Ms. Smarty Pants Know It All

Wednesday is going to be a TV night for the next few weeks. Everything started last night with:

1. the first performance show of the current So You Think You Can Dance season
2. Top Chef Masters

I’m still surprised at how good everyone was on SYTYCD. I can’t remember another first show going so well.

The show lucked out, or perhaps played shenanigans, with the two hip-pop dancers performing in their own genre. In the past, doesn’t at least one popper usually utterly fail when he gets ballroom?

I’ve never seen ballroom done so well by so many out-of-my-genre dancers. Perhaps the kids are finally learning that they have to have at least the basics of this style to get by on this show.

My favorites:

• Jeanine & Phillip: Hip-Hop / Choreographers: Tabitha and Napoleon D’umo
• Randi & Evan: Jazz / Choreographer: Tyce Diorio
• Ashley & Kupuno: Jazz / Choreographer: Wade Robson
• Kayla & Max: Samba / Choreographer: Louis Van Amstel

I didn’t like:

• Asuka & Vitolio: Broadway / Choreographer: Tyce Diorio
• Melissa & Ade: Contemporary / Choreographer: Mandy Moore

Even though I didn’t like these two routines, I thought they were danced remarkably well for the first show. The choreographers really put out some great work for this show, and the kids followed through. I’m excited for the potential of this season.

I can’t help but feel a producer’s hand in getting Asuka into the bottom three though. She was praised so grandly in the audition process, but there is something about her that just rubs me the wrong way. From some of the things I’ve read online, I know I’m not the only one.

As Nigel is fond of saying—personality does matter.

First, she’s paired with Vitolio, who I’m sure is a fine person but kind of unknown right now. Then, she gets one of Tyce’s Broadway routines, which do not score high with the fans in general. Finally, during the dance, we were given camera shots of the back of this couple for such extended periods of time.

It’s a silent movie routine. Their facial expressions are important!

I didn’t understand the blocking at all.

My final note on SYTYCD is a wish. I wish Mary will stop believing that she is somehow cute and cool and go back to being the big dance dork that she obviously is. Once she does, she’ll become cute and cool once again.

Screaming into the mic, the hot tamale train, and seconding oneself are not adorable. They make me want to change the channel.

Next up, Top Chef Masters!

I like the structure of this show, but I’d rather have Padma back. It’s weird to stare at someone super skinny on a foodie show, but I’m used to Padma by now. Kelly Choi didn’t really bring anything worthwhile to the table. They didn’t go over her credentials at all. Why is she the host?

Is it me or did everything these established chefs made look so much better than the food of the usual cheftestant? I’d eat any of the courses served up. I, however, do think that if any regular cheftestant made mac & cheese with shrimp (ok, prawns), Colicchio would totally rip into that at Judge’s Table?

Do you think you are going to win with mac and cheese?!

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