Lizzo’s new reality show is called “Watch Out for the Big Grrls” and it dropped on Amazon video last Friday, providing me with the only drops of dopamine and serotonin I’ve gotten in a while. In the show, she auditions a bunch of fat dancers, moves them into a fancy house, treats them like queens, gives them a bunch of challenges, and eventually casts some of them in her show as backup dancers.
I honestly can’t remember ever seeing a show with this perspective, focused on mostly fat Black women and their hopes, dreams. and obstacles – not to mention the mostly super-healthy, kind, boundary-full way the ladies interact with each other. Lizzo gives them real feedback in a useful, non-harsh way and really just sets the tone for respect and kindness and silliness and bonding. It goes beyond just “representation” – it’s really getting to see these women and their stories and their complexity.
I loved it so much! I can’t recommend it enough! I watched the whole season over the weekend and am about to watch it again! Has anyone else watched? Let’s talk about it!
Ok yeah I’m hooked and I’m only in episode 1. So far the standouts to me seem like
Episode 1 impressions but haven't watched eliminations yet
Jasmine- real dancer’s dancer, absolute pro, I’ll be shocked if she gets eliminated.
Ariana- total fucking package
Sydney- technically great and good performer but I think she just got super fucking nervous. I think she can pull it off with a little time, she needs to let go of that pom style tho (in the face too) and that can be hard when it’s so in your body.
Wild cards for me are Kimberley, Kiara, and Crystal. I feel like they all have real signature style (esp. Crystal, like bam) but need improvement on articulation which could be a technique thing or could just be a nervous or conditioning thing.
It’s also super annoying the way they film the dancing because it makes it really hard to get a full picture of each dancer. I feel like there were a couple of girls we hardly saw but maybe that’ll improve when there are fewer people in the running!
Watching Eliminations- SPOILERS GALORE
OH SHIT! Crystal is going straight to her troupe! That’s fucking awesome, she deserves it.
Kimberley is out! I mean I get why because of where she is at and her age but I feel like if she’d had access to dance classes earlier and more often she’d be stellar.
Uh oh, people are getting mad at Jasmine. I totally get her intense vibes but I think it’s like another dancer said that she isn’t reading the room. I think Arianna is going to check her since she’s also pretty classical/intense, but I think she also understands that this specific scenario isn’t a typical audition or class. I bet they’re going to clash a bit, haha, or become bff hard to tell. Oh shit Jasmine is calling Arianna little sister or something? She must be intimidated by her. Ruh-roh.
I feel for Moesha, she seems like she’s going through a lot emotionally rn. She has a lot of potential dancer-wise. I think she’s just intimidated.
moesha is one of my faves! the first time she showed up onscreen i was like BAM!!
Summary
i was soooo happy for crystal! she was so cute celebrating.
will be interested to see what you think about jasmine as the eps roll on. i found her to be sweet but not that great at teamwork.
also i really love how there’s not a set elimination schedule like top chef so lizzo can do whatever seems like the right thing that episode. the goal is to find some good dancers, not to create a harshly competitive atmosphere, and i love that.
Yeah I’m worried about Jasmine fitting in, which is definitely a big part of this competition. If she makes herself really unpopular by being too old school it’s going to impact her performance at some point too. I think she’s used to being in charge and communicating bluntly and that could totally backfire here. Seems like she’s pretty surprised she isn’t immediately winning everything as well, which I get because she is really really outstanding. It’ll depend on how she takes that in and what she does with it, but as of the end of Episode 2 it seems like she’s kind of dismissing it? IDK makes me worried.
It’s Episode 3 AND I’M NOT CRYING YOU’RE CRYING. I want to go to one of those sensual movement release classes. I so related to what Isabel was saying <3
I watched the first two episodes and found it really refreshing! Like, even that there wasn’t any “oh, you’re not really big” kind of bs going on, which I didn’t realize I was expecting until it wasn’t there.
One thing I noticed when they were learning choreography is that it seemed like they weren’t using real names for the moves/steps. Like, the instructions weren’t dance-y terms, or at least not ones I recognized. (Granted, I am very much NOT a dancer.) I wasn’t expecting to hear classical ballet positions or anything but the instructions seemed like “Ok, so it’s pow! Then blam blam! Then zooop!” and that just seemed like it would be really confusing.
