So You Think You Can Dance eliminated Miranda Maleski and Robert Taylor Jr. during last Thursday night's live results show on Fox, which determined the eighth season's Top 14 contestants.
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Reality TV World: Miranda, Nigel Lythgoe had labeled you the most improved girl in the competition. Did that make your elimination even harder for you knowing that you had gotten better and would probably have the potential to grow even more as a dancer throughout the competition, and did your elimination come as a surprise to you overall?
Miranda Maleski: It can't be a surprise because anything can happen on this show, but I do definitely think that I put everything and all onstage and I did my best, and that's all you can ever do in any situation and then it's out of your hands.
So, I'm proud of myself for that but I wish they would have given me a better explanation as to why they did eliminate me because as you saw, they didn't say there was an issue with any of the other girls.
It was like they just pulled me out and didn't really say much to me besides that I was going home, and then the night before, he said that I was the most improved, which was kind of weird to me because that's what this show is about -- it's about growth.
So, it was definitely hard hearing that the night before and then, all of a sudden, you're gone. That was the hardest part for me, but I mean, everyone on that show is brilliant and what can you do about it? You can't do anything about it and the show is going to continue on and be amazing.
Reality TV World: Robert, since you had been in the bottom three twice but Mitchell Kelly was also in the same position, do you think it was definitely going to be one of you two to go home instead of Chris Koehl? And also, do you think in the moment it was going to be your time to go over Mitchell or had you not been expecting to be eliminated at all?
Robert Taylor Jr: To be honest, I always considered myself the underdog throughout the entire competition because of the fact that I have no tricks, you know. So I was always expecting to be in the bottom and I was always expecting to go home.
I think the thing that saved me the first week -- I had to do my solo twice with Mitchell was my personality. And that's what kept me. And this time, last night, I felt so much better as far as the dance for your life, because I felt that the solo was a lot better than what I did two weeks ago, and it resulted to the level that I brought to the Vegas week or even the very first audition that I did in New York.
So, it was one of those feelings where I was like, "Okay, here we go." And I just had a feeling that I was going to go. I always felt like the underdog. I always felt that I was fighting to stay.
Also in the call, Miranda and Robert told reporters whether they believe their strong personalities played any role in losing fan support and being eliminated as a result, what their plans are for the near future, and how Nigel cheered Miranda up following her ouster.
Miranda, did you get the chance to talk to Nigel after you were eliminated, especially since you said you were disappointed in how they just pulled you out of the bunch and sent you home without much explanation?
Miranda Maleski: I did get a chance to get to talk to Nigel after. He came over to me onstage whenever the contestants were hugging me, and he asked for a moment with me.
He just told me like, "You had my vote, you were amazing up there tonight, don't stop dancing, and you're going to do amazing things," which was really amazing to hear that I had the executive producer's vote. So, I'm excited for that and, of course I'm upset about the elimination, I just wish I would have had the other three's votes.
Both of you have been classified as likeable people with a lot of personality. Do you think those qualities could actually serve as a detriment to the dancers on the show?
Robert Taylor Jr: For me, like Nigel at the very first show that aired -- well actually, the second show, the second live show that aired -- Nigel said I had the biggest personality out of the guys, but it could also work against me.
So, I tuned it down a little bit and I wanted to show them more of my serious side -- that I can get down to business -- but at the same time, I don't want to let down the fans who were with me from the very beginning when I was the "Woo Man."
I just wanted to show them some love too. I don't want to be this cold dancer who just totally shuts down, but at the same time, I think maybe the people who got turned off by the "woo" in the very first stages of the show, they just probably just didn't like me and stopped voting no matter how much better I had gotten or how much my personality had toned down. So, maybe that could have haunted me from the very jump.
Miranda Maleski: I don't think it worked against me at all. I mean, there's nothing wrong with someone thinking that you're great and it's awesome that Nigel thought that, but he was really the only one that ever said that to me.
I think he was really the only one that believed in me, because I'm pretty sure that I did have his vote last night but he was outvoted by the other three and I don't know why. But that was just the case. So, I think, not him, but the other three did work against me.
What are your immediate plans for the future and do they still involve dance?
Robert Taylor Jr: For me, this is quite a lot. I've always been the guy who just wanted to get into everything as far as the arts are concerned. For one, as far as dance, either I would like to dance with Usher or Chris Brown because they're very close to [Michael Jackson] and what he did in his style.
And then, the second thing, is I would like to get into my own my own music as a pop dancer and R&B entertainer, because I also sing. As far as other things are concerned, I would like to do some film or some comedy on a sitcom maybe, or being a guest host or DJ for like MTV or VH1 or ET. There's a lot -- some acting too. The sky is the limit, but there is a lot that I would love to do.
Miranda Maleski: I just want to dance and audition, and I'm just going to go back out into the real world like I was before So You Think You Can Dance with more exposure and more growth. I'm just going to power through it. I hope I'm going to get into acting.
I'm going to also probably call up Kanye West's choreographer and see if he has any jobs for me, because I was Kanye West's solo ballerina in the Coachella Music Festival not too long ago. So, I'm going to do that and then see where it goes from there.
About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski
