SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE’s Kent Boyd & Neil Haskell Dance a Travis Wall Contemporary Routine
August 5, 2010 by Kath Skerry
At some point today I’ll get around to sharing my feelings on last night’s episode of SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE, but for those of you who know me, it should come as absolutely no surprise that Travis Wall’s contemporary routine, danced beautifully by Kent Boyd and Neil Haskell, was my favorite performance of the evening, and one of my favorites of the season.
Kent is such a powerful dancer, but he always maintains such grace in his movement. He makes even the most difficult of combinations looks effortless. Take the time to really watch Kent during every moment of this performance and I think you’ll see why he should be named America’s Favorite Dancer during next week SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE finale.
I’ve watched it over and over again and I’m still taken back by the beauty and power of it all.
Congrats to Kent, Neil and Travis — a SYTYCD trifecta of perfection.
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Filed under Neil Haskell, So You Think You Can Dance, SYTYCD
I was out so when I read your tweet about a Travis/Kent/NEIL routine I wanted to rush home and watch. I didn’t watch any of the judging, contestant pieces, or practice sessions until I got to them. Incredible!
It was SO great. All of the routines were pretty great, actually, but this one…Mia and Adam were right. There AREN’T words, and if it had been the final night, he would have walked away the champion. I am hoping that our Ohio boy can bring it home next week! Woot!
(oh, and I really do like most if not all of the choreographers, but Travis just has so much HEART! That makes the difference, I think. That, and I think there was this intrinsic level of TRUST between him, Kent and Neil…it made a big difference.)
This was an AMAZING dance last night! After the creepiness of the clown dance (still shuddering over that), I’m glad Travis gave us something beautiful like this to round out the show. Team Kent all the way!!
Kent has grown the most in my opinion as a dancer emotionally. He deserves to win it all.
Yes, it was a lovely piece (PIECE OR DANCE is the correct term). Fine choreography and wonderful dancing. Nice to see two male dancers expressing intimacy, emotional tension, and the complications of relationship.
The usage of the terms “routine” or “number” trivializes and diminishes what these guys are doing. They are dancers who are dancing dances, not “routines” (as the judges idiotically persist in saying).
Kent, Neil and Travis — a SYTYCD trifecta of perfection.
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I had NO WORDS last night, even after a second viewing and multiple viewings on line today. It was amazing. THIS is why is it through all the lackluster dances on this show. It was worth it, just to see the amazingness that comes out of SYTYCD.
No question, Kent is an amazing, beautiful dancer, who makes it looks effortless. And no doubt people will be lining up to hire him, but for this forum, SYTYCD, he is not the best dancer.
Last nights piece with Neil was amazing, and it is yet one more example of how the producers of SYTYCD endeavor to manipulate the viewers to pick the person they have wanted to win this competition from the beginning–Kent Boyd.
But lets look at what the show is asking these dancers to do . . . lets look at just even one major component of this competition . . . men dancing and performing the roles of the dance with women.
Except for the technical aspects of the dance itself, Kent has consistently performed poorly when he has danced with a woman, unless the sexual aspects of the opposite sex pairing was dummied down for Kent.
His dance with Neil last night was his first and authentic performance with a partner, unless you want to count all the other times he has danced with men.
So for what is being demanded of the contestants, he does not measure up. And frankly I am sick of Nigel’s obvious ploy, year after year of giving less-than-objective and professional critiques to manipulate the viewers to put his personal favorite through. And I am sick of how he puts weak dancers, like Jose, through because he wants to be able to brag that SYTYCD has had all areas of dance represented.
Jose is a beautiful young man, with a courageous perspective on the world, but he had no business being in the top eleven. He did not even, measure up to past street dancers.
As far as I am concerned with all the injuries, the show has been a bit of a wash. Kent does not perform well, and he is not comfortable dancing with women . . .he definitely prefers dancing with men, and I don’t think he would be a serious contender if Alex was still in the show.
But even with Alex gone, Robert is a better dancer than Kent. He has met all their requirements of partnering, of growing across all genres of dance, and he is an amazing performer.
