The Curse Of Dmitry

You know that guy who seems to have a new girlfriend every week? You don't want to be his next girlfriend. Well actually if its Dmitry I do. His hotness is enough to make getting booted in a week worth it.

So the bottom three couples were Ashlee & Ben, Dmitry & Aleks and (shock!) JessiJaymz. I must admit I was mostly surprised at that, but not completely. The only other couples that could have possibly took their place would have been Musalie or Travis & Martha and since those couples gave very good performances the first two weeks they have hefty fan bases. Ahh the problems with letting the public decide these things. Not that I always agree when the judges decide either. Tonight, however, I did.

First up were the ladies. Ashlee did her pop locking thing which was great. I like her a lot, but I worry about the one trick pony problem with her too. Nigel mentioned this. I'd like to see her do a samba or cha cha or something. If she can do that, she's legit. Jessica's solo was good too. Not great, but good. I didn't feel she would get cut though because I've seen her potential. Lastly, there was Aleks who was doomed since last week. Her solo was much improved from last week, but she hasn't shown me anything to make me believe she's versatile enough to go the distance. Therefore, I was not surprised at all to see her cut.

Then it was time to find out who Dmitry's next partner would be. Yes, I was even thinking that before I saw anyone dance. Ben performed his solo first, er made up something on the spot. There were a lot of spins, etc. Other than that..eh. He's toast. Then Jaymz decided to give Ben a run for his money. Damn. They both really wanted to get booted. But not Dmitry. NOT Dmitry. I swear I am going to steal that boy and make him one of the professionals on Dancing With The Stars so that I can see him in the fall too. He can flat out DANCE. I have a feeling unless he winds up with Allison or Heidi his partners are going to pass by like a revolving door. That's what I'd like to see them do that they do on 'Stars'. Instead of having them all dance a hip hop routine at the beginning, they should pair the contestants by dance specialty and showcase the different styles. Dmitry/Allison and Benji/Heidi would KILL. So, anyways, (got off track) Ben's gone. Not surprised. Liked him - but no shock there.

Next week Ashlee fears for her life as she dances with Dmitry.

Love Is In The Air...

Welcome back to the sweet sixteen on So You Think You Can Dance. Well, I think all of them can dance. It's simply a matter of who is the best after all is said and done. I'll say up front that this week was all about the chemistry. There sure is some heatin' up going on. I watched Dancing With The Stars and overall the couples on there didn't click nearly as well although I had my suspicions for a long time that something was going on between Stacy and Tony. THEY didn't even have as much chemistry as some of these couples.

Anyhoo, it's opinioncap time.

Our first victims, er contestants, were Ben and Ashlee. Those poor things. They keep getting stuck with crappy dances/routines, but this time they picked out hip hop. Ashlee was very pleased but couldn't say so due to a cold. Ben really isn't very "street". This created a slight problem. I do think they have a great partnership though. Ashlee danced awesome. I don't think Ben was quite as bad as the judges made him. It was the best I've seen them perform honestly. Nothing more to say about that.

Next up were one of last week's bottom three couples, Ryan and Heidi. Heidi was quite thrilled to hear that they would be doing the rhumba. Well, it wasn't quite the kind of rhumba she thought it would be. Not only that, the dance required a lot of chemistry and heat. I know - Ryan can just pretend he's dancing with Natalie. Oh right. He's so over that. I was completely blown away. I knew Heidi had that in her, but I had no idea Ryan had that in him. Forget about not being able to connect with the audience or his partner. *fanning myself* I don't think that they're going to make another trip to the bottom 3 this week.

Ooooooh, then it was time for the new partners Dmitry and Aleksandra. I was very wary I tell you. I love the hell out of Dmitry and then there's Aleks who sometimes I wonder what the hell she's doing. Well, they pick the waltz out of the hat as Dmitry fans everywhere collectively groan 'oh God'. Heidi and him would have KILLED. So here we have the romance factor again. 'D' is amazing. Aleks is much improved I must say and do I sense something going on here? They were very touchy feely while they were getting critiqued by the judges. Especially for two people who have been partnered for a week. At any rate, I think they're both headed for the bottom 3 again where Dmitry will end up with yet another partner.

