The "Prancing Elites Project" might well be heading to a strong conclusion next week, but it certainly didn't air its strongest episode in the penultimate spot.
"Reignite the Spark," which aired Wednesday evening, had the overall feel of an episode that had been produced early in the process, only to be held back so that the show could lead with stronger material.
On the one hand, the episode did feature the show's trademark mix of silliness and optimism. There was plenty of clowning around as the team struggled to get its act together ahead of a competition. And once they got to that competition, a initial wave of audience disapproval was followed by a triumphant performance, applause and cheers.
On the other hand, the stakes felt low. So far this season, the Elites have had big moments in Los Angeles and New Orleans, and grappled with the news that one of the team's members is HIV-positive. Simply going to a co-ed competition in Atlanta seems routine by comparison, even if it was framed as groundbreaking. The most memorable moment of the competition wasn't the dancing: It was hearing the team recite the "Our Father" in the moments before they approached the stage.
"The feeling was just very devastating," said Adrian Clemons of the audience's initial wave of rejection. "It was very, it really hurt."
"I cannot wait for the day that people stop looking at my gender and start focusing on my talent," said Collins. (That wasn't easy. Another thing that made the episode seem like an early one was the over-editing of the dance numbers, which turned them into a choppy quick-cut montage. The show has gotten somewhat better about that over the course of its run.)
The show's geographical wonkiness also was on display: In one early montage, viewers saw a "Welcome to Downtown Mobile" sign, followed by a glimpse of an oak-lined street, followed by a view of a cathedral that definitely isn't in Mobile, followed by a birds'-eye view of downtown Mobile, followed by an exterior shot of the Dragon Inn Restaurant - a distinctive brick building that isn't even in the region. (A quick Google search shows that it's in a suburb of Kansas City.) In the next shot, team leader Kentrell Collins is inside a restaurant thanking an Atlanta-based dance promoter for coming to Mobile.
A guess: The meeting really was in Mobile, but the local restaurant didn't want to be identified, so producers grabbed a random exterior shot as a scene-setter. We'll just have to dance past the issue of the mystery cathedral or temple or whatever it was.
Next week's finale may well bring a return to form. A preview glimpse indicates that the Elites will be fighting for opportunities to perform in Mardi Gras parades.
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For the show's official site, which includes previously airs episodes and various bonus features,