On Our Way To Crazy

Top 14! Woo-hoo! Sorry this is so late, we had guests this weekend and I didn’t want to force them to watch this with me. Some people just don’t understand Things That Are Awesome.

PERFORMANCE SHOW

CAT. What is that dress? Seriously. Is her hair red? What is happening?

Jidges! This week our guest jidges are Tabitha and Napoleon. Does that mean no hip hop routine? Or does it mean we get a REAL hip hop routine? Exciting!

Up first we have Will and Jessica. Because everyone is dancing twice, there’s no filler video. Awesome. They are performing a jive in some pretty boring costumes, but the routine is fun. They dance it well and look like they’re having a good time. It’s cute. They do this freaking awesome flip thing where he bends at the waist and she kind of dives over him and then he stands up and she flips under his legs around to the front. It’s awesome. I like this pretty well, which is saying a lot because I still do not like her.

Tabitha and Napoleon (Taboleon?) thought it was good and could see the fight in them. Mary says they nailed the tricks but missed some connections. She makes sure to sell Will to us a bit more. I feel like they are beating us over the head with him. Every week it’s “Will was great, Jessica was just okay.” Which is generally true, but give us a break already.

Their second routine is lyrical jazz with Mandy Moore. What is the difference between lyrical jazz and contemporary? It looks the same to me. They are dancing to “Alone” by Heart, which is pretty awesome. And… Wow. Y’all, I am a whole different person tonight. They are fantastic. The routine is sexy and dramatic and they are so so good. They do some amazing lifts and twists and, also, Will isn’t wearing a shirt. Two thumbs up for that. It’s really good.

Taboleon says Will was amazing and Jessica held it back, blah blah blah. That poor girl. I don’t particularly like her, but they are so harsh tonight. Mary thinks they were amazing, Jessica included. She puts them on the trainwoohoooooooooooooo. Nigel says they are fabulous and points out that Jessica is a great dancer. He calls them beautiful.

Comfort and Thayne. They get Broadway with Andy Blankenbueller and are doing a routine from West Side Story. And… I like it. A lot. It’s like I don’t even know myself anymore. Blast. The whole routine is really fun and they do a great job. It’s kind of a cat and mouse thing with him chasing her around the stage. The dancing looks great and they get the faces and emotions right. I enjoyed the whole thing. It’s like I don’t even know myself anymore.

Napitha thinks they have good chemistry and got the flirtiness dead on. Mary loves the new partnership and spends some time praising Comfort. Is there a point in the show when they stop saying that people were good ‘for someone dancing outside their style?’ Aren’t they all doing that most of the time? Isn’t part of the reason they’re on the show at all is that they have some proficiency there? At some point it feels like they should just be judged on the performance, that’s all, the end. Nigel talks about how awesome the choreography was (again) but didn’t think they were that good. Then! He totally makes the point I just made about how we’re in the top fourteen and it doesn’t matter where you come from, you have to be good. How can I hate and love him so much at the same time? I am so conflicted.

In the second round they get a smooth waltz. I do not see this going well. It’s all very… smooth, I guess? These routines always bore me. I don’t know much about technique on this kind of thing, but it doesn’t look very good. It’s pretty, though. I don’t know.

Napitha says they enjoyed it and Comfort looked like an angel. They’re not feeling Thayne, though. Me either. They call him phony, which is totally true. Boo to Thayne. Mary loved it! I did not see that coming. She also loves Thayne, though, so she cannot be trusted. Nigel thinks they did well and, shockingly, talks about the choreography. WE GET IT.

Kourtni and Matt. They get hip hop (yay!) with Cicely and Olisa (boo!). Ugh. This routine is weak all around. I hate the choreography (hip hop lite, AGAIN) and I don’t think they’re doing a very good job. They don’t seem into it at all, and it kind of feels like they’re not really trying. The moves are small, they’re not very together, they seem disconnected from each other and the performance. Not good.

NapTab talk about all the different styles of hip hop and say that while Matt was really good they couldn’t cut it in any kind of hip hop competition. Well, duh. Neither could that routine. Mary says it was fine, and she thought it was good, but she wants to be entertained and get excited about a routine and they just aren’t making that happen. Nigel didn’t like the choreography, or the performance, or the style, or the music, and calls it ‘hip hop on sleeping pills’, which is exactly right. I hate it when Nigel puts words to how I feel.

