SYTYCD: After the Massacre...

So You Think You Can Dance: Top 16 Dancers Perform

I speculated after last week's performance show that the double elimination formula could be a disaster, and boy was it. I didn't really think that any of the four who went home should have, but I was especially upset about Nick, Wadi and Iveta. The judges kicked three of my favorites to the curb in one show, and now we're left with the Jesses, Jordans and Roberts...

• Cat's wearing a sparkly mini with curly bobbed hair.
• #NoMoreChbeebInTheOpeningTheme
• Ugh, I miss Nick. And Wadi. And Iveta.
• I am excited about guest judge Kristin Chenoweth. Not sure we need both her and Lil C though.
• With two fewer couples, I guess they need to inflate the judges' commentary to fill time. Grrrrrrreat.
• Oh, we've got group numbers tonight too. Huh.
  

Group number (Tyce Diorio Broadway): Ryan, Sasha, Miranda, Charice, Marko, Tadd, Mitchell, and Chris. Sasha is stealing the freaking show. This routine is better than the usual from Tyce, I'd say. Probably because there are more people involved.

Sasha and Alexander (Dee Caspary contemporary):

• The featurette: Alex wore a lot of bow ties as a baby/child. Oh dear, it's another dance about a guy who remembers a girl he lost. Let's hope the memory girl doesn't smile too much this time! Ha ha.
  
• The dance: Sasha climbs out of a piano to begin. Alex's outfit makes him look like he's one of the kids in the Sound of Music. It's veering dangerously close to lederhosen. Creepy moment at the end when Sasha goes back into the piano but her hands reach out at Alex. This routine was rather good. It should be though, as it is in their style.
  
• The judging: Nigel says it was a good start. Nigel thought Alex was good but needs to connect with the audience some more. The neckline on Mary's top/dress is too plunging. Kristin loved them both and her comments sound like she actually thought about them before they came out of her mouth. Lil C says Sasha is eight notches above perfection. Cat: "A whole octave!"

Caitlynn and Mitchell (Jean Marc samba):

• The featurette: Mitchell: "When I was a kid, I was a ham." As opposed to now?! This dance looks promising.
  
• The dance: Cait's dress is awful. It's like crepe paper streamers are hanging from her. Ok, this routine isn't as good as I thought it was going to be based on the practice footage. It's almost good, but it's a little rocky/shaky. Cait looks like she's not getting her feet right where she wants them sometimes or something. I'm not sure.
  
• The judging: Mary thinks it was "spectacular" so apparently I'm a harsher ballroom critic than she is. Well, then Mary just forgot Caitlynn's name, so maybe she doesn't know what's going on. Kristin says "shut the front door" and all of the other doors. I'm not sure if that's exactly a critique, but she's cute so we'll let it slide. Lil C says they murdered it and gives a shout out to Jean Marc. Nigel disses Wadi. Let's rub salt in the wounds, Nigel, thanks.

Miranda and Robert (Tyce Diorio Broadway):

• The featurette: Why are these people still here when Nick, Wadi and Iveta aren't? Maybe I'll get over this someday. Oh, good, Tyce's high-class hooker number should help show them the door... Tyce's routines are often good for a trip to the bottom.
  
• The dance: It was pretty good while they were moving slowly, but I think the quality dropped a bit when the music picked up. Miranda gets to do some tap dancing though, which was cool. In the words of Randy Jackson, it was aaaaright for me.
  
• The judging: Kristin says she wasn't sure about them in rehearsal, but they killed it tonight. Is this the first admission that the judges watch these routines performed in rehearsal before the show? Lil C to Miranda: "With legs like that, who needs arms?" Nigel says Robert was good for a hip-hop dancer, and he's come a long way. Mary says she didn't even recognize Miranda in the group number. Um, can we get Mary some flash cards with the contestants names and photos on them? ;-)

Melanie and Marko (Napoleon and Tabitha lyrical hip-hop):

• The featurette: Marko wins the cutest kid award thus far. In this routine, they're two best friends but Marko just got left at the altar and then realizes that he should have been with Melanie all along. Very rom-com plotting, there.
  
