Here's a little hint of what to expect when Carson Kressly enter the
Big Brother house tonight:
Hopefully Carson, host of Ten's new series How to Look Good Naked, can do something about Corey's ratty, bleached-blonde hair! And speaking of bottle blondes, it looks like Carson's giving spoiled brat Brigette all her clothes back:
I reckon she looked better wearing a pillowcase. The special airs on Ten on Wednesday at 7.30pm.
On Sunday night 22-year-old
Saxon became the first contestants to be officially eliminated from this season of
Big Brother, kicked out of the house by the votes of his fellow housemates... ouch.
Click here to read our post-eviction interview with Saxon.
Do you reckon it was his pro-alien stance that earned him the boot? The day before the elimination he got into a pretty heated argument with the others about the existence of extraterrestrials, and his obnoxious attitude might have put some of them off him for good.
As I wrote the other day, the new rules governing nominations and evictions have really livened up the Sunday night show... and best of all, we won't have to put up with a snoozy Monday-night nomination show anymore.
On the downside, though, the elimination episode itself was like watching amateur hour: hosts Kyle and Jackie O stumbled awkwardly over several lines, the housemates seemed confused, and even Big Brother himself made a mess of the elimination verdict. Is it just me, or was it a total mess? They sort out what went wrong and avoid another fiasco next week.
What did you think of 2008's first elimination?
Wow: Wednesday night's episode of
Big Brother reversed the entire nature of the game. In every other season the housemates have nominated the candidates for eviction, who we've then voted for. This year it's the exact opposite: we pick who's up for eviction, and the housemates choose the one whose time is up.
This is a potentially brilliant twist, and here's why:
Boring housemates can't fly under the radar anymore. The Australian public is less likely to vote for contestants who hide in the background, meaning they're more likely to be up for elimination.
It eliminates those tedious Monday-night nomination episodes that no one ever watched anyway. No more will we have to see bland housemates um and aah as they struggle to invent reasons to nominate each other.
The housemates won't know what to expect. If any of them entered the house with a "plan" to win, they'll have to abandon it - the old rules don't apply anymore.
Of course, there's also downsides: infuriatingly annoying housemates who've formed into infuriatingly annoying cliques will have a better chance of staying around longer. And there's a chance that some players will start sucking up to their fellow housemates in order to deflect votes, reducing the overall conflict in the house.
Overall, though, this twist is just what the doctor ordered. What do you think of the new rules?
He's ba-ack...
We might be ashamed to admit it, but many of us are a little too excited that Big Brother is returning to the airwaves with new hosts, a new house, and new housemates.
So what do you think of the new cast of wannabes who'll be clamouring for our attention over the next couple of months? Has Big Brother finally delivered a diverse and interesting bunch, or are they just the same old bogans we've seen in the past?
Check out what we reckon here at Alternate Reality with a look at our 2008 housemates gallery, featuring photos of all the contestants, our first impressions, and predicts on who we think will be the ultimate winner!
Who's your early tip to win... and who do you hate already? Sound off in the comments.Previously on
So You Think You Can Dance:
the entire season.
A full-on group routine kicks off the real action of the night starring the entire top 20, and then some. Courtney! Hilton! And the rest! Awww, I missed you guys! Well... not really. Then the actual judges join the dance, and it's the most ridiculous moment of this entire show yet also the most awesome. Best. Group. Routine. Ever!
Nat Bass struts on stage in a slinky black number, horrible shoes and a bucketload of make-up. After a bit of jibber-jabber she introduces the judges for the last time: Matt wears the ultimate hat, Bonnie blows the ultimate kiss, and Jason gives a dumbest peace sign. I will not miss that.
After more padding... I mean, recaps of previous episodes, the Tap Dogs bang on the stage with their shoes for a few minutes.
Nat recaps the events of top 100 week. This type of segment is what we in the industry refer to as "shameless filler". For some reason a bunch of the top 100 rejects are then allowed to come onstage and do a stupid robot dance. Next!
