Queens of the Crews

How could one choose between the guy born with a club foot, a judge who had scoliosis, a guy who misses his mom after she got evicted, a group consisting entirely of slightly to rather overweight women, and a group of Asian people who don't want to be thought of simply as Asian people? One of them didn't get into college, considered the show her last hope, and was voted off in the first episode. Her life may be in shambles now, one week later.

Despite the competing sentiments, Vogue Evolution may face the most daunting odds. The five are the only openly gay people on the show and act like it -- even the judges repeatedly refer to them as "ladies." Maldonado, the group's only actual female presence, was born male. On the Sunday night broadcast, Lil Mama, a judge, addressed them as "lovely ladies" and remarked that Vogue Evolution seemed to embody a dare.

"Everything is a dare," she said. "It's 'I dare you to win' because no one expects you to be America's best dance crew."