And now for one of my favorite girls and least favorite guys, Ivan and Allison. Time to Tango. I'll be honest I thought Ivan was a dead man. Ballroom was not his specialty in week one. I knew Allison would be spectacular, which she was. I agreed that she gave one of the best performances I have ever seen on a dance show. Ivan though, I don't know WHERE he pulled that one out of. He was fantastic. THEY were fantastic. Much chemistry there too. Not a bottom 3 duo here. Not this week anyways.

Then it was Benji and Donyelle time!!!!! I feel like a little kid everytime it's their turn to dance. This week they will be doing pop jazz. Hmmmm very interesting. God I love Benji. He is such a dork, but so adorable. He gets to play a DJ and Donyelle gets to play a diva. I knew they had a great partnership, but I didn't realize there was so much chemistry there. It was hot, hot, hot. Remember this is not Benji's style and he is not a suave manly man but he pulls it off. From the crowd's and judges reactions you know they're the couple to beat.

The heat stayed up because Musa and Natalie were next. Last week they were great with contemporary. This week they did the quickstep. I was a little worried. I have witnessed Master P doing the quickstep. This was bound to have a bad turnout. I really do think Musa did a respectable job. The important thing is that unlike Aleksandra, Musa got into character and fulfilled the emotional part of the dance. The footwork.. eh. I give him a lot of credit. I enjoyed the performance a lot. And loved the music.

Dancing next was "JessiJaymz". I love that nickname now. They chose contemporary. Hopefully the could infuze the fire into it that Musa and Natalie did the previous week. Here was another love story. She wanted him but he wouldn't let her in and then he finally did. How sweet. But would it be sweet on the dance floor? They hit a home run with this one. I love how they started at the top of the stairs. Really, I generally dislike contemporary and I loved everything about this routine. They're quickly turning into contenders.

Finally, closing out the show were Travis and Martha. Do they get pimp spots or what? AND they get to do hip hop which is generally a fan favorite. I had really high hopes for this performance. They hadn't disappointed before. Honestly though, they left me wanting a little more tonight. It was great. It just didn't have that extra spark. Believe it or not I think those two are a little weak in the chemistry department compared to some of the other couples. Don't get me wrong, I love Travis and Martha, but I think Travis' comment that hip hop is not his style was a big excuse. Trav, buddy, Benji is a swing dancer and he worked the shit out of his hip hop routine the first week. Deal with it.

I think the bottom 3 should and probably will be Dmitry and Aleks, Ben and Ashlee & Musa and Natalie. Although Travis and Martha could get shocked too. The other four couples however do not deserve to be there whatsoever and shouldn't be. But hey, LaToya London got voted off Idol before Jasmine Trias so stranger things have happened.

Some People Say There's A Woman To Blame..

In the great world of So You Think You Can Dance coupling, women seem to be screwing over the men left and right. Hence, why I have never believed (back when they started doing this on Idol) that there has to be an even number of guys and girls. If there's 5 guys and 5 girls and two girls suck more than all 5 guys -- then too bad for those two girls. Just my preference on that.

Okay, I'm done venting. The bottom 3 couples as you probably know turned out to be Dmitry & Joy, Ryan & Heidi and Jason & Alex. Not a surprise. Kind of thought it might be Ashlee & Ben instead of Ryan & Heidi, but they were saved for the second week in a row by an apparently rabid fan base. (I like them - just really shocked they keep being safe.)

At this point, without even seeing any dancing I thought Joy was toast. Without a doubt. For the guys, I was concerned that it would be Dmitry even though I didn't feel it should be. I couldn't take it 2 weeks in a row. But I was really leaning towards Ryan going because Jason has more of a personality and has been spectacular.

