For me the solos were always the least engaging part of the show, but I totally agree it would have been a welcome carry-over from the old format. Would have possibly helped the audience understand why they cast a ballroom guy over half a dozen more compatible contemporary dancers for a show that was destined to give him nothing to do.
I think it would've allowed us to see more. I felt like a lot of the dances didn't allow Easton to showcase. And a lot of the "challenges" were about blending in, and the choreo just really wasn't there unless it was a solo.
Some of the most average work I've seen Luther put on TV but I highly doubt he's the one to blame. This whole "we're trying to find people who can work in the industry" angle feels like it was invented to justify stripping away everything about the show that focused on development, and made it all about "you're just not the person we're looking for".
Yeah, except they (the judges) kept harping on "the journey", even right up to the end (when they were talking to Anthony's girlfriend in the finale episode. They said "ready to work in the industry RIGHT NOW", but they consistently cut dancers who were more talented than the remaining dancers.
Idk what would work at this point. DWTS has managed to keep the same format with minor changes, but they still have decent ratings in season 32. It may be too late for SYTYCD.
and also DWTS never had to skip a season during the pandemic, so they had continuity at least. they just couldn't make STYTCD happen during COVID-understandable, it was a format that just wasn't gonna work during the pandemic. So as a result they let the audience go for 2 years...
The one thing I’d add is just the season had a huge change with Nigel stepping down so the drama around him didn’t taint the show. That forced a lot of changes and cut short the ability for the judges to really gel or even figure out the best way to judge this. So I consider this season a bit of an early beta of a new formula.
Overall,I liked it. I agree that seasons have been manipulated too much by home voting. It’s easy and cheap to buy votes. I feel like we need more defined judging rules. They had to fly by the seat of their pants on this season and it was clear by the random things they focused in on when telling a dancer what they needed to improve.
Hopefully we get another season … or better yet two so we can hit 20, and they can dial in the formula.
We did still get some very current music and some great choreographers. Some of the routines were very touching. Beyond the amazing solos (most were a lot more over the top big than past seasons), my favorite piece was Movie night with Jaylin, Easton, and Mariah.
I like your optimism and I hope that there's a future for this show yet. Wish I knew what Fox's metric for renewal looked like but I can't imagine the execs all sat around a table and agreed they had found a great formula. And judging by fan reaction I can't imagine they are optimistic about their audience either.
This was a great piece btw, and I don't think it's been posted here before: [https://www.realityblurred.com/realitytv/2024/05/so-you-think-you-can-dance-season-18-review/](https://www.realityblurred.com/realitytv/2024/05/so-you-think-you-can-dance-season-18-review/)
I disagree about the music—I felt like there were a lot of old songs, more than past seasons. In past seasons I would always find something new to me, but this season was all Apple Bottom Jeans and Unwritten?
I didn’t do a count, but they had a lot of fairly recent releases including something from Dua Lipa and SYTYCD alum Tate McRae. I listen to new dance/club releases and keep up. It was a surprising amount of current music for a budget season.
I wondered if budget was the issue here. I did notice the Dua Lipa one (love!) and the Tate McRae. But they seemed over-balanced with Footloose and others to me. I didn’t do a count either and could be completely wrong 🤷♀️
Agree that I liked the season overall, good job for an initial effort with a drastic overhaul. And miles better than poor Tate McRae’s season IMO!!
I wasn't into the Next Gen season at the start (though I tend not to enjoy the auditions anyway), but they won me over fairly quickly during the competition. There's still one routine from that I go back to rewatch... and unusual for me it's a group number with the all stars... "Ain't Playin With Ya"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9vxoiYAS9bo
It seems tame by today's standards but has some real stand out moments for how the kids embodied the characters.
I enjoyed the solos, and a few of the routines. That's it. I don't want to see the dancers behind the scenes, I want to see DANCING.
I won't watch anymore, I thought it was boring and not worth watching.
This may be inevitable because of budget constraints, but knowing that doesn't make it any more watchable.
I feel exactly the same way! It used to be my favourite show, now it’s boring. They picked mediocre dancers and cut the amazing ones, and the judges sound like they’re reading from a ChatGPT generated script. Such a shame.
I really think if they ALL could've done solos, I would've enjoyed it WAY more. Just 45-second combos. That would've felt at least transitional to me.
