Round 1: July 24th
The judges of America’s Best Dance Crew found themselves facing two crews that they felt were the best on the show. It was announced, B-boys Super Cr3w and Supreme Soul were dancing for their lives. The angry judges lashed out in frustration at the voters, strongly suggesting that America start voting right. Their eyes added an ‘or else’ feel to the message. After deliberations, Supreme Soul was sent home but not forgotten.

Round 2: July 31st
The judges had their chance for payback when Boogie Bot fans could not keep them out of eliminations. Earlier in the season, Lil Mama told Supreme Soul they needed to go harder, really stab the heart of the chicken. The judges united to do just that. Boogie Bots were verbally abused before being dismissed without any positive feedback. It was the first time in the history of the show that an eliminated crew was not given some love to soften the blow.

Voters were not amused.

Round 3: August 7
Voters united, voting relentlessly for SoReal Cru to force judges to once again face sending home one of their favorites. SoReal Cru became the biggest vote getter and was guaranteed a spot in the final battle. You could see that the judges were frustrated, as they had to choose between Super Crew and Fanny Pak. Earlier in the night, Shane said he felt that Fanny Pak was going to win this season. I’m sure it hurt for him to have to tell them that it was time to go home.

So what now?

Is the fighting over or just beginning?

Can the show producers trust America to vote right without manipulation?

Will the judges be sent to professional judging school so they can make sense?

Can the voting system be changed so that one person can only cast one vote? Will it?

Can, and more importantly, will America learn to vote right?

Finally, what is the definition of a right vote in a popularity contest?

I can’t believe how fast this season went by! Only one week left. I hope America voted my way right – Go Super Cr3w!!

The elimination of the Boogie Bots this week was brutal and calculated. It was a message from the producers and judges to the voters showing what will happen if we do not vote the way they tell us too. They tore the Boogie Bots to shreds, showing no mercy. This was the first time of both seasons that a crew was eliminated without some positive comments to soften the blow. They were pretty much told they did not belong on the show, especially in the final four.

Most people knew the Bots would be going home this week, but how it was done was tactless and petty. If producers want to control the order that crews are eliminated in, they need to do away with public voting. Otherwise, they can suck it up like the rest of us and just deal with the results as they happen. We all have a favorite crew that leaves before we think they should. We get snarly about it, but we move on. That’s what the judges should have done this week.

The elimination segment pretty much overshadowed the other performances, and that’s a shame. I had to rewatch the show to remember the first two performances.

This week really defined each of the four remaining crews.

Super Cr3w gave us the wow.

SoReal Cru gave us the groove.

Fanny Pak gave us the cool.

Boogie Bots gave us the smooth.

The Boogie Bots lacked real energy in their performance and were sent home.

Super Cr3w and Fanny Pak were amazing from beginning to end.

SoReal Cru was great but not up to par with the other two performances this week. That worries me for the upcoming elimination round. Lil Mama and J.C. have not been overly supportive of SoReal, especially in comparison to Fanny Pak. On top that, this coming weeks music challenge will be 80′s themed, which means Fanny Pak will be in their element. Are we looking at a showdown between Super Cr3w and Fanny Pak?

I am still hoping for a Super Cr3w ending!

Ok, that was actually just a dream I had, but it’s what everyone has been demanding since last season. I’m personally offended at her lack of professional tact last night. I mean, I understand being upset that your favorite is in the bottom two but to insult another dance crew that you still have to judge is uncalled for. But thanks to her rude comment, the Boogie Bots will just get more sympathy votes. They might even win. Way to go, Lil Mama.

The jist of what Lil Mama said:
“America, are y’all serious!?!” “I do not get excited when I see the Boogie Bots!” “What are y’all doing? This is supposed to be the final show.”

So, did America’s Best Dance Crew just end the season early?

The tension in the air was thick with anticipation as Super Cr3w and Supreme Soul took to the stage to dance for their lives. The crews faced off, pulling out all the stops. They wowed us with creativity, mind blowing stunts, and lots of personality. Everything you’d expect the season finale to showcase. Only it wasn’t the finale.

So now what?

