So You Think You Can Dance 9 – Recap Live Blog Video – Vegas Callbacks

7:47 – Hello again, and welcome back to another week of live blogging and recapping So You Think You Can Dance 9! This week are the Vegas Callbacks, which are often some of my favorite episodes from each year. Sadly, because SYTYCD is only being shown once a week now, we will only have one episode of Vegas material. Still, let’s put all of that aside and hope the show continues to live up to the talent it has shown so far this season!

7:57 – Going into tonight’s episode, I figure Asher Walker and Hampton Williams are the early favorites this season. They have both proven to be immensely popular so far. Although, if they cannot pick up the choreography they could definitely be going home early. Hopefully, they are like past winners Russell Ferguson and Joshua Allen.

8:00 – Here we go! I will start taking bets now on how long it take Debbie to be amazing, Tyce annoying, and Mary insane.

8:01 – Tyce camera-whoring in the preview montage. Of course.

8:02 – Standard judging panel by now, with Nigel, Mary, Tyce, Adam, Debbie and Lil C. I do miss Mia a lot, but not as a permanent judge. She was good for once a season or so, but not always.

8:04 – What did I say about Hampton? Front-runner kids. Pimp spot, and he totally delivers.

8:07 – It has to be absolutely brutal to get there and not even get to choreo. Sadly, that happens for some dancers who are cut right after their first solos of the week.

8:08 – I am liking this solo in Vegas a lot more from Janelle Issis than her audition. It was more captivating, especially her opening with the fabric and poles.

Oh wow, they cut Tim Conkel already. After the decent amount of time they gave him in the Atlanta auditions, I am little surprised.

Whoa 51 people cut so far. Have they ever been that ruthless with first solos?

8:13 – I am so sad Cat’s talents get wasted on a show like The Choice. Terrible move FOX.

tWitch and Comfort for the hip-hop round! Yes!

8:15 – Damn! It is another Philip Chbeeb situation with Hampton. Hopefully he will go and get some choreography training and come back.

Shame on Andre Rucker for just leaving, though. At least be adult enough to take the stage like Hampton to tell the judges. Or better yet, be like his roommate Boris Penton and attempt the routine on stage.

8:20 – Definitely not shocked to see Cyrus Spencer being the last Dragon House boy standing. It was apparent, even from his audition, that he had the most talent and best ability to adapt out of all of them.

8:26 - Oh lord, Tyce is up for Broadway. I have just never been a fan of Tyce. He has had some nice pieces, but after eight seasons I have had enough. Seek out cameras elsewhere!

Uh oh, looks like our ballroom girls might be having trouble. Let’s hope they pull it out, because we need some strong ballroom this season after last year.

8:29 – Phew! Luckily it was just some misdirection on the show’s part, and the girls sailed through.

8:30 – Cannot believe I am saying this, but Tyce was totally correct about Alexa Anderson. Total deer-in-the-headlights-look. Also, that was a fantastic critique by Adam. Constructive and strong, but not overbearing. Weirdly, I am kind of missing him as permanent judge.

8:33 – Aaaaaaaand Teddy Tedholm is going home again. Man, this always happens to him. Hell, he never even makes it past the first rounds of choreo. I would not actually be surprised if he did not come back.

8:38 – Next up is Sonyah’s round for jazz.

Somebody needs to calm Shafeek Westbrook down. I feel really bad for his partner Danielle Dominguez. Good for her, though, for trying to be positive and bring him up. There really is no point in sinking down to his level. And there he goes making a complete ass out of himself by storming off and cussing out the judges on camera. So long Shafeek, we will not miss you.

Poor Danielle. No good deed really goes unpunished, huh? How much does that suck? You try and help out some of the other dancers and end up going to the hospital after getting kicked in the head.

8:46 – Cyrus is totally making the Top 20. No doubt now. They are spending way too much time on him for it not to be happening. It also helps that he is unbelievable at his own style, and that that style is not contemporary.

8:49 – I hope Amelia Lowe pulls out something great for her “dance for your life” solo, but I could not care less if Rachel Applehans goes home. Be gone, temptress with only so-so skills!

8:53 – Eh. I feel like in better and more capable hands, the idea and routine could have been delivered. Clearly though, she cannot do that. Later Rachel.

PREACH DEBBIE! Tell that girl there is more to dance than sex appeal.

8:56 – Now that was something truly and unbelievably gorgeous from Amelia. That is how you tell a story through dance. One of my favorite routines ever to come out of Vegas.

SHUT UP NIGEL! You can still deliver your point without voting no. Pompous ass.

9:00 – Group routine! Also known as: DRAMA DRAMA DRAMA = Producers happy.

