SYTYCD Rankdown 3.0

[*Amanda]

17. Slavik Pustovoytov

12.86

Andrew: 4/20

Elliott: 4/20
Rei: 11/20

Dee: 12/20

Derek: 16/20

Public: 16/20

Diana: 20/20
Wally: 20/20

 

ANDREW

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I still don’t know how I managed to get four of my very favourite dancers into the Top 20 this year, but I can’t complain. Slavik is one of those favourites that snuck up on me. I watched Season 15 with little to no expectations and probably rightfully so, since the judges seemed determined to push dancers that had very few good routines that season. Meanwhile, Slavessy were killing it week after week with strong routines and the chemistry to match. We now know it was because they were dating, which is hilarious in retrospect, since the judges have shoved Lex/Taylor and Mariah/Bailey down our throat and her they had a real live romance blooming on their show and did nothing with it. Missed opportunity.

 

Anyway, I’m just going to post all their routines because they were all fire.

 

“Round & Round” - Their Hip-Hop in Week 1:

(Remember how the judges had written them both off as fodder and then this happened?)

 

“An Evening I Will Not Forget” – Their Contemporary in Week 1:

(Followed closely by this, I mean… are you kidding me?)

 

“Jump, Jive An’ Wail” – Their Jive in Week 2:

(For everyone that says this wasn’t fire… just remember that neither of them are ballroom dancers and they still pulled this off. I loved every second of it).

 

“Someone To Watch Over Me” – Their Broadway in Week 2:

 (Absolutely gorgeous)

 

“Fall For You” – Their Contemporary in Week 3:

(I usually hate Mandy’s overwrought choreo, but they sold this so well. This is one of their routines that I think is underrated)

 

“House Work” – Their Jazz in Week 3:

(STRAIGHT FIRE ALL THE WAY THROUGH)

 

At the Top 6, Slavik kind of got shafted. He danced a hip-hop routine choreographed by Comfort with all-star Jaja Vankova and yet… got the most muted praise I’ve ever seen. He was criticized despite hitting every step just as hard as Jaja. Also, why the heck didn’t they invite Fik-shun back as his all-star? The two of them are friends? They dance on the Vegas strip together several times a week? You KNOW that routine would have been fire but nope, they couldn’t have Slavik potentially ruin Jensen’s chances. Little did they know.

 

Anyway, I’m posting Slavik’s Top 6 routines anyway since I liked them while enough and no one else will post them (and to remind you how bussed he was):

 

 

 

In the finale, Slavessy danced another FIRE hip-hop together:

 

He also danced a stunning Contemporary piece with one of my faves, Melanie Moore, that took my breath away:

 

And an Afro-Jazz with Hannahlei that I liked:

 

For his final routine of the season, he danced a cha-cha with Jensen:

 

I still feel like they put this routine last to try and underscore that people should not vote for Slavik and we all saw how well that worked out for them.

 

Anyway, with all that said, I came out of the season loving Slavessy, both together and apart. When they finally confirmed they were dating, I was thrilled for them since they seem so happy together and I’m glad they’re still thriving despite the scraps the show fed them! Slavik is super active on Instagram and TikTok and posts dance videos daily, which I always enjoy. He’s gained quite a following too and occasionally dances with SYTYCD alum like Fik-shun or Jaja. He also mentioned that he and Fik-shun might try out for the next season of World of Dance, which would be cool, because I think they make a great team and always come up with some fire routines.

 

I obviously chose to advance him since I knew he was probably on a few people’s hit lists to cut, but I think he deserves to make the Top 20. I think if Genessy can win, he deserves to make it this far, at least. The recent seasons may have been a shit-show, but he and Genessy are the Kiki and Koine of Season 15. They were the one bright spot and the underdogs that really stepped up and showed they could handle what the choreographers threw at them, which is why they became my favourites.

 

ELLIOTT

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My number four slot is obviously going to season 15's last male standing, Slavik.  I don't think he's going to win like Genessy did, but I'm happy that they've both made the Top 20 in this (even if it's separately) because they're by far one of my all-time favourite partnerships and they were the only good part of the S15 finale.

 

Slavik was an early favourite of mine, which I'm sure comes as absolutely no surprise to anyone who knows me. Naturally I was here for his initial Top 20 performance with Allison Holker, which was one of the best of the night, and still confuses me as to why Wally isn't a fan of him.  

 

I wasn't too familiar with Genessy at the start, so I didn't know what to expect out of their partnership, but it was epic. Their first week? It did that. Round & Round and An Evening I Will Not Forget? FAN  TAS  TIC. Both of them were safe, which was absolutely no surprise.

