THE TOP FOUR GROUP ROUTINE
Boys vs Girls:
Strikers All Stars and Quest Crew dancing to "What Them Girls Like" by Ludacris
Fly Khicks and Beat Freaks dancing to "Single Ladies" by Beyonce
What I thought- OK out of all five of the top four group routines they have done, this one is my least favorite of all. Nothing against these four amazing crews, but it was just bland. For the opening when the gentlemen came out, there was really nothing special about it and it felt the moves they were doing were beneath them for the amount of talent they have. I sorta liked how the ladies came on stage but the Beat Freaks seemed to blend in with Fly Khicks in a bland routine set to "Single Ladies". Now, I did like the partner work that Beat Freaks and Quest did as well as the partner work that Strikers and Fly did. It brought out a bit more of each of the four crews' style. After that, it just moved back into the land of bleh.
Fun Fact- This episode's theme was originally Chris Brown and Rihanna. However, Chris Brown gave Rhianna a savage beating shortly before filming of the last episode and the theme was changed. So, the challenge was not picked because there were two all male and all female crews in the top four.
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Quest Crew dancing to "Forever" by Chris Brown
Challenge: Incorporate smooth moves and gliding in their performance
Was it clean? Mostly. While I couldn't put my finger on it, things felt off to me. It just seemed like their groove was off and they could have given better. 9 pts
Was it well thought out? It really did not feel like a put-together routine. At times, it felt as each section was its own island and the dancers did not have an easy time sailing to the next island. Again, it maybe just me. 7 pts
How well did they do the challenge? This is where they really shone. While I did not particularly like this routine, they were outside their comfort zone with this one. Though the glides they did may not have topped what SoReal Cru did last season, they were still damn good, creative and original. 10 pts
What were the highlights? Nothing really stood out.
What, if anything, took away from the performance? Nothing really took away.
Total points- 26 pts
Beat Freaks dancing to "Hot n Cold" by Katy Perry
Challenge: Incorporate the Louisville Slugger within the routine
Was it clean? While I love this routine and it was a great way to lead into the top three, there were many errors. The robotic section went off with almost no errors, but right before the bat grab one dancer on the left was off sync for a second. Next major screw up: the bats being thrown when one was almost dropped. Finally leading up to the final headspin, some of the ladies were out of sync with each other in the power down section. 5 pts
Was it well thought out? From beginning to almost end this was great. Every section was well done and lead into each other very well. 10 pts
How well did they do the challenge? At first, the bats were used very well and playfully but they should have put them done a bit sooner. 7 pts
What were the highlights? The opening was the best part and really stuck with me.
What, if anything, took away from the performance? The near screw-up with the bat toss.
Total points- 22 pts
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THE BOTTOM TWO
Did America get it right? Again, at this point does it really matter? All four of these crews are good and deserve to be here.
Strikers All-Stars dancing to "Pose" by Daddy Yankee
Challenge: Incorporate their best swagger and attempt the uprocking and the groove
Was it clean? For the most part. The beginning was a touch off in a few spots and poor Mike was off for a good bit. Other then that, they really nailed the rest of the routine including the challenge parts and they made it look natural. 5 pts
Was it well thought out? Very much so. It had a nice groove to it with a sexy slide into each part. 8 pts
How well did they do the challenge? Again, they made the extra style look like they have done a groove style and uprock style all their lives. 8pts
What were the highlights? Honestly, the entire second half of the routine was the highlight for me.
What, if anything, took away from the performance? Just the minor screw ups at the beginning but they were quickly forgotten.
Total points- 21 pts
Fly Khicks dancing to "Pon De Replay" by Rihanna
Challenge: Perform using many different styles, including belly dance and island dance hall
Was it clean? Overall, yes it was. The only major error I saw was Mama off-sync in the beginning. I think the theme of the added challenge relaxed them just a bit too much and it didn't feel as tight as it could have been. 8 pts
Was it well thought out? They picked a theme, stuck to it and made us feel like they were in a music hall. Another nice touch was the smackdown to Quest and the Strikers, keeping in theme with the challenge. 9 pts
How well did they do the challenge? Beginning to end, they kept the dance hall theme in their moves and made it look natural. 10 pts
What were the highlights? The opening and the ending definitely made it memorable.
Total points- 27 pts
Did the judges get it right? While it was a hard choice to make, in the end they made the right one. While as a whole the Fly Khicks may have been weaker, they out-danced Strikers All Stars that night.
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Thoughts on the eliminated crew- Originally, I did not like this crew at all. But thanks to this re-watch, I can see what made them special and honestly I would have loved to have seen how they could have done against Quest or Beat Freaks in the top three.
Thoughts on the episode as a whole- This episode is a lot better than I remembered. Granted, some major screw ups took away from two of these routines. To me, this was the best top four week of all five seasons.
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Tonights Rankings (based on tonight's score)
1. Fly Khicks 27 pts (flame on bitches!)
2. Quest 26 pts
3. Beat Freaks 22 pts
4. Strikers All-Stars 21 pts
Power rankings (based on placement average)
1. Beat Freaks (7.5)
2, Strikers All-Stars (7.2) eliminated
3. Quest Crew (7)
4. Fly Khicks (6.5)
5. Dynamic Edition (5.5) 5th place
6. Boxcuttahs (3.3) 8th Place
6. Ringmasters (3.3) 6th Place
6. Team Millennia (3.3) 7th Place
9. G.O.P. Dance (1.2) 9th Place
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Click here to return to the first page and to leave comments. Thanks again, Teldon!
