SYTYCD: To the Nines

So You Think You Can Dance: Top 9 Performance Show

Cat is wearing a shiny one-shoulder mini dress. Hair down. Again seems a bit drunk...

Tonight we've got:

• Lauren with Neil
• Melinda with Pasha--again?!?
• Billy with Kathryn
• Ashley with Ade
• Robert with Courtney--again?!?
• Jose with Anya--ha
• Kent with Allison--yea!
• Adechicke with Lauren
• Alex with TWITCH--yeah! Ha ha ha.

They've gotta get Twitch on the show somehow, I guess. But, seriously, it's the third week and we're already rehashing two partnerships? Does anyone really want to see more ballroom from Melinda?

Adechike with Lauren (Dave Scott hip hop routine):

• The featurette: Adechike was inspired by Desmond Richardson. Adechike and Lauren are "muscles and cushions."
• The dance: More personality from Adechike in the first 4 seconds of this dance than in his two whole routines to date. Ok, and now they're just stripping. It was a fun routine, but I'm not sure it was anything especially difficult or earth-shaking. It didn't seem like a wow-they're-so-amazing-because-that-was-so-hard moment.
• The judging: Nigel says Dave Scott brought out a different Adechike than we've seen before. Mia says welcome to Mr. Personality. Mia says it was a solid performance. Adam tries to give a Mary Murphy-esque shriek and then gives Adechike a standing O in an early bid to win Overreaction of the Night.

Ashley with Ade (Dee Caspery contemporary):

• The featurette: Ashley is inspired by her dance teacher. Ok, ok, ok: so Nigel was complaining that Ashley's jazz last week was too similar to her contemporary in week one, so they have her do contemporary again?!
• The dance: Ashley is supposed to have no backbone, and Ade's lifting/pulling her around a lot. This routine is lovely and has some very cool moments. Well danced by Ashley and Ade. I'm liking Dee Caspery right now; more please.
• The judging: Nigel acknowledges that we're seeing more of the same, basically, but says she looked like a different dancer and moved fluidly from one move to another. He thought it was beautifully smooth. Mia says it was like a hurricane and a summer breeze. Mia thinks Ashley is a cut above the other female dancers (all two of them). Adam's beside himself again. Mr. Hyperbole says it was one of the best female contemporary performances of any season. Oh puh-LEEEze.

I'm interrupting the flow here to say that I HATE it when the contestants start talking in the middle of the judging. I realize the judges are just spewing out a whole lot of nonsense, but shut up. Contestants shouldn't get to sway voters with chit chat. You get the featurette and the dance--and that's all I want to hear from you, personally. Especially since 90% of the things the contestants say during the judging is worthless and cliche.

Billy's solo: There's something spidery about his legs in this solo. Rather cool.

Robert with Courtney (Sonya Tayeh jazz):

• The featurette: Robert is inspired by his mom (and lists an array of horrible things that have happened to his mom). Sonya's goal is to show the world how good Robert is. Hey, brilliant! Shouldn't that always be a goal of the choreographer: showcasing the contestant well?
• The dance: Ok, no one's going to pay attention to Robert now that Courtney's in those weird pants (sparkly, different color patches down the legs, sparkly and sheer-looking at the butt). See, I just spent the entire dance describing Courtney's pants and didn't really see anything in the dance that distracted me from the pants.
• The judging: Nigel thinks Sonya's choreo suits Robert like it suits Mark. Sorry, Nigel, just because Robert looks vaguely like Mark, it doesn't make him Mark. Hey, speaking of Mark, it's not cool that he's not dancing tonight! Mia wants Robert to take ballet, which will give his movement weight and solidity and take him to another level. Adam says it was the most wonderful thing he's ever seen in all his life. Just kidding, but you totally believed me. Seriously, Adam's tip is to not "jump down" which seems like a good lesson for us all.

Best news I've heard all night: Courtney G. tweeted that she and Mark might be dancing "The Garden" again tomorrow! Oh please let it be so!

Jose's solo: A little "Super Bad" by James Brown. Remember the time Will dressed up like James Brown for her solo? That was great. Anyway...this routine opens with a long head spin, but then he works in some other holds and other b-boy stuff. It's was ok but not the best b-boy moves I've ever seen on the show.

