...Set: SYTYCD S7 Top 9 Performance Show

In tonight's show we had two welcome changes. One, we got to see very dancer do a solo, and two, we had our first guy-guy dance. I've been wondering from the beginning whether they might mix things up and do that, particularly since so many of the girls have already gone home, and none of the guys have. Meaning we've been able to see the all-star girls a lot more than the all-star guys. And boy, am I glad they did. I think we all are, right? Uh, duh.

But the night wasn't without its fumbles, as we can see with...

The Bad

Melinda - I feel a little bad ragging on Melinda every week, because I actually really liked her back when she tried out, but honestly if this had been a top 20, I don't think she would've made it to the top 10. There's something about her that isn't connecting. And her Fabian Sanchez salsa with Pasha tonight was no exception. Though she soldiered on after a possible wardrobe malfunction, and was certainly trying hard to get the salsa steps down, it looked like she was trying, rather than it just coming naturally. And though her tapping solo was again good, I think it unlikely that she won't be in the bottom. Unless she gets sympathy votes, which does sometimes happen. And I was thinking that to myself while the judges were ripping into her too (like when they said they think they made a mistake letting Cristina go and not her last week. Which? True. But, your mistake, judges!). And, as a sidenote - what in the world was with Pasha's outfit? Was he supposed to look like a gay sailor?

Jose - I like Jose, but that samba just showcased again how he's not nearly as good of a dancer as the other guys in the competition (or the other two ladies, for that matter). Jose has been sailing by on his charming smile, and if he gets another pass this week, I don't know. That would bother me, but then that's what often happens. Anya helped to make Jose look better than he actually was in the Dmitry Chaplin choreographed routine, but I don't think it's fair how the judges give him basically nothing but compliments while acknowledging that he's not a great dancer, when they rip apart other people. Jose's solo wasn't really anything to write home about, particularly after having such an amazing b-boy in Legacy last year. Legacy, we miss you.

The Okay

Billy - Billy's solo? Awesome. Unlike some of the solos we have seen on the show this season, he really did a good one, though maybe there was one too many bendy leg kicky things in there for my taste. We know you're weirdly flexible, okay? But his partner dance was a Stacey Tookey contemporary piece with all-star Kathryn. On paper, that sounds like it should be amazing, right? And that's what I was thinking it should be when they started, but... it fell kind of flat. I don't know if it was the choreography or if it was what Nigel said - that Billy is a great dancer, but he's not good at partnering. And after seeing what he did in his solo as compared to the routine, you know, I think Nigel might actually be on to something. I don't always agree with his comments, but if Billy wants to stick around, I think he should take that one to heart.

Kent - Kent, Kent, Kent. You know you're a big personality when Cat just has to say something like, "And we've got a... Kent." As if he's an animal species all to himself. And in many ways, his personality does make him seem like his own species. But that's what the judges are telling him to be conscious of, because he's starting to become too aware of the audience, and not focusing more on the partnering. He had a Mandy Moore contemporary routine with all-star Allison, and while it was decent, it wasn't great. And I think the judges comments were pretty spot on, truthfully. Not that I think he's going anywhere anytime soon, but you know. I will give him props for a thought out solo that was actually planned with the music for the time allotted. Good on you, little buddy! (Doesn't he sort of remind you of a wee little Gilligan?)

The Good

Robert - After being (unjustly) foisted into the bottom three last week, this week Robert got to strut his stuff with Courtney in a Sonya Tayeh jazz routine. I have to give him props, because my eyes were drawn to him the whole time, despite Courtney's heinous pants (seriously! those were perhaps the most unflattering pants I have ever beheld). Though I do think he could've gotten a little more down and dirty with it, because though Nigel did compare him to my beloved Mark, I don't think he was quite up to Mark's standard in a Sonya piece. That may be impossible, true. But Robert's solo was great. As Cat stated, "Robert and Ray LaMontagne in one routine, that's kind of heaven." Indeed, indeed. As soon as "Hold You in My Arms" came on, I was already hooked. And he worked it to his advantage. Hopefully it's enough to keep him out of the bottom three.

Adechike - I have to say, I was rather impressed with Adechike this week. While I do think he should've been in the bottom three the last two weeks, I don't think he deserves it this time around. His Dave Scott hip hop routine with Lauren actually got him to exhibit some personality, though, was it me, or did the routine seem to go on for forever and a day? It seemed really long. Anyway. What really made me like Adechike tonight was his solo. Now where has that been these last few weeks, dude? He owned that solo. If only he could bring what he does in his solos to his partner dances, he could be great.

Ashley - I feel like Ashley may be the under the radar contestant who somehow makes it through to the top 6 and we don't really know why or how. She had yet another contemporary tonight, this time it was a routine by new to SYTYCD choreographer Dee Caspary, with all-star Ade. And though certainly good, it did not blow my mind as much as the fact that they were using a Florence + The Machine song. I am currently obsessed with "My Boy Builds Coffins," so don't mind me. Her solo was also sort of a generic contemporary leap, leg, jump, la di da that we've come to expect. Not that it's not good, but...? I don't know.

Lauren - Lauren drew a Joey Dowling Broadway routine with all-star Neil. And can I just say, that is a broadway routine I can actually get behind. Most of the time they are just too over the top and like hey hey look at me weeeeee that I can't stand them. But this one was all about being sultry and seductive, and though the judges did have some criticisms for Lauren in that department (up until her strap came undone and she almost had her own Janet Jackson-y scandal), I thought she actually did really well. And her solo also seemed to be more put together than any of the girls' ones I've seen so far this season. I'm still not sure I like her, but she's maybe growing on me.

The Great

Alex - Wow. I mean, I know the audience and the judges went completely nuts over him, but what can I say? He was crazy good. His solo demonstrated his power, though I will say it did seem like he didn't plan any of it out and was just kind of going from thing to thing. I could be wrong. But! His NapTab hip hop routine with Twitch was great. For one - Twitch! We haven't seen him yet this season and it has been a crying shame! The concept was tons of fun, and Alex fully committed. Nigel was bandying about the word "Emmy", so you know it's number one in his book. But, I still want to tell you, Alex, you don't need to act a goofball during the random camera time. Because it feels like an act. And you know we like sincerity.

Is there any way Melinda isn't going home tomorrow? And if she does, how weird will it be to have six guys and only two girls left? The answer is: super weird, but whatever. And, as one last aside, though I have enjoyed having the all-stars, seeing the guy-guy routine made me miss how the contestants got to dance together before. Will they still get to do those each person dances with each other in the finale? I hope so.

Previous Episode -- Next Episode

Supernatural: Top 5 Season One Episodes

Over the summer, I'm creating a slew of Top 5, 10, whatever-I-feel-like lists for my current show obsession: Supernatural. As if you didn't know! In between discussing some of the best moments, whether they be funny, or sad, I'm going to be going through the top 5 episodes of each season, all culminating in the top 10 episodes of the entire series to date.

Today, I'm kicking things off with a blast from the past, our dear old season one! Though not my favorite season (don't worry, eventually I'll even give a ranking of the seasons!), it certainly has its charm, and some top notch episodes too. We'll just forget about the killer truck, won't we? Indeed. Each title will be a link to a youtube of one of my favorite scenes from each episode. So, without further ado...

