SYTYCD Results
Thoughts behind the cut, more about the show in general rather than the finale, but I do spoil some of the placements, including the winner.
Neil finished 3rd two years ago, and I was thrilled and happy for him because he'd worked hard, he'd overcome the Lauren-bell tied around his neck like a dying albatross and he'd shown a lot of people that he was good enough. So his third-place finish was a sweet victory. Plus, he was roundly complimented and accepted by the judges as deserving of his spot and was appropriately spotlighted in the finale. So, I was happy.
Tonight was the opposite. It was just miserable. Watching a whole season of my favorite picked apart? Not fun. Watching a final performance night of my favorite picked apart while the others around him made mistakes and were praised as if they were perfect? Not fun. Along with group dances, watching Kayla do two dances tonight, Brandon do two dances tonight, Jeanine do two dances tonight, and then, of course Evan do only one was just yet another jab from the show that Evan just isn't good enough. And I'm pissed and it sucks.
This was not a fun season, this was not a fun finale, if you're an Evan fan these were two miserable nights. And that's just wrong. The last two episodes should be about celebrating the final contestants who made it this far, this season it was celebrate three of the final contestants, and run a Mack truck back and forth over the dying corpse of the fourth over and over and over again. And can I just say how unbelievably, pettily thrilled I was that Evan did NOT thank the judges, he mentioned the choreographers he's worked with, and the friends he made, and the journey, but he did not mention those P.O.S. judges on the panel (mainly Nigel and Mary, plus any of them who didn't choreograph him). And I was glad. If he'd thanked them, I would have been impressed with what a big person he was, but that he didn't, I don't hold against him in the slightest.
I was so frustrated and sullen watching this that when the panel was giving Evan the two standing ovations (for the butt-dance and when he was announced third) that I wanted their hypocritical asses to sit down. I know, I know, it would have been worse and showed an even more obvious lack of respect. But seeing them stand for this guy who has worked his ass off week after week while they ignored him in favor of every dancer he danced with, see him get raked over the coals while other dancers were given passes or praised unjustly, insulted because he doesn't look "right" to them, seeing those absolute jerks stand and give him a standing ovation (a sign of respect and admiration) just seemed like a joke because they sure as hell showed very little respect or admiration during this season.
Two positives ....
1. I knew we would get the butt-dance (since, you know, it was the ONLY routine that Evan got that was actually well-choreographed and choreographed with *his dancing style* in mind). And I was glad he did because there were the two little bobbles in the first performance, so I loved getting the opportunity to get a cleanly-performed copy of it.
2. I DID want Jeanine to win with Evan out of it, and when she won, I did say "Yay!" and smiled because I do like her, before Caitlin left she was my second favorite girl, and after Caitlin left, she was easily my favorite girl and my second favorite overall after Evan.
Oh, If they had just treated Evan with respect -- forget the rest of the season even -- JUST LAST NIGHT!, I could have gone into this in much the same frame of mind I did with Neil and Sabra in season three. I knew Neil would likely finish 3rd or 4th, and that Sabra would win, but she was my second favorite, so I was content with that. I would have been content the whole evening with Jeanine's win, but I couldn't because I was still annoyed with how badly they'd treated Evan. I don't and won't think of this season as the one where Jeanine won. It's all about how that bus kept running over Evan, backing up and then running him over again ... and again ... and again.
Dance is about joy. It's about emotion that lifts your spirits. Even the most depressing subject matter in a dance, if done well, can fill you with joy because it touches you with the purity of the movement in motion with the music. For me, the only joy I received was when Evan danced, but the second he was done, that panel, those judges ripped every shred of joy away. And that is what this season was to me. Mostly without joy.
Great job, Nigel.
Neil finished 3rd two years ago, and I was thrilled and happy for him because he'd worked hard, he'd overcome the Lauren-bell tied around his neck like a dying albatross and he'd shown a lot of people that he was good enough. So his third-place finish was a sweet victory. Plus, he was roundly complimented and accepted by the judges as deserving of his spot and was appropriately spotlighted in the finale. So, I was happy.
Tonight was the opposite. It was just miserable. Watching a whole season of my favorite picked apart? Not fun. Watching a final performance night of my favorite picked apart while the others around him made mistakes and were praised as if they were perfect? Not fun. Along with group dances, watching Kayla do two dances tonight, Brandon do two dances tonight, Jeanine do two dances tonight, and then, of course Evan do only one was just yet another jab from the show that Evan just isn't good enough. And I'm pissed and it sucks.
This was not a fun season, this was not a fun finale, if you're an Evan fan these were two miserable nights. And that's just wrong. The last two episodes should be about celebrating the final contestants who made it this far, this season it was celebrate three of the final contestants, and run a Mack truck back and forth over the dying corpse of the fourth over and over and over again. And can I just say how unbelievably, pettily thrilled I was that Evan did NOT thank the judges, he mentioned the choreographers he's worked with, and the friends he made, and the journey, but he did not mention those P.O.S. judges on the panel (mainly Nigel and Mary, plus any of them who didn't choreograph him). And I was glad. If he'd thanked them, I would have been impressed with what a big person he was, but that he didn't, I don't hold against him in the slightest.
I was so frustrated and sullen watching this that when the panel was giving Evan the two standing ovations (for the butt-dance and when he was announced third) that I wanted their hypocritical asses to sit down. I know, I know, it would have been worse and showed an even more obvious lack of respect. But seeing them stand for this guy who has worked his ass off week after week while they ignored him in favor of every dancer he danced with, see him get raked over the coals while other dancers were given passes or praised unjustly, insulted because he doesn't look "right" to them, seeing those absolute jerks stand and give him a standing ovation (a sign of respect and admiration) just seemed like a joke because they sure as hell showed very little respect or admiration during this season.
Two positives ....
1. I knew we would get the butt-dance (since, you know, it was the ONLY routine that Evan got that was actually well-choreographed and choreographed with *his dancing style* in mind). And I was glad he did because there were the two little bobbles in the first performance, so I loved getting the opportunity to get a cleanly-performed copy of it.
2. I DID want Jeanine to win with Evan out of it, and when she won, I did say "Yay!" and smiled because I do like her, before Caitlin left she was my second favorite girl, and after Caitlin left, she was easily my favorite girl and my second favorite overall after Evan.
Oh, If they had just treated Evan with respect -- forget the rest of the season even -- JUST LAST NIGHT!, I could have gone into this in much the same frame of mind I did with Neil and Sabra in season three. I knew Neil would likely finish 3rd or 4th, and that Sabra would win, but she was my second favorite, so I was content with that. I would have been content the whole evening with Jeanine's win, but I couldn't because I was still annoyed with how badly they'd treated Evan. I don't and won't think of this season as the one where Jeanine won. It's all about how that bus kept running over Evan, backing up and then running him over again ... and again ... and again.
Dance is about joy. It's about emotion that lifts your spirits. Even the most depressing subject matter in a dance, if done well, can fill you with joy because it touches you with the purity of the movement in motion with the music. For me, the only joy I received was when Evan danced, but the second he was done, that panel, those judges ripped every shred of joy away. And that is what this season was to me. Mostly without joy.
Great job, Nigel.