Bachelor Pad: Kiss and smell (spoiler alert)

(Blake Julian kisses Holly Durst on Bachelor Pad as Chris Harrison looks on in an ABC photo by Greg Zabilski.)

Is it just me or was watching Monday's Bachelor Pad a bit like watching someone pull the wings off flies?

The show has always had something of a high school vibe, with the cool power couples and their allies shutting out the less popular contestants.

But there seemed to be genuine anguish on display on Monday from Michael, Melissa and, to a lesser extent, Holly.

I don't blame Blake for not wanting to take Melissa on the date he won in the kissing contest. Can you imagine that woman having anything like fun? But his rejection seemed to push her further over the brink and tortured Michael, who'd finally begun to acknowledge that he wanted Holly back in his life.

But before we get to that, there's the unfinished business of Jake vs. Kasey and Vienna.

ABC dragged that animosity out as long as it could, but last week's sudden ending was just a lot of smoke and mirrors. Jake did indeed go home, we learned at the beginning of Monday's show, and the anticipated blow-out with Kasey was nothing more than Jake making a little speech, warning the other contestants to break up the power couples before it was too late.

"Guys, although we had a chance to do something really big tonight, really special, it just didn't happen," he started out, as if they'd been on the verge of a cure for cancer or world peace instead of just sending an arrogant guy packing.

"I think you're sending the wrong guy home. I want to encourage everybody, if you want a shot to win, you're gonna have to step up and do the right thing and start taking out the power couples and you know which ones you need to start with."

Then ever the diplomat, or phony baloney depending on your point of view, he told Kasey it had been "amazing meeting you" adding, "Vienna, my apologies, my heart forgiven," whatever that means.

Evil not-such-a-genius Kasey was crowing about the devil being gone and how he had a "euphoric sensation ... all over my body" (ewwwwww).

If Jake was ticked at being beaten, he wasn't showing it in the limo. He'd achieved his main goal, he said, to get some forgiveness in his heart for Vienna and move on with his life. "I wish I would have won a quarter of a million dollars, but some of the things that I've seen that you potentially have to do to win that, it's not enough money. I'm not sad because I'm not heartbroken. The last time I left in a limousine I was heartbroken (I'm guessing he means the infamous breakup interview with Vienna at the mansion). This time I'm kind of glad to be out of that f--kin' crazy house," he laughed.

Luckily we didn't have to endure a whole episode of Kasey and Vienna feeling pleased with themselves and making out. It was time for the second annual Bachelor Pad Kissing Contest. "I know it's early. I hope you've all brushed," said host Chris Harrison.

Apparently Kasey didn't get that memo since the women complained about how bad his breath was when they had to kiss him.

In case you've forgotten how this works, contestants are blindfolded and then, one at a time, they get kissed by the opposite sex housemates and cast a ballot for the best kisser. The girl and guy with the most votes wins the contest.

Michelle bowed out because she didn't want to set a bad example for her 6-year-old daughter (really? so all that face-sucking she did with Brad Womack on the recent Bachelor season was a good example?).

Everybody else was game, two guys more so than the others. Michael was looking forward to kissing ex-fiancee Holly again. Blake, the dentist, was also looking forward to kissing Holly, declaring, "I'm gonna do a tonsillectomy ... the doctor is in" (once again, ewwwww).

Blake was true to his word. While the other guys gave Holly pecks so as not to piss off Michael, Blake kissed her so hard and so long it was making even me uncomfortable. To be fair, though, he gave big kisses to everybody except Vienna ("I could feel Kasey's eyes on the back of my head") and that included Melissa, who interpreted the smooch as Blake having feelings for her instead of just being a guy trying to win a contest.

Blake's female counterpart was Ella, who had no scruples about setting a bad example for her son if it meant getting closer to the $250,000 prize. She kissed all the guys with gusto except for the aforementioned Kasey and his bad breath.

Melissa got a taste of what was to come when she had to watch Holly enjoying her kiss with Blake as much or more than her kiss with Michael.

So Blake and Ella won roses and immunity from the vote, and the chance to take one other person on a romantic date.

Ella chose to take her game partner, Kirk, on a date that involved a fireside dinner and a nighttime ride in a hot air balloon. They exchanged deep life stories (Ella's mother's murder, Kirk's serious illness) and spit.

The more interesting date was Blake's. Melissa, his partner in the game, assumed she'd be the lucky girl, but Erica -- who lost the kissing contest after practically swallowing the men's faces whole with her filler-injected lips -- also made a play. She gave Blake a massage and promised him suggestively that she'd "do whatever you wanted, 100 per cent" if he took her.

Door No. 3 was Holly, a very risky choice not just because it would turn Melissa into "Mount St. Helens," in Blake's words, but would make an enemy out of Michael. But strangely (after a whisper in the ear from the producers, perhaps?) that's who Blake decided to pick.

Holly accepted, despite her ambivalent feelings about Michael and the fact she had a frantic Melissa in her face, demanding to know why she'd said yes.

Holly used her "I flirt with everybody" excuse and when Melissa pointed out that Holly didn't flirt with Kasey, Holly shot back that Kasey was in a serious relationship. "Are you in a serious relationship?" she demanded of Melissa.

