So You Think You Can Dance 14×12 had more than a few surprises
So You Think You Can Dance 14×12 said goodbye to another great dancer. Sydney’s departure was not a huge shock, but many were surprised by the bottom three in general. Fan favorite Dassy Lee found herself among the endangered trio, but luckily was saved by the judges. Sydney was not so lucky. The remaining contestants are: Dassy, Logan, Kiki, Kaylee, Taylor, Mark, Koine, and Lex.
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The night was full of incredible dances (one of which made Mary Murphy cry!), and the choreography and costuming really shined once again. We were almost as excited as Vanessa Hudgens watching all of these amazing performances. Many dancers stepped it up this week, but a few took a step back. Nigel Lythgoe described Taylor and Robert as the couple to beat last week, but he was disappointed in this week’s performance from them.
There’s lots more to discuss, and our roundtable is here to talk it all out.
Reagan (@reagandpierce) – TV After Dark Writer and Editor
Janine (@J9DH) – Mom of 2 and fan of talent shows like SYTYCD and American Idol
Terry (@rockinchick66) – Asset Manager by day, Wife, Kitty Mama and SYTYCD super fan by night!
Tracy (@tjohn68) – Dance fan, TV fan, Superhero fan
Brandon (@indigo_15) – Writer, dance enthusiast, lover of pop culture. Supporter of imaginations running wild.
1. Who was tonight’s MVP?
Reagan (@reagandpierce): I’m going to go with Koine. I just seriously loved her Hip-Hop routine with Marko, and I think she absolutely killed it. She wasn’t one of my early picks but I’m paying more and more attention to her as the weeks go by.
Janine (@J9DH): This is a tough question this week! The dancers who had strong solos and pair performances are Lex, Kiki and Kaylee. All 3 of these dancers showed depth in skill this week, and significant growth from the beginning of the season. Lex may have a slight edge over the others this week.
Brandon (@indigo_15): That’s a hard one. But I think I have to go with Mark, who delivered both a powerful duet with Comfort, and one of the more memorable solos of the night for me. He’s a true dark horse in the competition, and continues to surprise me. Now, if only more people would vote for him to keep him out of the bottom three…
Tracy (@tjohn68): I felt like no one really showed a lot of growth and emotion and his routine of comfort tonight. That was probably the one routine that actually made me feel something tonight so Mark is it for me.
Terry (@rockinchick66): I would have to say Lex. His solo was fantastic and his Broadway routine with Gaby didn’t disappoint! He’s definitely on my hot tamale train!
2. Which three pairs did the best?
Reagan: Lex and Gaby, Dassy and Fik-shun, Koine and Marko. I think. But I really loved Kiki and Jenna, too.
Janine: The three best pair dances were definitely Kiki & Jenna, Lex & Gaby and Dassy & Fik-shun
Brandon: I thought Lex and Gaby, Mark and Comfort, and Kiki and Jenna were the best tonight. Lex and Gaby’s Broadway number was pure joy, and they did an excellent job. I really hope that performance permanently squashes the Lex-doesn’t-have-any-personality narrative. Mark and Comfort gave yet another top-notch performance, and I really hope it was enough to keep him out of the bottom 3 next week. And Kiki continues to impress me; I thought his contemporary piece with Jenna was quite beautiful.
Tracy: Mark and Comfort, Jenna and Kiki, Allison and Logan. I thought all three danced really strongly outside of their regular genre.
Terry: The top 10 this season is phenomenal so it’s really hard to pick my fave three pairs each week!
This week my faves are Lex and Gaby, Logan and Allison and Fikshun and Dassy.
3. Which dance (aka the lighting, choreo, costumes, and story) did you most enjoy?
Reagan: I feel like I’m the only one who just really loved Koine and Marko’s hip-hop routine, but I’ve got to bring it up again. The use of the mirror and the way they did Koine’s makeup was just fantastic. The whole thing was great.
Janine: I most enjoyed the lighting, choreography, costumes and story of Kaylee and Cyrus’s routine by Spencer Liff. I couldn’t take my eyes off of Kaylee in this number. Her performance was perfection! The song choice, costumes, makeup, lighting and choreography were very much in sync.
Brandon: Logan and Allison’s Jive was my highlight of the night. Sasha Farber and Emma Slater gave them an incredible Jive, and I thought Logan did well with it, even if he wasn’t perfect. I have a thing for ’50s era clothing and hair, so it’s safe to say I absolutely loved the costumes, as well as the fun, cheeky story.
Tracy: Again, Mark and Comfort. Just beautifully lit, the story of the dance was executed really well, it was just very intense.
Terry: I loved Lex and Gaby’s Broadway routine! It really showed a different side of Lex. The costumes and the choreo brought me back to another time and place!
4. Which three solos were the best?
Reagan: Mark, Lex, and I’m actually going to mention Kaylee because her solo surprised me. I haven’t been totally impressed with her, but that solo was great.
Janine: Lex showcased his range of moves quite skillfully in his solo. Kiki is an outstanding and dynamic ballroom dancer and had a strong solo. Kaylee also had a well choreographed and interesting solo.