5. Something Wicked (1x18)

This last spot was hotly contested for me. As you'll see at the end of the list, I have some honorable mentions that were all in the running. So what pushed this one to the front of the pack? Well, one, that kid who plays Michael is awesome (apparently his name is Colby Paul. Aww, I once had a cat named Colby. Because she was orange and white like the cheese. I digress!). Anyway, not only was that kid awesome, but we also got our first glimpse into the childhood lives of little Sam and Dean Winchester. We saw just how much Dean really did for Sammy growing up, at such a young age. And, oh! A glimpse of Papa Winchester! Remember the days before Jeffrey Dean Morgan got too popular and he would just randomly be in like two minutes of an episode? Ah, the good ole days. Imagine if he had been available in later seasons for some flashbacks or that trip to Heaven! We miss you, BDW (please tell me you all know that stands for Big Daddy Winchester).

4. Home (1x09)

I think I must've been completely loopy when I first started making my list of the best episodes of season one, because originally I only had this one on my honorable mentions list. What in the world? Nuts, I know. Because this episode was where things started to get more personal for the Winchesters. Up until this point, most of the episodes generally were focusing on monsters of the week, and though each monster connected to the boys' journey in some way, this seemed like a turning point. We got to see behind Dean's hard exterior to the crying man within, met the fun Missouri Moseley (shame we never got to see her again), and I think this is the first episode where Sam had a vision too. Plus we got to see John and Mary, though it did just reaffirm beliefs that John was a bit of a douche. There Dean is calling him for help, and he doesn't even bother to tell them he's in town! No wonder they have so many daddy issues.

3. Faith (1x12)

Aw, don't you just love seeing young Sam with his flopsy hair? He was so lanky back then! This episode was the first time that the boys truly faced death. Sure, they were fighting ghosts and shapeshifters and wendigos every week, but they always came out of it okay. In this one, Dean was electrocuted while hunting and was basically told he had mere days to live. Sam was having none of that and found a faith healer, who used his powers to heal Dean. Only, it turns out he wasn't a faith healer after all, his wife was working some dark magic stuff on a Reaper to get it to do her bidding. Well, I'm sure you all know the plot. What made the episode so great, apart from getting to see Dean sickly (um, am I the only one who wished he hadn't been healed so quickly?), was the whole dynamic between Dean and Layla (the lovely Julie Benz). The first time that Dean feels guilty about living over someone else, though certainly not the last.

2. Pilot (1x01)

The one that started it all! Though I'm not really a fan of the actual ghost mystery about Constance Welch they were working in this episode, everything else really set the stage for the show. The beginning, showing us exactly what happened to Mary, the relationship between the brothers and their differing views on their dad, as well as how Jess is killed in exactly the same way as Mary, bookending the episode in that crazy/cool/horrifying fire on the ceiling imagery. We had our first jerk-bitch moment, the first of many pop culture aliases, and the first glimpse into the music we'd get to enjoy on the show thanks to Dean's cassette tapes of mullet rock. What's not to love?

1. Devil's Trap (1x22)

Oh man oh man. Where do I even begin with this episode? Oh, I know, how about 3/4 of the way through when things started to get cool. Not to say that the beginning of the episode isn't good, but meh, do I really care that much about Meg? Not really. When we've got the three Winchesters together, and one of them is possessed by their long-time evil foe, the Yellow-Eyed Demon, it's just amazing to watch. I liked the show before this episode, but I think this is what made it cross over into love. YED's in John, taunting the boys. Dean taunts right back until he's had enough, and YED starts ripping Dean to bits with just his mind. John is able to momentarily gain control long enough for Sam to grab the Colt. YED regains control and Sam aims to kill! But there's Dean, pleading for him not to, because it would kill their dad too! So Sam shoots him in the leg, and YED escapes. And just when we think it's going to be okay, they're on their way to the hospital and BOOM! Out of nowhere - crashed into by a semi truck, and that's where the season ends! OMG, I can't tell you how upsetting that was, mostly because it was not clear whether the show was actually going to come back at that point. Luckily, it did. Imagine!

Honorable Mentions: Provenance (1x19), Skin (1x06), Phantom Traveler (1x04)


To check out my other various Supernatural lists: Click!

Tune in next week when I go over the Top 10 Brotherly Love Moments. Yep, I've got this whole summer mapped out with weekly lists, baby. Obsessed? WHAT. Never.

...Set: SYTYCD S7 Top 10 Results

America, I have to ask - just who is voting for Adechike? How does he get a pass again this week? I find something so lacking in his performances so far, similarly to Melinda, that I don't get it. A random cute smile here and there does not equal good emotional connections.

Ahem.

Now that I've got that off my chest. After the Sonya group number, Nigel did more plugging for this National Dance Day thing that's happening on July 31st, so if you feel so inclined, go look it up. Before I get to the rest of the results, I would like to comment on Brian Gaynor's awesome group Remote Control. Did I mention they were awesome? Oh, I did? Well, they were! I didn't want the routine to end! It was great. The singing performance of the night belonged to someone I have never heard of, a Costa Rican chica by the name of Debbie Nova. The song was fine, she was backed up by six of the all-star dancers (Neil, Ade, Mark, Comfort, Courtney and Lauren). And can I just compliment whoever has decided to start having Mark be in some form of shirtlessness? Mmm mmmm. If you haven't guessed by now, I'm a Mark fan.

Moving on. The bottom three dancers of the night were Cristina, Melinda and.... Robert?! ROBERT, NO! I've decided Robert as my quirky favorite, so of course he gets bottomed. I can't say I'm surprised that Melinda and Cristina found themselves in the bottom. It's more of a question of personality at this point, as Cristina's paso doble with Pasha last night was all kinds of great, especially watching it back in that clip package. But I think she just didn't connect with the voters. Melinda, on the other hand, had a just okay performance in my opinion, and as she isn't really connecting either, whoop de do. Robert, on the other hand, got forced into the bottom because of the popularity of the other guys coming into this thing from the start.

I was worried that Robert might get the boot since they already said goodbye to one girl last week, and it's already guy heavy. Luckily, that didn't happen. Phew. Not that his solo was ultra amazing, because it was kind of disjointed and can I please just suggest they don't pick such slow music that requires a build up of tension when they only have some amount of seconds?? Have you never watched this show, people?? Cristina's solo was only okay, but Melinda's was pretty good. She definitely lights up so much more when she's tapping, if only she could bring that to everything else.

The judges weren't unanimous in their decision, but it was Cristina who got das boot. And honestly I don't see how Melinda is going to survive another week unless either Adechike or Jose ends up in the bottom three. I can see the judges letting either of them go before any of the other guys, but as they haven't been in the bottom yet, who the heck knows. I do want to also comment that Nigel was a little weirdly rude again when he was telling Cristina goodbye, because he said something about the choreographers saying she had a good work ethic, but that she was kind of slow sometimes. Ummm, something you can say in a more constructive way, I think! And maybe in private! But I guess that is just Nigel's way.

Oh, and, did you guys know that apparently the judges will be deciding who goes home among the bottom three up until the finale? In the past they've only decided up until the top 10, then the actual votes did it. It kind of seems stupid that it's their decision for that long when it's supposed to be America's Favorite Dancer, not Judges Favorite Dancer. Whatever.

Do you agree with who was sent home, or do you think the judges made an erroneous mistake?

Previous Episode -- Next Episode

...Set: SYTYCD S7 Top 10 Performance Show

Don't you just love how it says "Live" in the corner, then at the bottom of the screen it says, "recorded from a live telecast?" Tell me lies, tell me sweet little lies. The joys of being on the West Coast! Does it say that on the East Coast?

