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'So You Think You Can Dance' Season Eight - FOX HD - Page 19

post #541 of 840
7/27/11 at 11:43pm
Great show. The routine that I liked least was probably Jordan & Jess' Rhumba, mostly because of Jordan playing to the audience while Jess correctly kept his focus on her--she almost never looked at him. I was probably the most impressed with Jess' work on this show that I've ever been. Caitlynn & Tadd's Foxtrot might not have been technically great, but damn did they ever look good doing it. That's the second ballroom piece featuring her that I've been impressed by (last week's Argentine Tango was the other) and the genre really suits her--she tends to look like a little girl doing most anything else, but easily assumes an air of sophistication when performing ballroom.

My prediction is that Jordan will get the axe this week and either Jess or Ricky--I can't decide which.
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post #542 of 840
7/28/11 at 2:08am
Quote:
Originally Posted by skyehill View Post

Melanie's leap was incredible.

Remarkable. She just started running as fast as she could, took off, seemed to fly fully extended halfway across the stage, and amazingly Neil caught her and she STILL remained fully extended! Wonderful.


Quote:


I didn't love the final dance as much as the judges did, but it sure was interesting. Was not a fan of Melanie's outfit in that last dance. Not flattering at all.

I'm also in agreement with this point as well.

The white lighting was not flattering to her legs and skin.

Sasha did not excel here. The contrast of the two dancers was very revealing, with Melanie's legs generally straight and stiff with toes pointed, and Sasha's legs often bent. When they were both down on the ground and doing parallel identical moves, it was almost embarrassing to see Melanie's superior technique demonstrated so easily.

I've got to watch it again today, as I extract the individual routines for posterity. Maybe it will impress me more the second time.

Actually, Sasha did not impress me at all tonight. I thought her quickstep with Pasha was underwhelming, with her leg positions again bothering me.


Quote:


One funny I LOVE HD TV moment was a closeup of Gaga wearing the hat while a fly crawled over it.

That was hilarious. I saw that fly in the air around Rob Marshall as well in another shot.
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post #543 of 840
7/28/11 at 2:31am
I loved the show tonight, but I totally missed Marko's routine with Allison! All I saw was the reaction.

Man that leap by Melanie was so incredible! Just wow! I also didn't think the last dance of the night was the best.
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post #544 of 840
7/28/11 at 4:28am
One of the best nights of this show in a long, long, long time. So many amazing routines. That leap! Wow, must of rewound that like 5 times. Caitlyn was amazing, sasha was fantastic, heck even Jess did a good routine, solid all around and Gaga even had me laughing at momments.
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post #545 of 840
7/28/11 at 6:12am
I thought last night show was not as good as last week. There were a lot of simplistic routines that fell slightly off the mark.

The Good:

Marko, for me, has separated himself from the rest of the guys. He brings an emotional connection that many of the other guys are missing.

Jess: The only contestant who seems to have grown throughout the show. He is not the one-dimensional kid I thought he was going to be. The biggest thing holding him back is his like of size/strength and a sort of disconnect emotionally.

Jordan: It is good to see her with a partner who could showcase her. The routine she was in with Ade was not awesome, but it was good enough to show her off. And she was smoking with the routine with Jess.

The mediocre

Melanie, Sasha, Tadd, and Caitlynn: The leap did not save the first Melanie from being just OK for me. Maybe it was the similarity between the routine from last week. Same dress, same mood lighting, and the only difference is she was tossed this week instead of lifted. The last routine with Sasha and Mealine was bordering on the boring. They didn't really do much beside posing.

Tadd seems to looking at the audience more than his dance partner.

The Bad

Ricky: He was not train wreck bad, but he clearly missed steps in both routines last night.
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post #546 of 840
7/28/11 at 6:50am
Thread Starter 
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They saved the best of the girls for last and the best of the guys for last in the first eight dances and in EACH case those were the ONLY dancers who got STANDING OVATIONS from all four judges (and Lady Gaga was CRYING when Marko finished!).

Rob Marshall said "Alison is a true, true artist," and I ALSO SO agree! PERFECT partner for Marko in this piece -- and PERFECT choreographer! I NEVER saw Alison before last season, SO MUCH MY LOSS!

The BIG ISSUE at this point isn't Final Four. That's set, in my opinion: Marko, Tadd, Melanie and Sasha. The big issue is will Melanie or Marko win this thing? I still think Melanie, but Marko is pretty darned good.

Ricky and Marko together in hip-hop? I figured Marko would wipe up the floor with him, but they actually looked fairly even, although it was far from one of the most inspired pieces I've seen NappyTabs do.