Melinda with Pasha (Fabian Sanchez salsa):

• The featurette: Melinda is inspired by Dr. Harold Cromer. Yes, we know, Melinda. Everything she tells us in her featurettes is old news. Melinda is Colombian, so she's used to doing the salsa at parties.
• The dance: Um, if Melinda's used to doing the salsa at parties, this should be a little better. There's something weird about her footwork--leading with her heal instead of her toe maybe? Whoa, Pasha just kind of jumped over her, took her head with him on the way down, and she ended up in a back bend. (It was intentional.)
• The judging: Well, Cat and Nigel think she looks amazing. That's the nicest thing they've come up with to say, I guess. Nigel doesn't see fluidity in her movements. Mia thinks she danced as hard as she could and her shakes and shimmies were on-target, but there were moments where it looked like she had bricks on her feet and was sinking in water. Mia thought there were moments that made her regret that they sent Christina home last week. And Adam says after he watched last week's show again, he thought they'd made a mistake too. Well, DUH. That's what most of us thought last week. (And that's why America keeps putting Melinda in the bottom three.) Please try to keep up, Mia and Adam. Geez. Or just let America pick who goes home. Either way, there's no use talking about it now.

Kent's solo: Kent does a nice leap and a nice tumbling series, but he needs to come up with some more impressive things to do in his solos in the future.

Alex's solo: Dancing to music from the Planet of the Apes soundtrack, Alex, meanwhile, has plenty of firepower in his repertoire, but could stand to relate to the audience more. Does a cool leap series straight into rolling on the ground.

Lauren with Neil (Joey Dowling Broadway):

• The featurette: Lauren is inspired by her Student Council advisor.
• The dance: Neil's really selling his reading-the-paper intro acting. Lol at Neil's knickers and socks--that outfit is just as distracting as Courtney's pants were. Whoa--the strap of Lauren's dress totally broke, but the top of her dress managed to stay up and she kept on going! Eeesh. I guess the top of the dress was fortunately taped on to her, because I don't know how else it was staying up. Anyway, aside from the clothing, I thought the dance was good, but it seemed like it was just missing a little something, although I'm not sure what.
• The judging: Nigel: "Needless to say, I enjoyed that tremendously." Mia: "I'm sure you did." Ha. Neil's being sweet and trying to help keep Lauren's dress up while they're listening to the judging. Mia wants Lauren to dance a little more sexily. Adam thought she was great.

Ashley's solo: Wastes too much time in the beginning just kind of standing there, but then picks it up and does a pretty cool solo with some nice moves and good musical interpretation.

Billy with Kathryn (Stacey Tookey contemporary):

• The featurette: Billy was inspired by Legacy when he saw him in a show when Billy was 12! That's cool.
• The dance: Billy's doing a good job of holding his own in this one and not just letting Kathryn steal the show, which she is apt to do. The routine is very well constituted in that it gives both dancers moments to shine. Legacy's in the audience and he looks like he's in tears!
• The judging: Nigel doesn't think Billy partners that well and needs to work on connecting to his partners. Nigel says Billy is a sensational dancer though. Mia thinks that sometimes Billy gets too caught up in his lines and we lose him. Adam thinks that Billy's "going to see it all in playback." STOP SAYING THAT! If the only critique is that the dancers should watch themselves on tape and they'll see what was wrong, then why do we need judges? Just sit the dancers in a room, having them watch the tape and tell us what they think. Anyhow, that critique was a bit harsh. Billy looked mad.

Robert's solo: I think it's better than the one he did last week, but I'm not blown away. Something about it reminded me of Huck Finn. And the best part was that he didn't do the old fake-barf-and-flash-the-number-of-fingers thing.

Jose and Anya (Dmitry Chaplin samba):

• The featurette: Jose was inspired by Bruce Lee and has supposedly applied Bruce Lee's philosophy to breaking. DMITRY! Just let Dmitry and Anya do the dang samba!
• The dance: Anya is fierce and Jose is..trying. And they are using the table to try to hide Jose's lack of skill, I think. He's not completely terrible anyway. He was certainly trying. Bruce Lee's daughter is in the audience.
• The judging: Nigel thinks Dmitry brought out the man in Jose. Nigel says Jose is not the best dancer, but that he has a charisma that no one can teach and he brings it to all his routines. Mia says he's not a great dancer in the different genres, but he gets away with it because he brings humbleness and joyfulness. He just makes them happy and not care about the flaws. Adam has forsaken full sentences and just lists works like "joy" and "ego-free." And it's time like these where we miss Mary Murphy because she at least knew what ballroom technique should be and usually pointed out what was right/wrong.

