JULY 2009

07/01/09 - So You Think You Can Dance - Season 5 : Week 4 – Well, I for one thought this was a tough week - mainly because I felt most of the performances were really good.  The only couple I was truly disappointed in was Caitlyn and Jason.  I didn't particular like the dancing; however, I'm not certain how much the choreographer is to blame.  Beyond that couple I'm uncertain who else will be in the bottom three.  I suspect Karla and Vitolio might end up in the bottom, but it certainly wont be because of their quickstep - it will be for previous performances (same goes for Kayla and Kupono).  That being said, previous performances combined with this week is how I ended up voting.  I voted for Randi, Evan, Melissa, and Ade.  Susan voted for Randi, Evan, Jeanette, and Brandon. 

- Nathan

07/08/09 - So You Think You Can Dance - Season 5 : Week 5 – Our favorites are solidifying a bit more this week and some weakness are starting to show a bit more in some of what I would call the "fan favorites".  Susan and I are both clearly rooting for Melissa, Ade, Jeanette, and Brandon - I believe these 2 couples will definitely make the top 10.  Randi and Evan (a fan favorite), who finally were handed a "sexy" routine were not really able to deliver (I was afraid they wouldn't be able to pull off that chemistry); however, I hope they make it to the top 10 because they are also favorites of ours.  I'm a big fan of Phillip and Jeanine, (another fan favorite) and I believe Jeanine is outstanding; however, Phillip seems to really struggle most of the time.  That being said, I would vote to keep him (and obviously Jeanine) in the top 10 - I really did like the Jive.  Caitlin and Jason - I really don't have any strong feelings towards these two.  I think they dance well, but I don't think they have a lot of personality...I think they will be in the bottom 3, and I wouldn't be surprised if one or both of them were eliminated.  Finally, I've grown to like Kayla, but I still don't think Kupono has much to offer the show.  He is certainly my boy choice to be eliminated - it is too bad because he and Kayla really had a good performance with the Mia Michaels routine this week (the Broadway wasn't anything special); however, he has scored consistently lower for us over this season.  My girl choice for elimination would be Caitlin.  So, in summary, I'd prefer Kupono to go, but I think Caitlin and Jason will be eliminated tomorrow.

- Nathan

07/15/09 - So You Think You Can Dance - Season 5 : Week 6 – The couples were split up (although I find it suspicious my two favorite couples were simply swapped - bonus!) and there were plenty of routines tonight to spotlight the best performers and highlight some of the weaker acts.  I must admit I've been a big fan of Randi and Evan throughout the show; however, with the continued elimination of more couples they are quickly falling to the bottom of my talent list.  I thought Evan was decent this week, but I really thought Randi performed comparatively poorly (both solo and couples dance).  I really enjoyed Jeanine and Jason's contemporary routine but I wasn't a huge fan of their solos (I did like Jeanine's much better than Jason's). 

I still enjoyed my four favorites this week (Janette, Ade, Melissa, and Brandon) and I still think Kupono needs to go (I'm betting on him being eliminated this week).  As far as the group routine I thought the girls were much more impressive than the guys.

- Nathan

07/22/09 - So You Think You Can Dance - Season 5 : Week 7 – This was an peculiar week for a variety of reasons.  First I thought many of my favorite dancers had bad dances (with the exception of Janette).  For example, I really think Melissa and Ade faltered on the Cha-Cha; it really didn't appear very passionate.  I also thought Jeanine and Brandon's Waltz wasn't up the the high standards they have shown throughout the show.  One of my least favorites, Kayla, seemed to really shine this week and another, Jeanine, looked spectacular in her solo.  Thus, I really thought this week was a mixed bag of performances.

If I had to judge on this single week alone I would have definitely put Melissa in the bottom two and Kayla in the top two; however, I like to track by the entire season so, in effect, a single good or bad night doesn't affect my decisions.  Thus, here is how I would rank the top eight dancers from best to "worst" - there are really no bad dancers on this show - with the exception of the Katie Holmes routine....I didn't realize this was called "So You Think You Can Strut And Pose" ;)...

Girls: Janette -> Melissa -> Kayla -> Jeanine

Guys: Brandon -> Ade -> Evan -> Jason

Truthfully I believe Jason is better than Evan; however, I much prefer Evan's performance quality.  The following is a grid of our episode 7 results:

Since I was in Austin for continuing education this week, Susan and I didn't watch the shows until Saturday night (I had to really try hard not to see the results on Facebook since I'm linked to several of the dancers' fan pages).  Thus, for a change, I'm going to comment on the actual results.  I was totally flabbergasted that Brandon was in the bottom two - he is obviously one of the top two (I could see him losing to Ade because both are very close in my opinion); however, as much as I like Evan, there is absolutely no way Evan is a better dancer than Brandon.  Thus, I suppose, the general public just doesn't seem to like Brandon's personality (which I will certainly give Evan the thumbs up on personality) - which is a shame - I really think America should give priority to the dance ability when it gets down to the final 10.  Soooooo.....if I was shocked by Brandon I was equally as dumbfounded by Janette.  Let's go back and review my scoring for Janette:

I appear to see a pattern in the above results...Janette hasn't missed a beat since the start of the competition. The only fault I would give her is that her solos aren't nearly as dynamic as the other performers (they lack certain acrobatic aspects that many contemporary and street dancers are known for); however, she does very well in her solos for a ballroom dancer - in fact, I've often though her solos were almost contemporary in nature.  Oh well, I guess I'll get off my soap box and start rooting for Melissa a bit more vigorously now :).

- Nathan

07/29/09 - So You Think You Can Dance - Season 5 : Week 8 – We're getting down to a tight race so I'm going to make it quick with my predictions.  I think Brandon and Ade should definitely be in the top 4.  Evan's solo was great this week - very entertaining; however, his couple dances were not up to the par of everyone else - even in his own style.  That being said, I think he just might make it into the top 4 simply based on popularity.

Melissa wasn't outstanding this week; however, it was the first week in a long time where she didn't shine (I think she might have even suffered a bit by being paired with Evan) .  I'd say she was on the same level this week as Jeanine - whom I feel should be eliminated.  I thought Jeanine's solo was boring but I did actually kind of like the samba even though the judges dissed it.  Kayla, in a trend that has continued for several weeks now, is really shining in my opinion.  I'd even go as far to say I think she is probably the best girl at this point in time.  I would definitely like to see her and Melissa battle it out in the finale.  Once again, that all being said, I have a sneaky suspicion Melissa will be going home - booo.

- Nathan