The Top Ten "Losers" From So You Think You Can Dance

Look. I have respect for any dancer who is brave enough to audition for Fox's So You Think You Can Dance. So please understand that when I use the word "loser" it is to distinguish from the winner while being mildly provocative. I'm only using the term as a clarification. Okay? No hurt feelings. SYTYCD is my favorite reality competition show. I have been watching it from the beginning. I feel confident that I could win a trivia contest about the show. I'm not trying to be a jerk, I'm just trying to make a point.

Anyway, I want to highlight the ten best dancers from all seasons (in my opinion) who did not place first. Often times, I find that America does not choose my favorite dancer nor the dancer whom I believe to be the best technically.

Normally, I would tell you that the following list is in no particular order but in this case that would be a lie. I am beginning with number one and yes, this is my number one choice. I can't believe that he was not the winner during his season (Season Two). I truly believe that he is the best contestant the show has ever had AND has grown to become one of the shows best choreographers. Yes. I'm talking about...

#1: TRAVIS WALL

Travis Wall was runner up to Benji Schwimmer on Season 2 of SYTYCD. Travis, a contemporary dancer from Virginia Beach, is still the only white boy to successfully pull off Krump (sorry Billy Bell, but it's true). Travis Wall performed a contemporary piece choreographed by Mia Michaels which won the show an Emmy. In my opinion, Travis had the best "center" of any contestant on the show.

The dance I've chosen to highlight Travis was a Top 6 group number choreographed by Mia Michaels. In this piece you can clearly see that Travis' technical ability outshines that of everyone else in the group. If you're not sure which one is Travis, he's the one that is front and center with the blond faux-hawk.



#2: ALLISON HOLKER

Honestly, if I had to guess, I would say that Travis Wall would pick Allison Holker as the best dancer from SYTYCD. They appeared on Season Two together and I remember the night that Allison was prematurely voted off of the show. Poor Travis. He cried like a baby. I think he even stomped like a toddler. It was pretty hilarious. Well, I mean, except for the part where Allison was voted off of the show. Allison is incredible. She dances the way that Meryl Streep acts. She puts every inch of her soul into her movement and expression.

The piece that I am choosing to highlight Allison is actually not from Season Two, but rather from last year when she appeared as an All Star for Season Seven. This is a Sonya Tayeh piece. Allison is beyond incredible as was her partner: Alex Wong.

CLICK THIS LINK TO WATCH ALLISON'S PERFORMANCE

#3: BILLY BELL

Billy Bell is an interesting lad. Technically, he was on both Seasons Six and Seven. During Season Six, he only managed to appear in the very first episode because he became ill with mono. As a contestant on Season Seven, the judges were unbelievably hard on him and seemed to prefer the Disney cookie-cutter performers like Kent and Lauren (who I totally love, but let's get for real. Billy Bell went to Juliard and like, Kent and Lauren didn't).

Anyway, Billy has unique, original movement unlike anyone else on the show. I mean, truly unique. He reminds me of the actor from the movie Dead Poet's Society: Robert Sean Leonard. Like the character in Dead Poet's Society, I could totally see Billy playing Puck in Midsummer's Night Dream (you totally thought that I was going to type: Like the character in Dead Poet's Society, I could totally see Billy Bell blowing his brains out, right? That's what you thought I was going to type? You sick freaks!)

Like I was saying, this kid is the best. The dance that I have chosen to highlight Billy is an obvious choice if you're a fan of the show, but regardless, it shows a lot of the reasons why he's so special.

CLICK THIS LINK TO WATCH BILLY'S PERFORMANCE

#4: DONYELLE JONES

Donyelle is also from Season Two. What can I say? That was a great season! Anyway, Donyelle specialized in this hybrid form of dance. It was a mix of contemporary, jazz, african, broadway and hip-hop. She was extremely versatile and she had a real understanding of musicality.

I feel like occasionally she was over shadowed by her partner, Season Two winner Benji Schwimmer, but overall America loved her as did the judges.

The piece I've chosen for Donyelle is one example of her overshadowing Benji.




#5: KAYLA RADOMSKI

During her season, Season Five, Kayla was the top front runner. Nigel sang her praises the entire season and then, out of nowhere, Jeanine Mason did her solo during the Top Four performance and won American over with the greatest pirouette I have ever seen in my life. Poor Kayla. She ended up placing fourth (after Ryan Kaprzak: who was adorable but not a "better" dancer than Kayla).