Melinda's solo: Tapping to "Empire State of Mind." It seems like she's trying to tap too fast for the slowness of the music. So that might have hammered home Nigel's point about her maybe not feeling the music.

Kent and Allison (Mandy Moore jazz):

• The featurette: Oops, I was out of the room and missed what Kent said inspires him. I'm sure whatever he said, it was adorable.
• The dance: Well, this is probably the most boring Allison's looked so far this year...but she's still awesome. Well, the dance was fine. Kent's shirt situation is weird--he's got suspenders twisted around the front of him or something. The whole thing was just kind of unremarkable, really, which is annoying because the Kent/Allison pairing had a lot of potential.
• The judging: Nigel thinks Kent's expressions are starting to get a little fake. Nigel thought he was playing to the audience instead of playing to his partner. Mia thinks Kent gets caught up in the television personality of it instead of the integrity of the dance. She thought the way he translated the dance was a little green. Adam says Kent has to lose the "hungry jazz face" because he's better than that. And he'll "see that in playback." Argh, Shankman!

Adechike's solo: Wearing camo cargo shorts. He's doing a good job of interestingly interpreting the music, but he didn't get much floor coverage or do many "wow" moves. Kinda looked like a martial arts display at times.

Lauren's solo: Lol at Lauren holding a strange opening position during Cat's whole intro. Lovely little routine to a slow "Unchained Melody" cover. Not a ton of playing to the audience, though, which the judges would probably pounce on.

And now on to the main event...

Alex and Twitch (Napoleon and Tabitha hip hop):

• The featurette: Alex was inspired by Edward Villella of the Miami Ballet. Alex's biggest problem is not going to be hip hop or dancing with Twitch...it's going to be dancing a NappyTabs routine.
• The dance: Ha, Twitch is Alex's therapist. Lots of couch dancing at first. Once they get off the couch, I gotta say, Alex did a pretty darn good job of matching Twitch. And, holy crap, most hip hop dancers can't do extensions like that. Oh, that dance was fun! Go Alex. He had so much personality in that dance, but in his solo it was like meh. But the best part was that the routine wasn't 'lyrical'! The audience loses it.
• The judging: Nigel says it was the best NappyTabs routine ever on the show. I think Nigel just said that a ballet dancer just did "the most incredible hip hop ever" and that the routine should be nominated for an Emmy. That was a last-ditch attempt to take the Overstatement of the Night title away from Adam, no doubt. I mean, best hip hop ever? Perhaps I misheard. Mia says Alex has defied everything about the ballet world. Mia says Alex held his own next to Twitch, the best in the business. Adam's finally found a routine worthy of his hysterics and he's going all out.

My favorite routines of the night:

Partners:
Alex and Twitch's hip hop
Billy and Kathryn's contemporary
Ashley and Ade's contemporary

Solos:
Billy, Ashley

SYTYCD: The Top 10 Dance

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

• I was AFTV (away from TV) last night, so I'm just catching up on the performance show now.
• This "behind the scenes" intro is lame.
• Hey, looks like they figured out how to film their intro dances so that we can actually see them.
• Cat is wearing a knee-length white frock with feather embellishments on top and at the hem.
• Why doesn't Cat pronounce Mia's name "Mee-errrr"? I thought that's how Brits pronounced it.
• Oooh, we get to see the "random" draw.
• Kathryn's the all-star for Bollywood?
• Booo, no Neil or Twitch tonight. See you later, guys... (By the way, I flat-out refuse to write it "tWitch." Sorry, buddy.)