Anyway, did anyone else think Cat was in fine form tonight? She had some really hilarious remarks throughout the show, more so than usual. I'll talk about one in particular a little later on, but it made me wonder if she's been sipping a little special kool-aid! Wink wink, nudge nudge. But on to the dancers! I'm not ranking this week, I'm just going to go in the order of performance. Ranking makes my head hurt sometimes! And, interesting tidbit - they decided to keep the all-star partners up there during the judging portion this time. Okay then?

First up was Cristina. She danced a paso doble with Pasha, choreographed by Jean-Marc and France Genereux. She definitely seemed a lot less timid this week, like she actually really did trust Pasha. She definitely seemed to be trying to get a little more personality out there, but I still think she has a hard time connecting with the audience. I was discussing this with my friend and she believes it's because she's so careful with her language, since we can sort of tell English isn't her first language. Though the routine was one of the better ones, it was also at the beginning of the show, and she was in the bottom three last week, so I'm not so sure she's going to escape the bottom three again.

Next up was Adechike, dancing a Mandy Moore contemporary routine with Allison. And in case you thought Ms. Moore might expand her repertoire and go for a song non-80s (so maybe it was a remake of an 80s, it still counts) and a routine that was non-generic, think again! But I would also like to ask, who in their right mind thought it would be a good idea to have a fire graphic going on during Adechike's confessional thing about all of their possessions being burned? Inappropriate! Anyway, the routine itself was fine, though honestly I was still drawn to Allison, who I've decided kind of looks like Shakira. Yes, no? The judges say he's improved, but there's still room to grow. I thought he should've been in the bottom last week, and I think he should be again.

Alex was dealt a Tyce Diorio broadway routine with all-star partner Lauren. And, I'm sorry, but I was distracted by so many terrible things. The music didn't seem to go (Summertime by Sylvester) and the outfits? Blugh. And I don't think I'm alone when I say that Tyce's broadway routines are almost always a boring suckfest. Maybe that's harsh, but seriously. Alex wasn't treated kindly by the judges, but I'm not sure it was entirely his fault. And Alex, honey, please stop trying so hard to mug for the cameras. It makes you seem desperate, okay? You're a great dancer! Though I'm not sure Alex will be in the bottom because I think he has some fans, his routine probably does garner one of the lower spots in tonight's show.

Next up was Ashley dancing a Travis Wall jazz piece with Mark. And here I have a little bit of a complaint about judge rudeness when they kept talking about how it didn't seem like a jazz piece, but rather more contemporary. Which isn't to say that the comment isn't valid, but how it was presented seemed like an affront to Travis, particularly when they kept cutting over to his reaction. Anyhow, the routine itself was fine, I really loved that jump through the arms move thingy. And also? Mmmmmmmmark. Yummy. The judges are concerned that it was too similar to her routine last week, which I can see being true. But that routine got her through without a trip to the bottom three so...?

Billy. Billy, Billy, Billy. He was saddled with a krump number by Lil' C with partner Comfort. And well, it's true, Billy, krump is just not something you can pull off. All of his movements were too fluid for that style. As Adam commented, there wasn't enough of the hit, rebound and suspend to his movement. Not to say that he didn't try his hardest, because he did, but it's just really not something he should try again. Sorry, Billy. If we had a bottom three based solely on the performances of the night, I think yours might get you there, but seeing as it seems like you have a good following, I don't think that's going to be the case.

And now... Robert! He had a Jean-Marc and France Argentine tango with Anya, and it was hot hot hot. His dancing was only so-so, if you ask me, but the routine itself made up for that. And the fact that Anya was like WOW. She was awesome. The judges had mixed reviews for the number, with Nigel loving it, Mia hating it, and Adam sort of on the fence about it. And Robert? What in the world were you doing there when Cat was reading your phone number? Bizarre, okay. No one wants some kind of fake vomiting going on. That was just weird, and not a good weird.

Next up - Melinda. She had a Stacey Tookey contemporary piece with Ade. This was one of those "theme" dances with an on the nose song called "Squander" by Skunk Anansie. The theme, you ask? About how man is ruining the Earth. And trust me, I agree that man is indeed ruining the Earth and it sickens and saddens me beyond measure, but it also bothers me when they get preachy on this show, because heavens to Betsy, it's a dance show. ANYWAY. First of all, the first thing I noted was, "sorry but that dress is ridic." And then Mia basically said the same thing. I had a hard time taking any of it seriously with that dress, and Ade's pants were crazy tight. Wardrobe, you had a weird night. In any event, I thought the routine itself was only okay, I'm not sure I really believed her emotions, but the judges were nothing but compliments. I'm not sure it's enough to keep her out of the bottom, though.

After Melinda we had Jose, dancing a Nakul Bollywood number with Kathryn. Now, I think anyone on this show is going to be hard pressed to top the very first Bollywood piece we ever saw with Katee and Joshua a few seasons ago, and this is no exception. Because while Jose did look to be having fun and certainly put a smile on my face, he definitely did not have that routine down pat. And then Nigel started going on about South Africa and who knows what else. NIGEL, this show is not about the world cup! Get over it. Mostly they just commented on how Jose is a bright light that brings a smile to everyone's faces, and dag nabbit, it's true.

Lauren was next, dancing a lyrical hip hop from new choreographer Tessandra Chavez and all-star Dominic. This was another message piece, this time about abusive relationships. She definitely had a much better performance than last week, I'll give her that, but I think her immaturity is starting to come through even more, if that's possible. You'd think it would start to dissipate, but I don't know. And while it was a good routine, it still doesn't compare to the addiction piece that Mia choreographed for Kupono and Kayla. I saw that one in person during the taping, and it was amazing. And here is where I digress to Cat for a moment, because WHAT. After the judges were talking about Lauren going deeper, Cat says, "Dominic, do you want to get to a deeper place?" WHOA, Cat! Dominic seemed as equally floored by that remark and quickly left the stage. Yowza!

And finally, Kent. The Wapakonetan had a Tyce jazz routine with partner Courtney, and it was all about being sexy, sexy, sexy. Which... Kent? Not so sexy. Yeah I had a hard time believing there was any real sexual tension there. He's such a little boy! But man would that have been a crazy sexy routine for a different pair! Woo. I swear Tyce does a better job choreographing contemporary/jazz than he does the broadway which he is more known for. Anyway, the judges basically told Kent that he has to work on not being himself in every routine, since he has a big personality. True, true. But I don't think he's going to have any problem sailing through this week.

It's hard to say who's going to be in the bottom, I just hope it's not all girls again, as Nigel commented at the top of the show.

Previous Episode -- Next Episode

Supernatural: Top 10 Funniest Moments (Seasons 1-5)

As previously discussed, I am doing a series of top 10 lists for my most beloved of shows - Supernatural - over the summer hiatus. Last time I ranked the Top 10 Manly Tears, so this time I've decided to lighten things up!

While you wouldn't necessarily think a show about a couple of brothers hunting down demons, ghosts and other ghoulies would warrant much humor, the humor has, in fact, become one of the best parts of the show. Making this list of funny moments in Supernatural was incredibly difficult, because there are just that many moments to choose from. But below you will find my attempt! Please note that the titles for each number are also links to youtube clips of each of the moments mentioned, in case you'd like to give yourself a case of the giggles once again.

10. Prank Wars

(1x17 "Hell House")

There was much contention about this last spot, and I'm sure many people like other moments better, but as this was the first time we really got to see the boys loosen up and show their sense of humor, and also the first time the show really started to embrace the funny, I've put it at number ten. You must admit, though, that some of their pranks are rather, well, lame. Changing the radio station? Taking a silly photograph? Pish posh. But itching powder in underwear and super glue on the beer bottle? Now that's more like it! (And who doesn't like that we got to see a shirtless Sammy for the first time in this episode?? HELLO!)

