After the show paid tribute to Michael Jackson, Asuka Kondoh and Jonathan Platero were sent home in the third week of 'So You Think You Can Dance.'Executive producer and head judge Nigel Lythgoe took a few moments to honor recently deceased stars Ed McMahon, Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson, about whom he said, "I don't know where you even begin to describe a global superstar like [him] ... He changed the face of music and dance in the world -- not just in this country -- but in the world."
Before playing a clip from Jackson's iconic 'Thriller' video, Lythgoe added, "This is a life that remains inspirational for anybody who listens to music, anybody who wants to dance. Everyone I think we've had on this show said, 'I started dancing because of Michael Jackson.' That is the legacy he leaves us."
However, as they say, the show must go on and in the end, the judges cut ballroom dancer Asuka and salsa specialist Jonathan. Their partners, Vitolio Jeune and Karla Garcia, will be paired together next week.
Joining those two couples in the bottom were Caitlin and Jason.
Also on the results show:
• Top 16 group dance: Latin/hip-hop number choreographed by Dmitry Chaplin and Napoleon and Tabitha to 'I Know You Want Me (Calle Ocho)' by Pitbull
• Musical guest: The Veronicas, 'Take Me on the Floor'
• Guest dancer: The Rage Boyz Crew, hip-hop
Quotes from Asuka and Jonathan about their exits ...
Asuka on the dancers' reactions to Michael Jackson's death:
We were all in a bit of a shock. We didn't believe it in the beginning. When someone first told me, I was like, "Oh, they must be joking" ... and then we were just upset and in shock ... He's a big inspiration to all dancers out there -- and not just dancers, the general public. He was such a big part of everyone's life and he changed the dancing world.
Jonathan on Nigel's predicting he'd be in the bottom 3:
It hurt a little bit for him to say that. I didn't think he was going to be as tough as he was Each judge is entitled to their own opinion. It was a tough style for me, so I couldn't blame him. Nobody wants to think they're getting eliminated, but I kind of figured I'd be in the bottom 3.
Asuka on her partnership with Vitolio:
It was a journey with Vitolio ... we had our ups and downs. In the beginning, it felt like we didn't have much of a connection and during the waltz, we just seemed to blossom and learn to have chemistry and connect with each other ... I hope with every partner I get we could have the same relationship I had with Vitolio.
Jonathan on the difficulty of performing solos:
There's so much to think about, especially being a ballroom dancer, there's only so much you can do with it. Really the only dynamics I can put into my solos for the 30 seconds that I have is to incorporate a mix of some salsa and acrobats to save my life, like it did the first time.
Asuka on whether she was surprised by the elimination:
Being on the show, I kind of learned to accept things as they come along and not expect anything in general ... I wasn't surprised; it could've been any one of us.
Reader Comments (1)
VimalaNowlis at 12:00AM on Jul 9th 2009
Tonight's dancing are not very good, way under par. But the judges keep giving compliments, not helpful at all. Jason's foxtrot was wabbly and he was hunched over again like he did in paso doble. Philip's Russian dancing was just awful - clumsy, heavy, fish out of water. His feet were floppy and he never pointed his toes. Painful to watch. But the judges still said they did good. Ridiculous. And Philip does not seem to be able to do any dance except his own. Both Jason and Philip should go. They don't deserve to be in the top 10.