Melissa also tracked down Blake, stalking him all over the house in a hoodie and fuzzy slippers and then waiting with arms crossed while he got in another 40 seconds of tooth brushing (he is a dentist). 

And she bad-mouthed Blake and Holly to anybody who would listen (and even those who wouldn't) all over the house. Michelle commented wearily, "Some people wear their emotions on their sleeves, but Melissa wears her emotions on every article of clothing she's wearing every single day, including her hair tie and her panties."

It's no wonder that Blake and Holly were so happy to get out of the house. 

Holly's smile faltered when she found out they were going skiing and snowboarding, both of which scared her, but before you know it she was rolling around in the snow, laughing with Blake, declaring it the best date ever and saying, "Michael who?"

Over a cosy outdoor dinner by a blazing fire, Holly was non-committal when Blake asked her what was up with Michael. But her mixed feelings for her ex didn't stop her from kissing Blake and agreeing to spend the night away from the mansion with him.

Michael was left to stare wistfully into sunsets and fireplaces and talk longingly about how much he missed Holly.

We can't be certain what happened between Holly and Blake at the chalet, but according to Holly it didn't involve sleeping since she was too confused over her feelings for Michael and Blake to get any shut-eye.

Back at the mansion, she confessed to Michael that she'd kissed Blake after Michael confessed that he'd fallen back in love with her. Then Holly sought solace from Vienna, telling her, "I love Michael. I think there's gonna be a part of me that always will love Michael, but there's a huge part of me that Michael broke and I don't know if that can be fixed."

(If what I've been reading online is true, it can't. Holly and Blake were supposedly a couple after Bachelor Pad filming ended.)

Next thing you know it was vote time. No tricks from the producers this week: one man and one woman were going home.

Once again, Kasey became a target for the women in the house, but he was doing his best to convince them to vote out William. 

On the women's side, Melissa was on the chopping block. Once she found out, thanks to William's honesty, she got squirrelly, chasing men around the house to make sure they weren't voting for her. Most of them lied and said they were voting to oust Erica. "I felt I had to lie to Melissa 'cause I thought she was gonna cut my nuts off," explained Kasey.

When the axe finally fell, Melissa was inconsolable, crying so hard in the back of the limo she was unable to speak.

William took it a little better (yes, the ladies missed yet another chance to get rid of Kasey. Sigh). Wiping tears from his eyes, he said, "It's not a game that I could play. I think they could see that and they knew that I was the easy guy out. It was still tough. I love those guys even if I did get voted off."

If nothing else, William likely repaired the damage to his reputation done by his comedy club attack on former Bachelorette Ashley Hebert.

Look for the Michael, Holly and Blake triangle to continue next episode when Michael catches Holly and Blake kissing. But maybe it's more of a quadrangle, with Erica trying to lure Blake away from Holly with sexy lingerie.

All will be revealed Monday at 8 p.m. on Citytv and I'll have the recap here.

So You Think You Can Dance Canada: Your finalists are ... (spoiler alert)

(Results start coming in on So You Think You Can Dance Canada on Tuesday in a CTV photo.)

Way to keep us on our toes, So You Think You Can Dance Canada.

Leah Miller started Tuesday's results show by saying that "the journey ends for two more guys and two more girls."

No surprise, I thought, since we knew the final performance show would air next Monday and they needed to get down from top eight to the final four.

All eight danced solos, even though they didn't count for anything since the votes were already in (and Leah confirmed that it was votes determining who went, not the judges). Then one by one, the dancers got either the good or bad news: a spot in the finale or elimination.

Denitsa Ikonomova was the first girl to leave. Then Christian Millette learned he was in the finale, so excited he was rolling on the stage and then wiping tears from his eyes. Jordan Clark was the next to get good news. Then it was bad news for Adam LoPapa. Then Matt Marr got a spot in the finale, followed by Lindsay Leuschner, and only Shane Simpson and Melissa Mitro were left onstage.

"I'm sorry, guys, I'm so sorry," Leah told them.

I was still trying to wrap my head around the fact that front-runner Melissa had not made the top four when judge Jean-Marc Genereux said, "We love you and guess what? In Season 4 we gonna have a top six!"

Melissa and Shane fell to the stage clutching each other and the other dancers piled on top of them. It was a touching and exhilarating moment (see the photo at the bottom of the post).

My only question is whether Melissa and Shane were the bottom vote getters out of the top six or whether the finalists were announced in no particular order. 

I'll tell you one thing, it's going to be a really interesting last performance show and finale.

Last week, I would have said it was between Melissa and Jordan for the Season 4 championship, and it still may be, but I can't count Lindsay out. She had a fantastic night on Monday's show and delivered another gorgeous solo on Tuesday.

And then again, Matt has never, ever been in bottom three, so who's to say he doesn't sneak past those three amazing young women and scoop the title? On the other hand, Christian's long been my favourite male dancer and he's been strong all season long. Shane, meanwhile, has been a judges' favourite and has recently displayed a confidence to match his great technique.

You see what I mean? It's a tough call.

All I know is I'm going to have a fabulous time watching these six dance at Saturday's taping.

There was a more jubilant tone than I would have expected during Tuesday's show, likely because all the dancers were so proud and happy just to be in top eight.

