Once I start watching this reality competition, I just can't stop. Suddenly I'm a dance expert.
I’ve officially hopped on the So You Think You Can Dance bandwagon for the season. I’m a little late, only joining three weeks ago, although since I read a ton of entertainment magazines (I know, no surprise), I can surely judge.
Lacey was a favorite from the beginning. At first I didn’t want to like her because she’s the sister of last years winner, Benji. It just seemed like so much nepotism – should she even be allowed to compete? Won’t the judges be biased in some way? But she won me over for the same reason that Benji did last year – personality and an underdog spirit. It doesn’t really make sense for her to be the underdog, she should have gone into this as top dog, but nevertheless she still has that underdog scrappiness. You can tell that she’s willing to work hard, and perhaps that’s because she isn’t a conventional beauty and she doesn’t have a stick-thin body.
Unlike say, Lauren, who I was thrilled to see kicked off this week. Yes, she was good, but she was so smug in her talent and prettiness that she just bugged the crap out of me. Stop smiling you moronic twit! Move aside so someone else can have a bloody chance. Plus it irked me no end that she never danced her solos to the song’s beat. It was like the music was strictly background, and nothing to actually be danced to.
But then look at Sabra. I was not a huge Sabra fan at first because she didn’t seem to have much of a personality. But boy can she dance, and Nigel’s summation of her two weeks ago was spot on: she dances from the heart. She may not have a personality in person, but it all comes out in the dancing. Especially that jazz number she did with Neil to the Eurythmics’ “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This).” I had to go back and watch it about five times, I thought it was that amazing.
Neil is another underdog. Let’s face it, he isn’t as good as the rest of them, but like Travis, he’s pulled through and gotten better, and more endearing, each week. (If you ask me, Travis was robbed last year – did you see him in that “Sexyback” group dance? He owned that.) When Neil smiles, I just want to give him a cupcake, he’s so cute.
Speaking of cute, my co-worker has a major crush on Danny, but I just don’t get it. He’s so generically pretty to me, like an African-American Ken doll. He’s totally boring to watch, and I wish he’d gotten kicked off weeks ago. Although I really don’t think there was a good crop of male dancers this year.
Take Pasha for instance. Was he technically good? I guess. But he was so boring to watch because I’m so sick of those ballroom dancers who can’t do good solos. All they do is twitch around the stage, twisting their bodies back and forth. Sometimes they’ll mix it up with a cape or something, but there is no hiding it – ballroom is boring.
One last gripe, speaking of boring. Did anyone really like that stupid “What if I met my daddy in heaven” dance that Mia choreographed for Lacey and Neil? It was sentimental tripe and I thought for sure they’d get nailed for it. Imagine my surprise when the judged loved it and Mary Murphy cried. What? Were we watching the same dance?
Two nights with two hours next week seems a little much. But when my co-worker pointed out, "you say that now, but then you'll be crying," I realized she was right. Makes me cry just thinking about it.