Christina with Pasha (Jean-Marc and France paso doble):

• The featurette: Whoa, the lift/toss/catches in this routine are scary.
• The dance: PASHA! Ok, it's out of my system. I don't really associate Pasha with the paso doble, personally, but I don't really know why. Christina looks good. Her dress is cool too. Wow, kind of a risque ending there (Pasha lying on the ground, Christina straddling him.)
• The judging: It's nice that they let the all-stars come over to stand with the contestant for the judging this week. It was very awkward how they made them slink off the stage last week. Mia "kinda thinks it was everything." Judges agree that it was a great start. Cat asks if Pasha is the perfect partner and Christina answers yes.

Adechike with Allison (Mandy Moore contemporary):

• The featurette: Oh no, Adechike's family had a fire several years ago so they don't have any pictures or video of his early years in dance. That's upsetting. Adechike pulled a good partner this week. Not sure why he got to do contemporary last week AND this week. That's a little bizarre--and a large gift. LOL, Mandy just said, "This week we are not doing a dance..." and I finished the sentence in my head with "that is set to a song from the '80s" and got all excited. She really said that it didn't have story. Allison and Mandy worked with Adechike to help connect him with his partner and not look angry.
• The dance: I like Allison's dress. She is exquisite. Well, I can't really even see Adechike's face because Allison is standing in front of him for a lot of the dance, so it's hard to say if he looks angry or what. Ok, sorry, Adechike, you're dancing nicely, but there's no way I can't be watching Allison during this routine.
• The judging: Nigel says he saw an improvement in Adechike's emoting this week. Nigel says he has film star looks and needs to smile. Mia says "Dance is an art form, but it's a heart form." He he, Adechike reminds us that when you're dancing, you can't see your face. Very true.

Alex with Lauren (Tyce Diorio Broadway):

• The featurette: Aww, little Alex was cute. He used to be a lot more smiley back in the day too. Maybe ballet has sucked the smile out of him? Alex has to bring coolness and sexiness. I'm a little skeptical how well he'll be able to achieve this, but we'll see.
• The dance: Something about Alex's outfit is a little girly. Aside from that, I think he's doing a fine job with the choreo (which isn't the best Tyce has ever served up, in my opinion) and the style. And every time he does a leap, it's pure gold.
• The judging: Nigel thinks Alex needs to bring a little more power to his performance. He thinks Alex will really have to work hard with changing styles. Mia wanted it to be more "inside" and "sinewy" to nail the Fosse style. Adam didn't think it had many levels--it was all flash and no smolder.

Ashley with Mark (Travis Wall jazz):

• The featurette: Ashley's mom used to really curl Ashley's hair every day! Yikes, that's commitment. I think this is Travis' first foray into "non-contemporary" choreo on the show.
• The dance: Mark's rocking the open-shirt look. This is kind of like "smooth jazz" (or "lyrical jazz") or something. It's nice. I'm more impressed with Ashley in this than I was in the contemporary routine last week. Mad cool dive/flip thing in the middle. More personality is coming out of her than last week. Much less personality is coming out of Mark than usual though. But, boy, does Mark's chest/stomach look hot.
• The judging: Ha! Mark did a bizarre "birthday dance" for Ashley, and Cat responded, "It's not attractive, but..." Nigel didn't get the fact that this routine was "jazz" and thought it looked like a "contemporary" routine. Who cares? And how is that Ashley's problem? Don't the producers screen the routines before they go live on TV? Couldn't they have told Travis to "jazz it up" a bit if they wanted? Why is "lyrical hip hop" ok for the show but not this?

Side note: Do the judges realize how much they are sounding like a broken record this season? They say the exact same things over and over. It's ridiculous.

Billy with Comfort (Lil' C krump):

• The featurette: Billy grew up "on the mean streets of Palm Beach, Florida." Yea, it's Lil' C! I still have residual warm feelings toward Lil' C from back when I used to like him before he got on my nerves with his verbosity. Comfort: "Billy's biggest challenge is being tough. Because he's a little 'He-aaay!'" LOL! By the way, when you're krumping, you should feel like an assassin.
• The dance: Good device making Billy a little wimpy in the beginning and then having the krump kick in. Billy has just a nice, lovely balletic quality to his krumping! I'm not feeling a ton of energy and krump passion from Billy here, but I'm not really feeling it from Comfort either. It seems slow, but I guess I'm just now used to Russell's krumping, where he'd walk on stage and flat-out have a fit (sometimes while dressed in a Santa suit).
• The judging: Nigel hated the music; not sure if he was serious or just joking about being old. Nigel doesn't think Billy found the warrior in him yet, but celebrates that he put himself through it and that he gave everything he could. Mia thinks Billy knocked on the warrior's door, but was afraid to open it. Adam says that Billy was trying so hard out there. Comfort says she thought Billy was buck. Adam says it was a failed experiment. There was not enough hit, rebound and suspension.

