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So You Think You Can Dance: The Judge’s Strategic Cut Ensures a Predictable Top Ten
Rankings and Commentary by RTVC Staff Writer Joseph Braverman
June 26, 2009
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Before I dive into my commentary and rankings for this week on So You Think You Can Dance, I would like to say a few words in memory of a legend, Michael Jackson.
Not only was he the greatest solo performer in music history aside from Elvis, but Michael Jackson was also a dance icon. His choreography and his unique interpretation of dance with lyrical steps have had a great influence on the dance styles of today. I am sure especially in the hip-hop and pop jazz dance community Michael Jackson was an influential choreographer. We mourn the loss of the King of Pop today, but let us also carry into the future his love for dance and continue to watch and promote shows like SYTYCD which capitalizes on the great art of dance itself.
We thank Michael Jackson for his iconography in the world of dance, and we also mourn his loss, and on behalf of myself and the rest of the Reality TV Calendar staff, we of course send our condolences out to his friends, fans, and family.
Here’s to you Michael Jackson! Your legacy as a pop icon will live on forever.
Speaking of Michael, I am sure he could have given us a more entertaining show on SYTYCD this week than we received. This week was actually atrocious, with some standouts but very few performances that I will remember as having marked a place in the SYTYCD dance routine hall of fame.
The standout of the night for me was definitely Brandon and Janette. They compliment each other so well on the dance floor; they are always in sync and exude the same high amount of energy to the audience as much as they do with each other. I think this is the standout couple of the season.
I am still not quite on the Melissa and Ade bandwagon yet. This is primarily due to the fact that it is hard to extract a personality from Ade. It is like the judges are seeing one thing, and me as a viewer is seeing something entirely different. I feel no genuine emotion from Ade, and I think he is a definite case of letting technique overshadow performance. I know this couple is one of, if not the, most popular couples left in the competition, but half of the partnership is missing for me. I certainly love Melissa a lot, and think that she is the one girl guaranteed at this stage to make it into the top ten.
What I was most displeased with were the cuts tonight.
Why after all that softy talk about how it would be horrific if Asuka and Vitolio were to be split up, did the judges end up cutting Asuka and not Vitolio? Why not just cut the pair of them, which contained two individuals that were extremely unpopular.
It was completely mind-boggling to me that they let Jonathan, a fan-favorite, go at this stage in the competition. Jonathan performed amazingly the week prior, and it was clear that he and Karla were the underdog couple who could have built up quite a following in the coming weeks. Why on earth cut someone who is evident will do better down the road and has a much larger fan base than Vitolio?
And on top of everything, Karla and Vitolio are now paired up, which makes me believe Jonathan’s cut was a strategic move on the judges part to predictably shape their top ten. It’s quite a brilliant strategy, if a totally disappointing, unfair, and predictable one. Karla and Vitolio will go next week, and Jason, Phillip, Jeanine, or Caitlin will go the week after that.
The cut the judges made tonight with Jonathan assured their favorite dancers would make it into the top ten, while the remaining dancers who will continue to fall into the bottom three couples will be treated like cannon fodder. It just makes for some boring television, and I am extremely disappointed with the judges for ensuring this predictability with Jonathan’s cut.
After the eliminations, I can now reveal my rankings for the top 14. I apologize if my rankings seem predictable, but you’d have to blame the judges for that one because they have paved out a clear top ten for all of us as well as some boring two weeks to come.
Here are my SYTYCD Top 14 Rankings:
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