Here’s an admission: I have written Jason Glover off my list over the week.
I’ve been doing So You Think You Can Dance for five weeks now, and I’ve been pretty frustrated with him. Although, sure, he wasn’t really that lucky during that five weeks. With his partner, the since-eliminated Caitlin Kinney, he kept on picking dances that didn’t really fit them. Not everybody was amazed either, and those bottom three trips became the norm. When Caitlin got tossed, I knew Jason had to be next, puppy looks and all.
Sound the huge buzzer, folks. The stars finally aligned for him.
Sure, half of it was still luck. He found a partner in Jeanine Mason, someone he’s known for quite a while, at least as suggested by that video package–and someone whose style fits more with him. While he had chemistry with Caitlin, it just didn’t work out as well as it should.
And then there’s season 2’s Travis Wall choreographing their contemporary routine. In itself it’s already a feel good story, and the judges did spend time praising him and his growth from a contestant on SYTYCD to a choreographer whose future seems secure. Imagine, his first routine and it kicks ass and so much more? Perfect sob story, to borrow a term from all those weeks I did American Idol.
But Jason finally proved himself, and I regret writing him off. It was probably the first time I saw him really at ease, really in his element, and really ready to win it all. Jeanine, on the other hand, has always been one of the better dancers this year, although her old partnership with Phillip Chbeeb somehow dragged her down. It seemed to work off perfectly: the idea of long-time friends taking the next step, the choreography, the expressions, the reactions…
…and the kiss. Damn, Jason, you got to kiss Caitlin in your first dance, and now you got to kiss Jeanine in your first dance! As if that fake-out make-out session was enough. But I’m looking at this in a different light now, and suddenly it’s no longer an off-the-cuff gesture, but something new entirely. While I’m still not very convinced of what Jason can do, it’s nice to see that he finally stepped his game up, especially now that the show’s moved forward, much forward. I, for one, can’t wait to see what he does next. I hope this isn’t a one-off.
And, again, I regret writing him off this early. But a half-newbie like me needs these moments of crashing down to earth, as opposed to the odd Caitlin-Jason condom dance routine. By the way, that was good choreography and weirdness personified.
– Henrik Batallones, BuddyTV Staff Columnist
(Image courtesy of Fox)
Staff Writer, BuddyTV
