So You Think You Can Dance has got some lovebirds, y'all. Ballet dancer Jacque LeWarne and contemporary dancer Rudy Abreu have been romantically linked for a few episodes now. And of course, fabulous host Cat Deeley questions the two of them every chance she gets. The pair are not partnered together (Jacque is with my main-man Zack Everhart and Rudy is with my homegirl Tanisha Belnap), but they made time between their pirouettes and grand jetés to make a love connection.
Not to completely rain on the love parade, but having a romance on a show gives a dancer a kind of edge — an intrigue if you will. The dancer now has something people want to know about and it gives the dancer a personal connection with the audience. So people, whether consciously or subconsciously, may vote to keep those dancers around longer because they think it’s cute, or charming, or interesting, or [insert your own adjective here].
And to keep riding the cynicism train (which is quite different from judge Mary Murphy's hot tamale train), Jacque and Rudy are only 18 and 19, respectively. So I can't imagine this being the most long-term relationship ever.
Regardless of my snark, it a super cute dynamic to have on the show.
I wonder if SYTYCD would ever pair Rudy and Jacque together. Zack and Tanisha better not be going anywhere (they are both fantastic), but I can kind of see Rudy getting into the top four of the show. By that point, the partners get all sorts of mixed up.
Although Rudy is a bit immature, the judges adore him. And to his credit, he always appears professional when dancing onstage. He's a great partner and a dynamic performer, regardless if he doesn’t always have the best technique. But it really seems like he's a front-runner with the judges — Tanisha and Rudy even received a standing ovation from all three judges in their second week of their partnership with a Broadway piece.
Judge Nigel Lythgoe said that Rudy has an "inner light that shines" and "magic" about him. Woah. Maybe Nigel has a crush on Rudy too. Watch out, Jacque!
Even when Rudy doesn't impress me that much (like with last week's hip-hop routine), the judges still praise him.
(I just need a moment to gush about Tanisha. She looked amazing and rocked that piece. This girl can do anything.)
So, what do Jacque and Rudy (and their dance partners) have to say about the romance?
Well, Jacque is definitely playing it cooler than Rudy, but it's nice that Zack is acting as his wingman. It seems like Rudy is just head over heels for Jacque, so let's hope she doesn't break his little heart! And it should be interesting if one of them gets voted off before the other.
Four dancers will be eliminated this Wednesday, so here's also hoping that SYTYCD doesn't break our hearts by voting out any of these four amazing dancers. Plus, we need to follow Jacque and Rudy's love story a little bit longer.
Images: Adam Rose/FOX; letusread-letusdance/Tumblr