Joy's solo was nothing to rave about. I wasn't really expecting a whole lot from her anyways.

Heidi frickin' rocked. It definitely was a Benji-esque performance. SAFE by a mile.

Aleksandra's solo really did stink like a gutted fish sitting out in the sun for a week. I almost thought it was enough to save Joy.

Dmitry came out with guns a' blazin'. What's bad is it was strong, just like Staz's was last week, but the judges had the total opposite reaction about it. I think they've been drinking out of Paula Abdul's cup, but I'm very glad Dmitry stayed.

Ryan was impressive. I totally agree with the judges though about not feeling the connection as the audience. He has talent, but I don't get excited when I watch him. For this reason alone I was sure he would get cut.

Jason's solo wasn't totally awesome, but he danced really well and I was into it. I don't know what Nigel was watching. If they're taking into account past performances and potential for the future, I don't know how you don't save Jason. But that's why I'm not a judge I guess.

I don't know that Dmitry's new partnership with Alex will work out any better than the one with Joy, but we'll see. I would have loved to see him with Heidi. Aw shucks.

Tea and Krumping...

Welcome back to my weekly opinioncap of So You Think You Can Dance. You'd think the producers could have come up with a shorter title. It's a wonder Cat Deeley can remember all of that. God I love to talk smack about her. It's so easy.

Anyways...

First on the agenda is something new and different to the show. It's called krump and the lucky test subjects are Travis and Martha. Who really better to give this to than Nigel's frontrunners? Getting my first taste of this style of dance, I like it because it's kind of like hip hop, but it's more about the energy than the moves themselves. It IS very animalistic which is cool, but this comes across as something I would see in The Lion King musical not that that's bad but, I guess it's just not really my preferred style. As for how Travis and Martha did with it - Travis did great and his energy was there. Martha held back a little for me. All in all, they weren't as super as last week. Still love 'em though.

Next up was one of the bottom 3 couples from last week Jessica and Jaymz. I felt for them as they pulled foxtrot as their dance. Not a dance that makes it easy to get the audience excited about you. Did you ever notice that Jess looks a little bit like Sarah Jessica Parker? A little. The fact that they had a great song to dance to helped them. Very Jessica Rabbit-ish. I feel that their performance was enough to save them this week. I didn't expect to enjoy it and I really did. Heck, I'd give them a 9 out of 10. So I'm not expecting either of them to be engaging in another dance off tonight.

Moving on to our second remaining bottom 3 couple, Ivan and Allison. God, the producers and the dance gods must love Ivan so much that after narrowly surviving elimination last week, he gets to have his style of choice this week - hip hop. Granted, one would have been slightly worried because Allison is not "ghetto" but she seemed to take to it pretty quick. Unfortunately, I did not dig the routine. It didn't do for me what Shane Sparks did last week. Ivan and Allison made the most of it and I'm confident that they're safe, but I just didn't care for it. Me no likey East Coast hip hop.

Our next couple was Dmitry and Joy. They picked the Samba. I wouldn't have thought this would be such a problem for them. Unfortunately for them, it was Stanislav and Erin all over again. Dmitry was AMAZING. And I really think Nigel has it out for him. Help your partner more? What is he supposed to do for her? Seriously. The boy tried to pull everything out of her that he could. Joy unfortunately wasn't feeling the Samba and it showed. Stacey Keibler did a better Samba. If they are in the bottom 3 and I think they will be, Joy could be in real trouble.

Midway through we have the saucy, tempting Natalie and Musa. God they're hot. They get to do a contemporary routine. Eh. I'm just not a fan of that style but by golly if anyone can make me like it Nat and Musa can! So big sexy had a little bit of trouble getting the hang of this. I can forgive him. As long as they work it out on stage. And... whooo they did! They really do have chemistry. I thought they were gonna rip off their clothes and do it right there. I have a feeling we're going to be seeing much more of Musalie.

