A busy and tough semi-final at Révolution that brought tears to the eyes of the three grandmasters and was shaken by a very moving number from 22-year-old Gabrielle Boudreau about the sexual violence she had suffered.
Published at 7:15 p.m.
Wearing an emerald green dress, the talented Acadian dancer, originally from Petit-Rocher and now based in Montreal, twirled around men’s jackets to the notes of Anne Sylvestre’s song Juste une femme. One of the models took off her skirt, another grabbed her buttocks.
Her “revolution” moment, where she froze in mid-air held by a long piece of fabric, was amazing. Gabrielle Boudreau fully deserves her score of 97 out of 100, the highest on Sunday night.
The second finalist, Sébastien Leroux, 18, from Orléans, a suburb of Ottawa, showcased his vulnerability on Révolution’s round stage and took second place with 92 out of 100 points.
PHOTO OSA IMAGES PROVIDED BY PRODUCTION
Sebastien Leroux
Yes, this is the same Sébastien Leroux who was swirling around during the fourth edition of Révolution in 2022. He had been removed from the Unlikely Duos stage.
This is perhaps what annoys me most about Révolution, a unifying, moving show full of artistic qualities. The same faces often return from season to season. It must be said that, unlike OD, the pool of talented dancers does not renew as quickly as that of singles looking for perfumed boxers (Hello, Anthony!).
The fourth finalist, Sean Wathen, 19, who moved in complete silence, had advanced to Revolution 3’s unlikely duets in 2021 with his group Break City All-Stars. This Sean amazes, he always offers surprising concepts that show the extent of his precise technique.
The performance of Jordan and Santiago, both 23 years old, also upset the three champions. It was about the death of Jordan’s father, who died of cancer 12 years ago. The piece Mélancolie by Patrick Watson, accompanied by Safia Nolin, fit perfectly with the choreography of these two best friends, which Lydia Bouchard described as boring.
This semi-final, in which the participants danced about a topic that directly affected them, was also about self-sabotage, the desire for emancipation, degradation, physical complexes and internalized homophobia. Let’s just say it ends up polluting the atmosphere. Like at Star Académie or La Voix, when the young candidates talk about very difficult personal events.
At the same time, these moments of introspection reduce the intensity of the screams of the masters, especially Jean-Marc Généreux and Mel Charlot, who sometimes bury what is happening in front of them. Blessing in disguise.
Nevertheless, I like the humanity, the sincerity and the accuracy of the comments of the revolutionary judges. Lydia Bouchard expresses herself with a rich and precise vocabulary, which is increasingly rare on television.
On the other hand, eight issues of a few minutes in almost 1 hour and 40 minutes of broadcast time are not enough for Revolution. Should be shortened and trimmed. Inevitably, we end up with filler elements that distract us from the feats being accomplished in the magnificent arena.
After five seasons, I still can’t decide whether I like the work of presenter and muse Sarah-Jeanne Labrosse or not. It is not possible to enter a specific box. Her often justified reticence sometimes makes her seem distant from the participants. And Sarah-Jeanne Labrosse lacks emotion and composure in crucial moments of the show, such as when the results are announced. Let’s just say we could use a little more enthusiasm on his part.
Luckily, we feel that Sarah-Jeanne Labrosse, sensitive and engaging, adores the dancers and is genuinely interested in their journey. In short, the ambivalence remains.
I think “Masked Singers” is dealing with the same problem as “Revolution.” With four to five performances per show, you have to be on air for a full hour. Result: You can almost cut your viewing time in half by watching Masked Singers in time-lapse.
On Sunday evening, the competition’s brightest mascot, the ice ballerina, was ejected (by the way, is anyone monitoring the rather nebulous voting system?). Unsurprisingly, it was actress Julie Ringuette who hid in this disguise made from disco ball fragments.
In the finale of the Masked Singers, mutant Rita, the wolf, the chameleon and the lion compete against each other. My vote would go to Mutant Rita, who actually sounds like Jeannick Fournier.
PHOTO FROM THE MASKED SINGERS SHOW
Julie Ringuette
Viewers don’t mind the length of Sunday shows if you rely on numbers from Numeris. The semi-final of Révolution was watched by 1,142,000 followers, while the semi-final of Chanteurs maskés reached almost 1.8 million and the viewership was estimated at 1,792,000 curious people. It’s a tabarouette of people.
On Radio-Canada, Tout le monde en parole passed the magical one million mark with 1,115,000 believers. In Noovo, the final of Double Occupation Andalusia caught the attention of 488,000 diehards.
To paraphrase co-host Fred Robichaud: It was a nice “welcome,” er, a nice reception reserved for Simon and Mia, capped by a protest vote. Long live Simialoès!