Jean-Marc called them "real athletes, warriors and true artists," and thanked them for representing Canada.

"Each and every one of you on that stage has treated us to some amazing, amazing dancing this season. I just want to say Canada rocks," said guest judge Mary Murphy, ending with prolonged screaming (poor Blake McGrath's ears).

Blake said all of the top eight would have bright, bright futures no matter what happened with the results and Tre Armstrong called them "the most fantastic top eight ever to grace our stage."

Both Denitsa and Adam focused on their fellow dancers in their farewell remarks.

"Thank you so much, you guys," Denitsa told them. "Honestly, it's been such a pleasure ... you have become my family. All the top 22 dancers have become my family and all the judges, thank you so much for the opportunity. It's been such a pleasure for a ballroom girl to make the top eight. I can't even express how happy I am and how proud I am."

Said Adam, "It's meant the world to me being here with all these great dancers. The time that I had to spend with them, they've all become my really close family and I just want to say, guys, I'm proud of you."

I'd say they all have something to be proud of. 

And there's more to come. You can catch the final performance show Monday at 8 p.m. on CTV (it's a 90-minute show), then catch the recap here and my videos with the top six dancers. 

And I'd love your feedback. Were you surprised to see a top six? Did you think Adam would get a spot in the finale (I thought there was a chance)? Who do you think will win?

Don't forget, you can follow me on Twitter here. And I now have a Facebook page. And here's that great photo I was telling you about.

(Host Leah Miller reacts as the top six dancers huddle at the end of Tuesday's results show in a CTV photo.)

So You Think You Can Dance Canada: The Videos

Hello patient readers. Here are this week's videos, shot in the studio after the Saturday taping of So You Think You Can Dance Canada.

 

 

 

 

 

<iframe width="420" height="345" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/nH9EKr0xN8Y" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> 

Bachelor Pad coming soon

Sorry readers, between my Internet troubles early Tuesday morning and my need to sleep so I could be fresh as a daisy for the day job I didn't finish the Bachelor Pad post. As always, I have lots to say and will be aiming to have it up Tuesday evening. Apologies for the delay.

So You Think You Can Dance Canada: Hot and hotter

It was the ecstasy before the agony.

The eight remaining So You Think You Can Dance Canada competitors gave us some brilliant dancing on Monday night's show.

But Tuesday is going to be awful. There's no dead wood here as far as I can see.

Plus, I'm not sure how many people we're losing Tuesday. 

With a Sept. 11 date for the finale, the last performance show will be next Monday if my calculations are correct. So either we go into the finale with six dancers or we lose four in one fell swoop this Tuesday.

But let's not dwell on the negative, let's talk about the considerable positives of Monday's show.

It's the toughest week yet for ranking competitors for me and I've changed my mind several times between when I saw the routines live on Saturday night and watching them again Monday. Although it may sound like a cop-out, I think everyone did great. The differences between top and bottom for me are so tiny as to be almost negligible.

But here are my thoughts on the duets, starting with my favourite, with solos graded in the order in which they were danced.

Melissa Mitro and Matt Marr: The judges keep standing for Melissa week after week and I keep putting her at the top of my rankings. Guest judge Mary Murphy talked about Melissa fusing her mind, muscle and guts onstage and that's a great observation. I watch Melissa move and I see raw power. But Matt was also excellent in this jazz routine by Melissa Williams, about a woman seeking the forgiveness of a man she's wronged. Judge Blake McGrath had a small critique about Matt relaxing his upper body and expanding more through his movement, but I didn't notice those things because I was focused on Matt's intensity and how strong he looked when he picked Melissa up and threw her around. The best moment of all for me was when she took a flying leap off a chair and landed on Matt's back. That stayed with me after the routine ended, that and the sense of raw emotion in the routine. “In this piece, it was so well danced you could feel and see the struggle, the fight, the technique and everything,” said judge Jean-Marc Genereux. “Week after week, Matt, you always explore all the other genre of dance and you killing it, and it's amazing. Melissa, you are and will always be a beast. When you come out of your cage you burn that stage, you make this jungle yours. You always leave some blood, sweat and tears behind you.” 

Jordan Clark and Adam LoPapa: It's such a cliche to say that someone's in it to win it (thanks for beating that phrase into the ground, Randy Jackson), but that sure looks to be the case with Jordan. This was her first chance all season to do a hip-hop routine and she was seriously hard-to-take-your-eyes-off-her mesmerizing in this Luther Brown piece. And not just because of those skin-tight pleather pants: she hit all her marks and she hit them hard. Once again, a strong woman had a strong man by her side. Despite Luther's teasing in rehearsal (“The Jane bus got stuck in Woodbridge”), Adam delivered plenty of flavour. And the synchronization in his and Jordan's side-by-side dancing was excellent. I'll confess I didn't see Adam as top four material early in the season, but he's coming on like gangbusters week after week and making his claim for a spot in the finale. “You know it doesn't hurt with your movie star looks, but your dancing is coming along just fine,” Mary told him. “Hang in there brother, 'cause you're coming on strong.” Mary also told Jordan, “You are still the girl to beat.” Blake echoed that, telling Jordan that Melissa should watch out for her, and Jean-Marc speculated that Jordan and Adam could be the last two standing.