Supreme Soul has never been in my top three favorites this season, but I recognized their talent and expected them to battle all the way to the end. I’d like to point out that Supreme Soul has never had the voters behind them. They have been in or near the bottom two all season. Tonight was nothing new.

Super Cr3w is and has always been my choice for America’s BEST dance crew of season two. They always get my votes.

SoReal Cru has always been my number two favorite dance crew. I happen to like their slow grooving style, even though others may not. I feel like they have the perfect blend of dancing, creativity and sexiness. Apparently other voters agree because this crew has never been in the bottom two.

I love Fanny Paks quirkiness and enjoy having them on the show, for an entertaining twist. But I do not see them being successful beyond this show without some major changes. I was fine with them leaving this week or next.

Same with the Boogie Bots. I can’t really tell you why I loved them from the very first show. Something about them just makes me want to root for them. They have a fun style but without the wow factor of Super Cr3w and the sexiness of SoReal Cru. Deep down, I know they’re not the best dance Crew on the show. But I think they’re still a young crew and have the potential to be much more than they are now. To all the haters out there; I do not apologize for liking the Boogie Bots nor do I apologize for not voting for Supreme Soul. It’s my choice!

The voting:

Maybe we need a specific criterion for what MTV’s ‘best’ dance crew should mean. You don’t have to be the best technical dancer(s) to be entertaining. In fact, I’ve noticed that technique by itself can be somewhat boring. The audience has to relate to the dancers or the dance to be entertained. Ultimately, I think it’s a personal preference and that makes competitions open for public voting, complicated. Both for the competitors AND the viewers. We’re all using a different scale to judge and it can become difficult for everyone to get on the same page. This means few people are truly happy with the final outcome.

One change that would help with this is to only allow one vote per phone number or email address. That way a small group can’t become the majority through volume voting.

Ok, so back to the show:

The challenge this week was the worst of both seasons. I vote that the person coming up with challenge ideas this season should be sent home. As Shane would say, these challenges have been whack! What do band/sporting props have to do with hip hop dancing? Nothing! This season has been way too gimmicky for a dance style that is supposed to be street.

What a disappointing show.

Review:
Fanny Pak – Met the challenge. Chaotic mess, didn’t like it.
SoReal Cru – Met the challenge. Liked it, didn’t love it.
Boogie Bots – Same as the above

BOTTOM TWO: Best performances of the night

I will admit that I’m disappointed that the finale happened before it’s time. I’d like to wish Supreme Soul the best of luck. I know that being so competitive, the timing of this elimination must have been a real disappointment. Keep your heads up and learn from this experience. I’m sure we’ll be seeing you again.

Tickets to Randy Jackson Presents America’s Best Dance Crew Live go on sale August 16th with the ABDC Tour presale August 15th. Below you’ll find links to be able to purchase tickets to the ABDC tour shows (even if the ABDC tour sells out). Again, I’m not sure why Las Vegas is getting the shaft similar to the So You Think You Can Dance tour.

My guess is that starting tomorrow you’ll be able to find ABDC tour tickets on eBay also. eBay is the way to go if the ABDC tour shows sell out.

