Wash: So, two days in a hospital? That's awful. Don't you just hate doctors? Simon: Hey. Wash: I mean, present company excluded. Jayne: Let's not be excluding people. That'd be rude.

'Ariel'


Non-Fiction TV: I Reject Your Reality and Substitute My Own

This thread is for non-fiction TV, including but not limited to reality television (So You Think You Can Dance, Top Chef: Masters, Project Runway), documentaries (The History Channel, The Discovery Channel), and sundry (Expedition Africa, Mythbusters), et al. [NAFDA]


Vortex - Jun 20, 2012 4:20:47 pm PDT #19415 of 23273
"Cry havoc and let slip the boobs of war!" -- Miracleman

Tyce, for all that is holy, CLOSE YOUR DAMNED MOUTH.


Amy - Jun 20, 2012 4:26:08 pm PDT #19416 of 23273
Because books.

Man, Vegas can be heartbreaking.


Jesse - Jun 20, 2012 4:36:03 pm PDT #19417 of 23273
Sometimes I trip on how happy we could be.

Yeah, it's rough.


Amy - Jun 20, 2012 5:01:01 pm PDT #19418 of 23273
Because books.

I'm still confused about how this season is going to work. Didn't they say Fox cut the results show?


Jesse - Jun 20, 2012 5:05:07 pm PDT #19419 of 23273
Sometimes I trip on how happy we could be.

They'll have to do audience votes at the start of the next week's show, no? Or just judges' decisions same-night.


Jesse - Jun 20, 2012 5:11:12 pm PDT #19420 of 23273
Sometimes I trip on how happy we could be.

I'm surprised every time they say his name that Adrian Lee is white, and I'm bummed he's out.


Amy - Jun 20, 2012 5:12:50 pm PDT #19421 of 23273
Because books.

But it's supposed to be America's favorite dancer, so eventually the public has to vote, right?


megan walker - Jun 20, 2012 8:14:29 pm PDT #19422 of 23273
"What kind of magical sunshine and lollipop world do you live in? Because you need to be medicated."-SFist

Love the attitude of the Dragon House kid (Cyrus?): "I need to go ahead and step my game up. Apparently there’s another level of hard that I ain’t working and I need to get there."


kat perez - Jun 20, 2012 9:58:12 pm PDT #19423 of 23273
"We have trust issues." Mylar

I confess to being a skippy skipper who skips. Sorry, Vortex. I should've known the Buffistae would be up on Peanut's show.

bon, you and bob bob should come watch SYTYCD with me one night. I will provide the wine and snappy commentary.

Vegas! But only one night in the bright light city? That's unpossible. Why, in the good old days, we used to get basically one night per choreography round. And for what? To watch Cat cast her pearls before swine on that twirly chair, D-list celeb dating show? Feh.

Where to begin? Let me explain. No, there is too much. Let me sum up.

Peanut, Twitch and Comfort choreographing routines for the Vegas audition rounds made me so, so happy. Awww, look at our SYTYCD babies. All grown up! And since we can barely get two hours to cover the several days the kids and judges spend in Vegas, we didn't get to see all that much of any one routine, but on the real? That hip hop routine looked like . . . real hip hop. I think I need to sit down. I caught the vapors. I will put up with almost any ridiculous changes to the show's format this year if we can rid ourselves of the NappyTab regime. Long live Twitchfort . . .ummm, Comfitch? Long live Twitch and Comfort! Death to the celebrity portmanteau!

Miss Debbie Allen also makes me so, so happy. I was even kinda glad to see ol' Tasty (although if he really doesn't want to come off like a bitch, well, that train has already left the station) Lil' C looked passing strange without his glasses. Much like CeeLo, he is a man who should always be bespectacled. I was so pleased to see the return of Jason Gilikson, more even than Sonya, who is becoming increasingly self referential.

Most excited to see? Cat Deeley. Always. Y'all, Cat is such an amazing host. Did you see her with Cyrus after he made it through the ballroom round? And really anything with Cyrus and Cat was delightful. Well, that's in large part because Cyrus is delightful. I mean, this kid! So talented and still humble, hungry to learn and grow, thankful for the opportunity, soaking it all in and just radiating joy. And you can tell that all the other dancers adore him. Kids, Cyrus is love!I would vote for him a million, million times, you know, if I voted.

