SYTYCD: Halfway Point

Today's shock non-elimination means that the top 6 dancers will dance once again next week and two of them will get eliminated. I haven't been posting at all this season, so here's my attempt to make up for it. Plus there's no better time to take stock of this year with about half of the dancers left in the competition.

All-Stars Experiment A Success

Count me as one of the skeptics who was relunctant of the sweeping change they made this season to include previous contestants into the mix. Dubbed as "All-Stars" they partnered with this year's dancers and they won me over on the first week. Not only is it great seeing some old favorites and how they have grown, but it also show's appreciation to the history of the show which is a nice touch.

Girls Are Not Welcome

The guys already outnumbered the girls 6 to 5 at the beginning, but then to have the first three eliminations be girls was I'm sure frustrating for the show. Fortunately this unforseen circumstances led way to the show really taking advantage of its All-Stars *and* giving us more frequent same-sex routines which are almost always a thrill.

The Curse of Season Seven

The first guy to be eliminated from the competition was Alex Wong. Poised to possibly win and certainly one of the frontrunners, he was injured and had to more or less withdraw from the competition. The following week, it was the same old story, except this time Ashley Galvan was the one injured. And when everyone thought it was over, this week audience-favorite Billy Bell suffered a minor injury as well. Unlike the first two, however, the doctor have cleared him to dance the following week so he got a reprieved and thus the shock non-elimination tonight. Let's hope no more injuries!

Lauren vs. Kent

With Alex gone, frontrunner status went to Kent Boyd (my favorite). He has already captured audience's heart and the judges adore him. His magnetic "oh-shucks" personality coupled with his beautiful dancing is taking him all the way to the finals. His main competition, in my opinion, is with the last girl standing, Lauren Froderman. Somehow she overcame the XX curse and with dynamic dancing, she has become an audience favorite. She's probably the one who has grown the most and at the very least she stands out amidst the sea of testosterone.

Quick Miscellaneous Thoughts

Jose Ruiz is loved by all, but he needs to do better in other genres. It's great that Robert Roldan and AdeChike Torbert overcame initial questions about their cold or arrogant personalities, which I never believed myself. Billy Bell has floundered a bit with the audience which is confusing to me, but he's still around. I miss Mary Murphy, but while it took an episode or two to find her stride, I'm ultimately liking Mia Michaels in the judges' seat. And finally, don't forget July 31st is National Dance Day!