can contact Jacob at Jacob@RealityTVCalendar.com
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