Next up is Natalie's admirer Ryan and his partner Heidi. Actually Ryan has decided he likes Heidi after all and he won't trade her for anything. Not even Natalie. Come on though, Heidi DOES look a little like Academy Award winner Reese Witherspoon. That's hot stuff right there. They get to do a pop routine. What is pop? No, not that fizzy drink. Think N'Sync. Think Britney. This sure is a switch from the Viennese Waltz. They're really makin' Ryan and Heidi work. I personally thought it was hot. It showed personality and energy. If its good enough for Shane Sparks its good enough for me. However, I think there's a slight off chance they may be in the bottom 3. Maybe.

And now for the most fun couple that happens to get stuck with routines that don't work for them - Ben and Ashlee. Actually I think if Ben did the routine from Napoleon Dynamite the crowd would go bonkers. Anyways, they get stuck with the jive this week. It doesn't "jive" with either of them. I was thouroughly expecting a train wreck. Honestly, it wasn't all that bad. I was entertained. They danced the dance and had fun with it. A vast improvement from last week as Nigel said. Unfortunately, I see bottom 3 for them this week.

Up next were Jason and Amanda Peet, er Aleksandra. I get confused. They are also doing a hip hop routine. Great news from Jason. Not so great news for Alex. This is going to be "old skool" hip hop as opposed the routine done by Ivan and Allison. And the routine is still kinda crappy. Jason frickin' danced his ass off. Alex looked like Jessica Simpson trying to be "ghetto" or something. She did the moves but it wasn't coming off as very believable. They are probably in trouble this week. Well, Alex is anyways. I think Jay is here to stay. But I said that about Stanislav last week.

Closing out the show and bringing down the house were Benji and Donyelle. Did I ever mention I LOVE them? They picked the Cha Cha Cha of all things. Donyelle is worried about this. Hey - if Jerry Rice can do it so can you girlfriend! They were the only 10 for me of the night. They got the moves. They got the personality. They got my vote. And the judges dug it too. I think they're safe.

So now we wait. Who stays? Who goes? You, like me, will have to wait until tonight to find out.

Let's Dig For Treasah!

A couple quick notes on Treasure Hunters since I did watch it and it is a reality show which is mainly what this blog is about. I really haven't sorted the teams out. I mean, the only team I despise at this point is the hypocritical church crew. I dig Ex-CIA and Air Force but mainly because I'm patriotic. The Wild Hanlons are dead in the water pretty soon. They would have been great on The Amazing Race, but this thing is a notch up on the difficulty scale from that.

I just can't wait to see what this great treasure is at the end. I'd laugh if it was nothing. A lot.

Blame It On Erin..

You know, I was 99% sure Erin was gone. I liked her the least out of all of the girls. Therefore, I was not worried a bit about Allison or Jessica. However, going into last night I was certain Stanislav was safe even though I knew his team would be in the bottom 3.

What I didn't completely expect was that Ivan had a kick ass solo. He gave us everything that he didn't on Wednesday night. At that point, I really thought it was Jaymz. I don't agree with what Nigel said about Staz that he is one dimensional. That one dimension was fantastic and we haven't even seen what else he is capable of. These are the same people who complimented Benji for doing something they didn't think he could do. Who's to say Staz couldn't do hip hop? honestly. He did the dance he was given better than I've ever seen anyone do it. He didn't deserve to go.

Therefore, it is Erin's fault for sucking therefore causing them to be in the bottom 3 in the first place. You heard it here first folks.

So I Think I Can Blog...

Well, American Idol left me for the summer so I had to find a new vice. What better show to watch than another of Nigel Lythgoe's own - So You Think You Can Dance. I can tell you right now I am not ecstatic over the way things are done on the show. Twenty people get paired up into 10 teams of two - not by their choosing. I don't like this mainly because if one person screws up, it screws over the whole team. This isn't like Dancing With The Stars where we're only judging the celebrities. EVERYONE gets judged.

