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SYTYCD Finale Open Thread

frau sally benz

We don’t get that many comments in the SYTYCD show posts, but I figured I should start an open thread for the finale so that no spoilers are posted on the other posts.

So if you haven’t watched, do not enter the comments because this is a Spoiler-Filled Zone.

Everyone else, have at it! What did you think of the judges’ favorite dances? What’s with all the musical performances? And, of course, were you happy with the winner?

10 thoughts on SYTYCD Finale Open Thread

  1. I’ll get it started!

    I was right every time I tried to guess who would be voted off next, except I thought Kathryn would be 2nd place and Jakob would be 3rd.

    What was up with all the performances? I didn’t need that many singers there, but maybe that’s just me.

    Oh, and SO SAD that Russell hurt himself!

  2. This was my least favorite season. I thought the 2 hour format was too long. It left too much time for the judges’ comments and they are boring. It’s the dancing that is exciting to watch. For the 1/3 of the season or so I did watch, it seemed like the best made it to the top 4. After that it’s a crap shoot to see who is the tops. I was rooting for Kathryn. She seemed to really throw herself into whatever she did and I think she has a good stage presence. Russell also is a great performer as well as dancer.

  3. Here’s MTV’s recap, for anybody interested.

    I agree Ron O. about the 2-hour format, and then the episode they needed it for (Tuesday night), they didn’t have it. Weird! I also agree about the season as a whole, this was also my least favorite.

  4. I didn’t like the fact that the finale was with top 6 – it took away my favourite part, the guy-guy and girl-girl dances! It’s the only time the show steps outside the usual man-woman dynamic of dance that bothers me a lot. Even though the guy-dances are usually testosterone-filled combats of some kind, and I still keep waiting for the contemporary piece with two guys that is a love story. But with the homophobic Nigel as the producer, I doubt that will ever happen. *sigh*

    As for the dancers, Jacob was my favourite, but I think he got unlucky with the dances in the finale. Russell is lovable though and I’m happy for him.

  5. This season was a total disappointment, which became even more obvious when they showed footage of auditions and Vegas week. It had such promise, and when Mia said that season six was going to blow five out of the water, I could actually see it happening–since season five was somewhat lackluster compared to the previous three to begin with–but it was just let down after let down.

    First, the top 20 they picked was just not all that great. Ashleigh only got in because that one contestant got a movie deal; Billy Bell went and contracted mono somehow. Plus, the amount of injuries this season was ridiculous. Although Jakob was on par with previous seasons dancers like Neil, Danny, and Brandon, and Legacy kicked ass like Dominic, Hok, and Gev did, Ryan didn’t compare to Dmitri or Pasha in latin. All of the other contestants were just blah! Brandon didn’t stand a chance as a fill-in, Pauline, Noelle, and Channing were boring, Ariana, Nathan, and Mollee were too immature (note that we’ve had barely eligible, but mature dancers like Lacey in previous seasons, who still rocked it). The tappers didn’t stand a chance, no matter how much of a big deal Nigel made of it. Although the top 20 were all amazing to good (the tap number was a yawn since the song for it was an awful pairing) in the showcase show, it just went downhill from there.

    Throw in Mia not participating this season, NappyTabs really sucking, the lack of judge rotation, the dark and gloomy new stage, conflicts with baseball, harried episodes that resulted in next to no viewer exposure to the new choreographers in the line up, the scores of injuries, a top 6 finale due to the holidays, which ended up being 1/3 rerun of the top 20 showcase, and 1/3 showing of taped clips… This season kinda really sucked.

    I really was rooting for Ellenore to win because she had the perfect combination of great technique, unique solo style, and funky personality. But obviously, America wasn’t going to get it. The judges’ propping up of Kathryn was a bit ridiculous, to me she was last season’s Kayla. Good dancers, but kind of blah. The outfit they had on her for the final NappyTabs did nothing but make her seem small and insignificant, although her contemporary with Jakob was totally amazing, I admit. Ryan and Ashleigh shouldn’t have even been in the finale. I basically called all the placements as Cat announced them.