Next up they get the mambo with Alex DiSilva. It goes pretty well, I think. The problem here is that I think the mambo is supposed to be sexy, and they are not sexy. They are fun and cute and freakishly tall, but not sexy. They pull off some crazy spins and lifts, though. At one point he has her over his head and she’s moving all around and he’s just spinning and spinning. It’s good, but they don’t have the spirit of it.

NapTab agrees with me. They say they need to get down and dirtier. Mary thought Kourtni was smokin’ hot, but they were not smokin’ together. No chemistry. She’s totally right. Nigel didn’t think it was big enough or low enough but he thought they danced it well. They are not feeling it.

Chelsie and Mark! They get jazz with Mandy Moore, which is very exciting. They come out to “Kiss Kiss” by Holly Vance. The styling and the music both have kind of an 80s feel, with fingerless gloves and blue and purple and Mark’s bad hair. I like the routine, but it’s not my favorite of theirs. I think they do a good job and it has a lot of complicated moves, but I’m just not totally feeling it. They do pull off some pirouettes and leaps in perfect unison and they look great.

Leonitha praise their storytelling abilities and chemistry. Mary says, “I hate to be such a downer tonight…” which means she’s totally going to pull the fakeout. Which she does. She thought they hit everything and did a great job. Nigel compliments Chelsie’s hips and calls them ‘magic’.

Their second routine it the foxtrot. Chelsie comes out in this insane furry blue dress thing. Also, they are dancing to a Paul Anka cover of Bon Jovi’s “It’s My Life”. Funny. I like this routine, and I as a general rule don’t enjoy ballroom. Mark is going to get far in this competition totally on his acting abilities. He always just looks the part. It looks good, they are together and energetic and fun. I think it goes better than Matt and Kourtni’s routine. It definitely helps them that it’s a ‘cleaner’ style of ballroom, as opposed to the ‘down and dirty’ mambo.

Leonitha loves that they look like they love to dance and says they are professionals. Mary says it was a really difficult routine and they pulled it off and were ‘elegant and classy’. Nigel thought Mark looked uncomfortable Chelsie was fabulous.

Twitch and Kherington pull a pasa doble. The routine is a fight between a matador and a… matadoress? I’m pretty sure that’s not a word. There’s a chance he might kick her in the face. Something to look forward to. Kherinton has on this insane cape/dress/boot combo. Oh! That’s not a cape. They both have them. It’s supposed to be like the cape you wave in front of a bull, I think. They are fantastic. Everything is dramatic and sharp and really, really cool. Kherington is definitely not smiling, so that’s good. I think they nail it. They really do seem to be in the middle of a battle. They totally pull it off. I love it.

Napoletab thought it started slow but it picked up and blew up after that. Mary says it was full of passion but thought they were just okay. Nigel loved the choreography and was entertained but critiques their technique. They all liked Kherington more than Twitch.

Their second routine is a Mia Michaels contemporary. It involves a bed. Twitch appears to only be wearing boxers. I am in favor of this so far. I am not, though, in love with this routine. I’m pretty sure they just flail around on the mattress and jump up and down. They are totally into it, and they pull of the emotions for sure, but for me it’s just okay.

Napoletab loves it. They give it six awesomes. Six! I don’t think so. Mia does lots of woo-hooing and calls it powerful and dynamic. Nigel is skeevy, this time about Twitch, and compliments how commited they were to it.

Katee and Joshua. Their first routine is a Mia Michaels contemporary. OK. I am fully aware that I am a sucker for Mia’s stuff. But this is really good. The song is Hometown Glory by Adele. It’s pretty typical Mia… emotional and jerky and lots of running into each other’s arms and big huggy lifts and stuff. It kind of reminds me of Lacey and Cameron from last season. They do a great job. I am impressed. Especially by how Katee’s hair is standing straight up like that. How did they do that?

Tabitheon praises their presence and says they command the stage. They loved the storytelling and says they just got it. Mary says they haven’t messed up yet all season says they made her feel something from the get go. Nigel loved them and says something about how they will be on the list when history is written. I don’t know what means. He had me, then he lost me.