• The dance: Props to Melanie for wearing that strange circus getup to her best friend's wedding! Marko looks really sad in the beginning; nice job. Of course these two are good at hip-hop too. Ok, even if you have been best friends for a long time, I'm not sure it's the wisest idea ever to start up a new relationship (make out with someone) immediately after being left at the altar. Might want to give yourself some time before diving into anything...
  
• The judging: Lil C says they're a power couple and the section in the beginning was extra buck. Nigel says it was a brilliant concept to create a dance about best friends falling in love. Uh, yeah, it was when Travis came up with it in Season 5 with the Jason/Jeanine/Jason Mraz dance! (That one is still a freaking masterpiece, by the way.) Nigel says they're the couple to beat. Nigel tries to kiss Mary. Cat: "That's like walking in on your mom and dad! That's gross!" Kristin is very moved and very touched, so she kisses Lil C. Then Nigel attacks Lil C too. And we've dissolved into complete chaos, but Cat's nailing her post-kissing ad libs. She's such a pro.
  

Ashley and Chris (Sonya Tayeh jazz):

• The featurette: Ok, baby Ashley was wicked cute too. Chris was afraid of Sonya. In this routine, they are half human/half zombie.
  
• The dance: Ashley's leg extensions are no joke. This is almost exactly an undead version of "The Garden." Ashley is really good at the dancing. Chris is really good at acting like a zombie.
  
• The judging: Nigel didn't connect with the music and wanted them to be more overt with the characters. Oh, this is his Jason/Caitlin alien critique all over again. Mary says Ashley is beautiful even when she's a zombie. Mary's impressed that Chris is doing pirouettes now. Kristin says the half-human/half-zombie characters are like half of her boyfriends. Kristin says Ashley is one of her favorites on the show. Lil C likes how Sonya gives the technique of the dance a character as well. Lil C thinks Ash is the sleeper this year.

Clarice and Jess (Jean Marc fox trot):

• The featurette: "Jess the Mess," yeah, that about sums it up... Producers, please stop allowing Jess to talk so much.
  
• The dance: Clarice's fringy skirt is exquisite. I was liking the beginning, but the actually in-hold fox trot stuff was sooooo slow, it was almost comical. The routine was cute; they did a good job. Clarice looked good.
  
• The judging: Mary says they did exactly what they were supposed to do. Mary thinks no other dancer on the show could have done what Jess just did. Kristin says that was her favorite performance of the night. She just pronounced Clarice's name "Clair-is"; is that how we're all supposed to be pronouncing it? Lil C says he knows Jean Marc loves dance and they just put a "face on the smile of his heart" or something. Nigel loves the dress. Nigel says Jess is a master of "this Broadway style." And here I thought this was the fox trot... Hmm...

Ryan and Ricky (Sonya Tayeh contemporary):

• The featurette: After their trip to the bottom three last week, there was no doubt in my mind that they'd be doing contemporary this week. And it's emotional, no less. Nothing brings in the votes like a contemporary routine about a break-up.
  
• The dance: I'm sorry, but Ryan's un-winding top is a choreographic crutch. At least Ryan's not smiling during this one. It was a nice routine and well danced, but my heart isn't breaking over here or anything.
  
• The judging: Kristin says Ricky's turn out is amazing. And she thought the piece was very beautiful. Lil C just loves Sonya. Lil C thinks they're a power couple too (apparently even though they were in the bottom 3 last week). Nigel says he's proud they kept Ryan. Right, because neither of the other girls would have danced well this week. *Eye roll.* Nigel says he couldn't take his eyes off Ricky. Mary acknowledges that they got freaking lucky by picking contemporary.

