SYTYCD Season 5: Week 2 Auditions Memphis & Miami

Here we go with live blogging for SYTYCD Season 5. Nigel Lythgoe promised (on Twitter) we would have to bear witness to one more audition by "Sex". This will definitely be the low light of the night. Why the producers let this guy on the air is beyond me.

Off to Miami first!

Day 1:
Tyce Diorio joined Mary Murphy and Nigel Lythgoe in Miami.

Leading off is Tony Riendeax (not sure about the spelling), he is truly terrible. He said he dances like there are no bones in his body...well it was something like that. He calls it "Tony style". Nigel and Mary were unimpressed and told him it was bad. Tyce said it was "horrifyingly bad". In fact he said it was "ba a a a d". And we're off.

Prescilla Marrero was up next with a great contemporary routine. She has been dancing since she was 3, suffered an injury when she was 15 and came back strong. Mary Murphy called her "over the top wonderful". Tyce called her "stunningly beautiful". She earned her ticket to Vegas!


Jenette and Romula were up next, back from last year's tryouts. Jenette made it to Vegas last year, but got cut from the show. They have really improved and got a scream from Mary Murphy. Nigel Lythgoe loved the danger in their lifts. Straight to Vegas for them.


Jennifer and Jessisa Guadix, twin sisters from Miami. Tried to do a hip hop routine. It was not good. They were very flexible, but very poor dancers. Nigel said it was a nightmare halfway through. They knew they were not good, so that's a plus.

Time for a Tyce Diorio meltdown.

Joseph Smith showed up next to teach us all how to hip hop. It was a great audition. Joseph Smith brought us some new words "Sh-wham" "Sh-whiz-am". He gave all three judges his "sh-wham" as he got sent on to choreography.

Going through from day 1 in Miami: Joseph Smith and 17 others.

Day 2 in Miami

Starting again poorly, was Wislande. I'll have to find her last name somewhere.... or maybe not. It was bad, bad, bad. Mary Murphy deferred to Nigel Lythgoe for critiquing. Nigel let her have it, saying she danced like a little girl. She seemed to learn a bit of a lesson and reality check.

After another parade of tears, Eric "Silky" Moore took the SYTYCD audition stage. Tapping his heart out to "Thriller", he had a slow start. Then he pulled out all the stops throwing hip hop and break dancing. Silky admitted to tapping because his older brother was "getting a lot of girls from it". Silky Moore is one of the first tap dancers to go straight to Vegas.

Paris (Miss Washington) Torres took the stage next. It started a little weird, but really got good. She is gorgeous. Nigel thought it was "fabulous". Mary Murphy commented on her "beautiful legs". Tyce thought she was great too. Paris was given a ticket to Vegas.

Henry Rivera showed a partial audition that was incredible. We got just a glimpse of a few other contemporary dancers going straight to Vegas.

Geo Smith was an African dancer doing a traditional African dance. It was really not bad, but not a style the judges really 'get'. Wearing a feathered mask, he went straight for the judges. He was sent on to choreography.

Talia Rickards is a young widow that has not danced in two years. Her husband died in a motorcycle crash after a short four year marriage. You can see the potential in Talia. She had a few missteps and pulled her face a little (which annoys Nigel). Mary appreciated the fire in the dance. They sent her through to choreography, joining 19 others.

Going to Vegas from day 2 in Miami: Geo Smith, Talia Rickards and 12 others. A total of 32 dancers advance from Miami.

On to Memphis!

Day 1 in Memphis brought Lil C sitting in with the SYTYCD judges.

First up was a Memphis police officer. Marico Flake is a talented dancer. He is one of my favorites so far. He has insane footwork. Doing some 'Memphis Jukin', he had great facial expression the whole time. He got his golden ticket to Vegas.
(this is not his audition, but great just the same!)

Hip Hopper Dustin Dorough has a cousin in the Backstreet Boys... or so he says, but he's never met him. I don't think your cousin is going to be giving out any passes to you and your buddies Dustin. Nigel said the "hip hop community might be offended.." Dustin blamed his performance on having the flu... damn swine flu claimed another victim (dance!)

Another bad audition by Chris Corroza. Just sort of bouncing around on the stage with braids down to his butt. He developed his own style called 'electric', sort of like slam dancing from a rave dance. He told the judges he was ready to go home. He tried to walk off stage before Tyce got to say a word and Nigel called back. The war was on, Chris is a cocky arrogant person.

Caitlin Kinney followed her sister who has her ticket to Vegas already. Caitlin is gorgeous, and a truly gifted dancer. You could fell her emotion and the dance in ever move. She is so beautifully smooth. Nigel stopped her mid backbend and embarrassed her. She has only been dancing for 5 years, but was a gymnast before. She had hip reconstruction surgery, that's amazing. Mary Murphy called dancing "her destiny". Off to Vegas goes Caitlin to join her sister.


6 more dancers head to Vegas from Day 1 in Memphis after the choreography.

Day 2 in Memphis

Anna Dunn, an 18 yr old, told the story of her dad recently taking his own life. She said she doesn't have to talk about it, she can move about it. Nigel did not like the choreography, to much head movement. Mary Murphy like Anna too, but not the choreography. Lil C pressed Anna on the death of her father. he told her to connect with her pain to help ease it. On to choreography goes Anna Dunn.


Travis Prokop is from Texaco, New Mexico (which is just fun to say). Travis is effeminate and his dad it the head football coach. Opposite of any stereotypes, his father wholly supportive of his son. Nigel liked his size. His strength is lacking and Nigel said "get in there and throw some of those weight things around". Travis went on to choreography.

Brothers Evan and Ryan Kasprzack (spelling way off). Evan did a great jazz routine that lit up the stage and the audience. Lots of energy. Nigel called it superb and thought it was a beautifully structured routine. Evan got his ticket to Vegas.


Keeping the sibling thing going, twin sisters Lauren and Lydia. These two can dance. Not sure if they are identical, but close enough. They dance well together and both were sent to choreography.

Ryan, Evan's brother (see above) was up next with a tap routine...involving a whoopie cushion. Tap routines in general are love/hate, I can't imagine a prop like this helping. Oh my... I was wrong. I feared this and should not have. How much fun was that, with no music at all it was perfect. Ryan is definitely ready for Vegas and probably the top 20. Nigel wanted choreography, but Mary and Lil C sent Ryan on to Vegas.

15 dancers in total are moving on to Vegas from Memphis.

That's it for tonight folks! So You Think You Can Dance returns tomorrow night and so do I!