Of course, I can also see why they WOULD do this because two people dancing is more exciting than one. I just wonder if it should have been a pairs only competition from the beginning. Anywhoo... on with the review.

First let me get off my chest that Cat Deeley is the worst host of anything. I don't like her. I object to her existence on TV. Okay. I'm done there.

Team #1 was Benji and Donyelle. Let me just say I love, love, love, love, LOVE them. They are only one of three teams that make me want to continue watching this show. Hip hop is my favorite style of dance so perhaps I'm a little biased, but those two are freaking awesome. It's hilarious to see a church boy shaking his ass. Hilarious. LOVE them.

Team #2 was Ivan and Allison. I do think Ivan is pretty likeable, but he looked so uncomfortable. It was like watching Master P all over again. Okay. Not QUITE that bad. Allison was very good though, but I haven't connected with her personality yet. She's cute and young and talented, but I think I need to see more personality.

Team #3 was Jason and Aleksandra. Interesting pairing. I thought it was pretty funny that not only did they perform to "Unwritten" which Ayla Brown from Idol sang the week she was voted off, but Aleksandra had her hair done so similarly to Ayla's for that performance. It was an odd coincidence. The performance was really good and Jason is excellent at that style of dance. I'd love to see them do hip hop.

Team #4 was Jaymz and Jessica. I really enjoy them as a pair and I thought the dancing was fine. Jaymz is really hot by the way. Just in case no one noticed.

Team #5 was Stanislav and Erin. Turns out one of my favorite guys is paired with one of my least favorite girls. Stanislav did the best Paso Doble I have seen ANYWHERE while Erin looked slightly awkward. They'll probably be in the bottom 3 couples, but Stanislav isn't going anywhere anytime soon.

Team #6 was Dmitri and Joy. I think Nigel was a little hard on them. I really enjoyed it although it DID pale in comparison to Benji and Donyelle. It was still a good performance. Personally, I just disliked some of the choreography which wasn't the dancers' fault.

Team #7 was Ryan and Heidi. Vienniese waltz. NOT my favorite. The beauty part was that Ryan and Heidi made me enjoy it. They seem like an odd couple to me, but it worked. I'd like to see them do something more upbeat though.

Team #8 was Ben and Ashlee. Okay, again, I LOVE Ben and Ashlee. Unfortunately, they fell victim to cheesy choreography. Nigel - THEY weren't juvenile. The routine was juvenile. I adore Flashdance and I have never seen anyone be able to copy it and pull it off. I do believe they will be in the bottom 3, but I think that both will stay.

Team #9 was Travis and Martha. I absolutely adore Travis and Martha. More Travis. (God if I were 18 again) But they are both excellent. I never would have thought that pairing would have worked as well as it did, but I guess the producers know something I don't. I wouldn't call them the team to beat as Benji and Donyelle are going to give them a run for their money, but they are certainly in the upper echelons of dancing.

Last, but definitely not least Team #10 was Musa and Natalie. Let's call them the poster boy and girl. They're both smokin' and so was the routine. Now I can see why Ryan so desperately wanted her as his partner. The night ended on a good note and I look forward to seeing what else these two can do.

I think the best three teams were Benji&Donyelle, Travis&Martha and Musa&Natalie. The bottom 3 for me were Ivan & Allison, Stanislav & Erin (only because of Erin) and Ben & Ashlee. I have no idea who will go home. At all.

There's my two cents.

Suh-weet! The Tyler Interview...

You may know Tyler as one half of the "hippies", one of the most popular twosomes ever on CBS's The Amazing Race. Or maybe you know him as a documentary-making visionary. Either way, he's one awesome guy who also happens to share a birthday with me which makes him about 10 times more awesome.

I had the opportunity to speak with Tyler and he answered some questions to give us all some insight into this season's Race and also some insight into the man himself. Brace yourself.

What ultimately made you want to do this?

Tyler mentioned his 'desire to live the Indiana Jones lifestyle' he fantasized about as a kid. He noted that he loves traveling and meeting new people.