Brandon: Mark, Logan, and Taylor performed my favorite solos of the night. I found myself mesmerized with Mark’s breaking solo and Logan’s athleticism, while Taylor has a quality about her that just demands my undivided attention. There were some others that also stood out to me (like Koine and Dassy), but those were the ones I really took notice of.
Tracy: Logan, Lex, and Kiki. Lex is a BEAST! Probably the strongest solo I’ve seen overall throughout the season yet. I love Logan, I love the way he moves his body. Kiki has hips for days, so that was amazing. A strong runner up might be Kaylee,. I liked her solo, but for some reason I’m not connecting to her, so that’s why I didn’t put her in my top three.
Terry: It’s so tough to narrow it down to 3! I would have to say in no particular order, Mark, Dassy and Lex.
5. Which three dancers maybe could’ve done better?
Reagan: Interestingly, I’m including Kaylee here too. Her solo did surprise me, but she just doesn’t shine in most of her dances, including this week’s duet. Her performance is unfortunately often forgettable. Other than that, probably Sydney and Taylor.
Janine: Taylor was very underwhelming and looked unprepared for her ballroom performance. Sydney also seemed off in her hip hop routine, although wearing sunglasses is never a good idea when your eyes are needed to convey emotion in a dance routine. I wasn’t jumping up and down over Logan’s performance either.
Brandon: I think Sydney, Kaylee, and to a lesser extent, Koine, could have done better in their duets tonight. I think the judges were spot-on with their critiques of Sydney; she wasn’t as down and into the floor as I would have liked, and it lacked a bit of swagger on her part. I’m not quite sure what’s happening with Kaylee. She was an early standout to me, but I don’t think she has lived up to the brilliance of her first audition yet. I hope she does before it’s too late for her. I think Koine had a few of the same issues as Sydney, but not quite to the same extent.
Tracy: I feel like Taylor keeps sort of checking her body, especially in her solos more so than when she dances with Robert. I find that distracting. Kaylee and Cyrus are not connecting like I would hope they would, and I didn’t care for their interpretation of that choreo. I don’t have a third for doing better. I liked the rest of the routines.
Terry: I think Kaylee has a lot more that she hasn’t shown to us yet and Taylor and Sydney are both forgettable for me.
6. How are you handling Sydney’s departure? Did you expect it or are you surprised?
Reagan: I was shocked by the bottom three, specifically Dassy, but Sydney wasn’t a huge surprise. I was outraged she was going home until I realized I have no idea who I would send home in her place - I just really love all of these dancers.
Janine: I was not at all surprised to see Sydney and Mark in the bottom 3 and predicted this last week. I was shocked to see Dassy in the bottom 3! I think Sydney was the most tentative of the remaining dancers and deserved to go home.
Brandon: I wasn’t too surprised that she left. She was in the bottom last week, and outside of a handful of exceptions like Paul, the Schwimmers, and the Di Lellos, I don’t think many other ballroom dancers have gone deep into the competition. What’s up with that, by the way? She was the contestant I connected with least, but it’s still sad to see her leave, because she’s a really talented dancer who I feel never really got a chance to shine.
Tracy: I’m not surprised. I expected her to go home early.
Terry: First of all, I can’t believe Dassy was in the bottom 3! Did the viewers penalize her for a small stumble in her Bollywood? I don’t know. I was stunned when they called her name! No, I’m not surprised Sydney went home. Though she is a fantastic ballroom dancer she didn’t stand out enough to get the votes.
7. Prediction time! Who’s headed home next week?
Reagan: It’s got to be Kaylee. It needs to be. She’s undeniably talented, but she just isn’t up to par with everyone else in my opinion.
Janine: Ugh. The remaining dancers are all good so it will be very tough to see any of them go. This week I was shocked to see Dassy in the bottom 3, so maybe we will see more shock results going forward. Based on the performances I think Taylor, Logan and possibly Koine could be in the bottom 3. I still feel as though Mark is the least skilled of the remaining dancers so I would not be surprised to see him with another bottom 3 showing.
Brandon: Oof. I really hate to say this, because she was one of my early favorites. But with so many of the other dancers growing and delivering powerful, memorable performances over the past few weeks, I would not be surprised at all if the judges send Kaylee home if she falls into the bottom 3 next week. She’s the only dancer left who hasn’t had a real breakout moment yet, and with such an insanely talented group of dancers around her, I fear her time on the show might be coming to an end soon.
Tracy: Really hard for me to say. Except for Sydney, between last week and this week, there were new people each time. I think at least Kaylee, possibly Logan, and possibly Dassy might go in the bottom three again. Look, I think we all know that it’s very much luck of the draw of the routines these contestants get each week. If they get something strong and memorable and execute it well, even if they end up in the bottom three, the judges will choose to save them.
Terry: Who knows? Each week I’m stunned with at least one of the bottom three! If I had to choose one I would have to say Kaylee. Even though I really liked her during the audition process she hasn’t really risen to the challenge each week.
Final Verdict: We’re getting down to the wire, and it’s anyone’s game!
The biggest surprises of the night came from Kaylee’s solo, Taylor and Robert’s duet, and Dassy’s inclusion in the bottom three. Is it possible that viewers are just not voting? The bottom three often seems randomized, and for a fan favorite to end up in the bottom three, there’s got to be something up. Hopefully, more viewers will vote for their favorites this week!
