Season 1, Episode 5: Yakety Yak (Don't Talk Back)

The first performance show of SYTYCD is a bit of a roller coaster. The highlights, for me, mostly came from interviews with some of the contestants (more on that later). The dancing was adequate, but felt somewhat contrived in performance quality. The dances are about moves, not concepts or emotions, and I can practically hear Ethel Mermen shouting, “smile baby” during every dance. The judges, however, acted like judges instead of overly-caffeinated cheerleaders, and they offered constructive criticism on nearly every piece. (The judges, by the bye, were Nigel, Mia, Dan Karaty, and Brian Friedman).

The format of this first season is quite different from what it is now. First, you actually see the contestants select partners and dance styles out of a hat, which is kind of fun. Second, each choreographer choreographs ONE dance, which is then performed by two different couples with only minor variations. This  does make it easier to compare dancers, but it makes for a rather boring viewing experience. Third, the dances are really short - under 60 seconds - so there's not enough time for the choreographers to take us on a journey. The last, and most important, difference is the elimination process. At the end of the show, the judges collectively pick the 3 bottom couples. Each of those 6 contestants then gets to perform their solo. America votes on these 6 as individual contestants, and the bottom guy and girl go home.

I'm really glad they changed this, although I always prefer to vote for individuals instead of couples (I HATE when a mediocre or annoying contestant gets through because their partner is awesome). But in this old system, there are no second chances - the judges don't get to save anyone whom they know can do better. This is really important in the first few weeks of the show, when audiences won't vote for contestants who didn't have much air time. Imagine if Danny had been voted off of Season 3 in weeks 1 or 2? Oh, the horror!

Highlights (and lowlights) of the episode:

• We get to see Mary Murphy choreographing a jive. Not only does it show what a good choreographer she is, but it reminds me that there's a lot more to her than deafening screams and hot tamale trains. For videos of the two couples who performed Mary's jive, see here and here.
• I have to apologize to Ryan. "Token b-boy" or not, he can really dance. His mambo was smooth and oily, and one of the better numbers of the night.  He also is incredibly humble and likable, which I did not remember at all. I'm so used to b-boys having huge egos!

• Jonnis and Michelle performed the same dance, and were clunky and awkward throughout. When informed as much by the judges, Jonnis replies that he thought they were really good, and he's sorry the judges didn't "get" what they were doing. Mia clearly finds this hysterically funny, and tells him later comments like that make him unemployable, and that he belongs in the bottom 3. The audience boos her, but voters seem to agree.... 

What do you think?