Had you watched the Race before?

Neither he or BJ had watched the Race prior to them applying but they eventually did watch every episode.

What did you feel were the biggest advantages and disadvantages going in?

As for the advantages, Tyler explained that 'BJ and I have a relationship that doesn't require a lot of each other'. There was also the fact that they have done a lot of traveling and were familiar with many languages. The only disadvantage he mentioned was he wished their beards were 'a little bigger'. Tyler explains that beards are power.

Who did you think would be the biggest competition going in?

Tyler stated, "Ourselves." He said he knew that if they slacked off at all they wouldn't win. He did mention that they were always wary of the frat boys and that the Glamazons were very committed.

What were your highest and lowest points in the Race?

For highest Tyler joked, "37,000 foot altitude." In seriousness he said that it was in Perth because it was such a relief after not being eliminated in Oman. The lowest point for Tyler was in Greece getting lost. He says, "For the first hour of getting lost we were sure we were getting eliminated."

What was your favorite Pit Stop and Detour/Roadblock?

For Pit Stop, Tyler said that he liked racing in Oman because he had never been there, but he liked hanging out in Japan near Fugi-Q Highlands. For a Detour/Roadblock he loved riding the bicycles through Tokyo.

Did you think you had it wrapped up in Japan?

Tyler said, "We fantasized before ever being accepted about going to Japan." He felt that they would dominate and that even knowing simple phrases helped them a lot.

What was the first thing you did when you got home?

Tyler said that he went and saw his girlfriend, He was so exhausted and so tired that he says "I don't think she thought I did very well." He did sleep a lot.

Did it motivate you more the legs you finished first in or the ones you finished last?

Tyler says both had their advantages. It was less stressful being first, but being last makes you 'this frantic, wild, crazy foaming at the mouth animal'.

What was up with the MoJo rivalry and how did it start?

Tyler says that it came about in Oman when Eric and Jeremy told Mojo the hippies wanted to yield them. What we didn't see was that all of the teams besides Mojo were hanging out together and the subject of yielding came up and since Mojo were the only ones not there for strategy purposes BJ and Tyler said they would yield them. Tyler stresses, "Mojo never got on our nerves before that. We just had fun watching them explode." He felt that Joseph and Monica were stressed and needed someone to hate.

Would you have still done the Fast Forward knowing you'd have to eat crickets ahead of time?

"I think we would have done it," he says. An editing trick made us think BJ and Tyler were about to give up in the middle of the task, but their hesitation actually happened before they even started eating. Tyler says they didn't have too much trouble and nothing was really going to stop them.

Anything fun happen behind the scenes?

"In Tokyo we had a 36 hour Pit Stop where the final three teams got to spend the day at Fuji Q Highlands riding all the roller coasters. We went in a haunted house ride where I was so scared that I had to hold on to Jeremy's arm for comfort. The Frats were pretty mad that we decided to leave RayYo money in Japan. But they had helped us in Oman and we felt obliged to return the favor (double fold). We all got along really well in Japan," Tyler says.

Any random comments on some of the teams?

Frats: Good guys with good hearts forced by their good looks to be the womanizers by society's expectations

RaYo: Smart, goodlooking couple with a profound, introspective insight of reality

MoJo: Innocent

Fran and Barry: The universal Grandparents

Lake and Michelle: Misunderstood southerners

Where do you plan to go from here?

Tyler and BJ are talking about doing more television escapades. Tyler himself is working on documentaries including one that I very much enjoyed called Kintaro Walks Japan. I recommend that everyone check it out.

Go Shorty - It's Mah Birthday!

Not really much to say on the subject. I'm 25. A quarter of a century. Sounds old when you put it that way.

And this quarter century mark falls on 6/6/06. Good news people - the world hasn't ended. Although my sister is still convinced that religious zealots are going to raid hospitals all over the world and kill any baby born today. Thankfully, I don't think that will happen.

Interview with Tyler of The Amazing Race coming up real soon.