9. Dracula

(4x05 "Monster Movie")

There are admittedly a lot of funny moments in this homage episode to old classic horror movies, but there are a couple that really stand out thanks to "Dracula." Firstly, after he's attacked Dean and the girl, he rides off on a moped! It's just hilarious to see a fully decked-out Dracula riding on a moped. But the real clincher for me was right at the climax, he's about to kill Dean, then he gets a knock at the door. And it's... a pizza delivery guy! He double checks that there's no garlic on the pizza, and then goes to pay, with, naturally, a coupon! Dracula with a pizza coupon. It will never get old.

8. Supernatural Goes Meta

(4x18 "The Monster at the End of this Book")

You can't get more self-referentially funny than when Sam and Dean discover that there is a whole series of books based on the story of none other than Sam and Dean Winchester, complete with wacky super-fans. While I personally think they took things a little too far with the meta-references later in the series, the moments in this episode were hilarious. Sam and Dean learn what "slash" means, have to prove their knowledge of themselves, and get to read about themselves reading about themselves.

7. Castiel in the Den of Iniquity

(5x03 "Free to Be You and Me")

Castiel has some of the funniest moments on the show in general, but I tried to limit his inclusion here to just one thing. Rather than "Hey, assbutt!" or "This isn't funny, Dean, the voice says I'm almost out of minutes!", I decided to go with the rollicking ole time when Dean decided to take him to, essentially, a whore house, to lose his virginity. The look of abject terror on his face, and his various reactions to basically everything, make me laugh right along with Dean.

6. Dean's Ghost Sickness

(4x06 "Yellow Fever")

Dean is rarely scared of anything, but when he contracted ghost sickness in this episode, he was suddenly afraid of everything. Whether that be driving over the speed limit, staying in a hotel room above the first floor, having a snake slither down his arm (well, who can blame him for that one? yigghhhhh), or even just the clock ticking on the wall. The funniest moment though, hands down, is when he and Sam are investigating an abandoned warehouse. They enter a room full of lockers and hear something rattle one of them. Sam opens the rattling locker and Dean lets out a full on banshee girly scream when a mere kitty cat jumps out! "That was scary!" he exclaims, followed by a hilarious little whimper. Ah man. Love it.

5. Sam's Time Loop Proof

(3x11 "Mystery Spot")

While Dean's many deaths in this episode are also pretty hilarious, they don't quite compare to this moment. Sam, having been through so many variations of this particular Tuesday, is fed up with trying to prove to Dean that he really is in a time loop and really does know everything that's going to happen. Sam proves it by saying everything Dean does until Dean finally relents that it must be true. And right before we find out what exactly Sam is supposed to measure with his ruler every morning! Ahem.

4. Opening Credits

(5x08 "Changing Channels")

While about 3/4 of this whole episode was basically all about the funny, the part that had me laughing and laughing and laughing was when we got to see what the sitcom version's opening credits of the show would look like. And how do they look? SO HILARIOUS. The music, the lyrics, the various scenes happening in the background - they're riding little mopeds, they're riding a tandem bike, they're accidentally scaring each other and having a grand laugh about it, they're playing football... Best. Credits. Ever.

3. Tall Tales

(2x15 "Tall Tales")

This episode was the first time we met the Trickster, and he played some pretty funny tricks on people (slow-dancing aliens, anyone?), but by far the funniest thing about this episode was the different viewpoints the brothers had on various situations. I couldn't decide between my top three moments, so I'm lumping them all together here. No, it's not cheating! Shh. Sam interrupting Dean's attempted hookup with a hot girl with some "blah blah blah blah," Dean eating about 20 caramels while interviewing a witness, or Sam hugging a guy and telling him he's "too precious for this world"... I can't choose! You can't make me!

2. Sam's Bad Luck

(3x03 "Bad Day at Black Rock")

Maybe I'm cheating again, but it's kind of a whole sequence of moments, right? Right! Anyway, while Sam is in possession of a mystical rabbit's foot, his luck couldn't be greater. But once he loses it, his luck couldn't be worse. He trips and falls, loses his shoe, and manages to set himself on fire and reveal himself to the very people who are looking to capture and kill him. How he looked so dejected when he said, "I lost my shoe"? Come now, you know you were giggling like crazy.

1. Suicidal Teddy Bear

(4x08 "Wishful Thinking")

This was quite possibly one of the most out there and bizarre things I have ever seen on this show, which made it all the more hilarious. I seriously encourage everyone to watch the clip of this if you haven't already seen it. When the boys first meet Teddy, he wonders why he's here, and his owner Audrey replies "For tea parties!" His response: "Tea parties. Is that all there is?!" Dean and Sam convene outside to ponder whether they have to kill a teddy bear, and decide they would rather not have a "giant, flaming, pissed-off teddy on our hands." After they've left, we see a little scene where Teddy, so despondent with this life, has written a suicide note ("Life is meaningless. Signed - T. Bear) and proceeds to try to shoot himself in the head with a shotgun. But it doesn't kill him. "Whhyyyyyyyyyyy?!?!?!!" So crazy, so funny.


And there you have it! Now, I know there are many funny moments that weren't included here, but do you think I got most of the best of them?

Please know that I have a list of about twenty other moments that I just couldn't put into the top ten. Feel free to list your favorites that weren't included in the comments!

To check out my other various Supernatural lists: Click!

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...Set: SYTYCD S7 Top 11 Results

I was wondering, coming into this results show, whether the dancer leaving the competition would be solely based on votes like the normal top 10, or would be like they did it in the top twenty, with the judges deciding between the bottom three. The answer? The judges decided. I wonder how long that's going to continue though, because it feels a little weird for them to keep doing it up until there are only five dancers left, which seems the natural progression.

In any event, after the top 11 did a group performance, we got down to the results. And as with any of the first results shows of the season, there were a couple of surprises. For me, anyway. The girl I was not surprised to find in the bottom three was Melinda, as her routine was definitely one of the worst of the night. Joining her in the bottom three were Alexie and Cristina. I was surprised that Alexie was in the bottom over Ashley, even though her routine wasn't as good. Apparently she wasn't as lovable as the editors would have had us believe? On the other hand, though I wanted Adechike to be in the bottom over Cristina, I can't say I'm too flabbergasted. There's something a little too reserved about Cristina, I think she's going to have a hard time winning over the audience because her personality is so careful.

Before I get into the solos and results, here are my comments on the filler of the evening. The Twyla Tharp routine - AMAZING. Wow. That woman, I've already forgotten her name and didn't attempt to guess at how to spell it when Cat said it, was so powerful. I loved that. Sometimes I don't really like the guest dances, but this one I really did. Usher? Fast-forwarded. Yep, I pretty much always fast-forward through the music guests. I could care less. And then they showed a Justin Bieber-Usher video. I feel like the Biebs came out of nowhere to take the world by storm, and he's sort of awkward, am I right? I mean, I'm always right, but I thought I'd ask. Of course if I were fifteen, I probably would be just as obsessed with him, so I will shush myself.

ANYWAY! The solos! Ladies, have we learned nothing from seasons past? You have got to ROCK those solos. And they were all a little bit meh, to me. But the most meh of all went to Alexie, who seemed to be dancing in slow motion again. And I think that fact is what led to the final results of the night, because, indeed, Alexie was the one sent packing. I don't think either of the other two girls has that long of a shelf life either, though. Is this season going to come down to a top five of guys, except maybe for Lauren? Would the judges let it roll out that way? Hmm.

