Natalie Fotopoulos and Ivan Koumeav could be the happiest losers in reality TV history.The constantly giggling duo, who narrowly missed making the Top 4 after being voted off So You Think You Can Dance last week, actually seem relieved."I was really ready — I packed my bags Monday night," says Koumeav, an 18-year-old college graduate. "I’m really excited because this is the first time in my life when my schedule is completely open to whatever."Fotopoulos, 22, also doesn’t seem too disappointed to have been kicked off the series by American viewers."I’m happy — it feels like a burden has been lifted off my shoulders," she says, adding she can’t get over how much support strangers have shown her through their votes and in public."People know who we are and we can’t get over the fact that we are, sort of, famous. It hasn’t sunk in that we were on television and people were watching."Fotopoulos, a dance teacher from Florida, says her only concern now is her injured knee — the result of years of dancing."I just recently heard from the chiropractor that I’m going to have to probably look at, the ickiest word, surgery," she says."It’s messed up and there’s some fluid in my knee that has to be drained. So, everybody just cross your fingers and pray that doesn’t have to happen. I’m not missing this (So You Think You Can Dance) tour."While Fotopoulos says she deserved to go home this week because her performances had been "lacking" over the past two or three weeks, Koumeav is just thrilled to have made it to the final six."I came in not ready for this competition and that first week you could see that I wasn’t."I’m really, really glad that I got a second chance," says Koumeav, the only contestant to ever make judge Mary Murphy cry due to the beauty of a performance."I owe this whole competition and how far I went to Allison (Holker)."She constantly pushed me to become better and that’s what, I think, helped me the most."Koumeav, a hip-hop specialist from Seattle, says he hopes his success on the show will motivate other male dancers to follow his lead, especially those who don’t have support from their parents."My dad wasn’t a big dance fan … but he called me after a show one day and said, ‘I’m really proud of you.’"I’m glad they used that on the show because so many kids who dance have fathers who don’t support them at all."I want them to see it’s OK — someday their fathers will come around."
Jam!
Wow! I did not know how bad Natalie’s knee was until this interview. They seem two like really sweet sincere people.