My mother loved Kayla's backstory. She was raised by a single-mother who relied on her parents to help raise Kayla. Kayla was really close with her Pap who was in the audience for every show. She was normal. She was poor. Yet, she could out-dance everyone else. Simply put, Kayla rocks.

The piece that I have chosen to highlight Kayla was also nominated for an Emmy. It is also choreographed by Mia Michaels.  It's called: Addiction.

“SYTYCD - Kayla & Kupono - Addiction by Mia Michaels” video at DanceJam.com

#6: JAKOB KARR

Jakob is so freakishly talented that I've surprised myself by not mentioning him sooner. Jakob, a contemporary dancer, seemed gifted at every style thrown at him. Including hip-hop AND ballroom. Most petite contemporary guys are terrible at ballroom. They have "spaghetti arms" (to quote Patrick Swayze in Dirty Dancing) and they usually don't seem masculine enough for their partner. Not Jakob. This guy was a dancer and an actor. He sold every routine he was in.

The piece I've chosen to highlight Mr. Karr is a dark contemporary piece choreographed by: Sonya Tayeh which shows his acting ability as well as his dancing ability.



#7: ADE OBAYOMI

By my seventh choice, it's pretty clear that I have a "thing" for contemporary dancers. Ade Obayomi delivered the best solos of anyone ever on SYTYCD. When the judges said "dance for your life", Ade did just that. He combines technique with funk and soul. He was the epitome of "for real". I love, love, love Ade. Obviously the judges love him too because they keep bringing him back to be an ALL STAR.

To best showcase Ade, it only seemed appropriate to show one of his solos from the show.



#8 CHELSEA HIGHTOWER

Simply put, Chelsea Hightower was the best ballroom dancer to ever appear on SYTYCD. FACT. She has gone on to be a featured dancer for Dancing With the Stars where she has earned an Emmy for her choreography.

As a contestant on SYTYCD, Chelsea was the most versatile of all the ballroom dancers ever to appear on the show. She was the only ballroom girl that I have ever seen NOT look like a jag when dancing hip-hop.

With that said, here is Chelsea with another piece choreographed by Mia Michaels. This is a dark contemporary piece starring Mark Kanemura. This was Chelsea's first piece of the season and she knocked it out of the park.




#9: ROBERT ROLDAN

Yes, he's a contemporary dancer. No, he's not from Season Two. He's from last season, Season Seven. Robert... Robert, Robert, Robert. The boy can dance. Like, he can REALLY dance. He points his toes and shiz. He's incredible. He's also incredibly gorgeous (as you may have noticed from the above picture). He has old movie caliber good looks. He's like a mix of William Holden and Cesar Romero rolled into a major league baseball player's body. Woo! I better stop or I'm going to need a cold shower. Mama loves her Robert Roldan!

The piece I've chosen for Robert was choreographed by Travis Wall and it's called "Fix You".

CLICK THIS LINK TO WATCH ROBERT'S PERFORMANCE

#10: COURTNEY GALIANO

Courtney was easily the most underrated contestant ever on SYTYCD. Mia Michaels (both a judge and choreographer) was vicious to her with her critiques. Courtney worked professionally as a NY Knicks cheerleader and had to work harder than everyone else to prove that she was a serious dancer.

Clearly, despite Mia's negativity, Courtney managed to make it to the Top Four during her season (Season Four) and has been asked back to be an All Star.  You can see Courtney on Shake It Up (Disney) and she's appeared on Fox's hit show: GLEE.

The piece that I've chosen to highlight Courtney was choreographed by Sonya Tayeh called "The Garden".



Okay. So there you have it. The Top Ten "Losers" from So You Think You Can Dance (in my humble opinion). I am a true fan of the show and I welcome feedback. Please share with me in the comment section any contestant that you feel that I may have overlooked. I know that I'm biased with the contemporary dancers, but often times they are the most versatile of the pack.

(Disclaimer: I realize I left out legends such as Danny Tidwell. However, while I feel Danny is technically brilliant he  is not much of a performer. Alex Wong was another great contestant, but Alex was injured too early on in the season to really evaluate his overall performance.)


In the next issue of Gab Pop Label we'll be taking a sneak peak at the upcoming season of NBC's hit show:Community! Stay tuned!