Sep 18 Miami, FL: Waterfront Theatre at the American Airlines Arena – Buy Your Tickets Onsale to General Public: Sat, 08/16/08 10:00 AM EDT
Sep 19 Tampa, FL: Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center
Sep 20 Atlanta, GA: Boisfeuillet Jones Atlanta Civic Center – Buy Your TicketsOnsale to General Public: Sat, 08/16/08 12:00 PM EDT
Sep 21 Clemson, SC: Littlejohn Coliseum – Buy Your Tickets Onsale to General Public: Sat, 08/16/08 10:00 AM EDT
Sep 23 New York, NY: WaMu Theater at Madison Square Garden – Buy Your Tickets Onsale to General Public: Sat, 08/16/08 10:00 AM EDT
Sep 25 Boston, MA: Citi Performing Arts Center
Sep 26 Atlantic City, NJ: Adrian Phillips Ballroom – Buy Your Tickets Onsale to General Public: Sat, 08/16/08 10:00 AM EDT
Sep 27 Sewell, NJ: Commerce Bank Arts Centre – Buy Your Tickets (On Sale Sat, 08/16/08 10:00 AM EDT)
Sep 29 Washington, DC: DAR Constitution Hall – Buy Your TicketsOnsale to General Public: Sat, 08/16/08 10:00 AM EDT
Sep 30 Newark, NJ: New Jersey Performing Arts Center
Oct 1 Albany, NY: The Palace Theater – Buy Your Tickets (On Sale 8/16 10:00 AM EDT)
Oct 3 Detroit, MI: Masonic Temple Theatre – Buy Your TicketsOnsale to General Public: Sat, 08/16/08 10:00 AM EDT
Oct 4 Milwaukee, WI: Milwaukee Theatre – Buy Your Tickets Onsale to General Public: Sat, 08/16/08 11:00 AM CDT
Oct 5 Rosemont, IL: Rosemont Theatre – Buy Your Tickets Onsale to General Public: Sat, 08/16/08 12:00 PM CDT
Oct 6 Kansas City, MO: Midland Theatre – Buy Your Tickets (On Sale 8/15 10:00 AM CDT)
Oct 8 Denver, CO: Wells Fargo Theatre – Buy Your TicketsOnsale to General Public: Sat, 08/16/08 10:00 AM MDT
Oct 11 Oakland, CA: Paramount Theatre of the Arts – Buy Your Tickets Onsale to General Public: Sat, 08/16/08 10:00 AM PDT
Oct 12 Los Angeles, CA: Nokia Theatre L.A. LIVE????? – Moved to Oct 16???
Oct 14 Portland, OR: Rose Quarter – Theater Of The Clouds
Oct 15 Everett, WA: Comcast Arena at Everett Events Center
Oct 16 Los Angeles, CA: NOKIA Theatre LA LIVE – Buy Your Tickets Onsale to General Public: Sat, 08/16/08 10:00 AM PDT
Oct 18 San Diego, CA: San Diego Sports Arena – Buy Your TicketsOnsale to General Public: Sat, 08/16/08 10:00 AM PDT
Oct 19 Phoenix, AZ: Dodge Theatre – Buy Your Tickets Onsale to General Public: Sat, 08/16/08 10:00 AM MST
Oct 22 Grand Prairie, TX: Nokia Theatre At Grand Prairie – Buy Your Tickets Onsale to General Public: Sat, 08/16/08 10:00 AM CDT
Oct 23 Houston, TX: Jones Hall – Buy Your Tickets Onsale to General Public: Sat, 08/16/08 10:00 AM CDT

AEG LIVE is the concert promoter.

Apparently, girls kissing girls, is the current trend in entertainment. Kerry Perry performed her chart topping pop single ‘I kissed a girl’ on ‘So You Think You Can Dance‘ last Thursday night. This week, America’s Best Dance Crew had two crews with a similar theme.

First, the challenge this week had the remaining six dance crews doing justice to pop icon, Janet Jackson.

Fanny Pak had a great routine this week, capturing the essence of Janet Jackson while maintaining their signature funky/80′s/Jazz feel. They also introduced the unexpected by having dancers Tiffani Grant and Cara Horibe lock lips for a few seconds early into their routine. The whole routine was clever and very sexy! Matt Cady, choreographer for Fanny Pak, has been doing a great job taking challenges outside their comfort zone and nailing it.

Those of you who also watch SYTYCD might find this interesting. Shane Sparks has been complaining that the guys of Fanny Pak are not dancing ‘manly’ enough. Seems Nigel is not the only judge who has a problem with effeminate male dancers.

I said last week that I thought Supreme Soul would continue to go big for the rest of the competition. Surprisingly, they were good but not great in comparison to some of the other crews. They added more choreography to their routine but the judges felt they didn’t get nasty enough. Without a female member, I’m wondering just how nasty a group of guys can get without looking like hip hop Chippendales. But then again….

SoReal Cru danced to Janet Jackson’s ‘I Get Lonely’ and it was SEXY! Shane said it was the best performance of the night, even using the word fabulous to describe them. Yes, he actually said ‘fabulous’ out loud. I mentioned earlier the girl on girl theme; this routine ends with dancer Jackie Lautchang rejecting the guys who were feeling her up for fellow female dancer Ailyn Isidro. Hot!