The kids from the Billy Elliot stage musical show off their stuff, and then Nat announces the winner of So You Think You Can Dance. Just kidding! She cuts to another recap: a montage of the first half of the finals.
The top 10 perform another group routine. Ha, the bottom 10 got so barred. Not that it isn't an impressive number, but I think I prefer the big routines with a silly amount of dancers. Afterwards Nat announces the top 10 will tour the country in July - pfft, as if we'll care about them by then!
The final four come out and demonstrate exactly how they made it this far in the competition. Demi actually stuffs up a lot of moves (oops!), and not surprisingly, she's the first to be booted from the competition.
Next the show revisits some of the judges' favourite routines, including Marko and Steph's costume disaster, Camilla and Sermsah's martial arts-inspired number, Anthony and Laura's disco boogie, JD and Rhiannon's tango, and Henry's shirtless jungle samba with Vanessa. Thank you for re-waxing your chest, Henry.
Well, that was a fun way to fill half an hour.
Damien Leith performs next, proving that it is possible to stay in the spotlight after winning a reality competition, and he's accompanied by Caleb the Wunderkind from episode one. God, can this show please get over this kid already? He's even given some prize for being amazing, or something.
Nat lines up the final three. Kate is out, unsurprisingly - we've known for weeks it'd come down to Jack and Rhys. Afterwards, the very beautiful Leona Lewis performs 'Bleeding Love' so flawlessly I can't decide if she's miming or just a really great singer.
As the finale finally starts to wind down, Nat out drags Jack and Rhys to remind us how adorable they both are. Their final dance together is too cute - can't they both win?
Nat finally announces the winner... after another ad break, of course. Before she can read the verdict, US choreographer Mia Michaels appears in a pre-recorded message where she pretends she's been watching the show, the judges offer their final praise, my heart pounds a little, and then...
Australia's favourite dancer is... Jack! Yay! He dances an outrageously adorable victory jig as glitter tumbles down around him. A joyful top 20 rushes to hug him, as Nat promises that auditions for season two will kick off in September.
And that's the first season in the bag! What a nice (albeit bloated) ending; I couldn't be happier with the result. I hope Jack has a long and successful career - but what did you think of the finale? Too long? Not long enough? And did Jack deserve the top prize?
Thanks to everyone who's followed Alternate Reality's recaps of Dance since the show started in February. Watch this space as I cast my snarky eye across Big Brother '08...
It feels like just yesterday that thousands of fresh-faced young hopefuls poured in to audition for
So You Think You Can Dance, but come Sunday the competition ends and Australia's favourite dancer is revealed.
Over the past two months we've seen dancers come and go, along with guest judges (Mary Murphy, we will never forget you) and hairstyles (Nat Bass experimented with extensions, while Henry chopped off his Fabio-like locks). My favourite blast from the past is judge Jason Coleman's old lion hairdo. Check out a pic of it here - all I can say is... wow.
Relive the highs and lows of the competition with a look back at Alternate Reality's recaps of the entire series, and if you've forgotten who some of these contestants are take a look at our top 20 gallery for a refresher.
Top four performance
Top six performance and elimination
Top eight performance and elimination
Top 10 performance and elimination
Top 12 performance and elimination
Top 14 performance and elimination
Top 16 performance and elimination
Top 18 performance and elimination
Top 20 performance and elimination
The top 20 are revealed
The top 100 are revealed
Sydney auditions, part 1 and part 2
Melbourne and Adelaide auditions, part 1 and part 2
Perth and Brisbane auditions, part 1 and part 2
What's your favourite moment of So You Think You Can Dance?
The top four kick off the last performance show by struttin' their stuff for the crowd, and just when I think nothing can possibly be worse than
Demi's outfit,
Rhys slinks onstage dressed like Violet Crumble's hippy mascot. He's paired a tie-dyed shirt with yellow shorts and purple leggings, and... it's giving me brain damage.
