by Gina Scarpa

Last night, on So You Think You Can Dance, it was the last time that the judges had any say in who would be headed home. After Nigel, Mia, and Adam decided that no one would leave last week, two dancers were on their way out the door on Thursday night's live elimination episode. Jose, Billy, and Lauren found themselves in the bottom three and danced for their lives. Jose and Billy were eliminated after finding themselves in the bottom group repeatedly, while Lauren moved on to dance another week. Today, Jose spoke to RealityWanted and reporters in a press conference call about his experiences on the show.

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Did it make you happy how much people liked you and voted for you because of your personality?
A. Jose: Yeah, it did. It was almost like I didn't have to try to be anything that I wasn't. I was just myself. People really appreciated that, I think.

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: What was the toughest style of dance for you to pick up?
A. Jose: I would say to pick up on... it would be Bollywood.

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: What are you looking forward to most about the tour?
A. Jose: I'm just looking forward to traveling across the USA and going to all these main cities and performing and getting to see the fans. No judges, no critiques.


Q. The judges thought you struggled because of your lack of technical training. Is that something you plan to pursue or do you want to stick with hip hop?
A. Jose: No, after the show, I really want to branch out and I'd really like to get into contemporary. I would like to work on technique and get more trained. I want to get more familiar with other dance styles. I don't just want to stick with hip hop. Now, it's like the show has given me a chance to expand and I want to keep expanding.

Q. Do you feel like you helped encourage other untrained dancers?
A. Jose: Definitely! I really hope that that is what I've done. I hope people now see that, if you're less fortunate and you can't afford classes or what not, you can still keep doing it and you can still keep dancing. As long as you love it, it'll take you far. It'll find a way, as long as you love it.

Q. What was your main goal, going into the competition?
A. Jose: Really, it was just to get as far as I could and just see how good I could do performing other styles of dance. I really didn't have any expectations. I just always tried to do the best I could. I surprised myself. I didn't know I would make it this far.

Q. Do you have a favorite routine?
A. Jose: I loved everything. I especially liked the b-boy routine I did with Domenic because it was the first breaking routine on the show. I really loved contemporary with Lauren and Allison. That's something I want to branch out into. They were all so amazing. I loved every number that I did.

Q. You looked happy last night. How were you feeling?
A. Jose: It's funny because Thursdays are usually a sad day for everyone because you have to see people leave. I don't know. For some reason, it was such a happy feeling and maybe that's because I felt like I had accomplished all I needed to accomplish on the show. It was my time to go and I accepted it and I rejoiced in it. In two weeks, I'll be back for the finale and a week after that, we start rehearsing for the tour. It's not over. It's only a brief hiatus.

Q. What advice do you have for young dancers?
A. Jose: Just love it! Love the dance and keep the passion for it. Don't let it just become a job and don't let it just become competition. It'll take you places you never imagined.

Q. What do you think of the final four dancers?
A. Jose: They are such an inspiration. I love them to death. They have strong souls and strong spirits. In my book, everyone is a winner. This season has been amazing.


Be sure to tune in when the Top 4 take the stage on So You Think You Can Dance, Wednesday at 8/7c on Fox.

(Image courtesy of Fox)


Follow Gina at twitter.com/ginascarpa

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