Boys vs Girls:
Strikers All Stars and Quest Crew dancing to "What Them Girls Like" by Ludacris
Fly Khicks and Beat Freaks dancing to "Single Ladies" by Beyonce
What I thought- OK out of all five of the top four group routines they have done, this one is my least favorite of all. Nothing against these four amazing crews, but it was just bland. For the opening when the gentlemen came out, there was really nothing special about it and it felt the moves they were doing were beneath them for the amount of talent they have. I sorta liked how the ladies came on stage but the Beat Freaks seemed to blend in with Fly Khicks in a bland routine set to "Single Ladies". Now, I did like the partner work that Beat Freaks and Quest did as well as the partner work that Strikers and Fly did. It brought out a bit more of each of the four crews' style. After that, it just moved back into the land of bleh.
Fun Fact- This episode's theme was originally Chris Brown and Rihanna. However, Chris Brown gave Rhianna a savage beating shortly before filming of the last episode and the theme was changed. So, the challenge was not picked because there were two all male and all female crews in the top four.
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SAFE CREWS:
Quest Crew dancing to "Forever" by Chris Brown
Challenge: Incorporate smooth moves and gliding in their performance
Was it clean? Mostly. While I couldn't put my finger on it, things felt off to me. It just seemed like their groove was off and they could have given better. 9 pts
Was it well thought out? It really did not feel like a put-together routine. At times, it felt as each section was its own island and the dancers did not have an easy time sailing to the next island. Again, it maybe just me. 7 pts
How well did they do the challenge? This is where they really shone. While I did not particularly like this routine, they were outside their comfort zone with this one. Though the glides they did may not have topped what SoReal Cru did last season, they were still damn good, creative and original. 10 pts
What were the highlights? Nothing really stood out.
What, if anything, took away from the performance? Nothing really took away.
Total points- 26 pts
Beat Freaks dancing to "Hot n Cold" by Katy Perry
Challenge: Incorporate the Louisville Slugger within the routine
Was it clean? While I love this routine and it was a great way to lead into the top three, there were many errors. The robotic section went off with almost no errors, but right before the bat grab one dancer on the left was off sync for a second. Next major screw up: the bats being thrown when one was almost dropped. Finally leading up to the final headspin, some of the ladies were out of sync with each other in the power down section. 5 pts
Was it well thought out? From beginning to almost end this was great. Every section was well done and lead into each other very well. 10 pts
How well did they do the challenge? At first, the bats were used very well and playfully but they should have put them done a bit sooner. 7 pts
What were the highlights? The opening was the best part and really stuck with me.
What, if anything, took away from the performance? The near screw-up with the bat toss.
Total points- 22 pts
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THE BOTTOM TWO
Did America get it right? Again, at this point does it really matter? All four of these crews are good and deserve to be here.
Strikers All-Stars dancing to "Pose" by Daddy Yankee
Challenge: Incorporate their best swagger and attempt the uprocking and the groove
Was it clean? For the most part. The beginning was a touch off in a few spots and poor Mike was off for a good bit. Other then that, they really nailed the rest of the routine including the challenge parts and they made it look natural. 5 pts
Was it well thought out? Very much so. It had a nice groove to it with a sexy slide into each part. 8 pts
How well did they do the challenge? Again, they made the extra style look like they have done a groove style and uprock style all their lives. 8pts
What were the highlights? Honestly, the entire second half of the routine was the highlight for me.
What, if anything, took away from the performance? Just the minor screw ups at the beginning but they were quickly forgotten.
Total points- 21 pts
Fly Khicks dancing to "Pon De Replay" by Rihanna
Challenge: Perform using many different styles, including belly dance and island dance hall
Was it clean? Overall, yes it was. The only major error I saw was Mama off-sync in the beginning. I think the theme of the added challenge relaxed them just a bit too much and it didn't feel as tight as it could have been. 8 pts
Was it well thought out? They picked a theme, stuck to it and made us feel like they were in a music hall. Another nice touch was the smackdown to Quest and the Strikers, keeping in theme with the challenge. 9 pts
How well did they do the challenge? Beginning to end, they kept the dance hall theme in their moves and made it look natural. 10 pts
What were the highlights? The opening and the ending definitely made it memorable.
Total points- 27 pts
Did the judges get it right? While it was a hard choice to make, in the end they made the right one. While as a whole the Fly Khicks may have been weaker, they out-danced Strikers All Stars that night.
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Thoughts on the eliminated crew- Originally, I did not like this crew at all. But thanks to this re-watch, I can see what made them special and honestly I would have loved to have seen how they could have done against Quest or Beat Freaks in the top three.
Thoughts on the episode as a whole- This episode is a lot better than I remembered. Granted, some major screw ups took away from two of these routines. To me, this was the best top four week of all five seasons.
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Tonights Rankings (based on tonight's score)
1. Fly Khicks 27 pts (flame on bitches!)
2. Quest 26 pts
3. Beat Freaks 22 pts
4. Strikers All-Stars 21 pts
Power rankings (based on placement average)
1. Beat Freaks (7.5)
2, Strikers All-Stars (7.2) eliminated
3. Quest Crew (7)
4. Fly Khicks (6.5)
5. Dynamic Edition (5.5) 5th place
6. Boxcuttahs (3.3) 8th Place
6. Ringmasters (3.3) 6th Place
6. Team Millennia (3.3) 7th Place
9. G.O.P. Dance (1.2) 9th Place
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Click here to return to the first page and to leave comments. Thanks again, Teldon!