WOW again!!! Melanie and Sasha together?!? I felt like I was watching a Final Four routine TWO WEEKS EARLY!!! And they were SO CLOSE all I can say is TIE. I still prefer Melanie, but for THAT dance, TIE. Third Standing Ovation of the night (two of them for Sonya routines!). I disagree with Mary; not Sonya's best number ever... not elegant, or quirky enough, etc. But it was definitely the BEST POWER NUMBER she's ever done (Nigel says there's "a sliver of tissue paper between them" as to who's the best... I agree).

GUEST JUDGES: Rob Marshall truly IS something of a living legend, but I'm even more intrigued by Lady Gaga, in whom I had literally NO interest at first. It's really HARD to believe that only THREE YEARS AGO her VERY FIRST TV appearance was her performance on THIS SHOW during Season 4, at the age of 22 (she's still only 25, and has sold 67 million singles and 57 million albums!). I've seen a couple of her videos ("Telephone," with Beyonce, in particular, and they're quite impressive), but who I'm REALLY impressed with is Stephanie Germanatta (her REAL name). After I saw her interviewed on "60 Minutes," and saw how she was just any other struggling young musician until she re-invented herself as "Lady Gaga" and created this entire PERSONA that just keeps evolving, yet is still HER... She's a GENIUS of personal marketing, and her music ain't half bad, either. I don't really care for a lot of the "fashion statements" she makes that seem to become INSTANT FADS, but I'm ENTHRALLED with WHO she is, with her own self-image and self-confidence, etc., much of which we got to see on tonight's show.

Coupla final comments... I continue to agree with most of you that the addition of "All Stars" is the BEST decision Nigel has EVER made on this show (and the way he did it this year was much better). Also, I agreed with his comments about "Frodo" (my pet name for Lauren Froderman), who is to date the ONLY winner from ANY of the seven seasons to come on as an "All Star." (comments being that she's really "matured" since last year -- bulkier, better dancer [hat faux pas aside], looks older, bigger, even larger bust size, apparently). Lauren REALLY looked like "a little girl" last year, and frankly she HAD just turned 18 barely in time to be eligible for the show. At her age, a year or two can make A LOT of difference.

I agree that Jordan's time is likely up. Certainly either her or Caitlyn -- OBVIOUS by Nigel's comments. Of the guys, most likely Ricky, but Jess is probably going at Top 6 unless he gets REALLY LUCKY with the voting (there'll be 4 out of 6 dancers in the Bottom 4 next week, so Jess will have to be EXTREMELY POPULAR to not be in the B4, and I have a hard time imagining a world where Nigel and company aren't putting both Tadd and Marko in the Final Four with Sasha and Melanie. Caitlyn and Jordan have their moments, but they're just NOT up to the same standard.
Jeff
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post #547 of 840
7/28/11 at 6:58am
Thread Starter 
Lady Gaga's comments about hiring Melanie "in a minute," along with excerpts from her dance, in a 1-minute video clip, made the top headline (with picture of Gaga as she was dressed last night) on one of AOL's rotating headlines on their welcome screen.

Here's the link: http://www.aoltv.com/2011/07/28/lady..._lnk3%7C220282
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post #548 of 840
7/28/11 at 7:18am
Quote:
Originally Posted by DSperber View Post


Actually, Sasha did not impress me at all tonight. I thought her quickstep with Pasha was underwhelming, with her leg positions again bothering me.

I'm with you. Pairing her with Melanie made her disappear to me. My eyes are always drawn to Melanie, and it's not because she's stunningly beautiful (she isn't), but because she's so damn good and has an amazing presence. Sasha's most definitely final 4, but I suddenly wouldn't mind seeing Jordan or Caitlyn take the spot. Unfortunately for those two Nigel is being less than obvious with who he personally wants in the final four. I'm surprised they don't show footage of Nigel spitting on the stage when someone other than Sasha, Melanie, Marko, or Tadd dance.

A quick shout out to Cat's dress. Mmmmmm.
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post #549 of 840
7/28/11 at 8:11am
Quote:
Originally Posted by skyehill View Post
I'm with you. Pairing her with Melanie made her disappear to me. My eyes are always drawn to Melanie, and it's not because she's stunningly beautiful (she isn't), but because she's so damn good and has an amazing presence. Sasha's most definitely final 4, but I suddenly wouldn't mind seeing Jordan or Caitlyn take the spot. Unfortunately for those two Nigel is being less than obvious with who he personally wants in the final four. I'm surprised they don't show footage of Nigel spitting on the stage when someone other than Sasha, Melanie, Marko, or Tadd dance.