In the second round they get west coast swing with Benji, which makes everyone in the audience squeal. And Lacey is there, so Susan is excited. I… am bored. I don’t think it is so great. For a swing routine, there doesn’t seem to be much going on. It feels too slow for the music and their personalities feel fake to me. Meh.

Tabitheon loved it and thinks they are fantastic. Mary loved the choreography and thinks they were great. Nigel calls them adaptable and spends some time talking about how great Benji was when he was on the show, which, sure, but why are we talking about it? He is on my nerves tonight.

Courtney and Gev got hip hop with Cicely and Olisa. Meh. I was nervous about this, but I think they do a good job. The routing is really fun. It hits harder than most of the hip hop we’ve seen so far and they perform it really well. I actually think Courtney does a better job than Gev. She is certainly a better contemporary-turned-hip hop dancer than Kherington was last week. It’s fun and bouncy and they are great. I like it.

TabNap (Sorry! I’m running out of ideas!) echo my sentiment about Courtney doing better than Gev. Mary is feeling it half and half. She expected more from Gev but thought Courtney killed it. Nigel was also watchng Courtney because he’s skeevy. He says it wasn’t strong enough.

Their final routine is broadway. Fun! I think they will be good. They are playing tourists seeing New York for the first time. It’s cute, but if feels like all they’re really doing is running around the stage and pointing at things. Seriously. Running and pointing.

TabNap thought they played the characters well and sold the routine well. Mary calls them dynamic and loves them as a couple. Nigel calls them underdogs and says they pulled it off. He talks for a really really long time.

Whew! That was exhausting.

My favorites: Will and Jessica’s lyrical jazz, Katee and Joshua’s contemporary
Least favorites: Kourtni and Matt’s ‘hip hop’, Katee and Joshua’s swing

RESULTS SHOW

Group routine! This one is awesome. It’s a broadway routine to “Money Money” from Cabaret. It’s got a 20’s feel, with flappers and bowler hats and feathers. There’s lots of spinning and some cool partner tricks and a ton of fun and personality. It’s still hard for me to pick out individual dancers in these routines, but it seems to star Will. And we see way too much Thayne. I am so over him.

We are getting right down to business. The first two couples out are Kherington and Twitch and Katee and Joshua. Kherington and Twitch did a pasa doble that I loved and the judges thought were just okay, and a contemporary that the judges loved and I just thought was just okay. Katee and Joshua did a beautiful contemporary and a boring west coast swing. Cat tells Katee and Joshua that they are not in the bottom two… and neither are Twitch and Kherington. Sneaky! And not at all surprising. There is much jumping and screaming on stage.

Next out are Kourtni and Matt, Gev and Courtney, and Chelsie and Mark. Kourtni and Matt were underwhelming in both their hip hop and mambo routines. They’ve been in the bottom three twice before… and they are there again, DANCING FOR THEIR LIVES (dun dun dun). Gev and Courtney did a hip hop routine that I loved and a broadway that was cute but kind of plain. Mark and Chelsie did a fun jazz routine and a really entertaining foxtrot. Have I mentioned that I love them? Because I totally do. Who’s will DANCE FOR THEIR LIVES (dun dun dun)? Gev and Courtney. I still like him, I think, but I’m kind of over her. She’s a little too ‘look at me I am so adorable!’ for my taste.

The last two couples out are Thayne and Comfort and Will and Jessica. Holy moly, it better be Thayne and Comfort. Will and Jessica were awesome last night. The Personality Twins danced a broadway routine that was pretty fun and a smooth waltz that put me to sleep. GAH. Seriously, y’all. Thayne is #1 on my annoying list. Will and Jessica did a jive that was really fun and a lyrical jazz that was one of my most favorites from last night. Will and Jessica are safe. Yay! Comfort and Thayne are DANCING FOR THEIR LIVES (dun dun dun). I am so over them.

Performances. They brought back Robert from the auditions, the guy who does crazy popping stuff but not much else. I don’t know… I think what he does is really cool, but I’m pretty bored. Nigel gives him a hard time about quitting in Vegas, then starts talking about someone named Phillip who is also very talented and he would love to see them battle, although he doesn’t know how that could happen. I bet that guy is there somewhere. Oh, he’s not. So we just talked about him for about five minutes for no reason. Awesome.

