Eliminated: Rayven Armijo & Jamie Bayard

It’s fitting that partners Jamie and Rayven were eliminated last Thursday. They danced first, and just as Nigel feared, their routine wasn’t memorable enough to inspire calls. And neither had the chops to keep up with the other contestants. The really objectionable part, though: their clothes. What sick stylist shoehorned them into these getups?

He’s wearing a women’s blouse, trousers, and high-heeled boots. What gives?

The long tutu hits her right at mid-thigh–not a flattering cut. And the tights are unspeakable.

Eighth dancer to go: Janelle Ginestra

Maybe because the dancers were coming off a break, which dissipated the hothouse atmosphere, this episode felt less urgent to me than have previous ones. And while it’s sad to see Janelle go, she was this week’s obvious eliminee. She’s a little defensive in her exit interview. She acknowledges that her technical abilities aren’t on par with the other dancers’, but she thinks her visible passion makes up for her lack of technique. It’s an interesting question: is robotic perfection preferable to unpolished emotion?

Michael Silas Keeps it Classy

From Michael’s blog:

“Miguel and I were able to work through this week’s challenge because I had to put on my fake face to deal with him. Let[']s face it, we do not work well together. He thinks he knows everything and comes off way too opinionated, and as you see on TV that comes off ugly. Well hell, that’s him and I guess that won’t change, but I sucked it up, kept it moving and added a lot of ideas.”

Let’s do a close reading! Notice that Mike doesn’t blame Miguel for being a bastard. Instead, he shoulders some of the blame, saying, “we do not work well together.” By writing that Miguel “comes off” as opinionated, he generously suggests that Miguel isn’t as shitty as he appears to be. And “Well hell, that’s him” indicates that Mike accepts Miguel for who he is, and doesn’t expect him to change.

Sixth dancer to go: Michael Silas

Our love for Mike is well documented. Still, we’re surprised he stuck around for as long as he did. He’s got plenty of talent, but no training–yet he outlasted hyper-trained dancers Tovah and Oscar. He deserved to go this week; shoot, he deserved to  go last week. Still, it’s sad to see the last of him. He’s a whiner and a drama queen, but he has a good heart, and his vulnerability makes us feel protective of him. We’re glad Miguel won’t be able to bully him anymore. Did you see the way Zarate clenched his fists with joy when Mike was eliminated? Gross, Miguel. Gross.

Miguel may be the better dancer, but it’s Michael Silas who became the bona fide sensation last month. If he’s clever enough, he can spin those Latin Boyz pics into gold. We’ll be rooting for him.

Still irritated

We don’t mean to harp on this, but replaying the clip only bolsters our conviction: Michael Silas’s performance wasn’t on par with Oscar’s. We love Mike, but we love Oscar too, and he should have gone on to episode 6. Lee Martino said it herself (1:53) when asked to predict the loser: “For this challenge, I think the person going home is the person that doesn’t have technique. And unfortunately, I think it’s Michael.”

Fifth dancer to go: Oscar

We’re really sad about this one. Oscar seems like someone we could be friends with in real life. He’s funny. He’s rueful. He’s not 21. He knows his way around a pair of heels. And he’s tinged with melancholy in a way we love.

Despite our passionate Michael-boosting, in terms of pure technique, he deserved the boot last night, not Oscar. Mike flailed around and looked uncomfortable. The way he pulls his shoulders up to his ears and lets his arms bend at the elbows makes it obvious that he hasn’t had a lick of ballet or jazz or modern training, which the dancers needed for this competition.  We love him, but he got lucky last night.

Oscar was robbed, but luckily, he has a sense of proportion (a first in the history of reality TV). He got swept up in the drama occasionally, but mostly he treated the show as a lark. He sounds happy about heading back to his husband and his life as a “dancer/singer/actor/model/hairstylist.”

Fourth dancer to go: Tovah

Oh, poor Tovah. Her dismissal doesn’t outrage our sense of justice, but it still hurts. The benighted girl had the flu; Luke Cresswell mistook her deep focus in rehearsal for boredom (and since when are the judges allowed to consider not just the competition, but the preparation?); and this dance style, like the others, didn’t fit well with her training. As she said, “I didn’t get to point my foot once.”

Vincent’s dismissive, shut-up-and-look-cute critiques grated. Was the “maybe you should look into America’s Next Top Model” comment really necessary? In her croaking, phlegmy exit interview, Tovah says, “It’s really nice that they think I’m pretty, but I don’t want to be just a pretty face. I want to be a dancer.” She will be.

Third dancer to go: Jessica

Jessica’s dismissal lowers the level of neurosis by orders of magnitude. We’re glad we won’t have to listen to her lazy, nasal voice anymore, but we’ll miss her wackadoo theatrics–the mid-performance anxiety attacks, the geysers of tears, the incessant self-reproach. Jessica seems like a genuine sweetheart, and unfortunately, that doesn’t bode well for her career. The dance world, as everyone keeps reminding us, is tough, and Jessica’s insecurity and dubious work ethic make her unsuitable for that world. This girl doesn’t want to audition and hustle and teach classes for a little extra income; she wants to move back to San Louis Obispo and hang out with her mom.

One word: plastics

James’s departure means the disbandment of The Plastics, whose sole members were J. Alsop and Miguel Zarate. Now we’ll see what happens when people stop being bitchy and start being nice. Boooooooring.

Six of James Alsop’s Favorite Things

Just when we thought we couldn’t adore James any more intensely, BuddyTV mines him for these gems. Asked to name his favorite things, James comes up with the following top three:

1. Any kind of Janet Jackson music. I have to have her on a daily basis.

2. A computer. This so I can YouTube other dancers and other choreographers and see what I need to work on or to see what I’m up against when I go to an audition.

3. And my high-waisted, wide-leg pants. I love them.

His high-waisted, wide-leg pants come in at no. 3! James, marry us!

Other faves to make the cut:

4. In general, I can’t live without my cell phone. I just need my cell phone to keep in touch with my family and everybody on the East Coast.

5. I would die without my brother. I have a twin brother and I have to talk to him every day. If I didn’t, ooh, that would be crazy.

6. And what else? Let’s see. My Will and Grace DVD collection. I have all the seasons.