SYTYCD - Top 20

Well, my show is back and we finally got our Top 20 tonight!! Here are my initial views and thoughts. The dancers are not listed in any type of order....I'll do the ranking after the first show or two and I get to see them in real competition. I will mention who my favorites are though. I don't remember seeing some of them throughout Vegas week so I'll comment accordingly!! hehe Maybe

Ashley Valerio
Ashley is a contemporary dancer that has tried out for this show 4 times. This year is the charm as she has finally made the T20. Thing is the contemporary dancers are a dime a dozen this year and she doesn't stand out to me at all. Average looks (lets be honest, looks play a major part in this show unfortunately) and from what I've seen of the dancing it is also average. We'll see after the first show if she shows any different.

Asuka Kondho
To me this girl is the ballroom dancer to beat this year. She will not have an issue in anything ballroom. There are not many Asian ballroom dancers and her and her partner were good. He unfortunately was one of the 6 cut for the T20, but Asuka was paired with Deanna Brickley who has tried out for the show several times as well and was beat again this year by Asuka. I'm looking forward to seeing her dance most of the season.

Caitlin Kinney
Another Contemporary dancer. IMO Caitlin's sister Megan was the better dancer to me, but she was cut after her solo and Caitlin was asked to DFYL after Mia's choreography. I'm sure Caitlin has the potential to be the power dancer her sister is, but we'll see if it comes out right away or if it's going to be held back a few weeks more and cost her to go home early. She does have more going in looks for her than Ashley so that may get her a few weeks in as well.

Janette Manrara
Janette is the Salsa dancer from Miami that did that awesome flip kick move where she almost took her partners head off. She also was the one that did the awesome soccer kick move last year but was cut when it was time for the Top 20. This year she has made the T20 list. I'm not a huge fan of ballroom, but I do like a good Latin dance (go figure) and this girl is one of the best I've seen IMO.

Jeanine Mason
I believe she's a contemporary dancer, but don't really remember her so I will have to wait till after the first show to form a true opinion.

Karla Garcia
She is a funny looking contemporary dancer to me. If it's the girl I'm thinking of (Hubby has taken over TV so not able to flip back through the DVR right now) She will have to do something to stand out so I'll make an opinion later.

Kayla Radomski
She is beautiful and that will get her far to begin with. When she dances she's even more beautiful. Her and Mia have a good connection which is rare for Mia to connect with a female dancer like that. I will be waiting to see what her personality is like. She comes off a little snobbish, but with the little clips we saw here and there she may be nothing like that. I will wait for the first show to form a true opinion here too.

Melissa Sandvig
She is a Ballerina. There was a Ballerina last year too, but she messed up by not doing toe work during her DFYL solo and was cut early. This girl seems smarter and may actually go a few weeks depending on how well she pulls off the other styles. And if she is ever brought up on DFYL she will do toe work. That may be what saves her for a while. We'll see how after the first show.

Paris Torres
I remember seeing clips of her here and there. I believe she is a contemporary dancer as well. Still don't really have an opinion yet of her since she wasn't a featured dancer during auditions.

Randi Evans
ANOTHER contemporary dancer that doesn't really move me much. I was completely turned off by her "group" performance and it was prolly due to those hideous unitards they were wearing. I don't see her making it far unless she really steps up the dancing once partnered. She's cute enough though.

So those are your top 10 female dancers. The one that I really hate to see missing from this list is Bianca the tap dancer. She was cut after the solos and then went on a rampage about how this is her last year. I really hope she works and comes back next year. She was so close and she is an amazing tap dancer! Another mention is Natalie (Katee's best friend) she should have been a shoe in for the T20, but she didn't bring it with Sonya's jazz piece and ended up being cut. She didn't even get to DFYL so no chance to do Mia's choreography. It was sad.

Now for the guys:

Ade Obayomi
I don't remember seeing him at all during Vegas. I remember seeing something from him earlier, but not enough to really have an opinion of him, yet. After the first show I should be able to tell. From the clips they showed he seems to be good, but another contemporary dancer and I'm really tired of typing that at this point!!

Brandon Bryant
He was cut last year once it came down to the T20. Again another contemporary dancer but this guy dances very strong and powerful and I love seeing a male contemporary dancer in this fashion. He reminds me of Will from last year and I hope to see him in this competition for a while. Mia and Lil C seem to have it out for the guy already labeling him as arrogant but I don't see a bit of arrogance coming from this guy. I love Mia, but she is delusional on this one. (Lil C too, but woteva!)

Evan Kasprzak
He is a breath of fresh air in a world of contemporary dancers. He's a broadway dancer and he does this awesome Fred Astaire type solo that is just amazing! He and his older brother Ryan made it all the way to the Top 16 guys, but at the end of the day there was one slot left and two brothers waiting to see which one of them would get it. Evan is definitely the better dancer of the two and has earned his spot in the T20 IMO.

Jason Glover
Another really good masculine contemporary dancer. But with there being an abundance of them this year all these solos (if they have to DFYL) will have to be just off da chain in order to make an impression.


Jonathan Platero
Don't remember him at all. I will have to wait till the show. The clips looked good, but looks like anothehr contemporary dancer.

Kuponohi'ipoi Aweau
He will be known as Kupono for the remainder of these blogs. I will never remember how to spell that name! LOL He is a contemporary dancer that came off feminine to Mary during his auditions and is from Hawaii. He reminds me of the quirky guy from Hawaii last season (can't think of his name...Mark maybe??) Anywho, again anyone of these contemporary dancers that ends up in the bottom 3 will have to come with it on solos. Any ole solo will not due with all this competition in that style.

Maksim Kapitannikov
He will be Max (hehe) is a ballroom dancer that seems to be good at just about everything. He doesn't have a huge personality, or at least not yet, but we'll see what the first show brings out of him.

Phillip Chbeeb
He has always been a favorite of mine since the first time he tried out. If I remember correctly he was dancing here at U of H with a dance company here. He has been working hard on other dance generes and has obviously improved. Last season he and another pop locker battled each other during the finale. He was not able to complete Vegas week as he had gotten sick with pneumonia and ended up having to leave. One of the things I love about Phillip is he is mostly all natural talent. He has not had a lot of formal training other than the last couple of years.

Tony Bellissimo
Another pop-locker/hip-hop dancer. Thing about Tony is he's really tall compared to all the other dancers and sometimes looks a little lanky. I was surprised by how well he did in Vegas. He cried so much it was ridiculous, but he appears to truly love dance and he was given a second chance at Mia's choreography and was practicing while waiting. I think he has great potential, but is probably the least technical dancer in the T20 this season. This may cause him to leave early or the first time he gets ballroom out of the hat!

Vitolio (no idea what his last name is)
He is the little Haitian contemporary dancer that is a ball of personality and talent. He's probably got the hardest hardship story out of the whole bunch of dancers as his mother died when he was 5. He has been on his own since he was 15 after leaving an orphanage that his grandmother placed him and his little brother in. The group that he was in was amazing. Nerdography I think the group was called. Very awesome stuff. I think he will be around for a little while.

So now those are the Top 10 guys. I have to mention Alex Wong as he is an amazing contemporary dancer that was suppose to be T20, but he is in a contract with the Miami Ballet Company and they would not release him for the show. Nigel encourages him to come back once his contract is over, but he broke down in tears anyway. Poor guy!!
I can't wait to see who is paired with who and how everyone interacts with each other. This is a great group of dancers this year. Vegas week showed how tough it was and how these dancers had to bring it or go home!!!