Robert with Anya (Jean-Marc and France Argentine tango):

• The featurette: Robert was always the kid on the dance floor at weddings. Okay... Is Anya going to eat this boy alive too? Looks like Robert was creeping Anya out during the practice.
• The dance: Oooh, some very hot moments in this routine. The hotness is mostly coming from Anya, I guess, but at least Robert is keeping up and getting all the steps right. And he didn't do anything to make an idiot of himself, which is a big plus.
• The judging: Nigel thinks Robert looked magnificent up there, and says the choreo/lighting/direction were fantastic. Mia thought Robert's carriage and groundedness weren't quite right and thinks that Anya gobbled him up. Anya interrupts to come to Robert's defense. Adam sees both sides. Adam thinks Robert looked stressed out. It's times like these, I wish we had a ballroom expert on the freaking judging panel--like, I don't know, Mary Murphy--so that someone could give us a definitive verdict. OMG, Robert has taking his obsessive camera-mugging to a whole new level by doing the strangest number-plug gesture I have EVER seen. He hunched over as if to vomit and then straighted up and displayed six fingers. I'm speechless.

Melinda with Ade (Stacey Tookey contemporary):

• The featurette: Hey, as a child, Melinda was quirky! Never would have guessed. The story of the routine is exploring the relationship between Mother Earth and mankind. Melissa accidentally got hit in the face during practice.
• The dance: Why is mankind wearing such a bizarrely cut tank top? Again, I feel like I'm seeing more of Ade than I ever did when he was actually competing on this show. Melinda is doing ok, but the technique you see from the contemporary dancers isn't there for her. Could have been a lot worse though.
• The judging: Nigel editorializes about the earth message. Nigel really thought Melinda did a good job. Mia doesn't like the dress, but then again she admits that she's wearing a bedspread. Mia thought Melinda's lines (feet and legs) were very good and not what she'd expect from a tapper. Adam says she was great.

Jose with Kathryn (Nakul Dev Mahajan Bollywood):

• The featurette: Jose was a super cute baby/kid. He also used to have a big 'fro, which I like better than the cornrows he has now. Jose didn't even know how to spell Bollywood. Sound it out, Jose; it's not that hard. Kathryn says Jose has a really positive energy.
• The dance: I was a little nervous at first, but he's not that bad. It's so fast and there are so many steps and this is so not what Jose is used to doing. But he is really managing to include his own personality and look like he's having fun, which is very impressive, all things considered.
• The judging: Cat asks if this is the first time Jose's worn a headband (it is). Nigel doesn't think Jose got the whole way to India, and now he's babbling about the World Cup. Nigel says Jose's performance, however, was great. Mia says he was so wrong, but so right. She thought the groove he added to it was hilarious. Adam thinks Jose would have won the prize for the brightest light on the show...and Adam has apparently forgotten about Kent? Basically, the moral here is that if you're doing a style you're not used to, it doesn't matter so much that you don't know what you're doing as long as you attack it like it's the most fun thing you've ever done in your life.

Lauren with Dominic (Tessandra Chavez lyrical hip hop):

• The featurette: This routine is about women in abusive relationships. Geez, poor Dominic: last week he didn't even get to dance, and now this week he's an abusive boyfriend.
• The dance: Lauren's got a nice hip hop swagger. Hey, look! This is "lyrical hip hop" and I don't hate it! So the problem really is NappyTabs! This routine I rather like. The "abuser/abused" theme was there, but it wasn't so over-the-top that it became too literal, which was nice. Long hug at the end between Dom and Lauren.
• The judging: Nigel believed the performance. Lauren looks shaken up. Nigel says she needs a stronger base (needs her feet further apart). I'm impressed with Dom's restraint so far, in that he's not trying to be all over Cat yet. Mia liked it, but thought the "abuse" should have been more literal and disturbing. Mia thought it was one of the best of the night. Adam appreciates that Lauren listened to what the judges said last week and says she turned into an actor this week. Lauren says she really tried to get to a deeper place. Cat responds with, "Dom, do you want to get to a deeper place?" and everyone--including Dominic--is shocked.

