And so it goes.

SYTYCD's Season 7 has been a disappointment. That's what I concluded Thursday after watching the second injured dancer exit the competition early. Did I love Ashley Galvin? No. But, she was starting to grow on me. And I know in the coming weeks I will miss her more and more because the show now feels off balance.

SYTYCD has always been tilted toward the men, with the more talented women failing to capture the hearts of the teenage-girl voters. It's amazing that two ladies have even won at all. Allison. Kathryn. Katee. All should have won. Even Kayla, who was in the same season as winner Jeanine, should have placed better than fourth. Now, for the first time in the show's history, there may not even be a female in the top 5. What a joke. I blame the producers and the judges.

The producers chose the All-Star format—something I disliked from the beginning. The judges picked the top 10, but they failed to choose women who could pull in votes. A tapper? Come on! They never do well. A ballroom dancer. Again, more often than not, they are some of the first to go home. I actually liked Alexie, and I believe that had she been saved the first week, she would have redeemed herself and not been in the bottom 3 the next week. She had a personality, which was sorely lacking from three of the five girls. Ashley started to show her personality, but didn't have a chance to fully engage me during a dance with a fellow contestant. Had she not been injured, I think her scheduled disco with Robert would have been happy and fun. Unfortunately for her, I was reminded how much I love Kathryn as she filled in for injured Ashley.

That's the problem with this season. I'm not supposed to be nostalgic about past contestants. I'm supposed to be engaged with the current ones. Twitch, Allison, Lauren, Kathryn, Travis Wall. They aren't supposed to be my favorite parts of this season. But it's nearly impossible not to watch them when they dance.

I'm starting to ramble and there are too many things to say about why this season hasn't been as good as the past (don't even get me started on Jose), so I'll quickly sum it up. Lauren Froderman and Kent Boyd's dance during the top 8 proved that the All-Star format isn't working. Lauren and Kent grew up in my eyes while they danced their Travis Wall-choreographed contemporary routine, and it would have never happened if they hadn't danced with each other. Now the pair are fan favorites because we saw their natural chemistry. We don't see that with the All-Star dances. The contestants have a special bond and you can see it when they get to dance together. I wish we saw it more often.

Now, I cross my fingers for Lauren, the only female left among the SYTYCD Season 7 boys club. But I know she can't carry the last half of the season on her own. The boys need to step it up or this season will be one to forget.



(photo via FOX)