I think Kent will win, and that is one reason I am getting pretty sick of this show, particularly Nigel with his homophobic remarks. I am surprised that SYTYCD had such a gay themed storyline on last night. Friends breaking up? Right!
With all due respect Ricco, you call Nigel a homophobe and yet you specifically call out “gay themed storylines?” And I must remind you of Kent’s incredible dance with Lauren – a highlight of the season. We all have our own opinions and I clearly disagree with yours when it comes to Kent’s ability, but to each their own.
Well, Kent we do agree about Kent’s ability. He is simply amazing. And Nigel is constantly making homophobic remarks . . . that is why I was surprised that he had Travis choreograph that beautiful piece last night for Kent. Anyone who thinks that like all reality shows, that things on the set of SYTYCD are not being manipulated behind the scenes is not watching and listening very carefully.
And we are entitled to our opinions, you are right about that, but that performance with Lauren made me squirm, particularly that orchestrated kiss. At a time when this kid, Kent Boyd is trying to reconcile his families mid-western beliefs with his budding and emerging sexuality, he is being manipulated by the producers of SYTYCD for the benefit of all the female tweens out there. I guess that’s the price one has to pay if one is going to be on TV.
But even if the chemistry was as great as you seem to think it was between Kent and Lauren, that does not negate the fact that all his other performances with the women did not ring true, that he is not comfortable dancing with women. And it does not negate the fact that the producers, particularly Nigel, frames all his comments with the idea of manipulating the viewers.
It does not negate the fact that once the producers and the judges saw that Kent, beautiful and amazing dancer that he is, did not play well with the ladies, they managed to partner him up more frequently with male partners . . . and how fortunate for Kent that he got to dance with a man and leave that lasting and beautiful impression on the minds of the more impressionable viewers.
And it does not negate the fact that Kent is not the only gay man on SYTYCD this season, certainly not from past seasons, and yet gay or not they were, until Kent, expected to perform, to be dancers, actors, and play the role the dance required. Simply stated, while Kent is an amazing dancer, who has moved me to tears more than once, he is a terrible actor.
Kath . . . LOL . . . I apologize I wrote I addressed my last posting to Kent instead of you. Even though I don’t think he deserves to win, obviously, like most people who watch the show, I have Kent on my mind.
Cheers
Fair enough, but please remember that while you have your opinion of Kent’s sexuality, you might be wrong.
Uhm, how does this Ricco person presume to know what Kent’s sexuality is? I don’t care WHAT his sexuality may be–I happen to be Queer myself–but to go around making pronouncements about someone’s family’s “midwestern beliefs” and someone’s “budding sexuality” is presumptuous and preposterous.
Can we just focus on performance? Kent did beautifully in this number, and he has also danced beautifully with women, and I think it says zero about his inclinations. He is, after all, a performer.
Um, this Ricco person does not necessarily presume to know about Kent’s sexuality, but as I am also gay, and have been through all the expectations of family and society am pretty good at recognizing that lost look Kent gets on his face when he dances with a woman. It’s called gaydar by some but it is something gays are able to recognize in others because of similar and painful episodes in their own lives. But maybe he is not gay, maybe is just isn’t comfortable in sexual situations, but whatever the truth is, anyone who had eyes in their head, who were not being distracted by Kent’s cute-aww-shucks-small-town-boy-in-the-big-city- looks, who went back and looked at Kent’s so called amazing routines with the women on the show would see that every time he looks like a little boy seeing his first naked lady and does not know what to think of it. Go back and look at his performances and you will see that his best and only authentic performances are when he is partnered with men. Its on the tape as well as the judges consistent comments concerning his partnering skills.
As Kent’s brother is a youth pastor, and the family home had crosses hanging on the walls, and given the climate of Ohio, it is probably and logically safe to make some assumptions that his family is religious, and that a religious climate makes it difficult for a gay boy or girl to sort out who they are.
But all that aside, I obviously cannot know Kent is gay, until next year, or several years he comes out publicly . . . but as for making pronouncements about someones “budding sexuality” that is exactly what the producers of SYTYCD are doing. God forbid that they have an openly gay person on the show, because they would not know how to market that persons sexuality to the little girls who watch the show . . . and make no mistake that that is what they have done from the beginning is market Kent’s sexuality . . . his budding sexuality, which they obviously PRESUME is heterosexual.
Its not okay for me or others to presume Kent is gay, but it is okay for the producers of SYTYCD, and the little girls and boys who have fallen in love with Kent to assume that he is straight?
And why exactly is the assumption that he is straight more palatable and acceptable than the assumption that he is gay . . . is being gay that terrible a thing? Either way he is being manipulated and used by the producers.
And why, you may wonder is this Ricco person, and others, making an issue of Kent’s sexuality? We make an issue because Nigel, and the other judges, even the gay judges on the panel, are constantly peppering their critiques with sexual innuendo that almost anywhere else would be considered inappropriate. We make an issue because when they make such an issue themselves of marketing this young boys sexuality, assuming that ALL the viewing public will swallow their BS, that ALL the viewing public is missing eyes in their heads, that we can only see what they tell us to see . . . when they make Kent’s and Lauren’s (“Tonight you became a woman” one of them said . . .whatever!!) sexuality an issue, then they have opened the door on the issue of his sexuality . . . and it is more than a little convenient that Kent, given his weak performances with women was given this beautiful gay choreography. It is the first time I saw him totally absorbed by the dance, where he performed the role that was being asked of him, where he wasnt pulling his face, where his face reflected the story line.
Of course, you, and everyone, are entitled to their opinions, but just remember if people are talking about Kent’s sexuality, the conversation was started by the producers of SYTYCD in a public forum, on a nationally televised program, and not everyone who watches the show is so easily taken in by their marketing of Kent’s sexuality, and not everyone who watches thinks he should win just because he is adorable, when other dancers are showing greater maturity than Kent as dancers.
He may be an incredible dancer, but he has a lot of growing up to do before he is an amazing dancer and is able to dance with girls and not look like a deer caught in the head lights. Until that day comes, it is not fair to people like Robert who are also incredible dancers and who actually partner well with both men and “women”.
Please, there is no doubt in my mind that Kent is gay. You would have to be a blind mute not to sense that. Also, he is a very good dancer who will win this show’s popularity contest. But, there is also no doubt in my mind that Robert should win and is a much better dancer not to mention a hell of lot hotter!
Finally, I totally agree with Ricco view above about the lack of an out male dancer on this show in all these years. It is ridiculous! Why can a judge be openly gay and not the dancer? Plus, I miss Mary Murphy!
That is what I have been wondering . . . where is Mary Murphy? Except for the very basics, things they have learned sitting next to Mary Murphy over the past several years, Nigel and the others don’t know anything about ballroom dancing; and if they don’t know what they are looking at, then imagine how unimpressive a Viennese Waltz is to the average tween viewer. The producers understand this, as convenient a happenstance it was that Kent got a piece that played to his strength at the twelfth hour, it was an inconvenient happenstance that got Robert a Viennese Waltz at the twelfth hour. It did not help that is second dance was a quirky hip-hop routine.
It does not matter that he was brilliant in both, or that the judges comments properly reflected those comments when your average viewer does not identify with a quirky dance anymore than they identify with that strange, quirky kid in the cafeteria that the jocks bully, the populars ridicule, and the rest avoid to stay off the radar. And the average viewer definitely does not identify with Ballroom dancing. They do not understand the strength and control it takes, as much, if not more than it takes to leap in the air or perform a lift.
Robert is definitely hotter. If we are to believe the crap that comes out of Nigel’s mouth, then we are to believe that Robert was lacking a personality and needed to find a way to connect with the audience.
I don’t know what Nigel is talking about. He has an amazing personality, a great smile, and is not afraid to praise his mother for all that she has done to get him where he is at, and does it without looking like a mama’s boy. I don’t know what Nigel is seeing or not seeing that is so obvious to me, unless of course, he does see it, but he is determined to do what he does every year, manipulate the viewers, manipulate reality to get his favorite through, and this year that person is Kent.
