‘So You Think You Can Dance’: LA And Chicago Wow The Judges

There’s no doubt the judges were wowed by the talent from last night’s So You Think You Can Dance because “wow” seemed to be the only that Adam Shankmen and Nigel Lithgoe could come up with. Good, terrible, just good enough to go on to the choreography round, they used “wow” the way a valley girl uses “like”. The other point the judges seemed to be driving home was that it’s not just about being a great technical dancer, it’s about connecting with the audience and being a great performer.

So, with all that wowing did Adam and Nigel, along with guest judges Hi Hat and Stacey Tookey, find the next Jeanine or Russell hidden there among LA and Chi-town’s would-be star dancers? The So You Think You Can Dance judges handed out a number of tickets to Vegas last night—let’s take a look at all the talented guys and gals going to Sin City. And heck, why not, let’s give them one extra minute of fame and go over our favorite train-wrecks as well. SYTYCD Season 7 auditions jete on below.

LET’S GET IT ON We “got it on” with our first LA contestant: Lauren Froderman, the 18-year-old cheerleader (who also just happened to have 15 years of training) with moves that probably made Adam Shenkman wish he’d taken her as his dance partner at The Last Song wrap party. (Ladies, if you are trying to get your boyfriend to watch this season of SYTYCD with you, just sit him down for this number and tell him the entire season is like this.)

“FIVE FOOT ONE, BUT LOTS OF FUN” We met William Hung’s long lost reality show cousin Hella Hung (aka Hung Van Lam)! Is there anything better for reality TV than a train-wreck auditioner who refers to himself in the third person? Only, he’s not terrible. Hella’s routine to a rockin’ Jackson 5 remix (that we’d like to get our hands on) would set off any dance party, but he’s by no means SYTYCD material. Cut to the judges looking awfully confused. What did they have to say? You guessed it, “Wow”. Hi Hat said he would be great at birthday parties. We agree. Could someone flash a number or website for us to hire him.

I’VE ONLY BEEN DANCING FOR TWO WEEKS, BUT I’VE TRAINED AS AN OLYMPIC GYMNAST ALL MY LIFE. Perhaps SYTYCD is Rachel Girma‘s Cool Runnings. Rachel got replaced on her Olympic gymnastic team when she injured her foot, but all that training is still applicable for another sport: dance. She essentially performed an entire rhythmic gymnastic routine only with out her usual aparatis. Is it really fair to have an previous Olympic hopeful competing on a reality show with regular people? That’s like having a Pussycat Doll compete on Dancing With The Stars—oh, wait. Of her impressive performance, Nigel said she did what no one has ever done on stage before, nope they usually do it on a mat. Nonetheless, she’s going to Vegas.

SHE’S POSSESSED Man the producers were really tugging at our heart strings with the last auditioner of the day, Taylor Costello. The young Arizona native was adopted and never got to meet her birth mother. With her manic, captivating performance to TV On The Radio’s “Wolf Like Me”, Nigel and Adam didn’t even wait until after her performance to say their obligatory, “Wow”. Taylor says she dances because her mother loved to dance. That’s basically all she knows because her mother was murdered in a hotel room several years ago. Oh, and the killer is still on the loose. Yikes! Nigel tells her she “almost looks possessed” when she dances. She’s sent to choreography.  But she wasn’t strong enough for a ticket to Vegas (but the girl should really have a movie based on her life story). Taylor holds her head high and says her birth mom would have been proud of her. We almost reach for our tissues, but we it turns out we didn’t need them until the next hour.

MELINDA TAP DANCES ALL OVER STEVIE WONDER’S EGO On Day Two of Los Angeles tryouts we meet Melinda Sullivan, a tap dancer who has already worked with the likes of Jason Samuels Smith. She does an amazingly bold routine, but to the most mismatched song, Stevie Wonder’s “All In Love Is Fair”. Nigel says it was almost rude to Stevie the way she used his music because the song didn’t really need to be used with the routine. Stevie’s music integrity aside, Melinda’s sent to choreography and makes it to Vegas.