Wait, could they not pick their own groups in the past? I thought it was like Idol, where they could. Weird.

9:05 – Glad to see Daniellle is back. Man, that was sloppy routine she was in, though. See, this is why I hate group rounds. What does this prove? Contestants are never asked to choreograph group routines. It just makes no sense to me. Even if you want to make the argument that they do have to do original choreography, that is only with solos. In other words, they never have to be creative, at least in an original manner, as a unit. So really, this whole round is judging a skill set they do not need to be successful on the show.

Sad to see a lot of great dancers leaving because of this round.

9:10 – Sometimes, however, it delivers a routine like that. Aubrey Klinger’s group was quite fantastic. The judges’ praise was totally deserved.

9:12 – Oh shut up Tyce. “I don’t want to seem like a bitch here..” Please, that is exactly what you want to appear as. Pssssh. Take yourself elsewhere. I found Alexa to be fine. Not revelatory, but fine.

No Nigel, you wanted her to cry. Seriously show, cut it out. Just go and kick the contestants if you want them to cry, Lord. Do not go on about how you want to see emotion, and then let them off the hook when they start breaking down because they are exhausted.

9:20 – Ballroom time.

Anybody who does not understand that Cyrus will be getting judged on a curve just does not understand this show. Nigel said a few seasons back at a terrible audition city how he could not even have a television show with what the people were giving him. Cyrus is great for television, so he will be sticking around and given tons of chances.

Holy shit! Did they really cut Asher Walker?! Without even really showing him this episode?! Wow. So who are the front-runners now?

9:25 – And then they go and cut Aubrey as well. Damn. I feel bad for her, and wish she was sticking around.

Heh. That was a nice little fake-out Nigel with those two girls.Well played.

9:28 -  So this is the point we start seeing Alexa’s narrative turning around. First she is not pushing herself, then all of sudden she just turns it on performance wise. How……predictable. Hopefully, though, the heavy manipulation the show is throwing on her story arc does not come back to bite her in the ass, like it did last year with Ryan Ramirez. Too be fair to Alexa, she is a much better dancer than Ryan, so she has that going in her favor.

9:34 – Anybody shocked that Cyrus is killing this “dance for your life” solo?

Oh Adam, I think I am falling in love with you after that comment.

So yes, Cyrus destroys it and moves on. Also, the sky is blue, people need a thesaurus to understand Lil C, Nigel is an ass, and so on and so on.

9:37 – Glad to see Travis Wall for contemporary. Very excited.

Travis loves him some Jason Mraz, doesn’t he?

Sadly, we will not be really seeing any full routines, just a montage.

9:46 – Glad to see that they gave everyone that did not make it through right away a second chance in this round. Wish they did that more often, especially because they only give them an hour to learn the routine.

Damn, we also lose Mariah Spears, our little blonde krumper.

9:48 – I know that reality shows can be overly dramatic at times with their editing, but what Joshua Alexander just did to himself made me gasp a little. There is no way to fake that kind of accident and injury. I am actually sitting here a little worried about him during this break. That just looked all sorts of painful and agonizing.

9:52 – That was solid from Alexa for her final solo, but I have to agree with Tyce over Debbie. Oh God, I cannot believe I typed that. I feel so very wrong and unclean. Anyways, I like Alexa, but I do not see her taking the whole thing.

9:56 – Now that was a final solo! Well done Chehon Wespi-Tschopp. I especially liked a specific half of his performance. I will let yall go on and guess which half…..

9:58 – And then they go and cut Adrian Lee, again. Ugh. I would be more okay with this, if we actually saw him dance this episode, and I am not counting that group routine. Sigh.

10:00 – Way to leave it to the last minute show on letting us know if Joshua was okay! Sheesh!

10:01 – So there you have it kids. We have cut down a ton of dancers tonight, and are just left with the people going through the Green Mile episode next week. Who will make it? More importantly, who will win it all? I feel like even if they were not going to be two winners this year, this would still be the most open season the show has ever had. I am super excited about that!

Videos

1st Round Choreo – Group 1 & 97 Through

Day 2 Ballroom – Witney & Lindsay

Alexa Anderson & 23 More

Day 2 Jazz – Shafeek, Danielle

Day 2 Jazz – Amelia Lowe

Rachel Applehans & Amelia Lowe (Dance 4 Life Solos)

Day 3 (1st Groups Perform) Including Audrey & Danielle

HighSchoolers Group Dance & Others Perform

Wolfpack Performs (Including Adrian & Alexa)

Final Contemporary Group & Eliminations

Final Challenge Solos

Via YouTube