That's it for tonight. Are you happy with who went home, or do you wish it had been someone else?

...Set: SYTYCD S7 Top 11 Performance Show

The first "live" performance show of the season has come and gone! They say it's live, but you know what, I went to a taping of this show a couple seasons ago, and it was at like 4pm Pacific time. You do the math. First off, a couple bits of business I'll get out of the way:

- Cat! Your hair was nutty tonight.
- The introduction camerawork was maybe the worst I have ever seen on this show. Let's just say someone's name, but not have a close up of them? Uhhhh, okay. Get it together, people. You've done this for seven seasons now.
- I am still not a fan of this huge stage. It makes the dances feel more sterile and less intimate than the old stage did.
- While the all-star set up works for the most part, the one huge drawback I see is that it doesn't allow the dancers to get that connection, trust and chemistry with their partners that would otherwise develop.

Now that I've got all of that off my chest! The theme of tonight's show was all about connecting with the piece that you're doing and bringing across the emotions of it, to look in between the steps and see how to fill those spaces with something more. Basically, get your performance faces on! Enough foreplay, on to the ranking of the dancers. It being so early in the game makes this a bit of guesswork, but I'll do my best.

11. Adechike
Adechike did a Travis Wall jazz number with all-star Katherine set to Florence + the Machine's version of "Addicted to Love." Now, don't get me wrong, I really enjoyed Travis' choreography, but this dance was all about Katherine. She was the star of the dance, and while Adechike certainly performed all of the steps perfectly well, I just wasn't connecting with him in the slightest. Mia was even harsher about it, saying he didn't bring anything to the stage. I think he'll definitely be in danger tomorrow.

10. Melinda
Melinda performed a Tony and Meredith jive number with all star Pasha, set to "L.O.V.E." by VV Brown. Melinda, Melinda. I really liked you in all of the audition footage, but suddenly your quirky personality seemed to be thrown out the window. You were totally hamming it up for the cameras, and I'm pretty sure I caught you looking at your feet a couple of times. I don't want her to get voted off yet, but with that performance she's going to be hard pressed to get a lot of votes. The footwork wasn't great, and the style didn't really suit her at all. Nigel told you to get out your tapping shoes, and I think he was right.

9. Ashley
Ashley had a Tyce Diorio contemporary routine with all star Neil, set to "For All We Know" by Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway. If Ashley had had more coverage of her voyage to the SYTYCD stage, she'd probably be higher up on the list, but because we've seen so little of her at this point, I really can't put her any higher. She performed the dance well, and we were certainly able to see that she is a top notch dancer, but as Mia said, while we could tell that there was emotion behind the dancing, it wasn't easy to see what that emotion was about. The dance was supposed to be about love, but it didn't really feel like that's what it was about.

8. Alexie
Alexie performed a NapTab (I will never call them NappyTabs, Nigel, it just sounds gross) hip hop number with all star Twitch, set to "Butterfly" by Jason Mraz. Now, don't get me wrong, I like Alexie, but this piece did not do her any favors. I'm not sure that it was entirely her fault, because the choreography seemed really slow and too mellow, which may have been more song choice than anything else. I felt like there was hardly even any dancing going on. But Alexie has a charming personality that should help her get past this stage in the voting process. I hope!

7. Cristina
Cristina had a Sonya Tayeh jazz routine with all star Mark, set to "Starstruck" by Santigold. It was a toss up for me to put Cristina or Lauren at number six, but I think Lauren will get more votes based just on personality, so Cristina goes here. And if I'm being truly honest, I think Alexie will last longer than Cristina in the competition too. There's something a little too reserved about her personality, and while her dancing is good, I felt today and last week that she's a bit hesitant to really "go there." And let's be honest, Mark dancing a Sonya piece is just pure magic anyway, so my eyes were constantly drawn to him. The judges gave her a lot of praise, but it was the sort of praise that went like "that was really good for being out of your element."

6. Lauren
Lauren performed a Mandy Moore pop jazz routine with all star Ade, set to "Oh Yeah" by Yello. Is it just me, or does Mandy Moore have a serious obsession with '80s music? I swear all of her routines are set to '80s music. Not that I'm complaining, because I love me some '80s nostalgia, but seriously. Here's what really annoyed me about Lauren in this routine - she was totally performing for the audience rather than performing with her partner. I wrote that down before Adam said it, and when he did I was like "YES! I AM A GENIUS!" But seriously, she was way too concerned about the audience liking her than about emotionally connecting to what she was dancing, which is half of what this show is all about. It was supposed to be a flirtation, but she barely ever looked at him. I only have her this high on the list because it seems like she's pretty popular. At least she's better than last season's young whipper snapper, who shall remain nameless because I really did not like her AT ALL.

5. Jose
Jose had a NapTab hip hop piece with all star Comfort, set to "Beautiful Monster" by Ne-Yo. I kind of adored that song, gotta say off the top. Overall, this routine was only pretty good, not great. There was something a little lacking, though it was definitely a lot better than the other hip hop routine we saw. And really, there's something inherently lovable about Jose that will get him some votes. That smile! Aww. But I do agree with Adam that he needs to work on his power moves, it takes him a while to get them set up and going.

4. Billy
Billy performed a Tyce Diorio Broadway number with all star Lauren, set to Kenny Loggins' "Footloose." I don't think it's really Billy's fault that I've got him so low on the list today. In days to come he could very well rise higher, but here's the thing. There are A LOT of great guys on the show this season. The girls? Well, as you can tell by my rankings, I don't think they're nearly as good as the guys. In any event, the one standout thing that I wrote during Billy's performance was, "My god! His legs!" Yep, we have another crazy legs. I think Billy's success will really depend more on the choreography than his talent, because he is certainly one of the best dancers on the show.

3. Robert
Robert performed a Sean Cheesman African jazz routine with all star Courtney, set to Norweg off the Cirque de Soleil's Saltimbanco soundtrack. Robert! Wow. He went very under the radar up until this point, and I think he really busted out of the gate with a bang. Not only did he perform that awesome piece (kudos to the choreographer, that was a really cool routine), but he showed a lot of personality. Personality, people. It's what gets you votes. Adam called him one of the best contemporary dancers they've ever had on the show, and Mia went a little off the deep end doing this "rawr" face back and forth with him. But if ever there was a contestant that could take not being featured and turn it into being one of the top dancers, it looks to be Robert. Go, Robert, go!

2. Alex
Alex performed a Sonya Tayeh contemporary piece with all star Allison, set to Jeff Buckley's "Hallelujah." And, well, wow. The judges were nearly speechless, and it certainly was the best routine of the night by leaps and bounds. Cat even got her first chills of the season. Cat chills = gold. It was a great routine danced wonderfully, and I really don't have much more to say. The only reason Alex doesn't get the top spot right now is that I sometimes feel he is trying too hard to come across as goofy, and let's face it, no one's personality right now can top that of...

1. Kent
Kent performed a Tony and Melanie cha cha with all star Anya, set to Diva Invasion's version of "Lady Marmalade." The fact that he was so completely into it and clearly having such a great time makes up for anything that might have been lacking in his actual dancing. It could be a very fine line with Kent, because some people might think he is faking that "ah shucks" persona, but I really don't think he is. He's a little bit of a wackadoodle, and it works for him. And seeing someone have that much joy while dancing, I challenge even the most cynical of you not to crack a smile. And then his comments afterward about his lips... man. Unless you start going overboard, Kent, you may just have this thing in the bag already. There are certainly better dancers, but as we are told over and over again, it's not the search for America's best dancer, but rather America's favorite dancer.

