SYTYCD: Addiction, Unplanned Pregnancy & Thievery

So You Think You Can Dance: "Top 12 Performance Show"

The opening:

• Ohhh, each couple is going to dance twice. I was wondering how we were going to fill the time tonight (because Lord knows it's been a struggle the last few weeks...).
• I think Kupono did more in this 5-second intro than he did in his entire solo last week.
• Cat is looking very prim and proper (but still kind of sultry and stunning) in a fitted, cap-sleeved black dress. Her makeup is rather bold, however. Her diamond bracelets are great though.
• Oh nooooooooooooooooooo, it's Tyce. (Well, on the bright side, I guess this means we won't have to watch any of his Broadway routines tonight.)

Melissa and Ade (Doriana Sanchez disco):

• The featurette: Can some please steal that comb away from Ade?
• The dance: I feel like this is one of the few times we've actually going to see Ade do any dancing other than just lifting Melissa around. He's kind of dancing circles around her in this style, IMO. Not that you can really fault her too much since she spent literally 60% of that routine being spun around and around and around in lift after lift.
• The judging: At least the two routines per couple tonight will mean that the judges will have to keep their critiques somewhat shorter. Or not--Mary's been babbling on for quite awhile.

Kayla and Kupono (Mia Michaels contemporary):

• The featurette: Um, yeah, the producers want these two to make it through the week--they're stacking the deck by giving them a Mia routine. Especially if it makes Kup cry during the featurette. But didn't these two just do contemporary last week?! I seem to remember something about vampires. Come on, people! This is ridiculous.
• The dance: Kayla's doing a lot of throwing herself around the stage--some of it looked pretty painful. I like Kupono's smug face. I'm not sure if I loooooooooooooooved the routine though. There was a lot of them standing in the same place and tangling up.
• The judging: Nigel says Kayla has too much hair. Kupono looks more like a vampire this week than he did last week. I'm not sure that the judges got the message that their constant over-hype of these two is not helping them out any in this competition (since they did one of the best routines last week and still landed in the bottom 3). Tyce calls Kayla "a beast" and it's meant to be a good thing. Cat thinks this routine is going to be one to remember from this season, but I beg to differ.

Caitlin and Jason (Tony Meredith and Melanie fox trot):

• The featurette: So Kup and Kayla get contemporary for the second week in a row, and these two poor kids get a fox trot?! Oy vey.
• The dance: I like Cailtin's sparkly dress with a flowy green skirt. This is a nice jazzy fox trot, but at times is seemed really, really slow. And then it went a little lift-crazy. Jason and Caitlin brought good presentation to it, however. Personally, I think there's been a collective overlooking so far this season of how good Jason actually is.
• The judging: Nigel thinks this is Caitlin's style: smooth, cool and elegant. Mary thinks it was "tremendous" too, but her tone is just a little lackluster. Tyce thinks they could have glided more.

Jeanine and Phillip (Youri Nelzine and Lilia Babenko Russian folk dance):

• The featurette: I'm not sure how I feel about the Russian folk dance being brought back. It was fun when Twitch and Joshua did one during last year's finale, but I don't know if I need to see another one. (Especially one performed by two people who can't jump as high as Josh.)
• The dance: Why do I feel like Jeanine's going to win this "dance battle" handily? Phillip sure is smiling awfully big though. To his credit, Chbeeb does pull off some impressive squat-kicks. There was an odd moment at the end when the music was at a fever pitch and they were both standing basically still, preparing to do a pot-stir. (I kind of wish they'd sent Nina, the girl from auditions who could do that awesome pot-stir, through just for this very moment).
• The judging: Nigel's not sure they should have made a couple do this. Well, duh, it wasn't my idea to make them dance in a folk style. I'm not one of the producers. Nigel thinks we needed more vodka to watch that. Mary really believed that Jeanine was a Russian folk dancer for a second. Tyce does enunciate his words very well.

Randi and Evan (Napoleon and Tabitha hip hop):

• The featurette: Oh, geez, this routine's about a young couple who finds out they're going to have a baby. I feel like we're running out of material here. It's about time these two got hip hop though.
• The dance: This looks soooooooo much like the Nappy-Tabs routine from last year that Mark and Chelsie did, just minus the briefcase and plus some more stomach-touching. If she's supposed to be pregnant, should she being doing so many lifts? In any event, I think they danced it fairly well; but I was kind of distracted.
• The judging: Nigel expresses chagrin at a routine showing a pregnancy preceding an engagement ring. And he also wonders whether Randi should have been doing the lifts in "her condition."

It's beginning to seem like this show has a theme along the lines of "the problems of young people" or "the challenges of growing up" or something, since we've focused on addiction and now unplanned pregnancy. What's next? A lyrical jazz routine about getting busted for underage drinking? A fox trot about bombing the SATs?

Brandon and Janette (Leonardo and Miriam Argentine tango):

• The dance: Let's see if these two can out-tango Chbeeb...so far, so good. Janette's leg movements are spectacular. Like, all I could look at during the entire dance was her legs. The lifts were great too.
• The judging: After a dramatic pause, Nigel gives the couple a standing ovation and is joined by Mary and Tyce. Nigel says, for a ballroom routine, that was about as close to perfection as we've seen on this show ever. For once, I'm pretty much on board with his hyperbole. Mary puts them on the Hot Tamale Train and spends the next 60 seconds screaming uncontrollably. Tyce uses a very extended, bizarre metaphor about an orange and a juicer. I'm at a loss.

Yes! Next week, we're breaking up the couples! Bring it on.