 

For the second week, they took on a jive to Jump, Jive an' Wail and a broadway to Someone to Watch Over Me. It was also the introduction package for their jive that showed their connection, so it really should've been no surprise to the rest of us that they had starting dating during the season. At any rate, I really enjoyed both of these routines, as they really showed just how fun and flirty the two of them were. It was also after these routines that Genessy found herself in the bottom two, which was a crime considering J*nsen was still there.

 

But I digress. We're now at Top 8/Top 6 week. Slavessy did a contemporary to Fall For You and then followed it up with House Work. AKA the best routine of season 15. AKA the most memorable routine of the last five years of SYTYCD.   I'm exaggerating, but only slightly. It was such a fun, upbeat, cool routine, and the two of them did amazing with it. I joke that the routine was so iconic it helped Genessy have the most iconic finale reveal of all time.

 

For the Top 6 / Top 4 week, Slavik saw himself dancing with season 12's rightful champion Jaja Vaňková to a routine choreographed by Comfort Fedoke. Most importantly, they danced to a Brandy song, so naturally I was here for it.  While I do wish they had been given something a bit more hard hitting that was more to their styles, I can see why they were stuck with that routine considering it was chosen weeks ahead of time to be apart of the set list. But anyway, Slavik + Jaja + Comfort + Brandy = a happy Elliott. He was reunited with his girlfriend Genessy for Machika. People hate on it, but I liked it.  

 

The lovebirds made the finale, and their final routine together was a colourful hip-hop to Poke It Out. Rude of Nigel to give them the opening routine rather than the closing routine, but I'm not surprised considering he intended for them to be fodder that season. RUDE. After that, Slavik took on a Travis Wall contemporary with Melanie Moore to a routine entitled Gun, which I was a big fan of. It also really showcased Slavik's growth as a dancer from the first week to the finale. After that, he did an African Jazz routine with Hannahlei that I was a fan of (and not just because of the costuming) before ending the finale with a ballroom routine alongside chosen one J*nsen. I'm not even going to acknowledge the riggory that was that nonsense, but in the end, Slavik and Genessy found themselves robbed in fourth and third place.

 

I've been keeping up with Slavik and Genessy since the season ended, and am glad that they're still together. In the end, Carrie Underwood said it best:

 

 

REI

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 Slavik was a nice breath of fresh air during season 15. He and Genessy pretty much ruled the season delivering standout after standout. I'm glad he made the finale but based on that top 4 I wish he would have placed in the top 2 along with Genessy. When it comes to ballroom, he wasn't really good but his lyrical and hip hop pieces were so good that he more than make up for that. As for my favorite routines from him; I love his two contemporaries, two hip hops, broadway and jazz with Genessy, with Poke it out and House Work being my two favorites from them and two of the best routine of the season. I also really like his contemporary with Melanie. I'm glad Slavik made it into this top 20 this time and I'm giving him a solid ranking at #11 but I'm pretty sure he'll rank higher with Elliott and Andrew probably giving him top 5 rankings. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

DEE

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12. Slavik Pustovoytov (Season 15)

 

 

Slavik Pustovoytov. One-half of Slavessy. An icon. A finalist. Avenging the fallen icon and SYTYCD Rankdown 2.0 Winner, Genessy Castillo. His girlfriend.  

 

Really happy that Slavik advanced to the finals. Not happy that Diana petty cut Genessy for no reason. But at least one-half of the iconic partnership is in the finals. Slavik Pustovoytov impressed me way more than I ever expected him to, honestly. From the beginning of the season to the end of the season, Slavik improved significantly as a dancer, grew leaps and bounds, and quickly became one of my favorite SYTYCD contestants of all-time. 

 

At the start of the season, my hopes for Slavik were not super high. I loved his audition and thought he was a great Hip-Hop dancer, which is unsurprising considering he is the protégé of Fik-Shun. I was hopeful for Slavik, but his entire Academy Week apparently was a disaster. He received a lot of criticism on his ability to pick up choreography, even within the Hip-Hop genre. This is not a new critique, and still remains a stupid critique. LOL. But I figured that he would go the way of many of his Hip-Hop predecessors and impress in his audition and fail to make the Top 20/10. 

 

Except Slavik proved that he was not a one-trick pony during the final round of Academy Week. I really expected his Lyrical Jazz routine with Allison to be an absolute disaster. Slavik was extremely devoted to not failing, and the resulting performance really shocked me. The dance was not only danced very well, but the performance...was incredibly sexy and totally authentic. While the main concern was Slavik actually performing all of the steps well, the true shock was not how greatly he danced, but the caliber of his performance.