Lindsay Leuschner and Shane Simpson: Don't think that all the praise heaped on Melissa and Matt, and Jordan and Adam meant there was none to go around for Lindsay and Shane. They took a tender Stacey Tookey contemporary routine and imbued even the subtle movements with powerful emotion. The number was about two paintings come to life and the male subject trying to bring the woman he adores into his frame. Shane's longing was palpable, he handled the challenging lifts with his usual strength and he was wonderfully expansive in his chest and arms. Lindsay was his equal in technique and emotional commitment. In fact, the routine won her her first standing ovation from the judges (Shane had one before when he partnered Melissa) and she seemed so thrilled she could barely speak. Mary said it was a personal best for both of them and said Shane's becoming her favourite dancer. Blake had special words for Lindsay: “I don't think enough has been said about you. I believe you have the most grace out of any competitor. You just have this presence about you.... I think you can give the rest of the competitors a run for their money.” Tre Armstrong, meanwhile, told Shane he has “the demeanour, you have the attitude, you have the passion, you have the technique for a champion.”

Denitsa Ikonomova and Christian Millette: The judges said it was a treat to see these two, who are professional ballroom partners off the show, together on the SYTYCDC stage and I heartily agree. Their technique on this Gustavo Vargas samba looked flawless, their connection was outstanding and the performance quality was off the charts. They both looked sexy as hell, too. “There was a couple of moments I just thought were absolutely x-rated.... Oh mercy,” exclaimed Mary. “Welcome to Canada, Mary,” quipped Jean-Marc. “If we could just harness all that darn booty shaking up there to fuel this economy right now, there wouldn't be anybody with any financial trouble whatsoever,” Mary said. She kept Christian on her Hot Tamale Train and gave Denitsa a ticket, too. That later degenerated into some double entendre-laden talk about all the judges riding the train with them until host Leah Miller got them back on track. Blake said Denitsa was “popping that booty like it was popcorn.” Jean-Marc told Christian he had “a lot of mojo under the hood” before putting them both on his VID or very insane dancer list with the help of “YMCA”-like arm movements from the studio audience.

Here's how I ranked the solos.

Melissa: What can I say? When Melissa hurls herself across the stage like she's literally dancing for her life, resistance is futile. A+

Matt: Matt didn't take the easy path and just do lots of turns and acrobatics, which he excels at. He varied his movements and hit some different levels while still showing his physical strength. A+

Christian: Christian is still one of the hottest things on that stage, even if his moves weren't as varied as last week's solo. A

Denitsa: This was Denitsa's best solo yet, practically crackling with energy. Her feet were nearly a blur. Throw in the body undulations, the hair flips and the hot pink fringed dress and it's a great combination. A+

Lindsay: Lindsay's solo had a subtlety and delicacy of emotion that differed from the other girls'. It was cleanly danced, well controlled and lovely, and earned her another standing ovation from the judges. A+

Shane: Shane had a new swagger and confidence in his solo. And when he leapt he was light as air. A

Jordan: Jordan's solo was very fast and intense, with gorgeous leaps and flips and kicks, and sexy to boot. Another standing O from the judges. A+

Adam: Adam kept the energy, the confidence and the technique up. And he knows what the ladies like, pulling off his shirt to show off his eight-pack. A+

Now's the hard part, losing more dancers. Cheer up first with a Sean Cheesman group voguing routine, which Leah says is a first on a SYTYCD world stage, then brace yourselves for the results. You can watch on CTV at 8 p.m. and catch the recap here.

And keep watching this site for my videos with the top eight dancers, coming later today.

(The photos of Matt and Melissa, and Jordan and Adam are courtesy of CTV.)

 

Technology foils Reality Check

Hello folks. I have a draft of my So You Think You Can Dance Canada post ready to go and a Bachelor Pad post in the works, but no Internet connection at home (thanks a bunch Bell Sympatico). Short of typing the whole thing into a BlackBerry (which is what I'm using now) I have no way to get it online and that includes all the videos I did on Saturday night. So bear with me. I'll keep trying the connection. If worse comes to worst, the posts will be delayed until I get to the office Tuesday morning.

So You Think You Can Dance Canada: Francois and Yuliya's exit interview

You can take the dancers out of So You Think You Can Dance, but you can't take So You Think You Can Dance out of the dancers. Ballroom dancers Francois Pruneau, 26, of Trois-Rivieres, Que., and Yuliya Zavadska, 29, of Toronto (she specializes in Latin) were both feeling inspired by their experiences on SYTYCDC and looking forward to applying everything they'd learned to the rest of their careers when I spoke to them the day after their elimination. Here's an edited version of our talk:

DY: I wish I was meeting both of you again under better circumstances, but here we are. 

YZ: I don't think we have too many reasons to complain because ... we experienced a lot of weeks of different styles and different things, different choreographers, different partners.

FP: Yeah, I'm so proud of my journey. It's just an amazing opportunity for every dancer. I think it was a big opportunity for me, too. It just give me some experience in different styles, so it was really cool, yeah.

YZ: And it definitely opened different sides of us ... inside. 

FP: We grew up as persons and also as dancers in that show.

DY: Before you auditioned for this show, did you go out and do any training in other styles?