Kent with Courtney (Tyce Diorio jazz):

• The featurette: Kent still is a kid; no flashback necessary. Seems like there's a lot of jazz this week. The dance is about an on-again/off-again couple, who want each other, but don't. Kent says this can kind of transfer into his life somewhat, but not really. Kent: "I get to work with Courtney for the first time and she doesn't even care--you can touch her all you want, and that's new." Hahahahahaha!
• The dance: The outfits are a tad strange--and the choreo is rather Sonya-esque. Overall, I liked it. I think they danced it very well, and I think Kent did throw some sexiness into it. I think the choreo could have been a little bit cooler, and then the dance would have been awesome.
• The judging: Nigel asks about Kent's strange outfit and Kent says, "I think a lot of people, when you say 'Kent,' picture me in this." Nigel enjoyed it, and confirms that it was "jazz" in his opinion. That's for nailing that down for us, Nigel. Nigel didn't think Kent had as much fun with this jazz as he did with last week's cha cha. Mia thinks Kent has such a big personality that he stays in "Kent World" instead of fitting the character of the routine.

My favorites:

• Lauren and Dom's lyrical hip hop
• Ashley and Mark's jazz
• Kent and Courtney's jazz
• Robert and Anya's Argentine tango

Guilty pleasure:

• Jose and Kathryn's Bollywood

In trouble:

• Christina
• Melinda
• Adechike

SYTYCD: The Top 11 Get The Competition Started

So You Think You Can Dance:
Top 11 Performance Show

All right, it's officially on, boys and girls! I'm excited to see how this whole all-star thing is going to work out.

• What was up with the camera work during the intros? We're barely got a decent look at some of the dancers.
• Lol at sweet little Kent already trying to play the open-shirt card.
• The show is live tonight? Not pre-tapped? That's new. I wonder how that's going to work out.
• Cat seems especially cheeky tonight. She's wearing an interesting one-shoulder blue frock with gold detailing. And has a major updo.

Billy with Lauren (Tyce Diorio jazz):

• The featurette: Billy is really into do-it-yourself projects (including carpentry). Didn't see that coming.
• The dance: I don't even really have anything to say other than that Billy is wicked good. Like Jakob-level good, and Billy didn't have to drag a less skilled partner through the routine like Jakob often had to.
• The judging: Nigel liked it. Mia is so proud of Billy because she thought he did an awesome job at a different style of dancing than he's used to. Mia would like him to dance "like a man" (not a boy) for the rest of the competition, however. Adam thinks Billy's challenges will be to work to inhabit the character of his dance and focus on the stuff that's in between the choreo.

Uh oh, they changed the phone numbers this season. Now it's 1-888-6-BEST-##

Christina with Mark (Sonya Tayeh jazz):

• The featurette: Christina tried out for a Mexican singing competition show. Sonya has been inspired by snakes lately.
• The dance: There are some interesting lifts here. Christina is definitely benefiting here from Mark's total embodiment of everything Sonya is all about. Mark gives a hot/hilarious finger-gun-point on his way out.
• The judging: Nigel says that was all about the reunification of Sonya and Mark, but that he thought Christina did a good job of keeping up. Mia calls Mark a "genius of twisted" dancing, and says that she was surprised and proud by Christina's technique. Adam thought it was going to be a disaster, but ecstatically admits that he was wrong.

Jose with Comfort (Napoleon and Tabitha hip hop):

• The featurette: Jose practices yoga to help him stay flexible and to clear his head. Jose gets to do hip hop in the first week? That's kind. Ugh, NappyTabs is so corny.
• The dance: It is actually nice to see Comfort again; she had some major problems with other styles of dance back in Season 4, but she is quite a good hip hopper. They did a good job. For someone "who has never done choreography before," Jose sure seems awfully good at picking it up. He also mastered the mean face.
• The judging: Nigel thought Jose was absolutely outstanding. Then the judges divulge into making a series of really weak puns. At least when this was pre-taped, some of the judge's aimless babbling could be edited out. Mia wants Jose to make sure he keeps his character and fierceness through the choreo (as well as during the breaking). Mia and Adam are amazed how much he's improved since just last week. Between this kid and Kent, this season is almost overloaded with cuteness.

