SAFE CREWS:
Beat Freaks dancing to "Freeze" by T-Pain featuring Chris Brown
Challenge: Perform while making something levitate
Was it clean? I think at this point the only crew I expect to be sloppy is the Fly Khicks. The other four crews are very consistent about being on point and very together in their moves. Tonight was no exception for the Freaks. Their moves were done well and with strength, like they knew where they wanted their arms, legs and bodies to be at all times. 10 pts
Was it well thought out? The prop aside, that was some of the best dancing out of all five seasons. Solos were framed brilliantly and were lovely to look at. The group moves were strong and built on each other very well. 10 pts
How well did they do the challenge? This is what helped and hurt them tonight. When the ball was in use it overshadowed the top notch dancing that was going on. Hell, the camera focused more on the ball and cut out a solo that Jules was doing right before it went away. Discounting the ball, the hanky trick was nice but there was not that much magic included in the routine as a whole. This is still one of my favorite routines ever, but I have to fair to the other four crews here. 5 pts
What were the highlights? When the ball went away, they broke into their signature dancing. It was a magic all its own.
What, if anything, took away from the performance? The prop overshadowed most of the first half of the routine.
Total points- 25 pts
Quest Crew dancing to "Got Money" by Lil Wayne featuring T-Pain
Challenge: Perform while passing an object through their bodies
Was it clean? For the most part. There were timing issues towards the end where a few of them were out of sync with each other, but nothing that really took away from the routine. 9 pts
Was it well thought out? I appreciate the fact that they told a story but they took too long setting it up and should have just got to dancing. The second half made up for the beginning, but they should have gotten to the dancing a lot sooner. 7 pts
How well did they do the challenge? The challenge is what hurt them the most (along with everyone else tonight). While I took away for the Beat Freaks being overshadowed by their prop, to me it felt like Quest was doing their challenge pieces to get them over with. The money blossoms were OK, but the end trick was just too slow and clunky for my liking. 7 pts
What were the highlights? The dancing was the highlight of this routine.
What, if anything, took away from the performance? The illusions were just there and felt like an afterthought.
Total points- 23 pts
Strikers All-Stars dancing to "Swing" by Savage
Challenge: Perform while walking through a solid object
Was it clean? Another knockout blow for this crew when it comes to togetherness. They made their moves pop and look sexy at the same time. 10 pts
Was it well thought out? For the most part. While nothing really felt out of place, the end just didn't seem to really fit in that well. 8 pts
How well did they do the challenge? They framed their minor illusion better then anyone else did tonight. However crappy camera work did not let us see what was going on during the big trick. 8 pts
What were the highlights? The dancing and the framing they did with the fire trick.
What, if anything, took away from the performance? The ending, while creative, did not feel like it belonged in the routine.
Total points- 26 pts
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THE BOTTOM TWO
Did America get it right? Honestly, with a top five this good it is hard to tell. My problem with seasons like this is that the fan favorites never get challenged like they should and can get a bit stale. But in this case, they did put the overall weakest crews in the bottom.
Dynamic Edition dancing to "Starstruck" by Lady Gaga featuring Flo Rida
Challenge: Perform while trying to appear out of thin air
Was it clean? For the most part. The opening had a few formation and timing issues when it came to being together. In addition, it just lacked the usual energy they normally bring to the stage. 7 pts
Was it well thought out? Not really. While I liked the trick at the beginning, they did not do much with it. Once that was over, the dancing felt kinda half-hearted and the normal balance of hip hop and clogging was not there either. 6 pts
How well did they do the challenge? Props for pulling off the big stunt well in the beginning, but the minor one was very weak compared to it. 7 pts
What were the highlights? Nothing really stood out as great this week.
What, if anything, took away from the performance? The ending was weak.
Total points- 20 pts
Fly Khicks dancing to "Diva" by Beyonce
Challenge: Perform while stretching like rubber.
Was it clean? Surprisingly yes. This was perhaps their cleanest routine to date. While there were some timing issues with the chair dismount and lining up when getting off the floor, it was well
done. 8 pts
Was it well thought out? I think they had the best opening out of the five that night. They used the chairs to the full effect when they were dancing with them. However, while the chair splits were
nice, they came off as weak because of the dismount. The floor work was on point and led into the main trick quite well. 8 pts
How well did they do the challenge? To me, this is where they excelled. Yes, they took too long doing it, but not many people caught one little element they added to to it. During the arm stretch
where it looks like they missed their mark, they snap in time to the snap in the song. I think that was a smart move not many folks caught. Like I said before, the chair splits were nice but not really did not add to the overall effect of the illusion. 8 pts
What were the highlights? The opening was the best part.
What, if anything, took away from the performance? The chair splits.
Total points- 24 pts
Did the judges get it right? While it was close, I think they made the right call. Fly Khick's routine just had more energy and more memorable moments in it.
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Thoughts on the eliminated crew- This was one of my favorite crews and I think they did well. It is a shame they broke up after the show.
Thoughts on the episode as a whole- While this episode had good dancing, this was WORST CHALLENGE EVER!!! Most of the tricks felt out of place and did not blend well with the dancing at all.
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Tonight's Rankings (based on tonight's score)
1. Strikers All-Stars 26 pts.
2. Beat Freaks 25 pts
3 Fly Khicks 24 pts
4. Quest Crew 23 pts
5. Dynamic Edition 20 pts
Power rankings (based on placement average)
1. Beat Freaks (7.6)
2. Strikers All Stars (7.4)
3. Quest Crew (6.8)
4. Fly Khicks (6)
5. Dynamic Edition (5.6)
6. Boxcuttahs (3.6)
7. Team Millennia (3.4)
8. Ringmasters (3.2)
9. G.O.P. Dance (1.2)----------------------------------------------
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