Nat Bass follows the dancers out on stage, dressed in a sparkly white dress that makes her look like she'll be nipping back to the '80s to get married once tonight's show is done.
Jason thankfully abandons his ridiculous peace sign tonight, instead greeting us by doffing his hat. Yes, he's wearing a fedora I think he must've made from the soiled bathmat I threw out last week. Matt declares the two of them are having a "hat-off".
Demi and Jack start the show with the cha-cha. No offence to Jason Gilkison, who choreographed this, but I spent most of the dance wondering if Demi forgot to put on the bottom half of her outfit. Shortest skirt ever. After the judges put in their two cents, the audience cheers for Jack noticeably louder than they cheer Demi. Interesting.
Kate and Rhys dress as toy soldiers, but still don't look as silly as Rhys did at the top of show. This routine, choreographed by the daftly named Supple, is less than spectacular. They're out of time with each other, but even if they were in perfect unison it would still be dull. Predictably, the crowd cheers for Rhys louder than Kate.
After the break, Rhys returns with Demi for a contemporary number. Their dancing is impressive, but the choreography is lacking - we've seen far better routines before. It ends with the duo rolling around on the floor curled up like foetuses, yet the judges don't seem to notice how creepy it is and offer their praise.
Kate and Jack's next routine starts off well, but my attention starts wandering midway through. Again, the problem isn't the dancing, which is superb - it's the choreography that's boring.
Demi and Kate pair up for a routine inspired by 1920s-era silent films. I credit them for trying something different, but really this is just Demi's usual b-girl shtick and Kate's usual jazz moves accompanied by Charlie Chaplin costumes. The audience claps along half-heartedly.
Jack and Rhys come onstage together. Now this is a fierce, energetic routine, like something from a fabulous stage show. I'm not sure what the theme is, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was something like "super gay". Jack and Rhys are such an adorable pair!
Finally, the final four team up for the last routine of the night. Jeepers, exactly how many dances have they had to learn this week? I'm willing to forgive the fact that it's yet another hip-hop number, but only because the top four have wonderful chemistry and unison.
See more pictures of the final four
And that's it - the last chance to final four had to impress Australia before next week's finale. Who do you think danced best, and more importantly, who do you reckon will emerge victorious?
I want Jack to win, and have since day one, but I have a feeling Rhys might sweep in and take out the ultimate prize. And no offence to the girls, but I don't think they stand much of a chance - the final two boys have been popularity juggernauts through the whole competition, and I'll be stunned if one of them doesn't win it. But honestly, I'd be happy to see any of them come out on top. Jack, Rhys, Kate, Demi: I love you all!
Who do you think will take out the first season of So You Think You Can Dance? Make your predictions in the comments!
Jack's holding a camera during tonight's group number, which gives us a dancer's-eye view of the "19th-century Parisian debauchery"-type theme of the routine. Unfortunately the dance is a tad underwhelming and only picks up right at the end - I expect bigger things from the final six!
Nat struts onto stage in a gorgeous purple number that shows off her dazzling legs. She reveals the routine was choreographed by Jason Gilkison, who's filling in for an absent Bonnie on the judging panel. That seems a little pointless, given there won't really be any judging tonight, but hopefully he can raise the IQ on the judges' table.
Speaking of idiotic judges, Jason greets the audience with a stylised peace sign so ridiculous that it makes me desperate for the grand finale, so I never have to see him do it again (at least not until 2009).
SO YOU THINK YOU CAN CIRQUE
Unusually, this verdict episode kicks off with a performance from two of Cirque du Soleil's finest. The routine has an odd "jungle man toying with a doll" theme happening, but showcases some really impressive moves. Where are the numbers to vote for these two?
DANCE FOR YOUR LIFE
After the performance is done, the top six dancers come out to dance for their lives, before any results have been revealed. Weirdest verdict show ever.
Kate is stunning, as you'd expect. She has a real confidence about her performance - probably because she worked as a dancer for years prior to the competition.
