Kelsey McNeal/FOX"Sad Wednesday" is still the worst day of the week for us So You Think You Can Dance fans, but this week, we're really only weeping for one of the eliminees. The eliminated dancer we'll miss happens to be a girl, but according to executive producer/judge Nigel Lythgoe, "If America was voting, and we were not doing girl and boy, the girls would be voted off first." Eek! Could that be true? Here's who went home, and here's what we're hearing about that gender divide...
Sweet youngster Noelle Marsh and controversial kiddo Nathan Trasoras went home in the first audience-determined elimination of the season.
Why those two? Perhaps they didn't establish strong enough identities separate from their original, high-personality partners, Mollee and Russell. But when we caught up with judge Mary Murphy backstage after the show, her theory about Nathan's demise was this: "We were kind of shocked that America didn't take to Nathan the first few weeks, because he's an amazing dancer. When you tell the general public that you get everything you want, that's really not endearing, and it really hurt him. You have to be not only a smart dancer, but smart in how you present yourself." (Our theory? Trasoras torpedoed himself with his over-the-top family-related blubbering yesterday, which just reeked of audience pandering.)
Now, as for the season-six overall (and that gender divide we mentioned), Nigel thinks this year's competition is going to a guy. He told us, "We've never had such a diverse group of dancers, particularly in the boys, and I think a boy will win this year. To have ballroom, B-boying, krumping and contemporary, it's stunning...If you get Legacy, you get a guy that can do things others can't do; if you get Jakob you have a brilliant dancer; if you get Ryan, you get a very strong partner; if you get Russell, you get the best charisma of any performer."
So it sounds like the guys are golden, but what about the girls? Who's in the most trouble? According to Nigel, "The growth in Ashleigh has been tremendous for us all to see, because everyone thought she'd be out first week, and little Kathryn could be in trouble again next week. She's great, but I think she could be in trouble again." But little Kathryn is so pretty! Argh!
Do you think this week's eliminations were the right ones? And do you buy Nigel's theory about this year having a better batch of boys? Tell us in the comments!
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Click through our SYTYCD season six gallery to see those who went before.