 

Slavik entered the competition a favorite of mine and the rest is history. He formed one of the most legendary partnerships in SYTYCD history. He danced numerous iconic routines. Slavessy became a real-life romantic partnership that made my heart melt. There is literally so much to love about Slavik. So much.  

"Round & Round."

 

"An Evening I Will Not Forget."

 

"Someone to Watch Over Me."

 

"Fall For You."

 

"House Work."

 

"Poke It Out."

 

Six iconic routines. Fight me. Seriously. Every single one of these routines above is absolutely incredible and an all-time favorite of mine. The amount of chemistry and attraction and love between Slavik and Genessy made every single routine special. There was a raw and magnetic energy between the two, and every dance felt like a personal moment between the two. That is the special quality to be found in every Slavessy routine. Danced to perfection. Performed to perfection. Energy through the roof during every performance. So much chemistry. All the feelings that Slavik (and Genessy) made you feel in all of their routines together. UGH.  

 

The one criticism that can be levied against Slavik is his capability in Ballroom and Latin genres. His attempts at the Jive, Salsa, and Cha-Cha are not that great. I can admit that. Usually that bothers me, but with Slavik...there seems to be some exception to this rule. He danced so many iconic routines and is one-half of one of my favorite partnerships ever. There is just so much to love about Slavik.

 

And his solos! He only danced two solos, but they were easily the best solos of the competition and super creative. His Animation is really solid, and I cannot wait to see where he is at in a few years as an artist.

 

"Gun" and "When Rivers Cry" are also very good routines. Not iconic, but solid routines that really display just how much Slavik improved over the course of the entire experience.

 

Just love him so much. The entire experience of observing his growth as a dancer, watching him kill so many routines and provide multiple special moments on the show, witnessing the blossoming of his partnership and relationship with Genessy...I just really connected with Slavik.

 

I wish I could rank him higher, but everybody ahead of him is somebody I adore a bit more. But super glad to see him in the finals and I hope he ranks higher than the rest of the Andrew + Elliott clan. LOL.

 

DEREK

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Slavik and Genessy were the best part of Season 15, and one of the best contestant partnerships the show has had. I do think that he and Genessy danced to different parts of the beat, but that's something you can ignore if you don't focus on it when watching their routines. Slavik was the only hip-hop dancer to make the Top 10 on Season 15. That's kind of shocking to me! I love Slavik a lot, but some of that love is just love for Genessy so it's hard to evaluate. His only routines without Genessy:

 

Callbacks duet: I DON'T REMEMBER THIS

Contemporary with Melanie: LOVED THIS

Hip-Hop with Jaja: DID NOT LOVE THIS (when is someone going to choreograph a krump piece for this woman and just let her go off for the whole routine? I don't understand why this is so difficult)

African Jazz with Hannahlei: NIPS OUT

Cha Cha with Jensen: .....

 

I will say that Slavik consistently slayed the group routines, and that's something I always look out for. But anyway, the point is that I love Slavik+Genessy and Slavik alone is very good too. If I had to choose one of the two being in the Top 20 of the Rankdown I'd probably choose Genessy, but Slavik here isn't offensive to me. But I will say that he was a great contestant and I was very happy when he made the finale. Looking forward to a future season of SYTYCD and Slavik coming back to be an All Star. I think that would be very fun.

 

EMMYS:

Slavik danced with the Top 10 in "Yummy" by Luther Brown, one of his 3 routines nominated in S15

Slavik danced with the Top 4 guys in "Juice" by Luther Brown, another one of his 3 routines nominated in S15

 

AMANDA

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 I was always more invested in Magda & Darius, as I connected with them more (a fact that I'm sure everyone already knows  ) but I think Slavik is great, particularly his partnership with Genessy. Slavessy had an amazing string of routines with Round & Round, An Evening I Will Not Forget, Someone to Watch Over Me, House Work, Fall For You, and Poke It Out. Their only missteps were their Ballroom routines, and that's on Slavik because we saw Genessy do well at Ballroom when partnered with an actual Ballroom dancer. I also wasn't particularly fond with his routines with other dancers that season, but some of them were good. The fact that Slavessy became a couple outside the show is really cute, too.  

 

WALLY

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Sooo in this SYTYCD Top 20, we have Slavik in the Top 20 but no Courtney, Jeanine and Lauren F? LOL this is literally my worst nightmare come true.  Yes i know I could have given my into the Top 20 vote to one of them - but chances are 3 of my favorites were gonna get cut regardless. But UGH I can’t believe I let a Top 20 happen with Slavik in it. I am the true Boo Boo the Fool. :clown: 

 

Anyway, my #20 ranking of Slavik is very obvious because I am not really a fan of his and find him super overrated on here. He’s the only one of this Top 20 i don’t really care for. Like I think he’s good and solid but not as good as the forum makes him out to me. I love Genessy and admit they had a great partnership and chemistry and a lot of solid dances - but I feel most of the strength from their routines come from Genessy. But Slavik did deliver his part well in some of their routines, namely their first Hip-Hop to “Round & Round” and Jazz to “House Work,” were two of my favorite routines and thought he was fantastic in those. He was good in most of his other routines with Genessy (except the Salsa). I didn't care for him too much in his other routines with other dancers. Well done to his fans getting him this far and good luck to him on wherever he ranks.

