Peter Sabasino was aware that the quickstep is often called the "kiss of death" routine on So You Think You Can Dance, so he wasn't surprised when he landed in the bottom three during Wednesday night's sixth-season results show.
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"When I found out that I was in the bottom three, I kind of expected it only because in the past seasons the couples that had gotten the quickstep ended up in the bottom three," he told Reality TV World during a Thursday conference call.
"I thought that I was going to stay, I felt my solo was strong enough. But I guess America and the judges saw it otherwise."
The 22-year-old tap dancer from Philadelphia, PA and his partner Pauline Mata became the fifth and sixth finalists eliminated from So You Think You Can Dance's sixth season during Wednesday night's results show of the Fox reality dance competition.
The couple was ousted from the competition by the show's judging panel after finding themselves among the bottom three couples based on home viewer votes cast immediately following Tuesday night's performance episode broadcast.
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Despite drawing the quickstep with Mata, Sabasino said he went into the performance "feeling confident."
"I was actually really excited when I got the quickstep because it's a new style of dance that I never learned how to do and I knew it was called the 'kiss of death' -- but when you go into it you really can't look at it like that," he explained.
"You just have to look at it as a new style of dance that I've never done before and I just had to try in the amount of time that I had to master that and to give them the finished product that they need for it to look good."
Sabasino was the third and final tapper to be eliminated from So You Think You Can Dance's sixth season -- as Bianca Revels and Phillip Attmore were both booted from the competition last week.
"I think it was time for tap to be on the show and I definitely think that So You Think You Can Dance needs more of it," he told reporters. "I'm just proud that the three of us -- Bianca, Phillip and myself -- got to represent tap the way that it needed to be represented."
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In addition, Sabasino said he hopes he "inspired tappers to audition for the show."
"I know that when the show first started tappers were very rare because they didn't take tappers. So I definitely hope that I inspired tappers to audition for the show because if I can make it any other tapper can make. All it takes is a little bit of belief in yourself," he said.
Sabasino added that "it would be nice" if tap was a style that was available for finalists to randomly draw for their weekly routines.
"I think tap dancers are a little bit of an unfair disadvantage, but I mean at the same time you have to look at it from where the judges are coming from also," he explained.
"I know that a couple people on the show can tap, and it would have been nice to maybe get my own style as a partnership. But I understand where the judges are coming from when they say you can't teach someone to tap in the amount of time that we have. I can understand, but I think tap is just as important as the other styles are."
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Now that his So You Think You Can Dance journey is over, Sabasino said he's unsure what he'll end up doing.
"I'm just going to keep my options open because I don't want to commit to one thing and overlook other opportunities that are going to come to me," he said. "I think that would be unfair to myself, so I'm definitely just going to keep my arms open and just take it day by day."
Sabasino said he might even look into starting his own tap-themed show.
"The one thing I would love to do is maybe start my own tap show because I feel as though there aren't any shows anymore that are primarily tap-based," he said. "I would like to do that."
About The Author: Christopher Rocchio