Nigel has systematically done all that he could to downplay Roberts talents in favor of Kent. It was obvious from the very beginning that he was pushing for Kent. Nigel is not your most diplomatic and discreet of personalities.
Robert is a better dancer, and he has a great personality, and while I wish the best for Kent, I hope people will call in to vote for Robert.
well… i think most people who wrote on this are missing one small thing that may or may not be important to the men who openly claim to be gay (i’m Bi, i try to be as objective as i can). the thing people are missing… is Lauren. while a lot of teenie-bopper kent-loving little girls out there are furiously giving themselves carpal tunnel just to vote for the small-town-hottie-in-the-big-city, there have got to be SOME guys out there who like Lauren, i do, and there have got to be some teens with good taste too because Lauren AND Kent were the top two – seperated by just 2% of the votes. but the audience isn’t just little teenie-bopers, obviously you aren’t and i’m not.
it is a given, though i hate to say it, that Robert is better than Kent. that’s true, but Lauren seems to be on some other stage based on how everyone here avoids actually recognising her as a threat to the two men left. she has beaten everyone else too, and she could win. could, i’m not saying will, but at least give her the attention and recognition as a great dancer that she deserves.
Kent is totally gay, but why is that an issue? you guys see it, i see it (and i like what i see there too, i wont lie), we all see it, except for those rotten little teenie-boppers who hopelessly swoon after him with their votes. but who the heck(ll) cares? i mean, he did one heck(ll) of a job with Lauren not too long ago, and frankly i’d like to see them dance again because they were awesome, but should it matter who is manipulating who? so long as you “know” what “you know” and your voting reflects that, what more do you expect to do. words may be sharper than any sword, but nobody is going to change anyone’s mind on this thing. everyone is going to still love Kent, even though he is gay, everyone will still know Robert is just a bit better and deserves to win though he probably wont, and everyone should at least recognise that Lauren could kick everyone else’s butt. it can still go any direction.
also, yeah Kent dances well with men, but if we can see that, if we can love his last dance with what’s-his-face, are we actually being manipulated? not completely at least. what do you expect SYTYCD to do, broadcast that Kent’s gay and take the chance of him loosing thousands of votes becuase of, said mid-western beliefs from places like Ohio? why would they damage a young man’s future career like that before it has even had a chance to take off? yeah he’s a great dancer, but it’s those bad experiences and difficult personal growths that he has to make for himself if he hasn’t already, maybe it was personal choice not to announce that he’s gay on national television. maybe his supposed mid-western-believing parents wouldn’t have agreed with it so he chose not to advertise it. i just don’t understand how or why Kent being homosexual would matter in the least, to anyone, except him and his lovers. billy was gay too, though a lot more clearly to even the people devoid of gaydar, and he was a good dancer. whatever, i’m done with this topic for now.
ps. is Robert the kid in the cafeteria getting pushed around and ignored ricco? because to me he seems to be doing a lot better than any high school jock could hope to do with a scholarship. being on national television is being on freakin national television, even if a little different or “quarky”. oh, and there are a fair amount of people who have seen movies like Take the Lead, and who watch Dancing with the Stars (though in no way does that make people who have an expert). ballroom isn’t some alien dance that no one knows about.
i subbed in “different or interesting” for “quarky” for Robert’s dance in my opinion, and i didn’t mind the waltz. in my eyes he did just fine, though i am still partial toward Kent and Lauren over Robert.
Kyle . . . what a great and well thought out response. Thank you. I agree with you, it should not matter that Kent is gay or not. Reiterating, it only matter at all because while I certainly am not suggesting or advocating the idea of outing him, and nullifying his opportunity for votes, I am really saying that perhaps the show would work as well, better even if Nigel and the judges did not work overtime to market his and other dancers sexuality. If they kept their comments professional and objective, restricting their comments to the merits of the dance, and the dancers partnering abilities, then they would not open this Pandora’s Box on Kent’s or anyone else sexuality.