Do you agree with my rankings? Do you have any favorites? And hey, do you actually vote? Despite the fact that I do these recaps, I actually very rarely vote!

Previous Episode -- Next Episode

Chocolate Mug Cake

I was going through my email a few days go, organizing and deleting and whatnot, when I came upon this old recipe a friend had forwarded me. A chocolate cake that you can make individually and heat up in the microwave?! What! How had I never tried this before? The only explanation is that I read it, then completely forgot about it. But when I found it anew, I decided to give it a go, and let you know if it's worth trying.

5 MINUTE CHOCOLATE MUG CAKE
4 tablespoons flour
4 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons cocoa
1 egg
3 tablespoons milk
3 tablespoons oil
3 tablespoons chocolate chips (optional)
A small splash of vanilla extract
1 large coffee mug

Add dry ingredients to mug, and mix well. Add the egg and mix thoroughly.
Pour in the milk and oil and mix well.
Add the chocolate chips (if using) and vanilla extract, and mix again.
Put your mug in the microwave and cook for 3 minutes at 1000 watts.
The cake will rise over the top of the mug, but don't be alarmed!
Allow to cool a little, and tip out onto a plate if desired.
EAT!

This is how full my mug was. I had to use a little mini whisk to get it all mixed properly and not overflow all over the place.

After it's been microwaved, it's a little over the top.

Now, as you can see, I tried it with the chocolate chips. I don't recommend it. They just sink to the bottom and get stuck to the mug.

My verdict on this: meh. Maybe I didn't splash enough vanilla, maybe it's the fact that I used soy milk instead of regular milk, but overall it was dry and not very flavorful. I mean, what do you expect from a microwaved cake, I guess? 

Supernatural: Top 10 Best Manly Tears (Seasons 1-5)

To get us through the summer hiatus, I'm going to be posting a series of Top 10 (or 5, depending) lists, which could include some or all of the following: top episodes overall, top episodes of each season, funniest moments, brotherly love moments, brotherly angst moments, top quotes... I have more ideas for lists, too. I love me some lists, people.

To kick things off, here is my official list of the Top 10 Best Manly Tears!

You may think this show is about a couple of brothers hunting down ghosts, monsters and demons while listening to classic rock in their '67 Impala, and you wouldn't be wrong. But it's just as much about the carefully placed manly tears. In compiling this list, I realized that despite Sam being the "sensitive" one, it is in fact Dean who cries the most tears throughout the series. Sam does a lot more teary eyes than actual tears, but when he does cry, it turns into a regular sob fest. Dean, on the other hand, specializes in that single teardrop down the cheek. It can sometimes turn into more if he's feeling particularly self-loathing, though. And we know he is so full of self-loathing most of the time, so get ready to cry yourself some manly tears along with the Winchesters! (By the way, I was going to embed all of the clips of these scenes, but only one of them let me have an embed code, so instead I have to link you and provide screencaps, which is taking way longer!!!)

10. John's funeral pyre

 (2x02 "Everybody Loves a Clown")

After John abruptly dies at the end of the previous episode, the boys bid adieu to their dad in a funeral pyre - with his body salted too, naturally. The moment is mostly silent but for Sam asking if John told Dean anything before he died, to which Dean of course LIES before letting his one silent tear drop down his cheek. And guys, this is one of the only times where the guys actually cry at the same time. It hardly ever happens, and that's partially why this moment made it into the top 10 above some other options.

9. The boys have a final goodbye with their daddio

(2x22 "All Hell Breaks Loose - Part II")

Sam and Dean get some help from the ghostly form of their father, who has escaped from Hell thanks to the gate being open, to finally be able to kill Azazel (aka the yellow-eyed demon or YED for short). After he sputters and sparks dead to the ground, Dean and Sam have a final, silent, tear-filled goodbye with John before he sparkles away to points unknown. Another rare occasion where we see both boys cry at the same time! And I think John might've been sporting some tears as well. Triple tears!

8. Dean talks to John's grave

(2x20 "What is and What Should Never Be")

Dean gets to see what life would've been like had Mary never died thanks to a djinn. Although it seems like life is pretty good, he starts to realize that because John never raised his boys to be hunters, everyone they ever saved died. He goes to John's grave (because although Mary was alive in this world, John had still died, though not because of the yellow-eyed demon), and there asks why it's their responsibility to save everyone. Why can't they have a normal life? He wants it so bad, but eventually gives it all up to be the hero. That's our Dean.

7. Sam clutches dead Dean

(3x16 "No Rest For the Wicked")

Despite their best efforts, the boys were not able to prevent Dean from having the hellhounds drag him to Hell. While Dean is getting ripped to shreds right in front of him, Sam has to contend with Lillith, who tries to kill him with her white light hand thingy. It doesn't work, though, so she skedaddles before Sam can kill her. After she's gone, Sam's left alone with Dean, who's lifeless and torn to bits on the floor. As he laments his brother, we zoom in on Dean's dead eye, straight down into Hell, where he's strung up in chains and shouting for Saaaaaaammmmm!

6. Sam has to kill Madison

(2x17 "Heart")

The boys think they have cured Madison of her werewolfiness, and Sam gets it on with her, only to find out that they didn't cure her after all. There's nothing they can do, so she asks Sam to kill her. Sam has a hard time with the mere idea of this, so Dean offers to do it for him. Sam says no, she asked him to. He grabs the gun, and before he goes to do it, he looks back at his brother, tears streaming down his face. Silent Lucidity is playing on the soundtrack and man, what a beautifully crafted scene. As Sam walks out to do the right thing, Dean lets one manly tear fall down his cheek, then flinches as he hears the gun shoot. These boys can never have any happiness.

5. Dean talks to dead Sam

(2x22 "All Hell Breaks Loose - Part II")

At the end of the first half of this two-parter season finale, Dean's worst fears come true - Sam is killed. Though Bobby tries to keep the sanity, Dean yells at him to get out, and has a one-sided chat with his dead little brother, about how he screwed up the one job he was supposed to do. That is, protect his Sammy. He is at a loss. "What am I supposed to do?!" As we know, he does something terrible that sets off a big chain of events leading to the apocalypse. Whoops.

4. Dean begs young Mary not to get out of bed

(4x03 "In the Beginning")

Dean travels back in time to when Mary and John were about to get engaged, and finds out that his mom was a hunter long before John ever started them down that path. In this chat, Mary confesses to Dean that she hates hunting and swears she will never raise her children in that life. Aw man, you can just see his heart breaking at her saying that. He then asks her please, no matter what she may hear, to not get out of bed on that fateful night in November 1983. He wants so badly for her to have the apple pie life she desires, that some manly tears flow.

3. Dean tells Castiel to find someone else

(4x16 "On the Head of a Pin")

When the angels force Dean to use the torturing skills he used in Hell to torture information out of Alastair, Alastair, instead of telling him who has been killing angels, informs Dean that it's his fault that the seals are being broken. When he started torturing in Hell, that was the first seal to break. After a subsequent major beat down by Alastair and near save by Sam, Dean has a chat with Castiel about what it all means. Cas says that the man who begins it is the man who must end it, but Dean is so broken down at this point he tells Cas to find someone else. GAH. I may start crying of sympathy just thinking about it.