Vanessa leaps about the stage in what looks like sparkly leopard print leotard. You gotta admire her willingness to try new things.
Demi performs her usual B-girl schtick - which she's great at, but I'd respect her a lot more if she danced outside her genre and really showed off what she's got.
Jack, like Demi, dances for the first time on a Monday night and reveals exactly why he's never been in the bottom before: he's brilliant. But he still hasn't got rid of that grody facial fuzz. Bad Jack!
Graeme dances dressed all in white with his shirt fluttering open. He dedicates the routine to his mum, which is cute.
Rhys is also dancing on Monday for the first time. Unfortunately I don't notice much about his routine - I'm distracted by his hot-pink pants and galah make-up.
After the performances, the judges say... nothing. What was the point of having Jason Gilkison if he doesn't get to say anything?
Gallery: the top six
THE DANCE DREAM ENDS FOR...
Before Nat gets to the votes there's another guest performance from Sean Kingston. It's pretty awful, especially coming on the heels of Cirque du Soleil.
Nat finally comes to the result, and it takes her another couple of years to reveal that Kate and Rhys are in the top four. Annoyingly, she recaps every second of Sunday night's show, as if we didn't all watch it less than 24 hours ago.
Eventually, Nat boots Vanessa and Graeme out of the competition. What a complete and utter shock! Is what I would write if I hadn't predicted this result last week along with the rest of Australia.
Sure, tonight's episode was predictable, but I think the grand finale might have a few surprises up its sleeve. Who do you think will win So You Think You Can Dance?
Last week, Henry and Rhiannon got the chop. This week is the last elimination ahead of the grand finale, but which two dancers will go? Judging by the who the crowd screams for at the start of tonight's episode it won't be the rabidly popular Jack or Rhys.
I don't have much to say about Nat Bass's appearance tonight, aside from pointing out that it looks like a rehash of styles she's worked before. She introduces the judges, who spout a few reality-TV clichés: "dancers' journeys", "come so far", "vote vote vote", et cetera.
I have to point out here that while Jason and Bonnie look presentable, Matt is dressed like he's just come from spending all afternoon at a mate's place playing Xbox.
Kate and Rhys pair up for rumba under the guidance of choreographer Jason Gilkison. They're two of the best dancers left in the competition, and the routine is exquisite. The judges go wild, with Jason Coleman slathering Jason Gilkison with praise.
Demi and Jack are back together. I adored them as a couple in the past but I'm kind of bored that they're paired up again. They do contemporary dance dressed as gangster mannequin robots, or something, and it's all a bit "meh". Matt praises it nevertheless, saying they "had no flashy gimmicks to hide behind". Yeah, except for the whole robot thing.
Vanessa and Graeme, the only couple who've never paired up, dance a Broadway number dressed like Raggedy Anne and Andy. It's billed as a slapstick routine but it's not very much fun to watch - though the judges praise it, so perhaps you had to be there. I believe Bonnie's exact words are "blah blah blah".
Gallery: the top six
So now all the couples have danced together, but the show ain't over yet. Nat reveals the surprise twist: the girls and the boys will each pair up for their own routine. I love this idea!
The girls team up for hip-hop with Nacho Pop. (Hip-hop dance again?) The resulting routine is very weird - the girls ride each other like a bike, then strut around in bikinis. It's kinda like one of those sexist rap videos, minus the rapper. Matt and Jason didn't like it, and there's a shot of Nacho and his posse scowling in the audience. Matt and Jason are so getting bashed.
The boys are choreographed by some guy who calls himself "Supple". Right. Anyway, the "Three Stooges meets Madagascar" routine is better than the girls' effort, but it's still not the spectacular, world-ending stuff I'd hoped for.
Bonnie is left so excited by the routine she sounds like she's going to wet herself, but Jason complains that there wasn't enough unison in the routine, robbing us of the chance to compare to boys against one another. That is the most spot on comment he's made in weeks.
