'So You Think You Can Dance': Break it down again

The judges on "American Idol" may get booed a lot, but they often, and rightly so, hide behind the excuse that it's the fans, not the judges who make the controversial decisions that would keep less talented but oddly popular contestants on the show in lieu of more talented ones.  It used to be the spark of the show, the "anything can happen!" aspect that kept the program from being little more than a glorified talent show.  But then, America caught on and the last season was tinged with the feeling that the country had broken through the fourth wall and could mess with the show and make it as fake as they wanted.  It feels more and more that if the best man wins, it might just be a coincidence.

The results show on "So You Think You Can Dance," like most reality shows, still feels at least as twice as long as it needs to be, but the selection process at least is a refreshing change from other shows.  Based on the performances on Wednesday night, America voted their favorites and each dancer in the three bottom couples had to dance individually, and then the judges chose from each of the three girls and boys who would go home. 

It seems only fair to the dancers, who bust their butts each night doing their tryouts, the intros and perhaps their individual dancers. Who wants to leave everything up to a bunch of wise-acres in America who might vote based on who has the cutest tube socks?  And on the other hand, it helps to have sympathetic voters who might see a captivating talent through a poor performance.  The balance between the judges and fans seems fair. 

The first couple to be voted off, Ricky Palomino and Ashlee Langas were voted/selected to leave the show.  Ashlee's suppressed tears during her elimination showed just how hard the contestants work on this show, and how much more it's going to hurt as the series progresses.

(Photo courtesy Fox)

Comments

[alexandra]

Ricky was extremely talented. I don't blame the judges for voting off the girl, but her and Ricky were mismatched and it is really the fault of the choreographer that the routine didn't work. He rocked in his individual dance! So much better than the two breakdancers who just keep doing the same thing over and over. Boo.

[Lauren B.]

All I have to say is that the pair needed some big time wardrobe help on Thursday. With Ricky looking like he just got out of the shower at the local gym and Ashlee's nearly obscene move to go braless, I got more caught up in their appearance rather than how talented they are.

Nonetheless, I'm loving this season already!