    I really wish more women have gotten 1st place over the show’s run. In six seasons, the top two has never been two women (assuming that seasons 2-4 were announced in vote order and not random reality drama order, that is). But, I have noticed that SYTYCD is doing a great job in terms of inclusion of POC, even in the way it shakes out towards the final episodes.

    Now let’s just hope that January auditions for season 7 means they’re returning to a summer airing schedule.

  6. I totally agree with frau sally benz,

    I picked who would go out in order as well, and did think Kathryn would be 3rd, not second, only because I sort of anticipated a “Jakob vs. Russell” showdown to the finish. I thought K and J were great dancers, but my favs were Ellenore and Russell: I just think they had that “something extra”–personality plus, some call it, that put them into the stratosphere for me. J and K were technically great, and more. But E and R: WOW!!!!! I just loved them, as dancers, as people, as contestants. And I do agree with Mary M. that Russell came the farthest. Again, J is beautiful to watch, and amazing in what he does–amazing–but his bag of tricks didn’t run as deep as Russell’s well-water of joy and inspiration. Same with Ellenore: she was just so vibrant, fun, engaging, fun, excellent, and FUN.

    I thought there were too many singers also in the finale (wait: was that the AMAs??), and was also really sorry Russell got hurt–and wish they’d told us what he injured–I was wanting to know the whole night: is he going to be okay?????, and I was kind of wondered how he and the others felt about clips being shown instead of them doing all those other judge’s picks dances live. (Were they relieved? I cannot imagine how they do all those numbers in one night: for one it’s one or two, but for the top four it’s usually four or five each/or in group numbers. Can you say EXHAUSTING, and cause of injuries???)

    I’m also glad Mary M. gave Ashleigh and Ryan the opportunity to dance in their own style… finally!!!! It was wonderful to see. Their love and support for each other is just so heart-warming.

    So hurray for Russell. A well-deserved win. And Ellenore–I love you! And Jakob and Kathryn, you are both so beautiful and amazing.

    (Thanks so much for running this and related threads!!!!!)

  7. @Mai:

    I TOTALLY agree with you 1000%. The heterosexism on the show is SOOOOO over the top, for a dance show that obviously has SO MANY gay male dancers, and one gay male judge this year. Yes, I think it is absolutely Nigel’s homophobia.

    I would LOVE to see the choreographers create storylines about women in love, men in love, and not, as you say, butch boys in battle, or girlie girls playing nice.

    One added note about Ellenore: it is VERY rare to me that a woman can be presented in this kind of show without being overly and overtly sexualised, by the judges, costume designers, producers, choreographers, etc. And there’s something about Ellenore that defied that. I’m not sure what it is. I think it was that her brilliant uniqueness pre-empted her being a misogynist meme, a trope of femininity. Of course she was thrown around enough by male dancers due to choreographers who can’t think of what else men are supposed to do when with women–RAGE–but something about her always transcended that femme role stuff. Brava to her!!

  8. I agree with pretty much everything you all are saying, all of which led to the disappointment with this season.

    Julian, I really agree with you about Ellenore! I think Sabra had a similar quality to her, but it’s even more so with Ellenore.

    And I was so glad to see Ashleigh & Ryan dance that jive!

  9. I missed the whole damn thing! My bf locked us out of our house! We had to call a locksmith. It was awful. I’m jealous of all of you for having seen it. But yeah as a whole this season wasn’t all that awesome. I miss Mia!

  10. I guess I could have told you weeks and weeks and weeks ago that Russell would win, which I didn’t think he deserved. He had the sobbiest sob story and they kept implying he had no formal training (not true) so he could suck outside his style and there was no problem with that.

    I thought Ashleigh would rank higher, seeing as Ellenore and Kathryn fell in the bottom as much as they did, but I think it was “good enough” that she and hub got to dance together. A couple of times. I knew Ryan would be #6.

    I think with Ellenore what bothered me was … it’s one thing to be unique and it’s another to try too hard to be unique. She struck me as doing the latter. I liked her before I got that vibe of “lolz I’m WEEEERD!!!”

    Jakob shoulda won. I hope next season is better. I was pretty happy with last season, so if it could at least be that good, I would be happy.

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