I feel like I didn't even catch all of what happened tonight. There seriously was just way too much going on, so my highly impressionistic take on tonight's show starting with who got the boot:

Booted and I was sad about it

Hampton Williams/Exorcist - Technically, he didn't get booted, he left. But I was still sad to see him go. Still, I had to respect that he recognized that the choreography was too much for him and he was incredibly respectul and classy going in front of the judges to withdraw. And they were great with him. Y'all, picking up choreography is really, really hard. Some really great dancers could just never be pros because it takes them too long to get choreography. It really doesn't have a ton to do with how talented you are (once you are at a certain level, at least). Here's what happens when a truly untrained dancer tries to pick up advanced choreography (even in his own style) . . . so that puts the lie even further to Nigel's whole untrained dancer storylines for the likes of Russell and Joshua. It just will not happen for you on a show like this if you are truly just a "street dancer" (witness what happened to Shafeek during the jazz round). I hope this kid spends the next year getting into classes and then comes back to the show because he is crazy talented.

Danielle Dominguez - And here's where the show teaches us a valuable life lesson - never help anyone when your ass is on the line. Thanks, Danielle! But seriously, what a tough, tough break. She was doing really well. I don't know that she'd have made the show, but to go out because another dancer injured you while you were doing him a favor by partnering him in a round which you'd already gotten passed through and then as a result of that to lose valuable rehearsal time on group (continued...)


kat perez - Jun 20, 2012 9:58:15 pm PDT #19424 of 23273
"We have trust issues." Mylar

( continues...) night, not know the dance or be able to get in synch with your group memebers, and then to get cut? Ouch. That's gotta sting. Another one who I hope comes back.

Dres - I don't remember him at all from last year's Green Mile but he was turning it out in Tasty's Broadway routine (which was much less repetitive than some of his past work - so pat on the back, Tyce. It only looked like you were aping Twyla Tharp about half the time) Wish he would've made it further.

Brandon Dumlao - This kid's journey on the show has been Job-like. Get cut pre-Top 20. Get called back because a contestant has to drop out and thus actually make Top 20. Get cut first out of the gate during the Top 20 round with the promise that you can come back because basically you got screwed and then get cut in Vegas not even making it to the Green Mile.

Adrian Lee/Kenickie - Dude, it's like 90% the hair and the look. Lose the Grease hair and the slightly goofy guy clothes and carriage and he'd have a much better chance to make the show. I feel badly for him because he clearly wanted it a lot, but I don't think he's, as Shankdaddy would say, "soooo So You Think You Can Dance".

Aubrey/Pink Haired Ballerina - She was so good in that group dance and I really did not think there was anything wrong with her Cha Cha. The only thing that came to mind in looking at her was that she looked a little bit long in the tooth and thick in the middle when standing next to some of the blonde hair flingers and we all know how Nigel and 19E are. Such a shame. Maybe she can come back and choreograph.

Boris (I think it was - blue haired Dragon House kid) - Picking up choreography. It's a bitch, y'all. But this kid had the right attitude. He gave it the old college try. He stayed positive. He tried to convince his housemate to be professional. He did everything right and I'd love to see him come back, like Hampton, with a little more experience and training under his belt. He needs to just get into as many classes as he can and hang in, learn how to dance to counts, learn how to follow along with the teacher, learn about spacing in a crowded studio, learn when to go full out and when to mark (although if you are in Sonya's class, there is apparently no marking allowed which is just crazy hard core!). That's what these trained contempo kids have all over the street dancers and why they looked 1000 times better doing that hip hop combination than Boris did even though he has way more talent and flow in this dance style.

Shafeek - He broke my heart, family, because he went out looking like an ass but you could totally tell it was a front. He was trying to be so hard and so I don't care but you could tell he was crushed when he couldn't pick up that jazz choreo. My heart was breaking for him as I saw him just straight up stop trying. And he quit on his partner, which is never cool. At the same time, I'm sure he felt he had to save face. He couldn't show vulnerability or real self doubt. But sweetie, don't be that dude. Don't be the dude that barks about how he's better than hip hop/b-boy kids of the past if you can't back it up. He's young and I hope he's appropriately mortified by how he represented himself here. I still liked him and wish he could've done better because he's a hell of a dancer.

Booted and I didn't mind it one bit

Frikkin' Teddy Tedholme - I am so pleased to hear that he and his serial killer facial hair will not be back. Catch a clue, kid. Nobody wants you on this show.

Other Dragon House Kid - Don't remember his name and don't care. Way to go out like a sucker.

Tim Conkle - Should've never even been there. Buh-bye.

Big Country/Asher - Props to him for making it as far as he did. I thought he'd be out round one. Still, like Tim there, he never should've been sent through to Vegas, so no big surprise or big loss that he got sent packing.

Gene/Praying Mantis - Yeah, I told y'all he would crash and burn with hip (continued...)