Episode 10: Mary Finally Screams ... and it Isn't Too Bad

This is another crammed episode. After two dancers (Artem and Melissa) are eliminated, each of the remaining six couples dances twice and every dancer dances a solo. The judges (Nigel, Mia, Mary, and Dan) are once again commenting on every dance, but we still don't get any rehearsal packages. I never thought I'd say this, but I really miss the rehearsal packages. First of all, that's the only way, as a rule, that we get to find out who choreographed the dances. Most of the choreographers from Season 1 don't stick around, but it still seems only fair that they get acknowledged. Second, I like learning what kind of story is behind the dance, and what kind of stylistic elements to look for. It gives me some sense of what to watch for.

Episode 9: And the Choreographers are …?

The first thing we are shown is who went home the previous week – in this case, Destini and Ryan. Ryan wins points for telling everyone that America made the right choice in saving Jamile, because Jamile is his best friend. How did I not remember that Ryan is such a sweetie?

Everyone dances twice during the performance show, but they’ve cut the show down to an hour and they’re really tight on time. So there are no rehearsal packages this week, and each couple hears from the judges only after their second dance. I really don’t like this format. While the rehearsal packages can be tedious, they can also be lots of fun. This format also means we have no idea who the choreographer is, because apparently Lauren Sanchez doesn’t have time to announce it.

Episode 8: More Invented Dance Styles

In the pre-recorded bit, we watch Snow and Allan get sent home. No surprises there. During the performance show (judged by Nigel, Mia, Dan, and Brian), we find out that each couple is going to dance twice. Hurray! There is going to be more actual dancing!

The first couple is Melissa and Artem, who will be performing “pop,” choreographed by Doriana Sanchez. Ok, what is up with these random styles? Who makes these things up? And since when does Doriana Sanchez choreograph anything other than disco?

Episode 7: “Beautifully Awful and Odd”

As always, the first thing we find out is which dancers went home the previous week. This time around, it’s Michelle and Craig. I really don’t remember Michelle, so that doesn’t shock me, but I admit I’m stunned about Craig. I remember him very clearly – I can’t believe he went home on the second week of competition.

According to Nigel, Craig is exiting because his dancing was impressive technically but lacked performance. Ok, that critique is fair enough. But Nigel doesn’t stop there. Instead, he delivers a long speech about how America doesn’t care about the technical beauty of dancing. Americans would much rather watch Melody shaking her booty and doing a penchée than watch Melody perform an excerpt from Swan Lake. And anyhow, according to Nigel, we uncultured Americans probably thing a penchée is something Spanish people wear around their shoulders. So thanks, Nigel, for your patronizing comments. It’s a good thing I’m too stupid to understand your condescension, otherwise I would be rather irritated.

Episode 6: 14 Dancers, and Mia’s Little Dog, Too

Why the title, you may ask? Well, for some inexplicable reason, Mia’s brought a fluffy little black puppy with her in the audience. You can't see it too clearly in the shot, but it seems to be a small black poodle. Altogether now, people – awwwww.

The actual show starts with us getting to see who was voted off the previous week. It’s not clear when this was shot, but it was certainly shot soon after the last performance show. It feels really odd – I keep going, oh yeah, that’s what happened last week, can we get to the dancing already? It’s hard to be too invested in watching Sandra and Jonnis leave. Lauren Sanchez’s attempts to draw out the tension feel even more artificial than this kind of thing usually does, and the whole thing’s just kind of boring. Watching this makes me really nervous about not have a results show in the upcoming season. I have no idea how they’ll handle it, but I hope they do a better job, because this method is not good.