And personally, while you are correct, that I and others do not have to be influenced by their comments and can vote contrary to their more manipulative comments, others are more easily taken in, and I feel compelled, for what it is worth, to point these things out for those people more easily influenced by pundits.
It does seem that all this talk about Kent vs. Robert has left out of the conversation the amazing Lauren, and for that I apologize. It is just that the crux of my argument was opposite sex partnering, which historically the judges aim at the male dancers, and for that reason I focused on Kent and Robert: Kent who (with the possible exception of that one dance with Lauren) does not partner well with women, and Robert, who does partner well with both women and men. I bring it up at all as this is a major proponent, gay or straight, that is required.
I do believe that gay actors can play straight roles, and gay dancers take on straight roles in dance, so that is not the issue. The issue is that Kent is not such a dance, and the producers of SYTYCD know that, buit because they have their own personal agenda, which is the promotion of the dance, they are not as concerned with finding the best dancer in a fair and balanced way, but finding that dancer who they think will further their personal agenda.
And what is the agenda this year, well quite simply they want the message to go out that one does not have to live in a creative mecca, be from a large city, have attended the best schools, have had the benefit of the best instructors and choreographers to carve a niche for themselves in the world of dance, and who represents that better than the little white boy from Ohio?
Why call it a competition at all?
But getting back to Lauren. She is beautiful, and amazing. Like Robert, everything that has been thrown at her, all the curve-balls that could have been disastrous for her . . . she has totally rose above all challenges. The things she does with her hips has been astounding. That Hawaiian dance for example . . . blew me away!! That she could mover her hips like that while maintaining some amazing lines with her legs was ASTOUNDING.
I cannot pick between her and Robert, but just as I believe that Robert should be in the final two over Kent, I also believe Lauren ought to be in the final two over Kent.
This brings me to something I have always wished that the producers of SYTYCD would do differently. While women have won their title of America’s favorite dancer, the title has usually gone to men. I do think that more females are invested in who wins the show than males.
I do wish they would have America pick Their favorite Male AND female dancer. But not only because
I think the scales are tipped in favor of male dancers, but because what is being asked of the respective genders is different, and the two cannot be adequately equated in a competition.
But as they have it now, I choose Robert over Lauren, but because I am gay I concede that I may, like the little girls who tend to vote for the cutest dancer, may be as vulnerable in that respect.
Or not . . . I don’t know. There have been past female dancers that I totally loved and would loved to have seen win.
Lauren or Robert . . . for the sake of fairness, and for Kent’s sake, because I dont think it would be in his best interests to win, as it would have great potential of truncating or misdirecting his path as a dancer, I do hope that either Lauren or Robert win.
Thanks for your great response Kyle.
Oh yeah, the quirky kid in the cafeteria metaphor was meant as a loose metaphor, because your right, being on TV and garnering fans and millions of admirers is a far cry from the quirky kid in the cafeteria. I only meant to suggest that the average viewer does not have an appreciation for the quirkier dancers (which Robert is not) or quirky choreography.
Cheer
It’s fascinating that the ‘judges’ speak effortlessly about various female contestants and their attraction to males, their romantic emotions to the opposite sex, etc. They also make frequent comments about how certain male dancers must have tons of female devotees, and aren’t they lucky, etc. Yet when they speak of gay men like Kent, there can be no mention of his orientation or celebration of his sexuality because a gay male dancer must remain a shadowy secret, a mysterious enigma, a shameful unspoken ‘rumor’ – unless of course someone produces “proof” (whatever the hell that is). How come not once has anyone ever demanded “proof” of the heterosexuality of all the dancers that NIgel and even that idiotic gay male judge make presumptions about?
BTW, isn’t it fascinating that most people totally ignored that Alex was ANOTHER openly gay contestant. Not a single judge or fellow contestant gave Alex the simple dignity of acknowledging he is a gay man. Here he is in a Youtube video of the Tyra show in which he appears as a healthy, well-adjusted gay role model: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0YlBT9E1eZc&playnext=1&videos=JoavxGXCl5g
Kent is a much better dancer than Robert. Lauren is a much better dancer than Robert. Kent and Lauren are equal in dance ability. Lauren will win.