ALL TOGETHER NOW: WA-PA-KO-NE-TA Our first Chigago dancer was Kent Boyd. Producers we get it, he’s from a small town. Did you really need to put him up on a tractor, like he’s Chris Penn in Footloose? Kent has a boyish face as fresh and excited as a puppy, but his dancing is anything but doglike. He’s fantastic. Nigel says he has a lot to learn (wait for it…) in Vegas. Phew. We would have hated to see Kent crying big puppy dog tears. The biggest city Kent has ever visited is Columbus, Ohio. What is this boy going to do when he sees the bright lights of Sin City for the first time?  .

IS COURAGE REALLY THE RIGHT WORD HERE? Andrew Phillips was our next contestant. He’s a twin and his brother Tyler has a genetic condition known as spina bifida, which means he has spent his entire life in a wheelchair. Andrew dances not only for himself, but for his brother. Tear. Unfortunately, Andrew’s dancing is a little clunky. Adam says it’s because he’s still growing as a dancer, literally—his body is still growing. Shankman goes on to say, “You inspire me. I want to know the courage you have all the time.” Really? Courageous? He has the courage everyday to get up and dance as a healthy young man? Is that what you mean, Adam? Then Stacey commended Phillips for his strength. We have to wonder if his brother was in the balcony thinking, “What strength? He’s not the one in the wheelchair!” Either way, we were pretty surprised when Andrew earned a ticket to Vegas.

HICK HOP Melinda Jacobson introduced the world to a fusion of dance known as Hick Hop. It’s a bit of hip hop and bit of line dancing. We’re not entirely sure if wearing jeggings is required for this style of dance, or if it was a fashion choice made by Melinda. As far as reality show disasters go, she’s no BP oil spil. If you Melinda dancing at a nightclub you’d think, “Man, she is having a good time with her bad self and boy does she need leave-in conditioner”. As you can see about Melinda, she takes rejection really well.

Cue rejectee montage before bringing out (in our opinion) the best dancer of the night: Adrian Lee.

YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO BE HERE TODAY 20-year-old Adrian Lee (see clip above) from San Diego, gave the most surprising and spectacular performance of the night. Stacey told him, “The best comtemporary dancer we’ve seen today…I think you are perfect for this competition.” Adam Shankman said, “You are supposed to dance.” Nigel agreed as long as he watches his hands. It was no surprise that Adrian got a ticket to Vegas.

MAMA’S BOY Jarrod Mayo and his mom seem to be BFF. His auditon dance to Kanye West’s “Amazing” is just that. Jarrod’s mom’ cheering from the balcony prompts Nigel to joke, “Medic! Someone’s having a baby back there.” Adam thinks he’s special and Nigel asks if his mom is cute (could there be a more embarrassing question for a teenage boy to answer?). The SYTYCD creator invites her to join Jarrod on stage, but she’ll have to cut the umbilical cord when he goes to Vegas.

GRAB THE TISSUES AND THE BEN & JERRY’S Now THIS is what the judges meant when they said couragous. Jarrell Robinson our last Chicago contestant is 25, a dancer, and deaf. He is able to move in rhythm by just by turning up the bass. The guy dances better than 90% of people bar mitzvahs. “He’s extremely musical for someone who can’t hear the music” While he has amazing talent, but Stacy says he lacks the “vocabulary” needed for this competition. They urge Jarrell to continue to inspire people. Jarrell leaves the audition saying, “I feel so inspired…I just feel so alive. I feel so apart of this moment right now.” We can’t take it anymore out come the tears when we the happy look on Jarrell’s face. Now, that’s overcoming of adversity, Adam.

Best: Adrian Lee Worst: Kellen Borchers Worst hair: Melinda Jacobson Quote Of The Night: Adam Shankman to Rachel Girma”You’re the perfect stew and I want to eat you.”

We agree Adam, but we still have to save some room for our next round of auditions.

(photo via FOX)