2. Dean says he should be dead rather than John

(2x04 "Children Shouldn't Play With Dead Things")

After John mysteriously died and the Colt disappeared just after Dean miraculously recovered from injuries that would have killed him, the boys figured something fishy probably went on, though of course they don't actually talk about it for a while. While Sam is dealing with John's death, Dean has been bottling up his feelings about the whole thing, only to finally tell Sam what he's really feeling here in another of their patented roadside feelings chats. He feels like he should be dead rather than their dad, and there's nothing Sam can say to make that alright.

1. Dean confesses what he did in Hell 

(4x10 "Heaven and Hell")

After Dean came back from Hell, he told everyone that he didn't remember what happened to him. It quickly became obvious that this was a bald-faced lie, but he wouldn't talk about it, despite Sam's many pleas for him to. Finally, after a confrontation with Alastair, Dean comes clean. And it's so much worse than Sam could have imagined. His pain, and his wish that he couldn't feel anything, is so heartbreaking that it almost makes Sam cry for him (but like I said, Sam's all about teary eyes rather than tears, so we only got the teary eyes here). In conclusion: DEAN! You have so much manly pain.

And there you have it. Do you agree with my choices, or do you think I missed a big moment? Let me know in the comments!

...Set: SYTYCD S7 - Meet the Top 11

Tonight we got to see what this season's top 11 can do, in addition to getting reacquainted with the all-stars that are a part of this season. In case you didn't know, instead of having the contestants dance with each other every week, this season each contestant will dance with one of the all-stars in their own style, and then only one person gets eliminated each week rather than two. Got it? Okay. OH, and, Mary Murphy isn't one of the resident judges this season! No more hot tamale train?! Instead, Mia Michaels has taken her place. One MM for another!

This night was not about voting, but rather about giving us a chance to see the dancers in their own element before they get thrown into the "random" mixer (I don't think it's really random, you know). First up, we got a group number choreographed by Wade and Amanda Robson, which was basically a way for the all-stars to welcome the newcomers, set to David Bowie's "Fame." After that, it was on to the individual group dances.

First up were Lauren and Kent with all-stars Kathryn and Mark, doing a Travis Wall jazz routine about creepy Parisians during the Renaissance, or something. Travis! I'm so glad they had him join up as a choreographer, because he is awesome. They performed it well, but I must say that I personally was the most drawn to Mark throughout the routine. He gets that crazy stuff so well, and heck, he was one of my favorites. Lauren and Kent were fine, but in those costumes it was hard to tell who was who sometimes, which is a theme of the night really.

Next we saw Melinda and Alexie perform a Tyce Diorio Broadway routine with all-stars Allison and Lauren. And, Allison? I had no idea that was even you. Anyway, the routine was kind of a snooze, to be honest. I am rarely a fan of Tyce's choreography, though, so it's no surprise. The girls seemed to perform it well, though Nigel told them they needed to find the fire that the other girls have.

Next was Jose, and being our only B-boy (and only hip hop dancer, period) to make it into the top, performed a NapTab hip hop routine with Twitch, Comfort and Dominic. And here NapTab did the best thing any choreographer could do. They actually showcased the contestant over the returning people! And I gotta say, I agree with Cat - Jose's smile lights up the room. The other story here, though, was Dominic's continual love for Cat, and I have to say, I'm still loving it too. The way Cat said "hello lover" as a greeting sealed the deal.

Cristina was up next in a Jason Gilkison latin number with Pasha and Anya. And this was really a routine where she got out-shined by the all-stars. Because Pasha and Anya? HOTTTTTTT. Anya's legs know how to work it, man! Cristina's legs, in comparison, felt really sluggish, which Nigel mentioned. She seemed kind of timid. I'd rather watch Pasha and Anya do some latin any day. Damn! Sorry, Cristina. Also making a reappearance here was Nigel's famed lechery. Gross.

Next we got to see Alex and Billy perform a Mia Michaels routine with all-star Ade. This routine was about time, and the journey of life. Billy was the child, Alex the grown man, and Ade the old man. It's really not fair to give Billy and Alex a Mia number to start out with, as they seem made for it already. Mia gave them the monikers of freak (Billy) and beast (Alex). They are certainly ones to be reckoned with.

And last up we had Adechike, Ashley and Robert perform a Sonya jazz piece with all-stars Neil and Courtney. And in this one I found it really, really hard to figure out who our new contestants were. Courtney and Ashley were pretty interchangeable, which isn't so great for Ashley since she's had no screen time before this. Neil was also given more of a showcased part in the piece, while Adechike really kind of melted into the background. Robert, however, popped a little more than the other two. It also helped that he showed some personality at the microphone with Cat. Personality wins votes, people!

Since this was not a voting week, I'm not going to give my official rankings, but if I had to pick who I think is going to have the hardest time getting votes next week, I'd say Ashley, Cristina, Adechike and Robert. Do you agree or have others in mind?

I would also like to make one final comment: I still hate that big stage. The dances were much better suited for the smaller stage. C'est la vie and all that, but ugh.

Next week: voting begins!

Previous Episode -- Next Episode

...Set: SYTYCD S7 - Vegas Week & Top 10 Reveal

Another jam-packed two hours wherein we saw the last of Vegas Week and the reveal of this season's Top 10 dancers. Though I have to say, that last hour of reveals with all the attempted fake outs that only resulted in one fake out that I actually believed, gave me an almighty headache. Two hours is a long show, people. A long one.

Anyway. The biggest news of Vegas Week was that Ida Saki decided to withdraw from the competition. She said it was because of a school scholarship or something, but the judges accused her of not being able to take negative criticism. Well, one less contemporary for them to parse through later, I suppose. There's not a ton to talk about, really. We see some more of the dancers that have been featured thus far, and a few others that eventually get cut anyway, so I'm not really going to talk about them either (I will mention that the poof-haired girl, Nicole Knudson, got the boot before the finals, and I was not so sad to see her go, sorry poof). I will make a little note about the delightfully cute Kent Boyd, who had a great moment after his contemporary, though I do not appreciate Nigel already giving him the "you're going to grow so much!" business. We will hear that non-stop as long as he sticks around. People, he got LIL C to cry. Lil C! Amazing.

At the end of Vegas Week, there were 24 dancers left waiting to hear their fate. Unlike years past where they told them one by one there in the studio, they decided to either go to people's houses or tell them over the phone this time around. Imagine if you were one of the phone people! Clearly that would not seem very promising, and indeed it wasn't. We didn't even get to see most of those people, and truth be told hadn't even been told their names throughout Vegas Week anyhow.

First off, here are some of the dancers that were given quite a bit of focus that got cut. Adrian Lee, who Mary gave the bad news to. But if he comes back next year he'll probably have a good shot. And Anthony Burrell! I was a little surprised he didn't get in. I'm not sure he's the type who would come back again so that will be sad. But there's only so many spots this year and a ton of contemporary dancers, so... alas. And, Ryan Ramirez. You know what, I'm not sad about her. She gave me a case of the blahs.

But now, without further ado, here is your top 10 America!

Girls:

Lauren Froderman - Nigel tried to fake her out over the phone first, but then SURPRISE showed up at her house. She's a contemporary dancer, one of the many that got into the top spots, though the men seemed to have more than the women in that department.

Cristina Santana - Toni went to meet with the salsa dancer to give her the good news. It came as no shock, as they needed at least one ballroom person to make it into the top. My prediction is she'll be one of the first to go unless she does something amazing, though.

Ashley Galvan - This is literally the first time I have ever heard this girl's name. They do this every year, send through a couple of people they have given no focus on. Have these ones done well in the past? She is apparently a lyrical dancer, though I'm not sure how that's any different from contemporary. Semantics!