Teaming up the boys and girls is a fantastic concept, but its execution left me cold. The choreography just wasn't up to the standard of what I want to see at the pointy end of the competition.
Do you think the show wasted the opportunity to showcase some really exceptional dancing? Or did the boys' and girls' group dances go beyond your expectations?
Where the heck did all the dancers go? I swear there's about two of them in tonight's group routine - it seems like only yesterday that the top 20 were up on that stage.
Tonight the top eight are dressed kind of like the Little Rascals. At the end there's this cheeky moment where Demi and Jack pretend to kiss. Cute!
Click here for Alternate Reality's recap of the top eight's dances.
Nat Bass welcomes us to the show, looking resplendent for the second night in a row. She introduces the pointless judges: Matt flashes a peace sign, Bonnie blows a kiss, and Jason... points at the ceiling? Huh?
BOTTOM 4 - THE GIRLS
Nat starts the elimination process by lining up the girls, first revealing that Kate's safe and Rhiannon is in the bottom four. I love that Kate is strengthening her position in the competition every week, given she was in the bottom so often in the first half.
Next Nat goes to Vanessa and "Miss Demi". When did Demi become "Miss Demi"? Perhaps it's because she misses out on dancing for her life: Vanessa is in the bottom two with Rhiannon. Australia made the right call there.
BOTTOM 4 - THE BOYS
The boys line up. From a distance Rhys looks normal and I'm disappointed that he hasn't gone all-out with his make-up this week. Then he gets a close-up that reveals he's got some crazy eye make-up happening after all. Phew!
First up are Henry and Jack, who earns a rabid squeal from the crowd when Nat says his name. I'm completely shocked when it turns out that Jack is safe. Except for the part where I'm not.
That leaves Rhys and Graeme. Do we really even need to go through this? It's so obvious Rhys is safe that I typed this sentence out before Nat had even read out the verdict, which reveals that Rhys is in fact safe.
AUCKLAND: AUSTRALIA'S MOST BEAUTIFUL CITY
The judges take a stab at relevance by blustering on about how the eliminated dancers should be proud of themselves, or something. Fortunately they're interrupted by the musical guest, One Republic. Lead singer Ryan Tedder tells Nat that he's chuffed to see so much Australia, including Perth, Sydney and Auckland. Um...
DANCE FOR YOUR LIFE
Rhiannon's dance is actually pretty good this week (unlike last week, when she forgot her whole routine and made it up on the spot). She earns points from me by wearing her trousers at a respectable level.
Rhiannon and Henry dance for their lives
Henry gives a performance so sharp he's in danger of cutting himself, and wraps up with a series of impressive flips. Anthony must be so burned.
Vanessa does a ballet routine that feels oddly heavy. Ballet dancers are supposed to be light on their feet but she doesn't soo graceful. Still, I think she deserves to stay over Rhiannon.
Graeme's dance is, frankly, an over-the-top cheeseball spectacular. But he kinda makes up for it when he sings to Nat afterwards - he did get into Idol's top 100 one year, you know!
THE DANCE DREAM ENDS FOR...
I'm going to skip over all the boring filler and just get to the bit of the show where Nat boots Rhiannon and Henry. Well done, Australia - y'all made the right call.
Rhiannon first looks like she's been stung by a bluebottle, but recovers in time to boast that she's going to land a recording contract and be bigger than Michael. You have to admire the confidence of 18-year-olds, that's for sure.
I think the lesson we can learn from Henry's elimination is this: regrowth is the enemy. Would he have gone if he'd re-waxed his chest? I guess we'll never know. The best moment of the episode comes right at the end, when both Henry and Jason admit that their old hairstyles sucked. Amen to that, sirs.
(Check out Henry's old hair here, and click here to relive Jason's old 'do. Oh dear - their new looks are definitely improvements.)
Did Australia make the right call? And is it just me, or is it completely obvious that Vanessa and Graeme will leave the competition next week?
