So You Think You Can Dance Taping

Yup. We finally got in. I don't even remember why we couldn't make it out last summer...oh wait...I do. Nevermind.

Well, I know why it didn't work out the last time we tried. The most recent experience had us ready for this go around. I didn't mention it so as to not jinx it, but I think it worked out perfectly.

Dave got the tickets for the Wednesday night performance that was taped yesterday. Dave, Caitlin, Greg and me all took the day off to head up to LA for the taping and arrived sometime around 130 to wait in line. I don't know how it works with the big groups, but they kind of get let in first. I don't know how that's arranged because when you select tickets online, you can only select four. It must be something done directly with the studio or something. We waited in line until about 4pm, and then waited right outside of the studio until about 5pm.

They don't allow for any kind of electronic devices, but Dave insisted on bringing in his cell phone and hid it in the crotch pocket. Yup, that one. What we didn't expect was having to go through metal detectors. I'm not sure why we didn't anticipate that, but I was right in front of Dave in the line, but I wanted so badly for him to get caught with the phone, and for the people with the wands to be waving the thing over his weiner and have the thing ring when it passed over his crotch. I wanted so badly for him to have to reach in his pants to pull out the phone, but it didn't work out that way. I stupidly forgot that I had my belt on and never took that out, and we were holding up the line so they ended up just passing us through without much of a look over.

After that, because our group was mostly guys, they wanted us in a more visible area because the audience is mostly 15 year old girls. So that meant that we were directed to head up to the catwalk. Woo! The down part here was waiting in the sun with no shade for another hour. Lucky for me, I brought my latest book (The Godfather) so I didn't really have any problem waiting in line during the day. Plus, Dave overheard one of the kids that was going up on the catwalk also get excited because he was going to get to "look down at their boobies." No joke.

We finally got inside and it was nice and cool. They had the audience applaud prior to even taping the show. When they pan the people sitting down waving the signs for the dancers, I guess they do that even before the show starts. Kinda weird.

The actual taping moved pretty quickly despite it being a two-hour show. Cat never messed any of her lines up at all, and let me tell you...she is stunning. Seriously, so beautiful. And sweet. She was talking with the girls on the side, and volunteered a lot of information about herself, and laughing a lot. She's just a really sweet, beautiful person. She's only 5'9" too. The heels make her look a lot taller. She said she got the shoes in London, and was feeling really uncomfortable in them, and the dress she bought in a vintage store for $20. So in love with her though. So hot. Like so hot. I can't emphasize that enough.

Maybe I'm only saying this because we were actually there live, but it felt like none of the performances missed at all. They were all really good. The dancers get paired up with new partners again. I think my favorite was Mark and Comfort's hip hop routine. I loved Will's solo. I really wished that they would have let Will go longer with that one, because it's really creative. He kept doing the James Brown little shuffle step when the song ended, and Cat was totally surprised by his creativity with the piece. Mia Michael's had a really cool routine for Twitch and Katee. Both of Tabitha and Napoleon's pieces were really good. And all of the dancers seem just like really nice kids. And they are all just as pretty/muscular in real life as they are on TV.

What was really cool was that being on the catwalk on the side we were on also happened to be the same side where the dancers go up to smile for the cameras before they do their solos. So we got to high-five every single one of them. I said I love you to Courtney and she returned it to me, even turning to look at me. Of course, it melted my heart. I'm also completely ridiculous, like a 12 year old boy. Greg got the best high five response from Twitch. He also got an awkward high five from Nigel following the show.

For as many hours as it took of standing (probably about 7 hours total), I really didn't care. Dave made the comment when we were walking to the car about how silly it is that we can take a whole day off to come and watch a taping of a show, but I really loved just having the experience. And yes, it is so absurd that a 28 year old male would call in sick to go see a show like this, but it was so worth it. I would have gotten some pre- and post-show pics, but my camera was low on batteries. I feel like this recap is totally boring, but I wanted to get it out there so that you guys can watch tomorrow night and look for us. And that's a true artist's rendering of the stage to give you an idea of where we were on the catwalk last night.


So it was awesome. We basically had front row tickets to a show, and were up close and personal with the dancers. All for free. It felt much more personal, I'm sure, than what it will be like going to see them on tour. Plus Cat is so hot.

***UPDATE*** I noticed a lot of people coming over from Television Without Pity. I would have replied on that thread, but I didn't feel like registering. The pairings and dances listed on that site are correct. The only dance the judges didn't seem to like was the Fox Trot by Mark and Comfort. Personally, I thought the judges were all on board with Mark and Comfort's hip hop routine. I thought they offered nothing but praise for it.

The samba by Will and Courtney was great. The judges had nothing but praise for it. Again, the only dance of the night that the judges didn't seem to like was the Fox Trot. Everything else got high praises. And Toni couldn't seem to limit herself to anything less than 20 minutes. So long-winded. Hip hop was more typical of Napoleon and Tabitha's style, which I'm a fan of, so I thought it was great. Judges loved it, and they seem to be a big fan of Courtney. Haven't noticed that as much as I did at that taping.

The comtemporary piece by Twitch and Katee was awesome. Judges loved it. They also nailed their broadway piece.

Joshua and Chelsie brought it with both of their pieces. Judges loved their tango and they both looked really strong. They did compare it to Chelsie's previous tango and liked this one much more. The disco was also really great and had some incredible lifts.

Judges didn't like Comfort's solo, and I didn't like Mark's solo either. And I'm a Mark fan. Will's solo was by far my favorite because it got a ton of personality in there. And there you go.

***One last update***We're the striped shirt brigade - I have a green striped shirt, Dave red & grey, and Greg black & grey. Caitlin is in a nice green top that I would expect to see only in a club. Wink!

And solos are not being judged. It just happened that the judges made a couple of comments about them, that's all.