Forgot… nice dance. The highlight of the season.
I have two comments for the people who feel they have some insight into Kent’s personal life… First, I have an 18 year old son and I am certain that if he had to dance with an older woman (e.g. Anya), he would not be suave and macho. Maybe some 18 year old boys/men could pull it off, but not all. The woman Kent had the most connection with was Lauren, another 18 year old.
Second, my older son is 20, tall, thin, a sensitive type. He is seriously involved with a woman, but is constantly hit on by men. Gaydar is NOT fool-proof. For those who think maybe he is gay and not telling us… we are very socially liberal and have already told our sons that if they were gay or dating someone of another race, we would be fine with that.
Well . . .KimP . . . a mother, then obviously you would know best about your sons sexual orientations and would more readily recognize whether or not one of your sons was gay without the bother of him having to tell you, because mothers from time out of mind have demonstrated the innate ability to recognize when a son or a daughter is gay.
Whatever! Here is the relevant point about Kent and that is SYTYCD requires its males dancers to dance and perform with female partners, and this season particularly, with a variety of female partners . . . and with the possible exception of Lauren (I personally do not think so) he is neither suave or macho, and really, whatever his age, that is what he is supposed to be projecting, and if he doesn’t project that, then it is not fair to those other young contestants, several of whom are gay, and close to Kent’s age, who are showing maturity in their dance.
As the old saying goes: “If you can’t stand the heat, then get out of the kitchen,” unless, like Kent, you are lucky enough to have Nigel in your corner doing all he can to push you through.
You are right about one thing . . . there are plenty of straight men out there who appear gay to others, are even effeminate . . .but I wonder, would you be terribly unhappy or disappointed if your son was gay?
Just wondering.
Nigel is homophobic?, yet he has Ellen on. He is homophobic, yet he loves Kent, who you claim is gay. Your arguement makes no sense. Perhaps he is awkward with the girls because he is an innocent young man who feels weird being that close to a woman who he is not in a relationship with. perhaps his awe-shucks “act” is no act at all and he is actually a decent young man who would rather keep he sexuallity, whatever it is, to him self.
I think that Nigel’s comments are suggesting that you should perform that dance as it is choreographed, not as you may want to or naturally do it. If it is a masculine dance, then whether gay or straight, it should be danced in a masculine way. If it is supposed to be danced in an effeminate way, then you should dance it that way.
it amuses me that everyone here is still discussing hetero vs. homo. it doesn’t matter.
to ClarksLois, you were right, and i was right about loren.
but i couldn’t help wanting Kent to win, i really think i got brainwashed into liking him because of nigel’s comments. j/k. lmao. i liked him mostly because he was a gifted dancer, and partly because i think he’s hot. it was because of my own thoughts, ideas, and fantasticle wants. just because one person, or even a small group of people, promote something or someone doesn’t mean that you WILL be drawn to it. some people, myself included, might choose to be drawn to it anyway, for their own reasons, eventhough they know the truth and voted how they thought they should.
how could they not be opening the pandora’s box of ken’t’s sexuality, if a lot of people can tell, and you calim that nigel is making homophobe comments and trying to otherwise rig the show with a hetero atmosphere. either they are opening his sexy box or their not, make up your mind. maybe nigel is trying not to be over-prosumptious about lil ol Kent, so he assumes he’s straight. which wouldn’t totally be an insult to a gay guy, but if you thought a straight guy was gay, he would think it an insult, so again, maybe he was trying not to make insulting assumptions.
and now, the producers of SYTYCD are working toward completion of their master plot to get people to like the coreogropher’s work? what are you saying ricco? what adgenda do they have other than making money? they aren’t a non-profit org. they are out there to get people to watch the shows, like the dancers, and dial the phones. that is what they want, and anything they can do to get that, they are going to do.