Adechike with Kathryn (Travis Wall contemporary):

• The featurette: Here's Adechike, or as I like to call him, "the one who will be voted out tonight." Adechike went to "the Fame school." Tyce also went there and apparently didn't do very well. Apparently this whole routine hinges on Adechike being able to take Kathryn's shoe off at the right time.
• The dance: This is very sexy, but I think that's mostly Kathryn. It certainly seems like she's being better showcased by the routine, but maybe that's just because she's awesome.
• The judging: Nigel thought Kathryn was giving Adechike everything, but Nigel didn't quite believe Adechike as the character he was supposed to be playing. Mia says she's going to be harsh because she didn't see any sexual chemistry, and Kathryn was giving him a lot to work with. Adam says Adechike needs find that extra something as a partner.

Melinda with Pasha (Melanie and Tony jive):

• The featurette: Oh, Melinda, I already knew you were an actress and musician. I think you've told us that multiple times now. I did not know that she was actually on a soap opera though. PASHA!!! PASHAAA!!! Ok, Melinda's on my good side now because she just admitted that Pasha is "so hot."
• The dance: PASHAAA!! Ok, I need to calm down. Melinda has a thankless job here, trying to jive when she's not a ballroomer and in complete danger of being entirely overshadowed by Pasha. The routine ended up feeling a bit redundant there toward the end, but that's not really their fault. I thought she did a decent job, all things considered.
• The judging: Nigel thought she did a decent job with the retractions but he didn't think the style suited her and thinks she'll probably be dancing for her life tomorrow. Mia thinks there's something unattractive going on with Melinda's legs when she dances and she can't quite figure it out. Cat and Adam think that Melinda will see that she looked over-the-top when she watches the tape back. But, according to Adam, honey, they love her. Cat: "Well, that must have been a tough job: learning the jive with Pasha."

Alex with Allison (Sonya Tayeh contemporary):

• The featurette: Alex also loves to sing and play the piano. And he actually sounds good. Holy crap, Allison and Alex doing Sonya choreo? Talk about stacking the deck. I might die.
• The dance: Their dancing to JEFF BUCKLEY'S "HALLELUJAH" no less! Holy heck! What are they trying to do to us!? Not sure about the costumes, but everything else is perfect. Allison is so amazing. Perhaps the routine included just a little bit too much convulsing, but otherwise it was perfection.
• The judging: Cat: "First chills of the season." Nigel believes that they have just set a new standard for SYTYCD. This routine here makes the argument for using the all-star format. Nigel says Alison and Alex were "absolutely mega light years" ahead of everyone else. Mia says that was hands-down the best danced piece of work on SYTYCD to date. I'm not sure I'd go that far. Mia says that Sonya has outdone herself. Mia really just wants to talk about how brilliant Alison is though (for good reason). Adam thinks the two dancers upped Sonya's game.

Alexie with Twitch (Napoleon and Tabitha lyrical hip hop):

• The featurette: Well, have fun following that, Alexie! Alexie was on Star Search as a child and was judged by a studly and serious younger Adam Shankman!
• The dance: Oh, Twitch, you're adorable too. Uh, this is fine, but the choreo is not really up to the level it should be. I mean, I can walk saucily to a window. I would expect a SYTYCD to be a little meatier than that.
• The judging: Nigel is not sure she hit the resistances in every case. Mia thought she danced like a young adorable girl and needed to step it up and get some more swag if she's going to dance with Twitch. Mia thought it was just *cute*. Adam just wants to talk about himself in the '90s. Adam says Alexie needed some more power in her hip hop dancing.

