So You Think You Can Dance – Episode 7-12

The Top 8 curse strikes again. Every season, a fan favorite who is doing very well goes home unexpectedly. Allison. Sara. Will. Janette. Legacy. And now Alex. I didn’t think the curse would find its way in because of this All Star season, but I shouldn’t have been so naive.

This is crushing. Alex is easily one of the best contestants to hit the SYTYCD stage – ever. And he had popularity, a connection to the audience, and personality. Something none of the other so-called “best” dancers had. This will always be the “Alex” season, and whoever wins, people will be wondering what would have happened if Alex stayed.

All of that being said, I’m not sure about inviting Alex back to the show. It’s unfair, no? He will come in with an experience the others won’t have and a huge following. The same chance wasn’t offered to, say, Jessi from Season 3. I hope he has moved on to bigger and better things by next season and chooses not to return. Or maybe he’ll can come back as an All Star.

It was obvious from the get go that Alex was going home – they didn’t mention him until the very end, it seemed clear why. I still wonder why they went through the motions of it all, especially since Ashley and Bill weren’t going anywhere and the judges didn’t have to deliberate, nor could they be “unanimous” about sending Alex away from the competition.

I didn’t love the opening dance by Mia Michaels (a bit too literal and trite) and I thought Mia’s “apology” to Adechike was a joke. It was almost the same exact thing she told Brandon in Season 5 when she apologized to him. I hope they don’t bring her back on the panel next year. She’s talented as a choreographer, but does not have the makings of a judge. It’s fine to admit it, bring back Mary Murphy, and move on. Somehow I don’t think the show has that kind of honesty about itself.

I’m getting a better idea of how they’re handling the All Star routines – Anya and Pasha never danced together on the show (although they’ve famously been partners for years) and so we were treated to their audition piece. I wish they’d picked something more fiery, but I still loved every minute of it. Does this mean we won’t see Pasha tackle The Transformers again?

And finally, I liked Natasha Beddingfield’s routine and especially the incorporation of the All Stars into the routine. I guess Cat and Natasha are old friends? How very Hollywood.

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