Melissa and Ade (Ron Montez waltz)

• The featurette: Melissa seems much more distressed about the breakup of the couple than Ade does. Now Ade has to do that waltz? Eesh--when will this guy get a chance to do something other than carry this chick around the stage? Give the boy a hip hop routine, darn it! BTW, why has Melissa never had to do hip hop? Seems like she's also getting a lot of very favorable dance selections (like Kupono and Kayla).
• The dance: I'm not loving Ade's jacket-without-sleeves. The flowy skirt of Melissa's dress is definitely stealing the show here. Hey, look, Ade just did an impressive series of pirouettes! So he can do things other than just picking Melissa up and making her look good.
• The judging: Nigel would have liked some more rise and fall from Ade, and Mary says his "twinkles" didn't have enough power. I'm serious; that's what she said. Nigel asks if he gets a break from Mary next week and Mary says, "NO! Pipe down, English muffin!" Tyce doesn't think that Melissa quite rose to the occasion of dancing to a song like "Natural Woman."

Why hasn't anyone had to krump this season?

Kayla and Kupono (Joey Dowling Broadway):

• The featurette: Pono says what he'll miss most about Kayla is "her sweating hands and feet." Lol, ouch. I love how Joey torments all the dancers.
• The dance: They're kind of waltzing too, to begin the number. But it turns out to be music from West Side Story. There's something distractingly weird about Kup's pants--I think they're too short. The dance was decent--it seemed like there was something slightly off through most of it, like Pono was constantly on the verge of a big mess-up or a face-plant or something.
• The judging: Nigel didn't think they captured the right tension and style. Mary still thinks that these two are great though (eye roll). Tyce also thinks they could have dug in more, but that they'll still be around for awhile.

Caitlin and Jason (Mandy Moore lyrical jazz):

• The featurette: Jason is still super chill and collected. Jason points out that this is the first week they've gotten the chance to showcase their lines and their technique.
• The dance: Jason also gets to showcase his bare chest. Caitlin looks stunning in these lifts. She can strike positions just as beautiful as the super-hyped Kayla and Melissa. The routine was good. I'm not sure that it was the tour de force routine that they probably needed to keep them in this competition though.
• The judging: Nigel says he doesn't always see chemistry between them, but says--in a very subdued manner--that they danced it very well. Mary says she loved the piece, but that they didn't bring "magic" to it. Mary thinks it was really good, but not memorable. Tyce thinks they did a great job, but could have taken it further. This is like the night of mixed-message critiques. Everything is "very good" but "not memorable" or "not taken far enough."

Jeanine and Phillip (Tony and Melanie jive):

• The featurette: Wait, Chbeeb and Jeanine aren't going to do another Nappy-Tabs hip hop for us this week? The jive? I'm confused. Phillip: "We have a few booty-grabs and chest-shimmies-in-the-faces."
• The dance: Ok, you know what, Phillip is not that bad at the jive. I'm sure he's not nailing the finer points, and he did almost fall over at one point, but he's got the general idea and he's doing a good job of selling it. Jeanine's looking very good. She's turned out to be very versatile. That was a fun routine.
• The judging: Nigel says the choreo was terrific and that, without question, this was the best that Phillip's been out of his style. Well, duh. Mary guarantees us that Jeanine will be here next week. Well, ok. Mary thought Phillip was going to crash and burn, but that he actually did a really good job. Mary puts Jeanine on the Hot Tamale Train. Tyce says "call 1-800-fan-freakin-tastic!"

Randi and Evan (Pasha and Anya samba):

• The featurette: PASHAAAAAA!!!!!! PASHAAAA!!! PAAASHHHAAAA!!!! Holy crap, he's adorable!
• The dance: Randi's got a weird leopard print-and-fringe dress that definitely looks like it would be right up Anya's alley. Since the music was mostly rhythm (very little melody), it demanded a technical proficiency, crispness and attitude that they weren't exactly displaying. Could we please just now watch Pasha and Anya do that routine? PLEASE!!
• The judging: Nigel says it wasn't hot enough--and not as hot as it would have been if Pasha and Anya were doing it. Mary says they did a good job, but Evan needed to do more and find some more fire. Mary thought Randi was a Hot Tamale though. Tyce brings up Danny and Lacey's hot samba in addition to Pasha and Anya's hot routines, saying that this performance didn't live up to those.

Janette and Brandon (Wade Robson jazz):

• The featurette: Finally, Brandon and Janette get one of the marquee routines! They've been consistently great each week, but they haven't gotten any particularly memorable choreo. This routine is about two thieves.
• The dance: Thieves with some crazy sunglasses, apparently. Lots of stair-work in the beginning. This song is pretty awesome. This style is more up Brandon's alley, but Janette is killing it. That was a super fun and very nicely performed.
• The judging: Wade and his wife are wearing crazy sunglasses too! Nigel says that this shows that there's nothing they can throw at these two that they can't do. He's impressed with Janette's ability to keep up with Brandon too. Mary says the best was saved for last. She says they stole everybody's heart. Tyce says they have "that thing." It's a little hard to take Wade's "strong voice in the industry" seriously when he's wearing those glasses... Tyce's stint on the juding panel tonight turned out to be far less annoying than I was expecting.

My favorite routines:
Janette and Brandon's jazz
Janette and Brandon's Argentine tango
Jeanine and Phillip's jive
(runner up is Caitlin and Jason's lyrical jazz)

In trouble:
I'm thinking the bottom three couples will be Caitlin and Jason, Kupono and Kayla, and Randi and Evan.