Tuesday, March 25, 2008

So You Think You Can Dance - The knives are out for Henry

Well the gloves are definitely off in Australia's first season of So You Think You Can Dance.

Last weeks dancers who were eliminated Camilla and JD have decided to take a shot at Henry Byalikov the ballroom dancer in this weeks NW (the article is not online).

Now I am not sure whether NW have taken a egg beater to this story, but it would be difficult to take these quotes out of context.

Article from NW below:

Both JD and Camilla said Henry's Mr Nice Guy image was faked to win votes.

"He is a very different person off-camera," says Camilla. "Henry maybe feels he needs to prove himself to Australia."

JD thinks that away from the cameras, Henry can come across as a different person.

"Henry can be aloof an dcold, and then the next day he can be your best friend,"He says.

JD also adds that although Henry comes across as meek while the judges rave about his dance moves, his humility before them is all an act.

"He gets great feedback and obviously all of the judges like him," says JD. "He's all very humble on camera, but then afterwards he's like, 'Yeah, yeah - boy, I look good.'"

Camilla agrees with JD that Henry's on-camera demeanour doesn't ring true.

"Henry doesn't seem as real as, say Rhys [Bobridge], " explains Camilla. "Like, when I watch Rhys, I go, 'Yep, that's exactly how you are at home.' Whereas with Henry I go, 'You're kind of of not giving us you."

JD believes Henry's background as a ballroom dancer has strengthened his killer instinct, even if that means putting on an act.

"Because he's come from that competitive ballroom world, he will apply himself, he will do whatever it takes to win," say JD. "And sometimes in authenticity could be one of the things that comes out of that."

Henry's sister Natalie has stuck by him, explaining he puts on an act in routines "because dancing is part of the acting'.

But she admits Henry's youth means he may not always know how to be himself on the TV, especially given the intensity of the show.

"He is really young - 22," Natalie says. "It's going to be awkward for anyone being [in] the limelight. They're under a lot of pressure.

What is it with these eliminated contestants continually taking pot shots at the others? It is extremely undignified. Does this happen in the US version of the show?

I don't have a problem with Henry being competitive, there is a lot of prize money at stake.

Also I don't see Henry being fake, as I have never seen him show humility when listening the judges. Anyone going on these shows needs a healthy dose of ego just to survive.

12 comments:

Sue B said...

Maybe b/c it's the first year of the program in Australia, it's a small country, there is more press, but no, I don't recall all of (or really any) interviews with the SYTYCD S3 contestants until after the program was over, and no bitchiness until afterwards (remember Lauren and Lacey's have it out?). So I'm surprised. You get more of this with American Idol, maybe b/c 30 million people watch it a week, but still...surprising.

Reality Raver said...

Soobee, what bitchiness is happening in idol.

Yes I read all about the Lauren/Lacey saga, still not sure who to believe.

Last year on Australian Idol we had a contestant say negative things about Tarasai another Idol contestant.

But in SYTYCD just about every week it seems someone is slighting another dancer.

Sue B said...

Well, so far not too much bitchiness. I expect it soon, though. Actually, it comes from the EW Idoltry writers, who make fun of everyone (except my favorite, David Cook!). They call David Archleta FM lite, mock Carly's outfits (I have to agree with them), think that Brooke is robotic when she walks (I also agree; she needs to stay at the piano or guitar and just sing), think Ramiele is playing the cuteness factor too much (agreed), like Chickeze much better now (agreed), b/c he is just putting it out there, etc. BUT I suspect now that we are in the Top 10, things may change. Amanda was somewhat bitter about being knocked off, but you know, I just didn't see her as an Idol. She's just not mainstream enough, IMO.

Tonight should be interesting. No spoilers, I promise. :)

And they need to let Henry off the hook. Maybe he's a bit egotistical, but really, if you aren't sure of yourself (think Danny), how well are you really going to do?!

Contented Single said...

I know they are saying it is Australia's favourite dancer, but if I was going to spend my 55 cents to vote, I'd still be voting for the best dancer. Henry has been really good in each dance. I also like Rhys and I like Rhys's story and character and if he was best dancer I'd vote for him. I don't see at as a personality contest so personality is not relevant for me. I mean personality is important in the sense they need stage presence, but who they are off stage is of no concern to me.
I agree RR, don't understand the bitchiness.

Anonymous said...

I really don't understand why everyone's out to get Henry. People seem to find it hard to separate themselves from the fact that it's a competition.

As for Camilla & JD. I must say I'm disappointed. I can't imagine it will do their careers any good. Heaven knows that I wouldn't want much to do with them if they were going to rat on their colleagues at the drop of a hat.

I think Henry is a fantastic dancer and I'm a Rhys fan LOL! You know from memory, this week he's the only dancer who did their Solo outside of their Genre! He's really showing his flexibility as a dancer.

Anyway, who are we to judge him for his competitiveness? It's a competition for crying out loud.

Reality Raver said...

Lyn Taylor - I agree with what you say about Henry. To win these things you have to be competative.

Maybe it is a ballroom v formal dance trained people. Normally the ballroom ones get knocked out prior to top for (Heidi excepted), may they are seeing him as a threat.

He has hardly put in a bad performance. I was not a big fan of his solo last night.

It will be interesting how voters react to his crying last night.

Anonymous said...

Ouch! The claws are out already!

What JD and Camilla said just sound like sour grapes to me. They are both eliminated in the same week. JD obviously thought Henry should have gone rather than him, but Henry wasn't even in the bottom 6! If they have a problem with Henry, they should sort it out with him in private. Talking about it in public is just poor form and looks extremely petty! All they say are just their opinions about Henry with no concrete evidence. I am not sure what they will achieve by backstabbing Henry.

Anonymous said...

Actually miss Anonymous,
J.D didnt think like that AT ALL.
not one bit.
and the claws DIDNT COME OUT.
media always OVER DOES THINGS..make it sound like the worst possible thing to make some SORT OF DRAMA.
any drama is good drama to them.
i know my brother though, and he did not mean say anything that harsh in "revenge" of being kicked out in top 12 week.
thats stupid.
my brother is a very spiritual person and will always see the outcome rather then the "oh crap im out" bit
He is very proud of his achievements and so he should be
IM PROUD TOO!

Reality Raver said...

JD's Baby Sister are you saying that JD has been misquoted? I thought these things were taped these days?

Anonymous said...

JD's baby sister,
So what does JD mean when he says things like that?

Anonymous said...

All im saying is, the press made it seem worse then what was actually said..lol!
I saw the article too, didnt sound very much like my brother, and i dont want the claws coming out AT ME NOW, just because he is my brother.
as i said before media love gossip, they bend it to how they would like it to be portrayed, thats all im syin:)

Sue B said...

I'm sure JD is great. :) No worries, Grace. Reality TV is what it is. (I still love it to death, but you have to take it with a grain of salt.) I'm watching Step it Up and Dance on Bravo, and you just KNOW they edit it so Michael and Miguel are at each others' throats all of the time. (I doubt they like each other, but they are probably more concerned with moving on than with the in-fighting you see.)

One thing I like about Idol is that for all of its spin, the contestants actually seem to like each other (or at least never diss someone who is in or voted out).