FP: I trained in hip hop and contemporary before doing the show a lot. I was really prepared for the show. I think I just discovered that I'm just a dancer and I enjoy every style of dance.

DY: What about you, Yuliya?

YZ: This show ... make me feel (like a) more complete dancer for sure. After last audition (the season before), all this year I was trying to consistently take classes, but it didn't work consistently because I was travelling crazy, a lot ,,, but two months after finals week till the show that's only what I did, to break my body before they will break my body (she laughs).

DY: Are you still feeling sore (from her contemporary rehearsals of the week before)?

YZ: You don't want to start about this because it's gonna be crying process.

DY: You were out of the country so much, I'm guessing because of ballroom competitions, right?

YZ: Yes

DY: Are you a 10-dance champion?

YZ: No, it's not 10-dance. It's International Latin, American Rhythm, American Smooth. We did these two American styles just for fun because I was applying for my document for Canadian permanent residence and I was stuck in the country for a year ... me and my partner, we just decided why not win two Canadian national championships? 

DY: You've obviously done lots of ballroom competitions as well (to Francois).

FP: Yeah, actually I was a ballroom 10-dance champion, Quebec.

DY: How does doing that compare to doing the show?

FP: It's really different, all the crew and the cameras, and you know that you dance in front of millions of people, so it's really different.

YZ: You know what's probably for us one of the biggest differences? That we're never dancing on a stage ... we're dancing in a ballroom (with people around the room), and now it's a stage and people (are) so far and (facing) in one direction ... you're always turning your face. I remember my first feeling in last audition (for last season), top 40 solo.... I prepared my routine, you know, everything was good. I went to the stage without partner and first step and I completely forget what to do because nobody around, I'm alone, I'm so alone. Now we really get used to (it), but it's still weird for ballroom people.

DY: It must be, because obviously as you say you're always dancing with a partner.

YZ: All my life, I have someone to touch.... 

FP: Actually, I really enjoy to dance on my own ... for real, it was really cool. All the people are there and scream for you. It's an amazing feeling.

YZ: Oh yeah, when people were supporting us, especially when I had hip hop and contemporary, Luther (Brown) was screaming from the audience, like “Yuliya, go!” It was so much fun, I wanted to ...

DY: You wanted to wave?

YZ: Yes.

FP: A lot of choreographers support us ... it's really good to know that.

YZ: I think we have to sleep a little bit and afterward we will realize more and more all the little details of what we came through and it's gonna make us even more happy because it was incredible experience.

DY: So is it something you'd recommend to other ballroom dancers?

YZ: Yeah.

FP: To be themself and to train a lot, to be prepared.

YZ: I think open (your) mind a little bit more. I look at myself before this show: I was really close-minded, like I lived my life in one direction, just practising the same things, years, years, years and years, and now I feel kind of stupid that I didn't do different styles before 'cause it would help me have control much more and be a better dancer, a more complete dancer. And it helps a lot. When I started taking contemporary and ballet classes, it helped me a lot in the ballroom for sure, so if people will try to open their minds they're gonna feel much better.

DY: I get what you're saying. Out of all the choreographers that you worked with, were there some that stood out for you more than others?

FP: I think it was Luther Brown for me, because he was really nice with me. He was really sweet with me and just pushed me to go harder and harder in hip hop, and he was proud of me too, so it's a great feeling to know that.

DY: What about you?

YZ: I didn't work with Luther. I really want to. I really enjoyed Sho-Tyme. He was so supportive. I was kind of scared for hip hop because it's like really for me outside of my world, and I was sure that I will look funny in this, but he made my week really fun ... but also I knew what to do and I knew how to make myself in a couple of days look not funny. He helped me a lot. And I really enjoyed also working with Melissa (Williams), Melissa was amazing.

DY: So it's sad, but you're taking lots of stuff out of it.

FP: For sure, for sure. It's not sad for me, I think it's just a shock ... but it was just an amazing experience and I just feel so blessed and it was an honour for real to dance on that stage.

YZ: Around this level of dancers and this level of personalities, you know.

FP: I'm so inspired by all these dancers and choreographers and this experience; I'm so inspired and I'm ready to get back to work.

YZ: I can't wait to see after this experience what can I do, because I feel that my limit's so much higher and I can do so much more, and I know that it's gonna show up more and more and more, this 54 days of practising.

FP: For sure, it give me energy to push for my dreams.

DY: What sort of things do you want to do now in your career?

FP: Do a lot of contracts and teach. Probably, maybe, I have the opportunity to open a dance school, a lot of projects.

YZ: I'm kind of like the same. Dancing always was my life, teaching and practising. I'm going forward to my dreams and goals, and gonna keep going the same.

There are still eight dancers left whose immediate goal is pushing ahead to the SYTYCDC finale. Watch them perform Monday at 8 p.m. on CTV and catch the recap here. I'll have video with all eight of them from Saturday night's taping.

In the meantime, here's the video I did with Francois and Yuliya when they visited me at the Star.

 

 

So You Think You Can Dance Canada: Francois and Yuliya's exit video

It's been a crazy, busy week, so I still haven't transcribed the interview I did with Francois Pruneau and Yuliya Zavadska, but I did get the video posted. Here it is:

 

I also have to correct one error that I made in Tuesday night's recap. The dancers who went home were NOT chosen by the judges; they were eliminated because they had the lowest number of votes. So now we all know.