its called a competition because as individuals we are supposed to vote for the person that we think is the best dancer. we are supposed to be able to judge which is the best, that’s why we control who actually wins and not the judges. we SHOULD be able to judge fairly,
KimP – you tell um ma, lol. i went to highschool in a small town, fairly hick-ish, and i knew kids that could throw a 40 yard touchdown pass as the clock runs out and not know how to react to his first set of boobies (not his, hers). lol. Or charge full speed through the guy lurking over home plate waiting to catch the ball. its the same slighlty sheltered hick-remenicient kind of personality that was common in a lot of my senior class. just because Kent is a great dancer, doesn’t mean that he has overcome all of the obstacles that seperate the men from the young men. the fact that he got along with Lauren so well does point that idea out fairly well, when you think about it, they are the same age and probably have a lot of the same insecurities because everyone else is older than he/she is.
travis you have a good point, that founds KimP’s point.
because of my schools, growing up withOUT a lot of grinding music and nearly-naked videos, i am kind of an awe shucks kind of guy too. if i had to put my hands in the places that kent has, i might even smile as inappropriate thoughts danced through my head. and i’m 21, and i’ve lived in the city now, for 3 years. i don’t care if he is gay or not, putting his hands on a women in ways that the dancing calls for is enough to make a lot of people seem either day-dreamish, or uncomfortable. with men maybe he feels more comfortable because he doesn’t have to be the one wearing the pants (figuritively speaking, lol), maybe he likes to let the women wear the pants, so that could make him dance really well with other men. but then again, i would be the same with men that i am with women, and anything that i would presume to know is nothing more than fabrication and assumption. so why keep talking about it? cuz people like to… i guess.
”
but then again, i would be the same way with men that i am with women, and anything that i would presume to know about kent is nothing more than fabrication and assumption. so why keep talking about it? cuz people like to… i guess.
”
correction
😉
Actually Kyle . . . when you say a lot of gay men would not be totally insulted if people thought they were gay, you are so wrong.
We are sick and tired of that presumption, that default to the heterosexual orientation that forces us to pretend to family and friends that we are straight, that forces us to go along with fag jokes, or disgusting conversations about girls. In its own way, even worse are strangers, without any conception of who we are, make those assumptions.
So, while it is not entirely insulting, it is pretty damn irritating. But as a minority you get used to stupid assumptions, and stupid remarks.
And yes, Nigel is a homophobe. Just because one acts friendly to a gay powerhouse-superstar like Ellen Gegeneres, does not make on accepting . . . only tolerant.
And Nigel has been called out by GLAAD and other gay organizations for some of his homophobic remarks on the show.
And Kyle, if thousands can see who Kent is through their televisions, then you can be sure that Nigel, who has been involved with the dance world a very-very long time, knows a gay boy when he see one.
But he is about the money, and that is why he promoted Kent until the finale. In fact all the judges finally gave him brutally honest critiques on this last night, now that they had done the work that Nigel wanted them to do.
None of his dances in the final challenged him as a dancer. So while he is an amazing and beautiful dancer, frankly I got tired of him because he did not grow at all as a dancer.
What a disservice they all did Kent on that show, because they made too big a fuss of him, only to throw him under the bus when they were finally honest with him. How confusing that must have been for him. Seriously . . .poor kid.
I don’t care if he is gay or straight. As I said, it only became part of the conversation because the producers of SYTYCD and Nigel, as one of those producers, opened the door on that conversation. I conly mentioned it because whether or not he is gay, whether or not he is a small town Christian who gets embarrassed about touching girls in certain places, and feeling girls bodies touching him in certain places, he is expected to perform, to be a dancer.
He did not. Frankly, his dancing got to be monotonous and boring. he did not grow!
So, is he a better dancer than Robert?
As far as natural athletic ability, he is. But he is not as good a performer, his partnering skills are poor. Even during the finale he hit his marks but he was dancing the whole time with the audience, and not his partner.
So, in the end, Robert is the better dancer. Really, what Kent as going for him, are his looks.
So, while I would expect the producers to have an agenda, and part of that agenda would be to make money, I don’t expect or respect an agenda that sets up a competition that is slanted and unfair when they are teeling people that SYTYCD is a serious dance competition.
This year, it was just a beauty contest.
ricco,
wow, your self-righteous attitude is tiring….