I (Amanda)  feel like I just went through a workout myself getting through 2 hours of auditions.  There are still 2 more hours Thursday night too!  A raise of hands for those ready for Vegas and Top 20 next week?  Mine is raised.  Throughout my viewing this evening, I was also warned several times by my local Fox station that there is some wet stuff falling from the sky a couple counties over from mine.  It’s nice of them to let me know by constantly beeping and putting huge graphics at the bottom of my screen.

It certainly wasn’t raining in Miami.  Cat didn’t even wear a scarf, but she did speak Spanish!  This episode was certainly funnier than last week’s episode - and meaner, too.  “Tyce, don’t be so mean to the dancers.”  - Nigel

Dawn: Both of my hands are exuberantly raised for next week’s Vegas callbacks.  Tonight’s auditions were briskly paced - I am stoked about the great dancing and sweet backstories we saw - but I’ve about had it with the dorks who clearly have no business being there.  There were a few montages of painful auditions, FIVE ridiculous auditioners receiving all kinds of extra time (the talentless Miami twins who had to do 3 takes to introduce themselves?  Stop the madness!!!), and a witty-but-time-filling bit on How To Audition for SYTYCD.  By the time Red Dreds was whining, cussing, and balking at any kind of critique, I wanted to throw something at my t.v.  All that to say, I wish I could have seen more of the good dancers.  Because the good we saw tonight was go-oo-oo-OOD! (Something I’d have enjoyed hearing Tyce say every now & then.)

Amanda: There were a lot of great dancers tonight. Here are my top 5 from the evening.

1.  Evan “Gene Kelly”  Kasprzak is back!

A: I was really sad when he got cut last year.  His dancing is better this year, but not his hair cut.  It was longer and slicked back last season.  I hope he can crack the Top 20.  His brother is good as a sideshow, but not the main event.  I think they just sent him to Vegas for a story arc.

D: The story arc certainly worked for me.  These brothers had me hook, line & sinker.  I haven’t seen the auditions from previous seasons, remember?  These guys were new to me, and I am in love.  With their talent, their charm, their styles, and Ryan’s smile.  I hope they get plenty of time in next week’s Vegas eps, ’cause I want to know if Ryan can put his money where his mouth is and strut his stuff in styles not involving a whoopee cushion.  No matter what, I think they’re both SO CUTE.  The trolley shot at the end was a nice touch.  Can you imagine one of them in that Broadway routine Gev & Courtney did last season?  I can.  Evan would have brought the house down with that.

2.  Janette ‘”Fiery!” Manrara  & Romulo “Mr. Greenhouse” Villaverde.

A: They were great, but it is hard to notice Romulo when dancing. That split jump was crazy!

D:  I agree, Janette was the star in that pairing.  She was cute with her faux-British accent whilst waiting outside, too. 

3.   Erik “Silky” Moore.

A: Bringing Tap Back.  When was tap in?  It’s always a good sign when the judges say that they didn’t want the performance to end.  Nice reverse worm!

D: I loved this kid.

4.  Police Officer Marico “Jukin” Flake.

A: He had to be nervous dancing in front of Lil C.  I really thought it was going to suck, but it didn’t!  Who knew that this secret Memphis dance was so hip?

D: Not me!  I might have been distracted, but I didn’t get the cop thing.  Is he a real officer?  He called himself the entertainment unit or something like that, so I wasn’t sure if that was part of his act.  I can be kinda slow, don’t mind me.  He was cool.  And I liked Lil C’s judging style - what a contrast to Tyce, eh?  Lil C (or “Little C”, as Nigel pronounced it) was totally respectful to everyone and offered nice bits of helpful advice that he didn’t need to.

5.  Megan “ball of joy” and Caitlin “I got hip surgery and look at me!” Kinney.

A: I really liked Caitlin’s personality.  Something about her just stood out to me.  We didn’t see much of Megan, but she looks promising.  More sister drama!

D:  I liked Caitlin too.  Spitting image of Rebecca DeMornay.  I was intrigued by the fact that they attended two entirely different cities/auditions - Caitlyn even said it’d be a dream come true to dance with Megan.  How long has it been since they’ve seen each other?