A quick shout out to Cat's dress. Mmmmmm.
In agreement Brother skyehill. Melanie was spectacular last night. Her ability to launch into a leap at full speed yet still look like she's gliding is amazing. On the second dance, she totally outdid Sasha (who was very good). Her legs may be thicker and more muscular than the other girls but they are beasts when it comes to her extensions and balance. And what makes her even more effective is her acting ability. She sells out on every routine and is now actually beginning to remind me of Katee in a number of ways. I thought that, overall, the dancing was excellent last night and Gaga was an absolute hoot to watch and listen to. Her interplay with Nigel was very funny. I have been impressed with Caitlyn's dancing and her look for each dance. Her costuming and makeup for last week's Tango and last night's "Fred/Ginger" number was brilliant. Sasha was bit shaky on her first routine but Pasha did a lot to cover for her. He is an amazing partner. Gaga took what I thought was a cheap shot at Anya with the 'Dancing with the Stars" crack. It was cheesy and I'm sure that, since there is clearly a cooperative arrangement between the shows, Nigel may not have been thrilled with it. Nice to see Jonathan Roberts crossing over the SYTYCD last night.
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post #550 of 840
7/28/11 at 10:26am
What a sham.

Sonya's last routine was NOT her best ever...hell, it wasn't even her best of the night! We haven't seen this much repetative out-and-out lying since Mary blathered on and on and on about Kayla's so-called "sheer perfection" 46 times per episode. Standing up and going "GaGa" over a barely mediocre performance just because it had your favorite two dancers isn't just absurd, it's a discredit to everyone on the show and an insult to loyal viewers.

I realize that the "jidges" will develop favorites over the season, but to completely ignore the fact that Sasha was stiff as a board and utterly blew the final lift with Pasha is ridiculous. (Sorry folks, but it's become more than evident that Sasha was the one blowing lifts and moves, not Alexander. Pasha does NOT miss!) Or, to preen over Melanie again and again for what are very similar routines and movements from week to week is a bit much to swallow. *In contrast to Sasha, Melanie is very, very good, but she's nowhere near the level of above the rest that we're being told sold.

These overt turnings of the head when "favorites" mis-step or underwhelm could be overlooked, but not when judges appear to be DESPERATELY hunting for ways to downplay those that aren't their pets. I will predict with certainty right now that all of the criticisms placed upon Caitlynn/Jordan this week will certainly overflow onto whichever of those two survive next week. It won't matter if Sahsa falls flat on her face during an unaided manuever, Melanie kicks Twitch in the head, and Jordan/Caitlynn turn in the best performance in the history of the show...the bias WILL be there. 100% guaranteed to happen. Watch and see. Oh, and Melanie WILL get a Paso (crowd fave) with a very strong male; either Ade, Twitch, or Neil. Likely that she'll also get to "dominate" them, just like all the female > male crap that's been shoved down our throats this season.

At this point, I'm rooting for Marko. His being paired with Allison was a choreographer's dream. (Allison is BY FAR the best female dancer to ever grace the SYTYCD stage, imo. Katherine is a close second, and even though I love Jeanine, the dropoff after the first two is severly steep.) Watching Marko and Allison, it is impossible to not be moved to the bone. Quite simply, those two "get it." They understand the emotion, impact, and the context of each and every movement; giving in completely to the performance, so much so that they themselves were rapt with tears, unable to pull themselves out of the moment. THAT is unbridled commitment, ladies and gents, not simply doing the step and acting out the role!