I'm planning to be at Saturday's performance show taping and will post my recap after Monday's show, airing at 8 p.m. on CTV.

Canada Sings: Hamilton Police vs. GoodLife Fitness (spoiler alert)

I think the lesson to be learned from Wednesday's episode of Canada Sings is don't mess with men in uniform.

The team from GoodLife Fitness had a lot going for them: superior choreography, a couple of good singers, youth, enthusiasm and, well, fitness. 

It was their bad luck to be matched against the Hamilton Police team. We've already seen men in uniform (the Air Canada team, which dressed like pilots, and the Toronto firefighters, which was more out of uniform than in, but that worked too) sing and dance off with trophies and $10,000 donations to their charities.

Mind you, when this episode first started, it looked like GoodLife's Power Chords might end the streak.

The Hamilton cops' Hammer Cruisers were, as coach Sharron Matthews put it, "every shape and size," older, bad dancers, not blessed with strong soloists and very, very nervous.

But this is the point where I have to bow down to Sharron and choreographer Christian Vincent. They'd be the first to tell you it was all the cops' hard work and dedication that did the trick. And no doubt, it was, but Sharron and Christian worked some magic here, coming up with a really fun, unexpected song mashup and choreography that was simple but looked great when done in formation.

By contrast, it looked like Kelly Konno and Scott Henderson had the easier task. The fitness crew was raring to go; they were comfortable with their bodies and moved well; and they had some charismatic people on their team.

Personal trainer Fred Kuhr, for instance, who described himself as older and gayer than most trainers, made an immediate impression by pinning Kelly against a wall while he sang Dead or Alive's "You Spin Me Round (Like a Record)" during the tryouts. He also had a backstory about being teased and taunted in school and using fitness to overcome an inferiority complex. 

Head customer service rep Gabriel Ramos had a great voice.

And then there was the force of nature known as Sang Il Jo or Trainer Jo, who was gunning for nothing less than a Nobel Prize for fitness. He wasn't just dancing, he was back- and front-flipping across the room, which made choreographer Kelly very happy.

General manager Sarah Sclafani stood out for her pink-tipped blond hair, but she also had a personal sense of connection to the charity, the GoodLife Kids Foundation, which helps children stay active and fit. Sarah had weighed more than 200 pounds before shedding more than 60 pounds in a year and a half and boosting her confidence.

On the police side, we met Det.-Sgt. Glenn Jarvie, who's been with Hamilton police for 33 years and told a heart-rending tale of being called out to the sudden death of a 4-month-old infant and having to tell the mother that her baby was gone.

Sgt. Scott Collings seemed like a no-nonsense fellow who specializes in bloodstain pattern analysis. "It's like CSI, only different.... We don't do (forensics) quite as quickly as they do on television."

Const. Perry Mason (yes, that is his real name) had a backstory too: his daughter was bullied so much she had serious issues with drugs and mental illness; now he shares her story with school bullies and their victims as the police service's school resource officer.

Their charity was Project Concern, which hands out officer donations within Hamilton, and specifically Lean on Me, a program that helps the families of homicide victims.

Only their devotion to their charity could have convinced the fellows to buy into Sharron's plan to make Britney Spears' "Baby One More Time" part of their song mashup. Perry commented, "Britney with a bunch of fat white guys? I'm not sure. We'll see how it works."

But Britney was the least of their problems. The real issue was getting them moving, especially, as Sharron noted, since they were all used to having their game faces on, and she and Christian would be busting "through all of their shells."

While the fitness folks were flipping and kicking and gyrating through their complex routine, the cops were struggling with basic steps.

"Their hands are going in the air, their bellies are coming out a little bit. They can't dance at all," said Sharron.

Complicating things was Perry's health: after having a heart attack less than three months before, stress could be life-threatening for him, he told Christian and Sharron. He was having too much trouble with the dancing to be in the forefront, so Christian had to move him.

What the police had in their favour was their size (23 members to GoodLife's 11) and the pleasing way all their voices blended. That was obvious when Kelly and Fred visited for a sneak peek at their competition. What wasn't obvious was their bad dancing because Christian had them stand still while they sang for their visitors, which Kelly saw as playing dirty.

Christian and Scott had already been to GoodLife and seen how great their dancing was. "I'm just impressed I got a room full of people who can see their toes," Scott joked with his competitors.

By Day 5 of rehearsal, Sharron had to give the police a pep talk, reminding them that they needed to transfer the calm they bring to their jobs to the stage.

On the same day, GoodLife had a setback. Trainer Jo dropped out of the routine because he hurt his back. "It truly affects each and every one of them," worried Kelly. "They have to learn new formations right away."

So how'd they do?

GoodLife had way more complicated choreography (there was even a teeny bit of breakdancing and ballroom) and an energetic blend of songs, including "That's the Way I Like It" and "DJ Got Us Falling in Love." My only quibble would be that at times the choreography was a little too frantic and the patterns got confusing.

The judges praised the team's athleticism, with Jann Arden saying, "I don't know how you sang through that routine" and Vanilla Ice declaring, "The dancing was really hot, man."

