Hey, this is turning into a dance demolition derby.
For the second straight week, the "So You Think You Can Dance" ouster wasn't because of viewers' votes or judges' views. It was because someone was injured and couldn't continue.
Last week, it was the brilliant Alex Wong; tonight, it was the appealing Ashley Galvan. This is sort of like a gladiator tournament, except that the loser isn't (to my knowledge) slain afterward.
This time, it was telegraphed from the start, because:
-- We didn't really see Ashley until the end; and
-- The solos didn't come until late in the show. In other weeks, the final three have their "dance for your life" solos fairly early, giving the judges time to debate and decide; for the last two weeks, they came late ... the judges already knew there was nothing to decide.
Here are a few of my other comments. Please add yours:
1) Jose Ruiz wasted a truly sensational solo. In his first time in the final three, he packed more into 30 seconds than I thought possible.
2) Billy Bell, by comparison, did a solo that was -- as usual -- technically perfect, but uninvolving. He keeps being warned that he needs to get viewers involved. He'd better do that soon; some week, there might not be anyone injured.
3) Sometimes, dance reaches stunning levels of perfection. That duet by the Alvin Ailey dancers was spectacular.
4) Speaking of solos, the Christina Perri story is fascinating. Two weeks ago, she was a waitress; now she's been on national TV while her "Jar of Hearts" thrives on iTunes ... and it all started when the song was featured in a dance number on the show. Her voice sounded a tad harsh and forced tonight, but this still made me think of early Alanis Morrissette -- a gifted and gorgeous singer-songwriter, delivering an almost perfect song.
5) Now the show only has one woman (Lauren Froderman), against five men. Let's hope she avoids injury.