The competition is getting tight and we’re…we’re down…um, we’re down to…
Sorry, you’re gonna have to give me a minute. I’m still stung from last week. I can’t believe A.S.I.I.D. is gone….
Okay, shake it off. I’m back (if I start to lose it again, I’ll just take a quick peek at Mario Lopez’s grey and lime green t-shirt – so ugly it acts like smelling salts). The competition is getting tight and we’re down to only five remaining crews. SoReal Cru, Fanny Pak, and Boogie Bots have received enough votes to see another week, but Super Cr3w and Supreme Soul are up for elimination.
This week’s challenge is to choreograph a hard-hitting routine by creating percussive beats with various props. The stage has been transformed into a high school gymnasium and each crew is responsible for portraying different groups of characters that go along with that scene.
Crew: Fanny Pak
Song: “Spaz” by N.E.R.D.
Fanny Pak’s flair for theatrics and knowledge of props come in handy this week as they play teen detainees in a mandatory gym class. We have the geeks, the horny lovebirds, the obligatory fat kid. Shane Sparks loves their silliness and creativity, but was overwhelmed by the many different things going on. He thinks the choreography could’ve been cleaner. Lil Mama agrees that it wasn’t their best performance but loves how they brought the beat. The fanny pack mystique continues to intrigue her and she wishes they would pull something more out of them in the future – be careful what you wish for, Ma. JC Chasez thinks the props might have owned the group a little this time around; the routine was chaotic, off-beat, and had very little actual dancing because they seemed “consumed by the challenge.” I don’t know, that’s usually a good thing. The only disturbing things for me are the JC and Mario locker posters. Even more disturbing is how excited Mario gets at a pic of his own glistening, bare chest.
Crew: SoReal Cru
Song: “Tambourine” by Eve
With Ailyn’s conservative parents finally supporting her from the audience, the stakes for this crew’s performance are high. As the only group without an athletic theme to their routine, SoReal Cru plays band members preparing to practice in the gym. Lil Mama appreciates how they “always have a smooth way of coming hard.” I know she doesn’t mean it the way it comes out, but Mama decides to congratulate the group’s performance and Ailyn’s mended relationship with her parents by pointing out how short the career of a dancer is. How do you tell a young, aspiring dancer competing on a televised dance show that you won’t really go that far? Yes, it’s true, but still… JC thinks the use of props was handled very well, especially the fact that they didn’t rely on pretending to play the instruments; they bang instrument cases against the floor, flip latches, and do everything but play until the very end of the routine. Shane says the group is hot because they pay attention to detail and likes how they grooved to the beat instead of performing rigidly to it.
Crew: Boogie Bots
Song: “Universal Mind Control” by Common featuring Pharrell
Returning to our athletic theme, Boogie Bots play the volleyball team bench warmers. JC likes the performance, but points out the importance of appropriate prop choice – apparently, they use water bottles in front of a booming sound effect. It’s a petty critique, considering the confusing nature of the challenge: the crews don’t create the beats at all. Why couldn’t water bottles shake the roof? Despite that, he’s tickled by the “Flashdance” ending with confetti Gatorade – me too! Shane believes it to be one of their best performances, but Lil Mama was looking for more excitement.
Crew: Super Cr3w
Song: “Don’t Touch Me (Throw Da Water On ‘Em)” by Busta Rhymes
Super Cr3w were in it to win it last week. Although their win meant sending A.S.I.I.D. home, I still loved the energy and the fancy cat’s cradle choreography at the close of the routine. This week, they impress the judges and the audience more than they do me. Don’t get me wrong, I definitely enjoyed the basketball-themed performance, but it could’ve been more. Shane is blown away by the performance, highlighting many of the great tricks. JC thinks it was a “growing performance” that started slow but eventually incorporated the crux of the challenge.
Crew: Supreme Soul
Song: “Church” by T-Pain
To me, Supreme Soul’s sudden death routine outshines their fellow bottom two-er, Super Cr3w. JC is impressed with how dedicated they are to character and scene (hockey players on the ice). There are “wonderful moments of athleticism” and great attention to detail. Lil Mama is confused as to why both Supreme Soul and Super Cr3w are in the bottom. In the process of reprimanding America for not voting the right way, she continues where she left off with Boogie Bots, dissing them for boring her to tears. Shane jumps back in and gets very defensive about the crowd’s usual reaction to the judges’ decisions – don’t get mad at us, VOTE! They should take a page out of So You Think You Can Dance’s Nigel Lythgoe and encourage Generation Next to vote in the Presidential election too.
Another tough decision, and again I’m taken aback. I expected more from this crew, but this week I was certain they’d proved themselves. They’re safe, for sure.
Supreme Soul, your banner must…banner must…must…
Mario, pass me your shirt.
Next Week: It’s gonna be “supa dupa fly” when Missy “Misdemeanor” Elliott comes through.