Marko (hopefully) ftw!
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post #551 of 840
7/28/11 at 10:36am
Holy conspiracy theory. I thought I was bad about that on the Idol thread. But nothing you said is wrong. Everyone not named Tadd, Marko, Melanie or Sasha had some form of backhanded compliment last night. And dont get me started on Nigel's "You're my favorite. NO you're my favorite...no youre both my favorites!" routine. If last night was the first time I'd ever tuned in, I would have left raving about Melanie and Marko, intrigued by Caitlyn, Jordan and Tadd, and left completely cold by Sasha and Ricky. There is far far too much time spent pimping favorites after a dance than there is actual dancing on this show. I wish they'd double the time on each dance, and halve all the incessant yammering afterwards.
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post #552 of 840
7/28/11 at 10:58am
Quote:
Originally Posted by skyehill View Post
One funny I LOVE HD TV moment was a closeup of Gaga wearing the hat while a fly crawled over it. Metaphor? You decide.
Must've been a stowaway fly who hopped a ride off the meat-dress.
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post #553 of 840
7/28/11 at 11:11am
Quote:
Originally Posted by spyder696969 View Post
........ (Allison is BY FAR the best female dancer to ever grace the SYTYCD stage, imo. Katherine is a close second, and even though I love Jeanine, the dropoff after the first two is severly steep.) .......
I've only watched the last three seasons, but yea, just based on my exposure to her as a returning all-star, Allison, along with Katherine (whom I did watch throughout her season), are my two female favorites, no doubt.
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post #554 of 840
7/28/11 at 11:41am
I remember Allison's season which was with Travis by the way and Ivan was her partner.
They use to have final solo's when they were booted and Allison chose to do this move where she jumped onto Travis who just stood there as she sort of wrapped around him. Travis was pretty broken up that she had to leave.
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post #555 of 840
7/28/11 at 11:52am
Quote:
Originally Posted by zalusky View Post
I remember Allison's season which was with Travis by the way and Ivan was her partner.
They use to have final solo's when they were booted and Allison chose to do this move where she jumped onto Travis who just stood there as she sort of wrapped around him. Travis was pretty broken up that she had to leave.
Allison was very special that season. As beautiful as she is now, she was especially drop dead gorgeous when she was younger. She and Marko were wonderful last night and it was nice of Rob Marshall to praise her right off the bat.
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post #556 of 840
7/28/11 at 11:59am
I haven't finished watching last night's show, I'll only say that I was pleasantly surprised to see them actually have guest judges who judged. Instead of the perfunctory garbage we tended to get from people like Debbie Reynolds, Carmen Electra, etc. we got informed opinion (whether I agreed with it or not) and when Lady Gaga spoke you could have knocked me over with a feather. Very much appreciated.

Oh, and, BTW (and this is only to be taken from a male, heterosexual perspective, no flames please) when they showed Ellen in the crowd sitting next to Portia DeRossi (ex "Better off Ted") all I could think was: "what an absolute waste of a gorgeous woman" (Portia, not Ellen).
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post #557 of 840
7/28/11 at 12:04pm
I agree with many of the comments so far and believe the judges are steering the final four to be Marko, Melanie, Tadd and Sasha. Tonight I predict Ricky and Jordan will go.

Although she dances well, there is still something off putting with Melanie. To me, she oversells the cute factor when getting the judges feedback and her odd body shape doesn't help when some of the costumes show her thunder thighs.

Jess is getting better and taking the mugging comments to heart. Even if he gets through tonight, I think he will not get to the final round given that Tadd and Marko seem to have that sewn up.

I also think the preening over Sasha and Melanie will mean that Caitlyn will also go either tonight or next week.
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post #558 of 840
7/28/11 at 1:36pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by nlk10010 View Post

...Oh, and, BTW (and this is only to be taken from a male, heterosexual perspective, no flames please) when they showed Ellen in the crowd sitting next to Portia DeRossi (ex "Better off Ted") all I could think was: "what an absolute waste of a gorgeous woman" (Portia, not Ellen).

Portia is absolutely stunning! The only thing sadder than her being with Ellen was the death of Better Off Ted.
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post #559 of 840
7/28/11 at 1:46pm
You Portia fans should check out Sirens. Not only do you get a very young Portia in the nude, but also a healthy dose of Elle McPherson. And also some guy named Hugh Grant.
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post #560 of 840
7/28/11 at 2:18pm
I think Portia would be wasted on a man. I think Ellen probably treats her better and appreciates her more than any man could.
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post #561 of 840
7/28/11 at 4:21pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by PMA View Post

Although she dances well, there is still something off putting with Melanie. To me, she oversells the cute factor when getting the judges feedback and her odd body shape doesn't help when some of the costumes show her thunder thighs.

Fortunately this show is about dancing, not body shape or thigh circumference.
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post #562 of 840
7/28/11 at 4:27pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by scowl View Post

Fortunately this show is about dancing, not body shape or thigh circumference.

Thank god. I'm not a big fan of the giggly gooey mess she becomes during the judging (jidging?) but during a performance she's 100 percent committed. There was one moment during her first dance last night that solidified her as my favorite. In the very beginning of the dance she does a move that looks like she's slapping her partner from afar. The look on her face sells the whole thing. Loved it. And then she did the leap, which sent thousands of DVR reverse buttons into action.
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post #563 of 840
7/28/11 at 5:58pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by skyehill View Post

A quick shout out to Cat's dress. Mmmmmm.