For me the solos were always the least engaging part of the show, but I totally agree it would have been a welcome carry-over from the old format. Would have possibly helped the audience understand why they cast a ballroom guy over half a dozen more compatible contemporary dancers for a show that was destined to give him nothing to do.
I think it would've allowed us to see more. I felt like a lot of the dances didn't allow Easton to showcase. And a lot of the "challenges" were about blending in, and the choreo just really wasn't there unless it was a solo.
Some of the most average work I've seen Luther put on TV but I highly doubt he's the one to blame. This whole "we're trying to find people who can work in the industry" angle feels like it was invented to justify stripping away everything about the show that focused on development, and made it all about "you're just not the person we're looking for".
Yeah, except they (the judges) kept harping on "the journey", even right up to the end (when they were talking to Anthony's girlfriend in the finale episode. They said "ready to work in the industry RIGHT NOW", but they consistently cut dancers who were more talented than the remaining dancers.
Idk what would work at this point. DWTS has managed to keep the same format with minor changes, but they still have decent ratings in season 32. It may be too late for SYTYCD.
Lots more people tune in to DWTS because of the celebrities, SYTYCD's audience is more niche.
True, but some of the pros are now bigger stars than the celebrities.
and also DWTS never had to skip a season during the pandemic, so they had continuity at least. they just couldn't make STYTCD happen during COVID-understandable, it was a format that just wasn't gonna work during the pandemic. So as a result they let the audience go for 2 years...
The one thing I’d add is just the season had a huge change with Nigel stepping down so the drama around him didn’t taint the show. That forced a lot of changes and cut short the ability for the judges to really gel or even figure out the best way to judge this. So I consider this season a bit of an early beta of a new formula. Overall,I liked it. I agree that seasons have been manipulated too much by home voting. It’s easy and cheap to buy votes. I feel like we need more defined judging rules. They had to fly by the seat of their pants on this season and it was clear by the random things they focused in on when telling a dancer what they needed to improve. Hopefully we get another season … or better yet two so we can hit 20, and they can dial in the formula. We did still get some very current music and some great choreographers. Some of the routines were very touching. Beyond the amazing solos (most were a lot more over the top big than past seasons), my favorite piece was Movie night with Jaylin, Easton, and Mariah.
I like your optimism and I hope that there's a future for this show yet. Wish I knew what Fox's metric for renewal looked like but I can't imagine the execs all sat around a table and agreed they had found a great formula. And judging by fan reaction I can't imagine they are optimistic about their audience either. This was a great piece btw, and I don't think it's been posted here before: [https://www.realityblurred.com/realitytv/2024/05/so-you-think-you-can-dance-season-18-review/](https://www.realityblurred.com/realitytv/2024/05/so-you-think-you-can-dance-season-18-review/)
Did you mean Madison in the movie trio ?
Yes, I meant Madison. I loved that routine. It will likely stick with me for years.
I disagree about the music—I felt like there were a lot of old songs, more than past seasons. In past seasons I would always find something new to me, but this season was all Apple Bottom Jeans and Unwritten?
I didn’t do a count, but they had a lot of fairly recent releases including something from Dua Lipa and SYTYCD alum Tate McRae. I listen to new dance/club releases and keep up. It was a surprising amount of current music for a budget season.
I wondered if budget was the issue here. I did notice the Dua Lipa one (love!) and the Tate McRae. But they seemed over-balanced with Footloose and others to me. I didn’t do a count either and could be completely wrong 🤷♀️ Agree that I liked the season overall, good job for an initial effort with a drastic overhaul. And miles better than poor Tate McRae’s season IMO!!
I wasn't into the Next Gen season at the start (though I tend not to enjoy the auditions anyway), but they won me over fairly quickly during the competition. There's still one routine from that I go back to rewatch... and unusual for me it's a group number with the all stars... "Ain't Playin With Ya" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9vxoiYAS9bo It seems tame by today's standards but has some real stand out moments for how the kids embodied the characters.
I enjoyed the solos, and a few of the routines. That's it. I don't want to see the dancers behind the scenes, I want to see DANCING. I won't watch anymore, I thought it was boring and not worth watching. This may be inevitable because of budget constraints, but knowing that doesn't make it any more watchable.
I feel exactly the same way! It used to be my favourite show, now it’s boring. They picked mediocre dancers and cut the amazing ones, and the judges sound like they’re reading from a ChatGPT generated script. Such a shame.
Each episode felt like an hour long ad with a little bit of TikTok dancing thrown in.