That’s pretty standard for hip hop classes IME! I don’t know that most hip hop moves even have specific terms. It’s one of the major learning curves if you come from a more classical dance background because a lot of being a dancer is fast memorization so dancers who memorize mostly by words (totally feasible in ballet or tap) are going to struggle a lot in hop hop (or modern or musical theatre, for that matter). That’s why it’s important, if you want to be a versatile dancer, to also memorize choreo in your body and “mark” as the teacher is teaching.
i started my rewatch last night. i think the episode where they all sit for nude (or nearly nude) photographs is my favorite. lizzo crying about how hard it can be to love yourself in a world that doesn’t love you, then flinging off her glamorous sheer tulle robe and twerking in response to her haters is like my favorite moment ever.
hot daaaamn this show. It’s just so refreshing to see so much athleticism and joy and power and beauty in all of them. and what a good twist on the reality TV show contest format.
Moesha’s style: I love it love it love it.
That tulle robe! That amazing moment. Wow.
ep3
The sensual movement class seemed so damn amazing.
OK Jasmine. Jasmine what are you DOING. She has really made herself a solid enemy. I hope she can turn it around and figure out how to play along with everyone.
I really appreciated Lizzo shutting down the flirting and being like, hey, this is a professional setting. Even (especially) if it’s sometimes sexy and naked and whatever.
Also - it’s wild how much it’s affecting me to see these amazing athletic women with cellulite.
i really appreciate that lizzo is protective of her vibe on and off stage. jasmine is a gorgeous dancer but was not able to participate on the team the way that she needed to, and so she had to go.
the vibe is underrated in many environments, valued less than competition or results or status. but what i am experiencing with my team at work right now is that if you create a good culture and protect it, the work kind of magically comes out the other end.
i’d so much rather work with someone who is maybe more proficient than brilliant but easier to be around, because happy teamwork tides lift all boats. i haven’t experienced this very much in my career before but i am living it now and it’s powerful! i love seeing an example of this dynamic with the big grrls, too.
It was cool watching them do more lyrical style dance, which I always loved. It’s really tricky to switch to that if your’e mostly a hip hop/pom dancer and it was cool to see them stretch in that way.
I also liked the photo shoots! I’m glad they were cool about some of the women keeping their underwear on, I feel like sometimes the whole entertainment industry is like “if you’re a proud woman you MUST get naked” and I think it was nice how they pushed them but not wayyyy past their boundaries.
I felt so bad for the girl who fell during the performance but she pulled it off in the end! We’ve all been there and she pulled out of it without ruining the rest of her performance, which IMO speaks to her ability as a performer- I bet she’ll make it to the end!
I’m afraid Jasmine’s days are numbered. In this one Lizzo said, “if you want it to be only about the dance, go somewhere else.” Honestly, I wish Jasmine would just play along to win this opportunity and then roll it into a different opportunity that fits her personality better. IDK if she can do that though, which is a shame because she’s my favorite in terms of dance talent.
Episode 5
GAHHH just started the episode and Jasmine is so bad at reading the room I feel like no one likes her. And I don’t think they’re going to keep her around for much longer even though this could be either a personal mental-health related deficiency that can be worked on over time, or a neuro-diversity that can be worked around. People aren’t super tolerant of that kind of difference (outside of certain STEM professions where it’s dominant) though. Even when the cause is known people often don’t like it, and in her case it’s not known/openly stated…so I don’t have a lot of hope that they’ll keep her around or help her work on it/improve. Dang!
OK–they are talking to her about it now. She’s explaining that she’s from NY and that she’s trying to lead in the way she was taught, which I 100% knew because I was trained in NYC too. Like I would not be offended by her at all in a dance setting. I just wouldn’t read it as rude or negative or whatever. I’d just read her as a kind of typical New Yorker, haha.
They are being kind about it! But I’m not sure she thinks she needs to change. I think she still thinks her way is superior so IDK. They’re being sweet to her about missing her kids, but she says she feels misunderstood and that she doesn’t have a safe space. I don’t think she’s going to be able to change her personality enough, fast enough, to fit in.