I thought I remember her wearing that dress before but then it finally dawned on me it wasn't Cat but another dance show host, Brooke Burke! I like the top half but think the bit on her hips is a bit odd.
LL
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post #564 of 840
7/28/11 at 6:59pm
Props to Cat for not lying and saying Lady Gaga was performing live. Happy with the results, but not sure what it means for the future of Tadd.
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post #565 of 840
7/28/11 at 7:57pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by jjeff View Post

I thought I remember her wearing that dress before but then it finally dawned on me it wasn't Cat but another dance show host, Brooke Burke! I like the top half but think the bit on her hips is a bit odd.

Actually my wife both thought the dress looked really bad. The angles we saw made her looked liked she had big hips and a tummy.
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post #566 of 840
7/28/11 at 9:53pm
As soon as Tadd landed in the bottom two, I knew that Jess was doomed. Tadd has, to the show runners I'm sure, more upside than Jess. Jordan wasn't a surprise although it was probably a tough choice between her and Caitlyn. I loved the opening routine. Tice really stepped up for a change this season and James Newton Howard's score from Water for Elephants was beautiful. Is it just me or does it feel like they are ramming through this season at light speed?
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post #567 of 840
7/28/11 at 10:24pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by nlk10010 View Post

Oh, and, BTW (and this is only to be taken from a male, heterosexual perspective, no flames please) when they showed Ellen in the crowd sitting next to Portia DeRossi (ex "Better off Ted") all I could think was: "what an absolute waste of a gorgeous woman" (Portia, not Ellen).

I first saw Portia while she was on the old "Ally McBeal" show. Yeah, she's a looker.

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post #568 of 840
7/29/11 at 12:38am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cal1981 View Post

As soon as Tadd landed in the bottom two, I knew that Jess was doomed. Tadd has, to the show runners I'm sure, more upside than Jess. Jordan wasn't a surprise although it was probably a tough choice between her and Caitlyn. I loved the opening routine. Tice really stepped up for a change this season and James Newton Howard's score from Water for Elephants was beautiful. Is it just me or does it feel like they are ramming through this season at light speed?

I know that Jess' heart had to sink when Tadd ended up with him in the bottom; he had a chance against Ricky.

I was pretty sure that Jordan was on her way out and I'm happy. The girl cannot avoid staring into and grinning at the audience no matter how inappropriate it might be for the piece she's dancing. IMO, it ruined her Rhumba Wednesday night (at least she didn't grin).

Tyce's group number was nice, but the "Diorio Curse" continues--Jordan danced a jazz routine by Tyce with Ade this week . Everyone who's danced a Tyce Diorio pair routine this season has ended in the bottom that week and many were eliminated.

Quote:
Originally Posted by nlk10010 View Post

Oh, and, BTW (and this is only to be taken from a male, heterosexual perspective, no flames please) when they showed Ellen in the crowd sitting next to Portia DeRossi (ex "Better off Ted") all I could think was: "what an absolute waste of a gorgeous woman" (Portia, not Ellen).

If you didn't want to be flamed you should have kept that thought to yourself in mixed company. Why would you think that Portia being in a happy marriage to someone she so obviously loves and who so obviously adores her is somehow "a waste"? Would you have said the same thing if she was there on the arm of a geeky looking guy?

Though I might envy Ellen for having such a beautiful spouse, I'm happy for them both.
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post #569 of 840
7/29/11 at 1:46am
Quote:
Originally Posted by spyder696969 View Post

What a sham.

Sonya's last routine was NOT her best ever...hell, it wasn't even her best of the night! We haven't seen this much repetative out-and-out lying since Mary blathered on and on and on about Kayla's so-called "sheer perfection" 46 times per episode. Standing up and going "GaGa" over a barely mediocre performance just because it had your favorite two dancers isn't just absurd, it's a discredit to everyone on the show and an insult to loyal viewers.

Dare I say it? I think Sonya's overrated. All her dance routines are very similar to me (a lot of posing to the beat), and the judges always say she is so 'weird/dark/out there', which I guess she is for mainstream dance...but she is mainstream 'dark'. She was inspired by Twilight for a routine!

Anyways...

Sad to see Jess go. My main problem with him was the face he made during the routines. He finally has a more natural expression, and he gets voted off. Jordan, I wasn't really a fan of her's, though her dance with Ade was very nice (though I mainly watched Ade during that one).
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post #570 of 840
7/29/11 at 10:10am
All Jess does in his solos is spin. Or, excuse me, pirouette. Good-bye!

Anyway, I couldn't quite tell by Nigel's comment, but did he infer the judges simply decided who to let go by the person who got the fewest votes of the two?
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