The Hammer Cruisers' choreo was about as simple as you could get, but the moves looked good in unison and the pelvic thrusts during "Baby One More Time" (blended with "Proud Mary" and "C'mon Feel the Noise") had everyone laughing and smiling. Glenn's falsetto on "Feel the Noise" was also a hit.

You couldn't help but smile at the incongruity of who they were and what they were singing. 

"I never thought I'd see Britney Spears meets Quiet Riot meets The Chipmunks meets Tina Turner," said Vanilla Ice.

Jann had the best line: "Glenn, I don't want to pick you out of anybody, but I want all the young women in the audience to know what Justin Bieber's gonna look like in 50 years."

All the judges commented on how entertaining the routine was.

In the moment of truth, Ice picked the Power Chords for the win, but Jann and Pierre went with the Hammer Cruisers. Hopefully that $10,000 for their charity will blunt all the teasing they're bound to get around the police station.

That's it until next Wednesday at 9 p.m. on Global TV, when Scarborough Hospital takes on The Keg. You'll find my recap right here.

(The photos of the Hammer Cruisers and Power Chords are courtesy of Shaw Media.)

Bachelor Pad: Synch or swim (spoiler alert)

(The men of Bachelor Pad go synchronized swimming in an ABC photo by Greg Zabilski.)

If what I think happened on Monday's Bachelor Pad really happened, then we've lost one of the things that was keeping this season interesting.

Yes, I'm talking about the tension between Jake, ex-fiancee Vienna and her new boyfriend Kasey, and also between Kasey and Vienna because of Jake's presence in the mansion.

With Jake gone home, what are we left with? Kasey and Vienna getting so turned on by their triumph over Jake that we get endless shots of them slobbering all over each other? The terrible twosome coasting to the finale as their allies cheer them on and their enemies get picked off two by two? How boring is that?

Jake was basically a dead man walking after last week's episode, saved by a rule twist that saw only women get sent home, but he was certain to go this week unless he won the challenge or some woman took pity on him and gave him a rose.

He didn't win the challenge Monday, a synchronized swimming competition (more on that later), but the tide began to turn for him when Erica, mesmerized by his "big package" (her words, not mine), decided to join Team Jake.

Offering crazy Melissa a shoulder to cry on gained Jake another ally.

And with Chris Harrison revealing the latest twist -- no women would be sent home, just one man, but both men and women would vote -- Jake recruited Blake and William by arguing that the surest way to the $250,000 prize was to break up Vienna and Kasey.

Ella got on board the "get Kasey" train too. Just one more vote was needed, Kirk's, and Jake would vanquish one of his enemies.

We never saw how Kirk voted. We saw him talking to the camera about how he was the swing vote and "it really makes sense to vote off Kasey," but we didn't see whose photo went into the slot.

At a more tense than usual rose ceremony, Jake was vowing to "take some people out with me" if he went and Kasey was considering punching Jake in the mouth (which would be much more effective than punching him across the face).

It was "the closest vote we've had on Bachelor Pad," Chris said.

"The next name I call out, please step forward, you're safe," he said, as Jake and Kasey waited anxiously with just rose on the table.

Finally, he spit out the name: "Kasey." And then the screen cut to a commercial. When the break was over, we got no fisticuffs, no bitter words, no limo ride of shame, not even any promos to next week, just Jeff, the masked man from Ashley's Bachelorette season, doing a very poor synchronized swimming parody in the pool.

Some fans were speculating Tuesday that Chris was messing with Jake and Kasey, and that Jake was actually safe. I'm pretty sure he's gone, but the producers want to prolong the suspense.

I'll tell you what makes me extra certain about this. ABC has already posted photos on its website of the challenge from next week's episode. Jake isn't in them.

In the meantime, here are other highlights from this week's show:

The Challenge: This week's was weirder than last week's but less humiliating depending on how you feel about men in banana hammocks, and women in bathing caps with plastic flowers glued to them. The men and women had to separately learn synchronized swimming routines and perform them for a panel of judges that included Season 1 winners Dave Goode and Natalie Getz, and gold medal synchronized swimmer Karen Rosolowski. Surprisingly, the men were better than the women, whom their trainer compared to "broken, lazy marionettes." They couldn't even dive. "The closet thing I've done to synchronized swimming is laying out by a pool," said Erica. Vienna and Holly both got props from the judges, but it was Michelle who won the rose. On the guys' side, Jake put his Dancing With the Stars training to work and threw himself wholeheartedly into the routine. But the judges apparently weren't as impressed by his "big package" as Erica was and the rose went to Michael, who's a breakdancer (seriously?) in his non-reality TV life. 

Date No. 1: Michelle got to take Kasey, Blake and love interest Graham on a wine-tasting date. Silly, deluded Blake actually thought he stood a chance of getting the date rose. That is, until Michelle took him aside and let him know she had her girl Melissa's back. You'll recall that Blake made out with Melissa on last week's episode just so he could get a rose but got caught flirting later with Holly, which sent Melissa into a jealous fit of anger. "I'm here to tell you, you need to fix that and if you can't fix that and make amends, I think you're in trouble," Michelle said. Luckily, Graham didn't get lectured when she grabbed him for some one-on-one time. Instead, she confessed that she had a crush on him, which seemed to be okay by Graham judging by the smooches he laid on her. It was no surprise that he got the date rose.