Melinda Sullivan - Mia visited the tapper and her mentor to give her the good news. While she isn't as strong in other categories as she is in her tapping, she has that sparkle. She may get the "different" moniker like Kupono or Mark in seasons past, hopefully she can pull out some cool stuff like them. 

Alexie Agdeppa - This cute little thing finally made it into the top! Mary was really working her up to feel like she hadn't made it in, but then turned it around. She has a very fun personality, I think she has staying power unless she gets something terrible off the bat.

Guys:

Jose Ruiz - The breaker showed a lot of talent in Vegas Week, though he may not be as technically proficient as the other guys. He's the only hip hop dancer in the entire group, including the ladies! He has some really stiff competition with these other guys, though.

Alex Wong - The ballet dancer who wasn't able to be on the show a couple seasons ago because he was in a contracted position now gets his chance. He gave up his position to do this, so I'm sure it was a great relief to make it onto the show. He is probably the best technician of the group, but he needs to step up his personality to get voters on his side.

Adechike Torbert - One of the many contemporary guys, Adechike stumbled a bit in his early Vegas rounds, but showed the judges what he can really do with a dance for your life solo. Can he beat out the other contemporary dancers, though? Because there are a fair few.

Kent Boyd - Aw, shucks. Nigel apparently got completely lost in Ohio trying to find Kent's small town of Wapakoneta. He even got a speeding ticket! But once he made it there, he got to give Kent and his entire family the good news. Kent has some serious heart, and I hope his dancing lives up to it once he's on the big stage in front of a big crowd.

Robert Roldan - This would be the male contender that we have never heard the name of before this moment. There have maybe been a few clips of him here and there, but he certainly will have a tough time getting votes with so little screen time up until this point. He's also another contemporary guy. Are we seeing a trend.

Billy Bell - Now, wait a gall darn minute! "You've already listed five guys!" you say? I KNOW. This was the one fake out that truly faked me out. Adam went to deliver the news to both Robert and Billy at the same time, and told Robert that he was the last guy. I was completely surprised by that, then Adam went and said well, they decided to change the rules and let an 11th person in. So now Billy can compete like he was supposed to last season before his mystery illness.

And there you have it. Your top 11 dancers. Out of those eleven, there are a LOT of contemporary or contemporary-esque dancers. They can't all be on top! Do you have any favorites so far? Anyone you already have had enough of? Tomorrow I'm thinking we're getting a taste of what everyone can do before voting officially begins.

And... I'm spent. Time to let the Advil kick in. Headache - be gone, I say!

Previous Episode -- Next Episode

...Set: Glee 1x22 "Journey"

Tonight was the big season finale for Glee, and featured our gleeks finally making it all the way to Regionals. Does show choir not have Nationals? Because that seems like it would be bigger. I don't know how any of that works. But also, only three schools in Regionals? Or wait, was that what Sectionals determined? I am so confused, clearly.
Anyway, at the top of the hour, everyone in New Directions is feeling very down because they are convinced that they will lose and glee club will therefore be canceled, per that very old agreement with Figgins that happened eons ago. They all share some tears and it seems like all hope has been lost until Will hears "Don't Stop Believing" on the radio in his car and realizes that he himself must not stop believing in the group that has changed his life for the better. This was happening right as Finn was convincing Rachel that they needed to step up and get the group back into a positive state of mind as well, so all systems are go.Their new theme: Journey. Of course! ANVIL TO THE HEAD!

At Regionals, the judging panel consists of some returning guest stars with Josh Groban, Olivia Newton John, Rod Rivington (? the news anchor Sue had a brief dalliance with), and none other than Sue Sylvester. First up is Westvale High's Aural Intensity, who performs a mash-up of Josh Groban and Olivia Newton John off screen.

After that, it's time for New Directions. Before the group goes on stage, Finn tells Rachel that he loves her. And - go! The three Journey songs the group performs are: Faithfully, Any Way You Want It , and a revamped version of Don't Stop Believing featuring more of the club than in the original. Don't Stop Believing is still the best of the group. That may just be because it's the best song in general. They perform well, and when they head backstage, Quinn runs into her mom, who has left her father and wants Quinn to move back in with her. Before Quinn can react, however, her water breaks! No one was surprised by this turn of events, I'm sure.

While Quinn is rushed to the hospital and giving birth, Vocal Adrenaline takes to the stage with their version of Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody, possibly one of my favorite songs ever (the original, I mean. I liked this version too but it's not the same.). Intercut some cool choreography and Quinn giving birth to her and Puck's daughter (with requisite "oh my god that is so disgusting" face from Puck watching). And even though she was a month premature, apparently the baby's just fine and normal-sized! Imagine if things had actually gone wrong. Would've been more interesting, honestly. As it is, a bit of a snooze. It didn't even matter that she wasn't due yet, really.

Rachel has stayed behind to watch Vocal Adrenaline's performance, and after it's over goes to find Shelby. She wants her to quit VA and come join New Directions, but Shelby tells her she's tired of coaching glee club and wants to start her own family. And oh, what does Rachel happen to mention? That Quinn's just given birth to a baby girl. What could possibly happen next?! It doesn't happen directly next, but Shelby does indeed eventually adopt her, and names her Beth, since that's the name Puck wanted for her.

What actually happens next is the voting for the winner. Sue starts out wanting to put New Directions in third place, but after she hears the bashing they get from the other judges, it's clear (though not explicit until the end of the episode) that she changes her tune and votes for them as number one. But it's not enough. Vocal Adrenaline takes the cake, and Aural Intensity comes in as the runner up, which results in New Directions not even placing, though they still get a trophy. Participation trophy, apparently.

And, like that, the glee club is disbanded. Emma goes into a rage at Figgins over the whole thing, and she and Will have a moment in the hall where he tells her he loves her and that they're not over, despite her now apparently dating her dentist (who I've heard is probably going to be played by John Stamos). He also smooches her. They love those hallway smooches. Before any more can be said, Rachel shows up and asks Will to come to the auditorium.

That's where the group has assembled to thank Mr. Schue for all he has done for them over the year with a rendition of To Sir, With Love, that nearly everyone gets a little solo part in. Schue gets teary-eyed, and Sue watches from the doorway, also looking a little misty.

Will is packing up the choir room when Sue shows up. She starts out with a bit of a gloat, as is her wont, but eventually she reveals that she respects what he's done for the kids and has worked it out so that they can have glee club for at least another year. Indeed, Sue has a heart.

Will informs the group of the turn of events and after much jumping for joy, he thanks them by singing Somewhere Over the Rainbow with Puck accompanying. I have to say I quite liked their version of the song. Quite possibly my favorite of the night, which is not normally a Will song. What! Craziness.

And there you have it, folks. Season 1(.5?) of Glee is officially over. It's been a bit of a bumpy ride, but you can't say you haven't been entertained. Below are the quotes, which aren't as plentiful as episodes past because of the rather serious/teary tone of this finale.

Quotes:

"Now I realize my cultural ascendance only serves to illuminate your own banality. But face it, I'm legend. It's happened." - Sue

"I have to be honest Will, I'm having a really difficult time hearing anything you have to say today, because your hair looks like a briar patch. I keep expecting racist animated Disney characters to pop up and start singing songs about livin' on the bayou." - Sue

"Brunette's have no place in show business." - Olivia Newton John

"Dag nabbit!" - Josh Groban

"It's as barren as me in here, Will." - Sue

"I've seen that car you drive, I don't want to catch poor." - Sue

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