Ugh. Just say no to the Snuggle happy dances. That is a total Brotherhood 2.0 ripoff.

Solo time! Kourtni is up first with a crazy mohawk and a dress with bones or something on the back. I love her solos… I think she uses the music really well and has a… dance personality, if that’s a thing. It’s not generic. Matt is next and is generic. Meh. I hate the little moves they add at the end to go along with the So You Think You Can Dance voice. It’s awkward. Courtney comes out and is really energetic and spunky. She’s a pretty dancer for sure. Gev breaks the contemporary monotony with some freaking awesome breaker moves. He’s great. I want to buy his t-shirt for Aaron. Comfort comes out and the same move fifteen times in a row. Thayne is last and ugh, I really hate him. Have I made that clear? He’s so lame.

Conference by the stairs! Performance by OneRepublic! Finally someone I at least find interesting and don’t want to fast forward. Well, not the whole thing.

Why do people wave their arms from side to side during slow songs? I don’t really see it at concerts, but always on this show and shows like American Idol. What is that? I have never in my life felt the need to wave my arms around like that. Is there something onstage next to the APPLAUSE sign that says AWKWARD ARM WAVE? That is the only explanation.

Elimination time. Nigel takes some time to tell us how he’s connected to American Idol (lame) and that he’s more attached to these contestants than any other season. They call Courtney up first and tell her she’s safe. Comfort comes up next and Nigel says he wanted her to go home, but he was outvoted and Kourtni is going home. What? Really? GAH. I am with Nigel. Comfort was not good tonight. Boo.

Boys. They loved Gev’s solo and he is totally safe. They don’t think Matt has grown since he’s been on the show and he is cut. Lame again! I don’t think Matt is awesome or anything, and he definitely wasn’t going to win, but Thayne? Boo again.

Next week we find out who’s in the top ten! It better not be Thayne.

June 1 – Lots of new people came to care group and we had excellent food.
June 2 – Fancy sushi and a movie with the girls where I spent way to much on drinks because I thought it was happy hour.
June 3 – We got some new kids involved in the flamingos and artfully decorated the yard of what is honestly the biggest house I have ever seen.
June 4 – Huge turnout for dinner and trivia, which was a good thing even though our team bit the dust on the last question after leading the entire game.
June 5 – GREAT meeting about renovating the youth house. It is going to be amazing.
June 6 – I had a delicious dinner and excellent wine.
June 7 – We took a four hour nap in the middle of the day for no real reason at all.
June 8 – A couple of events drew some new kids who are starting to get connected.
June 9 – I learned a LOT at counseling.
June 10 – Brisket and blueberry beer.
June 11 – Great work day: interesting class, good staff meeting, fun lunch, productive team meeting, movie in the park with the kids.
June 12 – We went to the worst writer’s night in the history of Nashville, but we laughed a lot so that was good.
June 13 – We went to what we thought was dinner with a private chef but turned out to be a sales pitch for pots and pans, but we laughed a lot so that was good. Then we drove to Kentucky and got there at 4am. That part wasn’t so funny.
June 14 – We hung out with the band all day at Icthus and got to watch Leeland and Family Force Five from the sidestage.
June 15 – We walked miles and miles but got to have excellent Thai food with the guys and my fun friend Susan.
June 16 – Hung out at a video shoot and took a spooky tour of some old mines.
June 17 – Fun cookout with the guys.
June 18 – Lots of good band hangout time… I think the more social time we spend with them the better their working relationship with Aaron gets.
June 19 – I got caught up on all the work I didn’t do while the band was here.
June 20 – We took some kids to the Sounds game and had a seriously great time.
June 21 – Slept until noon. And I don’t even fell bad about it.
June 22 – Excessively fun care group meeting at which I, once again, smoked everyone in bocce.
June 23 – We filled our last camp spots.
June 24 – Wipeout and I Survived a Japanese Gameshow came on, and they were AWESOME.
June 25 – Great high school group discussion about values and behavior.
June 26 – Looooooong, but fun, night of flamingoing.
June 27 – We laughed and laughed and laughed at Get Smart.
June 28 – Spent the afternoon at the farmer’s market and shared an amazing sandwich.
June 29 – Lot of flamingos and a really good conversation with a kid.
June 30 – Track and field Olympic trials! I love the Olympics. And track. So fun.