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Hey, y’all!  I need to begin with a confession.   I’m not a fan of the audition rounds.  I usually skip them and start watching with the Top 20 show.  I prefer seeing the real candidates over lots of time spent on the “inspirational stories” and “joint-tortionists” that never make the actual competition.  Does that make me a bad person?  (Don’t answer that.  This is just one fan’s opinion.)  However, I’m committed to getting emotionally invested early in this year, starting with tonight’s season premiere.  I am making it fun for myself by predicting who will be in the top 20 based off their first audition alone.  This recap will be a bit stream-of-consciousness; hope you don’t mind.

Amanda: Hi! Dawn and I are still working out how we are going to do our recaps. For this post I am going to share my thoughts after hers. Hooray! Season 5 has begun! After feeling disconnected with American Idol this year, I am ready to be emotionally invested. So, let’s get on with the recap.

We started in Brooklyn, NY.  Thoughts:

Dawn: Gabi Rojas - set the bar high with the “best audition they’ve had in five years”.  Mary wasted no time with her scream and Nigel said she’d likely make it to the top 20.  He said the same thing about Kherington last year at her audition, so there you have it.  When Nigel likes someone, good things happen for them.  I saw shades of Sabra in this dancer’s demeanor.  She has rheumatoid arthritis.

Amanda: I liked how the other dancers in the auditorium stood up and applauded at the end. Unless something crazy happens in Vegas, she will be in the top 20. I hope she can do a good Waltz!

D: Mutation - a genre of joint-tortionism and green face makeup.  I couldn’t understand their music choice - an upbeat song that was incongruous with the mood they were trying to set.  This is exactly the kind of thing that makes me frustrated with audition eps:  it’s so obvious that they won’t fit in with the direction of the show, yet they audition anyway.  After the choreography round, they were gone.

A: I thought it was hilarious how they professed to be the pioneers of this dance and maybe they are, who knows? Does anyone really care? They reminded me of Ringmasters on America’s Best Dance Crew.

D: Philly Peter, the tap dancer - went straight through to Vegas, despite his weird outfit.

A: Dawn, I said the same thing - that outfit was whack! Tap dancers never do well on SYTYCD, so I don’t expect to see him in the top 20. They had the best tap dancer ever last season and she fizzled out.

D: Nabuya - a locker from Japan.  He was super cute.  I thought the build-up about him was leading to a joke of an audition, but he gained favor from all the judges and got his ticket to Vegas.  I think his personality went a long way - but I will be honest and say it seemed like he didn’t do all that much in his initial audition.  Was that just me?

A: “I’m big in Japan!”  Dawn, I didn’t get it either! I just rewatched it and thought is was okay. I can’t believe he made it through. Interesting bit - in his interview package they used the song “Tokyo Drift” by Teriyaki Boyz the same night “Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift” the movie was playing on TNT.

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I’ve been listening to a lot of Cary Brothers lately, and every time I hear “The Glass Parade”, I think it’d be a great song for a contemporary piece - or for a contestant’s solo.  The chorus even says, “We are dancing in the glass parade.” 

Last week, I asked what songs you’ve become a fan of after hearing them on the show.  This time, I’d like to know What songs you’d like to hear used in a routine?

It is confirmed that So You Think You Can Dance will be in Fox’s Fall Schedule on Tuesday and Wednesday nights as a lead in to the show, Glee. They are currently holding auditions for the next season. You can see the details here.

As excited as I am to see Season 6 I am worried that it may diminish the magic and quality of the show. When I think of SYTYCD I think of long Summer evenings, not football season! Is it going to be too much of a good thing? Is part of the magic of SYTYCD is that it only comes on once a year?  I am sure it is going to be great and I can’t wait.

What are your thoughts? Are you excited about Season 6?

Welcome to So You Think You Can Dance THE Blog! Dawn and I will be sharing our thoughts on each and every episode of Season 5 of FOX’s summer smash-hit show ‘So You Think You Can Dance!’ Along the way we may be adding other bits about the show. We hope you join us in our discussions. Come by each week after each episode and share your thoughts on what dancers you like best, what Cat is wearing, the judges, and your guess for how many episodes in before we hear Mary scream!