GAH now she’s bringing the whole group down. GOD DAMN IT. Wow she’s also very thin skinned. Huh, that’s weird and very not NY so I don’t really get her as much now. I feel like for people with her personality type to be successful they have to be able to be like, “I’m so sorry! I know I’m kind of a brash New Yorker sometimes but I love you all and I’ll try to tone it down!” She got really passive aggressive instead, though.
Ok Jasmine is out. Boo, but I get it, haha. I think dance teams usually have a vibe they’re going for and fitting in is super important, compared to company dancers or music video, etc. I think Jayla and Charity are going to be the next to go home. Both seem like super sweet people but I don’t think they’re at the same level as the other girls either technically or in terms of conditioning/stamina and performance. We shall see!
Ok my current faves are still Arianna and Sydney. I’m also liking Asia a lot, I feel like she’s really pushed into herself in a good way. I also really like Moesha, I think she can get there as long as she doesn’t let her past injury/surgery get in her head. She said she isn’t actually injured at this point but is just really afraid of re-injury, which I totally get but I’m afraid that could end her time if she can’t get over it. It’s always hard to get back on the horse after a big surgery/injury but you have to just kind of pretend nothing has ever happened to you to keep going. If I were her (I actually do this IRL) I’d do that scary motion on my own, over and over and over and over again. Jump, land. Jump, land. Jump, land. Avoidance just makes it worse and I don’t want her to choke onstage.
Isabel has kind of surprised me! I was not super impressed with her dancing at the beginning but I think she’s come out of her shell a lot! She’s improved her stage presence a lot too, but she needs conditioning IMO.
Gahhh, they pulled out the 4 weakest to re-do the dance. I really hope Charity and Moesha pull through. Moesha is just in her own head about her injury and so she’s forgetting shit. Charity has pumped it up a lot IMO. Isabel and Jayla just aren’t there I don’t think, they both get really tired really fast and then their faces go out the window. I really like how this show does a good job at showing how much memorization and listening is vital to dance. There’s a stereotype that dancers are stupid and it’s like…dude you have to have such good memory and spatial perception!
Also I love Tanesha, it’s cool to see a high profile choreographer critique people. I’m glad she’s pointing things out to Lizzo.
Woah ok looks like Isabel is getting cut for stamina. I totally agree, and that’s just training. It’s too bad because when she’s high energy she’s not bad! Nooooooo Moesha is getting cut because of her injury, and they’re afraid she’ll get injured again. DAMN IT! That’s why you tell no one about your physical weaknesses and you work through the fear wayyy before you audition for anything. I could tell Tanesha was pissed off she had to modify the choreography for her. And it stuck out how everyone was like, “that was sooo nice of her to do that” so she had to keep saying thank you and focusing on it, she got in her own head for sure. That sucks, Moesha’s really hungry and I love her style, and they loved her before they found out about her ankle surgery. Sigh.
I’m shocked Jayla is still in! I don’t think she’s a very good performer or dancer (she def dances like a gymnast) and her conditioning/stamina is probably worse than Isabel’s IMO! She drops choreo alllll the time and shows it 100% on her face, pretty poor articulation too but I guess Lizzo likes something about her! I’m really glad Charity pulled through, she seems like such a sweetheart.
YAY Ashley and Arianna are getting spots on tour! Two really good picks IMO! Ashley really started popping on stage after her makeover, but she’s been so technically proficient since day 1. Ariannaaaaa! YAY. She’s been one of my faves since the first episode. So happy for her, she can have a long career I think; she’s so solid.
Ok Kiara is in, whew. I think she’s good and just had a slump. Oooooofff, rough critique for Asia but she’s in and she took it really well! I don’t think she’ll ever do that again, lol. Sydney’s getting a rough critique too, and I agree but IDK what happened with her?! She’s very good normally. I almost feel like she’s on her period or has something personal going on or something? She just seems a little run down. Ok she’s in, good! I like her! Charity’s in! She’s like, the sweetest person. Her energy is so awesome. Jayla’s up now, oh man I’m worried. She’s hilarious and has a good attitude but I’d be soooo nervous casting her in anything. Woah, she’s in too! She is so happy, awww.
I mean I get why because of where she is at and her age but I feel like if she’d had access to dance classes earlier and more often she’d be stellar.