Date No. 2: Michael's turn. He chose Ella, Vienna and ex-fiancee Holly, duh, for a horseback riding date. How obvious is it that he's still crazy about her? But while Michael rhapsodized about how much he loves hanging out with Holly, Holly was secretly complaining about how draining she finds it to be around Michael. Less draining than hearing Vienna complain non-stop, about the helmet she had to wear on the horse, how hot it was in the sun, how much she was sweating? Surely not. Luckily, Michael and Holly got to escape Vienna for some one-on-one time. Michael confessed that he misses Holly; "I constantly want to touch you and I just want to go back to the way we were," responded Holly. And of course, Holly got the date rose. Happy ending right? Maybe not. Holly also said in one of her confessionals, "Deep down, I don't think we're supposed to be together." When you've got that kind of ambivalence, there's only one thing you can do: call in a (sort of) rock and reality star like Bret Michaels, who in an absolutely genuine, 100 per cent unscripted moment just happened to invite the couple into his trailer, pull out his guitar and sing "Every Rose Has Its Thorn," because he had to, uh, rehearse. And Holly and Michael were putty before the power of the ballad: they smiled at each other, they cuddled, they marvelled at how much the lyrics related to them and then they hugged in front of a camera-worthy sunset.

The Bumpy Path of True Love: Kasey and Vienna took a break from their PDAs to have an equally public spat. Kasey started it because Vienna was nice to Jake after the swimming challenge: she (gasp) smiled and said thank you to Jake in the kitchen. And since Vienna's supposed to be terrified of Jake, which would help convince the other housemates to get rid of him, she was messing up her and Kasey's strategy. "I don't see why you keep throwing the Jake thing at me," whined Vienna as teammates looked uncomfortably on. "You keep throwing it in my face like I'm the one who wants him here. I don't want to be in this house with him. You need to stop. You need to be protecting me and you're not." Kasey's response? "You want another public breakup on TV?" Ouch. When they took the argument somewhere a little more private, Kasey complained that Vienna was playing "the sympathy card." "I get that he's your ex-fiancee. I get that he physically and mentally abused you and whatever. That was a year ago. Get over it. Do you understand what I've gone through? I protect you so much. You're so unappreciative of everything I've friggin' done." Well, okay, then. But you know, no biggie, because Kasey made it all better later with a promise ring to celebrate his and Vienna's six-month anniversary as a couple. "What is that?" Vienna asked as Kasey pulled out the box. "It's something that means a lot to me. Every time it's on your finger it will reassure you that I love you and my love for you is infinity." Vienna: "I don't want it be an engagement ring." Kasey: "It's not an engagement ring, it's a promise ring." And then she giggled, 
"Okay." And Kasey sealed it with a song (and if you remember his song to Ali Fedotowsky, this would have been a good time for a bathroom break). "I gave you a promise / I put it on your finger / and all I know now is / that you are mine forever / So when you're feeling blue / just know that I love you." Is it too late to bring back Bret Michaels?

Fake Hookup No. 1: So as I've mentioned, Erica was awfully impressed by what she spied in Jake's Speedo and followed him to the designated flirting bed after the challenge (here's hoping they wash the sheets between visits) where they held hands and she rubbed his thigh with her foot. Jake's stated goal at this point was to win women over to his side, so I'm guessing he was about as much into making out with Erica as Blake was Melissa. Nonetheless, they met up for another strategy session outdoors and ended up swapping spit. "I think my kiss with Jake was a long time coming," said Erica. "It was definitely hot. I definitely have good lips that I maintain with getting injections every six months and I am a good kisser." (My other favourite Erica line of the night: "I don't think Vienna and Kasey are good people. They're all about themselves and they're not even cute.")

Mental Breakdown No. 1: Melissa was still furious with Blake for hooking up with her and then flirting with Holly. Holly's defence when confronted by Melissa was that she flirts "with all the boys." But Blake wasn't getting off the hook so easily. Melisssa wasn't buying his story that he had no designs on Holly. "She's a live wire flailing around on the ground waiting to zap somebody," he complained. Even more charmingly, he later referred to her as "this shrew of a bitch." And yet, Melissa started to soften when Blake apologized and told her he'd been "clueless" about how his chat with Holly would be perceived. What put Melissa over the edge again wasn't Blake but Erica, who spied Melissa talking to Jake in the pool and told everybody they were talking strategy. Melissa ended up crying and running into the house, and was advised by Michelle to "let it go, it's driving everyone crazy." But then there was another blow to her fragile self-esteem when Blake told Melissa he wanted their partnership to stay platonic. A sobbing Melissa seemed to be on the verge of quitting the game until Jake talked her down. "Melissa is aching for some comfort. That's all she cares about. Anybody that's gonna give her comfort she's gonna follow," said Jake. "She wants to be loved and accepted more than she wants $250,000." That's probably just as well, since I doubt there's a chance in hell she'll get anywhere near the money. But if she did, I'd highly recommend a good therapist.

Those are the juicier bits from Monday's show. Now all we can do is wait till next Monday to see how the Kasey/Jake rose ceremony showdown played out. I'll be watching at 8 p.m. on Citytv and recapping it here.