Jordan and Tadd (Napoleon and Tabitha hip-hop):

• The featurette: It's a hip-hop routine with a bed. They're college students who wake up in bed together and don't know who the other person is. Some classy inspiration, there... Tadd: "People might assume that Jordan is comfortable with this piece..."
  
• The dance: Did Jordan have those tight jeans on this whole time? I'm super impressed if she pulled them on that fast. That feat is far more impressive than her dancing in this routine. So, at the end, they decide to get back into bed together. Charming...
  
• The judging: Cat is afraid to toss it to the judges after the kissing incidents. Lil C claims to love the dance and the concept. He said they do need to work on using their whole bodies in some of the grooves. (I think that was directed to Jordan.) Nigel says the story of the dance overwhelmed the dancing. No kidding! That's the smartest thing Nigel's said all year. He assured them that America won't care about a silly thing like dancing though, and they'll be around for many weeks to come. I'm not so sure. Mary says they just "put the whammy on us." Kristin brings back her "front door" monologue.

Group number (Dee Caspery contemporary): Melanie, Ashley, Kaitlynn, Jordan, Alexander, Jess, Ricky, and Robert. Medieval women are trying to poison the boys. To "Poison and Wine" by the Civil Wars! Four powerhouse girl technicians in this number (including Jordan, who can do the moves quite well when she's not hell-bent on Pussycat Doll-ing everything up).

My favorites (no particular order):

• Melanie and Marko's lyrical hip-hop
• Sasha and Alexander's contemporary
• Clarice and Jess' fox trot
  

SYTYCD: Deja Vu

So You Think You Can Dance:
The Top 20 Perform...Again

I didn't blog about it, but I called bull-hinky (in the immortal words of my beloved Dale Kettlewell from Greek) on the judge's decision not to send anyone home last week. Personally, I could have picked some people to go home without any trouble at all. But it is what it is: all 20 are back to dance this week, and two girls and two boys will go home tomorrow.

Play-by-play:

• OBAMMMMAAAAAA!!!! Come on, dude. Make your announcements on Mondays or Tuesdays. FOX has skipped covering his speeches in the past in favor of prime time programming, so I'm kind of surprised they're showing him tonight.
• I wish they'd just take Barack's time out of the time allotted for the judges to babble so we can still finish this on time. I say give each judge 30 seconds to give his/her critique and then cut off his/her microphone!
• Ahh, yes, a flashback to last week when the judges showed us yet again that they're always willing to make the rules up as they go along.
  
• I'm starting a campaign: #NoMoreChbeebInTheOpeningCredits #SeasonFiveIsOver
  
• I guess they decided that the solo intros were so boring last week that they're announcing them in pairs tonight.
• Cat is wearing a brilliantly yellow knee-length cocktail dress with a lacy top. I like it, but aside from the color, it's a little dowdy for Cat. The length and the lacy cap sleeves make it look a tad on the mother-of-the-bride side.
  
• Guest judge is dance icon Debbie Reynolds! Let's bring the truth tonight, Debbie!
• Cat shows a clip (featuring Debbie) from one of her favorite movies, Singing in the Rain. They could do a Debbie Reynolds tribute group dance tomorrow night.

Ricky and Ryan (Mandy Moore jazz):

• The featurette: We're sharing each other's secrets tonight. Ricky says Ryan's leg hair grows really fast. That's just TMI. They have to be sexy for this dance and are having problems with that in practice.
  
• The dance: Hey, guess what, it's a Mandy Moore routine set to an '80s song ("Addicted to Love"). I would have never seen that coming... Ryan's smiling too much again. And her non-smile facial expressions are a bit much too. Ricky's looking pretty good in this one. Aside from his snow pants-style outfit, that is. Overall, it was fine, not fantastic.
  
• The judging: Nigel loves it because it was "so raunchy." That's also shocking. Mary is addicted to the two of them. Come on, Debbie, bring the sanity! Debbie, "You fell out of your top, you fell out of your bottom, you gave us your all!"

