And that’s it! Season 4 of America’s Best Dance Crew has come to an end, and I really appreciate that. I mean, I really appreciate you. I mean, all those fine dancers out there, I appreciate you trying to make this the best season yet, even if the producers sabotaged you from the beginning.
But why rehash the mid-season commentary? It’s finale time, and I was half right. AfroBorike sails into the final two, up against We Are Heroes. Massive Monkees did make it to the top three, but fell short in what was, ultimately, a whole season that fell short.
While most of the crews could never have stepped up to the talent of Seasons One or Three, they did improve their level of performances at the mid-season break. The producers gave the crews a few great challenges this time around (the VMA challenge, Decades of Dance Challenge) but I’ll never understand why we needed to include a trampoline. It seemed a bit unnecessary, but it did bring out some great tricks.
And so, after mid-season, we said good bye to Rhythm City, Vogue Evolution (right before the chance to dance to Madonna’s Vogue. Sadly ironic.), and Massive Monkees, with the Monkees dueling WAH for the final spot in the finale. It could have gone either way as both crews delivered good performances, though the judges felt that MM weren’t fighting quite as hard. Because this is a street battle, in case anyone’s forgotten, and I kind of like it when Shane Sparks reminds us of that. This isn’t some dance show on Fox or ABC. These are kids who won’t have the same chances as a lot of other people out there to make their dreams a reality. So the fight and desire to win needs to be a lot stronger, and not just for a shot at 15 minutes of fame.
Let’s take a moment to revisit a couple of highlights. The VMA challenge aired right before the VMAs, and I enjoyed ABDC’s inevitable Michael Jackson tribute much more than I did the one that aired at the VMAs. Maybe because I felt more connected to the crews, and they felt more connected to the music, rather than the background dancers at the VMAs who get paid to dance whatever anyone tells them to (not that you can blame an employed dancer).
(And was it me, or has it been a little weird watching Lil’ Mama since that incident at the VMA’s? I hate to even bring it up, because I love her as a judge on this show (I really appreciate you too, Lil’ Mama) and I don’t like her image tarnished by such a ridiculous moment but who on Earth thinks it’s okay to rush Jay-Z onstage? I can’t help but think she’s a little crazy ever since. It’s like she turned into Paula Abdul on us, and look at Paula now. Thankfully, Lil’ Mama returned to ABDC with herself intact and The Incident firmly behind