 

Edited April 12, 2020 by *Amanda

[Elliott]

Y’all really gonna have an all-female Top 10 huh?

[vee_]

Did i vote or did I imagine voting again...

 

And lol at the men dropping like flies

[Elliott]

6 minutes ago, vee_ said:

And lol at the men dropping like flies

[vee_]

Just now, Elliott said:

I guess it's a battle on which guy is the last man standing  

[Elliott]

4 minutes ago, vee_ said:

I guess it's a battle on which guy is the last man standing  

Pasha. 

[FrogLenzen]

Slavik!!!

 

Even if he's out at #17, I'm glad that dancers from more recent seasons are being represented in our Top 20. 

 

Re: his jive, I absolutely love 95% of it, but there's that one moment where it looks like they are going to do a lift and then nothing happens and it looks like a mistake

 

@sublymonal YES I always thought it was super shady that they didn't invite Fik-Shun back to dance with Slavik!!!

 

@Elliott House Work 

[*Chris]

Don’t remember where I ranked him so not too upset with this

[.Rei]

I seriously thought Slavik would make the top 10

 

[*Amanda]

16 minutes ago, vee_ said:

Did i vote or did I imagine voting again...

 

And lol at the men dropping like flies

You did!

 

Not surprising since this is IDF.  This is why everyone was so surprised when we ended up with 2 guys in the Top 2 of DWTS 1.0  

[Alex95]

Ironically stanning Clarice who is doing That right now in the rankings   

[FrogLenzen]

The only reason I ranked him this low was because I was trying to anticipate which dancer Andrelliott are going to try to rank #1 together as a coup like last time with Genessy lololol

[Elliott]

Just now, Alex95 said:

Ironically stanning Clarice who is doing That right now in the rankings   

You should actually stan Clarice for being one of the few good things about an otherwise dreadful season.  

[vee_]

Just now, *Amanda said:

You did!

Omg  I finally voted in something without imagining it.

 

Although I don't remember my rankings.

[Elliott]

Just now, FrogLenzen said:

The only reason I ranked him this low was because I was trying to anticipate which dancer Andrelliott are going to try to rank #1 together as a coup like last time with Genessy lololol

I didn’t rank Genessy 1st in the second rankdown. She was my #2 after Witney.

[Alex95]

1 minute ago, Elliott said:

You should actually stan Clarice for being one of the few good things about an otherwise dreadful season.  

I think I gave her a high ranking for the lolz so hopefully I would like her  

[Elliott]

Just now, Alex95 said:

I think I gave her a high ranking for the lolz so hopefully I would like her  

queen  

[*Amanda]

Also, her Royal T solo.  

 

 

 

[FrogLenzen]

.

 

There's no need for me to comment on Clarice because I said it all in my write-up.

[Elliott]

2 minutes ago, *Amanda said:

Also, her Royal T solo.  

 

 

 

I love Jordan, but still bitter over the judges saving her over Clarice and then Nigel confirming after the show Clarice had more votes.

[FrogLenzen]

1 minute ago, Elliott said:

I love Jordan, but still bitter over the judges saving her over Clarice and then Nigel confirming after the show Clarice had more votes.

 

Okay,  but this totally eclipses anything Clarice ever did, sooooo...

[*Amanda]

2 minutes ago, FrogLenzen said:

 

Okay,  but this totally eclipses anything Clarice ever did, sooooo...

You’re talking to someone whose hatred for Brandon overrides how good the routine is.  

[*Amanda]

Also, Light Through the Branches is my favorite routine of the season.  Partly because of Clarice, partly because I love Justin Giles choreography.

[Elliott]

6 minutes ago, FrogLenzen said:

Okay,  but this totally eclipses anything Clarice ever did, sooooo...

It’d be better if Brandon wasn’t in it. But I just think once it gets to the top ten, the judges shouldn’t be making the decisions anymore. Especially considering how much they f*cked up their decisions in S8. :ermm: 

[Elliott]

2 minutes ago, *Amanda said:

Also, Light Through the Branches is my favorite routine of the season.  Partly because of Clarice, partly because I love Justin Giles choreography.

Again with the Jess shade.