"SYTYCD" Season 8: Salt Lake City and NYC Auditions
Last night “So You Think You Can Dance” returned for its second week of awesome auditions. We started off in a very snowy Salt Lake City (my hometown!) with A LOT of talent. Here are my top five Salt Lake City highlights:
1. The judges. Joining a very dapper, bowtie-clad Nigel Lythgoe and the lovely Mary Murphy was Robin Antin, the creator of The Pussycat Dolls. She was, um, interesting. Here’s how it went: Hot girl steps onto the stage, Robin says, “I could just mold you into a PCD.” I guess that’s a compliment?
2. Chyna Smith. Man, this girl has personality and the dancing chops to back it up. Plus, she’s cool because she’s performed with “SYTYCD” alums Brandon Bryant, Natalie Reid and Matt Dorame. I’m sure we’ll be seeing a lot more of her come Vegas Week.
3. The Daddy/Daughter pas de deux. Honestly, when Nigel first said he wanted to see them dance together I was terrified. But, hello, that man can move! I think it’s safe to say that he was the best part of the night. Ex-ballerino? I think so.
4. The Step routine. Was it super technical? No, but they totally killed it. It was like watching a snippet from Stomp the Yard. It would be fun to see the top 20 do a sweet stepping routine.
5. Ringo Starr’s daughter, a.k.a. Lady Gaga’s twin. Yeah, I’m not really sure what was going on. All I know is that this chick was full out. And I liked it.
Next up, we headed NYC where the audition madness continued. This time Mary and Nigel were joined by ballroom aficionado Jason Gilkison. (Personally, I’m partial to this audition city because it’s where I got to meet and interview Cat Deeley. I love her. Like, I may or may not be a little bit obsessed with her. Then again, who isn’t?) Here are my top five NYC moments:
1. Princess Lockeroo, the wacking diva. Her routine was very Austin-powers-meets-whacking-meets-awesome. You totally know what I mean, right? Bottom line, she’s fierce and naturally went straight through to Vegas.
2. Brian Henry, the Christian Krumper. I wasn’t sure about him at first. I mean, the kid is gutsy to call out both Russell and Lil’ C as “mainstream” krumpers. But woah, he’s totally hardcore. Then he says, “I’m a good Christian krumper. I krump for God. It’s my praise dance.” Amen.
3. The cutest little Irish step dancer I’ve ever seen. I’m not an Irish step expert by any means, but I thought she was awesome. Want to learn more about Irish step dancing? Read this!
4. The wrath of Nigel. The judges saw so many bad dancers in a row that he finally snapped and screamed, “This is the worst dancing I’ve seen in eight seasons on ‘SYTYCD!’” I’m just surprised it took him this long to lose it.
5. Musical Theater Boy. I loved him. I loved the classic jazz. I loved his energy. I loved his determination to be on the show. Maybe I’m just a sucker for cheesy Broadway dancing, but I could have watched him all day.
Now that you’ve read our top ten moments from last night’s show, we want to hear what you think! And be sure to tune in tonight as we head to L.A. for another round of auditions.