Lauren and Ade (Mandy Moore pop jazz):

• The featurette: Lauren likes to hang out with kindergartners. Uh, ok. Please tell me Ade has gotten rid of that hair pick. I like his quasi-mohawk thing.
• The dance: Maybe Mandy Moore needs to move on from the '80s. I feel like this routine does more to showcase Ade than any of his routines did when he was actually competing. The routine involves a lot of the two of them getting tangled up and rolling around on the floor. Which is ok, I guess. They danced it well.
• The judging: Nigel thought the routine was a little sterile and didn't see much connection between her and Ade. He thinks she'll be safe this week, but she needs to improve her performance. Mia also saw a lot of space that wasn't filled in with the performance. Adam thinks she was more focused on playing to the audience than she was focused on playing the character and connecting with Ade. Seems to me like the judges are trying to manufacture some drama here.

Kent with Anya (Tony and Melanie cha cha)

• The featurette: Kent was crowned Homecoming King at his high school (over 14 other boys). OMG, just the thought of Kent with Anya makes me laugh.
• The dance: Go Kent! To my un-trained eye, he looks like he's doing a pretty solid job with the cha cha. He's still a little comical, but he's also getting close to being sexy. And Anya is, of course, fantastic. Ha, at the end of the dance Kent and Anya share a big victory hug. $
• The judging: Kent says he know his lips looked silly, but you "just gotta have" the ballroom lips! Nigel points out that Kent really enjoyed dancing the routine. And then Nigel called Anya a cougar. That's unnecessary. Except for one goofy move, Nigel loved every second of the dance. Mia says Kent committed to everything and actually looked a little bit like a ballroom. Mia says to never do that goofy move again--and now I want to see a replay of it. Adam compares him to Dominic and Gev in regard to his verve in attacking an unfamiliar style. Adam says that dance reminded him of every parent's nightmare of losing their kid at the zoo and finding him in the lion's cage dancing with the lion. Ha. Oh just give Kent the title now--he's too darn cute! I can't even stand it.

Ashley with Neil (Tyce Diorio contemporary):

• The featurette: Ashley does "silly voices." I'm not impressed. This routine is all about love. Neil sounded like he had a bit of a Southern accent there; did he always have that? I can't remember.
• The dance: Ooh, nice dive-catch-lift thing. Um, she's doing okay, but during the side-by-side part, it seemed to me like Neil was definitely out-dancing her. Not sure I got what that had to do with love either, but whatever. I think their biggest problem was that they've followed a really great contemporary routine tonight and their routine/performance didn't quite match up.
• The judging: Nigel's blabbing about Ashley being young and then asks if she's every been in love and she says, "As a matter of fact, I think I am." And so now I'm wondering who she's in love with. Thoroughly awkward. Mia saw some emotion there, but it wasn't coming across quite as much as she'd like. She then calls Ashley "a very special little bunny." Adam thought she was creating incredible pictures, but he wasn't connecting with her emotionally.

So the theme of the night is: You're all splendid dancers, but you're just not performing enough!

Robert with Courtney (Sean Cheesman African jazz):

• The featurette: Robert wanted to be a professional baseball player. I love Courtney; she reminds me of Summer Roberts. Poor Courtney looks like she had a rough practice. I am having a hard time warming up to Robert though because he looks like a cross between Jess from Gilmore Girls and Evan Lysacek, neither of whom I am particularly fond.
• The dance: This is pretty great. I think it would be pretty easy to get danced off the floor by Courtney in this one, but Robert's doing a good job. I enjoyed it.
• The judging: Nigel loved the routine's rhythms and breadth of movement and he loved the way Robert danced it. Nigel says "no one really knows" Robert yet; and, uh, whose fault is that? Mia says there are many things she likes about him and wants him to dig into more about Robert...or something. Adam seems confused about what he's trying to say. He liked the coupling of Courtney and Robert. And then he says that he thinks Robert is one of the best male contemporary dances ever on SYTYCD! What?! One last attempt at extreme hyperbole before we call it quits for the night?

In their style (or close to being in their style): Jose, Adechike, Alex, Lauren, Ashley
Moderately out of their style: Billy, Robert
Really out of their style: Christina, Melinda, Alexie, Kent

My favorite routines:

• Alex and Allison's contemporary
• Kent and Anya's cha cha
• Richard and Courtney's African jazz
• Billy and Lauren's Broadway

Probably in trouble: Melinda, Adechike, Alexie