Boogie Bots were smooth and playful, that’s what I love most about them. They had a part called ‘evolution’ that Shane felt was the sickest move ever done on the show. I thought it was pretty cool. J.C. is still complaining that he thinks the Bots are weak in areas outside their robotic comfort zone. But what does he know; he was in a pop boy band.

Big surprise of the night, Super Cr3w was in the bottom two with A.S.I.I.D! Really? Are the voters serious!?!

No worries, Super Cr3w was amazing…again! They gave us a lot of moves by Janet Jackson while maintaining their b-boy style. Including a series of moves by member Ronnie Abaldonado that Shane says only 4 people in the hip hop world are known to be able to do. Loved it!

A.S.I.I.D gave a great performance, capturing a lot of memorable Janet Jackson moves. Unfortunately, they were up against a crew that has been in the top two all season. Someone had to go home.

A.S.I.I.D was eliminated. To the people disappointed that their favorite crew is now gone, I feel you. I’m going to miss every eliminated group from this point on.

Enjoy all of the music from the “CREW’S CHOICE CHALLENGE” that aired on June 19, 2008 (yes, I’m a little late, but better late than never). Here you’ll be able to find all the music from America’s Best Dance Crew (ABDC).

SoReal Cru danced to the song “Entourage” by Omarion

Supreme Soul danced to the song “Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Could See” by Busta Rhymes

Xtreme Dance Force danced to the song “Shawty Get Loose” by Lil Mama

A.S.I.I.D. danced to the song “Whatever U Like” by Nicole Scherzinger

Boogie Bots danced to the song “More Bounce To The Ounce” by Zapp & Roger

Super CR3W danced to the song “Get Up” by James Brown

Phresh Select danced to the song “Motownphilly” by Boyz II Men

Sass x7 danced to the song “Damaged” by Danity Kane

Fanny Pak danced to the song “Speakerphone” by Kylie Minogue

Distorted X danced to the song “Oops (Oh My)” by Tweet ft. Missy Elliot

This season is going to be hard to predict. Last night everyone stepped it up, creating a very exciting night.
The challenge: Take a hot music video and immulate the dance moves while adding their own signature flavor. Everyone was fun and entertaining, in fact, I can’t really list my favorites of the night. Super Cr3w and SoReal are still my show favorties so far. Fanny Pak really impressed me. Their creativity is really starting to shine, hopefully others will see it too.

Surprise of the night…Boogie Bots in the bottom two. SAY WHAT!?! Chicago’s Xtreme Dance Force got more votes than the Boogie Bots! Someone’s been fibbing to me because everyone I talked to after last weeks show had them in the 5th or 6th place. Ok, who didn’t vote? Remember Shane’s warning last week: Pay attention to who you’re voting for America.

Whew! Boogie Bots are safe for one more week.

This week we say goodbye to Sassx7.

I can’t wait till next week to see what happens next.

Shane mentioned that he’d like to see more robotics in Boogie Bots routines. Here’s a fun instructional video on learning the robot dance.

Disclaimer: No chickens were harmed in the writing of this blog.

The second season of MTV’s  America’s Best Dance crew premiered Thursday, June 19th and it looks like this is going to be a great season.  The only problem I see is that the time between season 1 and 2 has been too short. There hasn’t been enough time for the love fans have for last years crews to fade so it’s easy to make comparisons. Unfortunantly, we’re going lose some very talented crews this season before the audience gets a chance to know them.

Here’s a look at the top 10 crews. This also features some clips from last years winners, Jabbawockeez.

My picks for the night:

West Coasts Super Cr3w – They had a Ninja theme going that was exciting from the very beginning.
Houston’s SoReal – They exploded to a whole new level.
Washington D.C.’s Boogie Bots – A smooth blend of Kaba Modern & JabbaWockeeZ.
Philadelphia’s Phresh Select – These guys turned up the volume.
San Francisco’s Supreme Soul – Promises to bring the heat this season.

Bottom two up for elimination:
Los Angeles-based Fanny Pak
Distorted X from Texas

The judges have spoken, Distorted X is the first crew to go home.

You can see full episodes and loads of backstage goodies at http://www.mtv.com/ontv/dyn/dance_crew/series.jhtml

Rocky