Caitlynn and Mitchell (Stacey Tookey contemporary):

• The featurette: Caitlynn's secret is that she has boots that turn her feet blue. That's a really lame secret. Hey, guess what, this Stacey Tookey routine is about a relationship that has gone very bad. That's also a shocker.
  
• The dance: It involves two chairs. Caitlynn's dancing in the chair is pretty. They're doing a pretty good job with the emotions behind it, and the dancing is lovely. The concept is a little trite by now for SYTYCD, but it was a nice performance.
  
• The judging: Caitlynn reveals that Mitchell accidentally punched her! Yikes. I thought I saw something go wrong, but I wasn't sure. Mary loves it and is excited to see Cait go further outside her style at some point. Debbie: "I mean, you bled for us!" Lol, Debbie is a riot. Nigel calls it remarkable and says he felt Cait's inner turmoil.

Missy and Wadi (Jean-Marc Genereux cha cha):

• The featurette: Well, at least somebody's dancing out of their style tonight... Wadi laughing at Missy's laugh is pretty endearing. Jean-Marc says this is the most difficult cha cha he's ever choreographed for the show. What is he thinking?! Wadi is a free-running b-boy!!! Missy got on Jean-Marc's nerves during practice.
  
• The dance: So far, this is mostly sexy wiggling, and not much cha cha. Unless this picks up fast, I don't believe for a second that this is the most difficult cha cha routine from Jean-Marc in history. It's so slow! This had "we're novices" written all over it.
  
• The judging: Nigel thought Wadi was a strong partner, but as for his actual technique, a lot was missing. Nigel says other people who have never done the cha cha before have done better than Wadi. He thinks, however, that Missy was very good, and I disagree. Mary says the beginning was spectacular--and admits that's because there was no cha cha dancing in it! She didn't think Wadi did very well either, but she feels for him. She thinks Missy is the cha cha queen. I guess we'll have to agree to disagree. Debbie says she'll take Wadi home. HA! Wadi looks uncomfortable. Cat: "You made her night, I think." Wadi: "At least I made someone's night." AWWWWW! Poor Wadi! Don't take it so hard!

Iveta and Nick (Nakul Dev Mahajan Bollywood):

• The featurette: Nick always wears shorts. Yeah, these two have Bollywood written all over them, lol.
  
• The dance: Um, this is a little rough. Part of the problem is the jerky camera work. Part of the problem is Iveta's hair extensions. Independently, they both look ok, but next to each other, they don't look quite in sync. The spinny lift towards the end was nice though.
  
• The judging: Nigel says it was entertaining and they did a good job since they weren't in their style. He does say that others (Joshua and Katee) have done better at Bollywood in the past. Mary saw chemistry between the two of them somewhere in there. Debbie's just excited to be here; she feels 20 years younger. She thinks they were terrific. Nick looks like he wants Debbie to offer to take him home.

Miranda and Robert (Napoleon and Tabitha hip-hop):

• The featurette: Ugh, first Nappy-Tabs routine of the season. Duck and cover... Miranda allegedly has a crush on Tadd. Ugh, this routine is about woodpeckers! I hate woodpeckers! And I hate Nappy-Tabs routines!
  
• The dance: I guess they figured they better show us why Robert is here fast or he wouldn't be around much longer. Ok, color me unimpressed all around by this one. Esp. by Miranda's back flip that she didn't get the whole way around. Most of this looks like something I could do after 2 hours of practice...
  
• The judging: Mary always gets nervous when animals are imitated on this show (little foxes, anyone?) but she liked this one. And then she gushes about Nappy-Tabs. Come on, Mary... Debbie was mesmerized. Then she does the Woody Woodpecker laugh. Nigel: "I'm just worried about how many dancers she's taking home with her tonight!" Nigel thinks Miranda is the "best contemporary dancer he's seen do hip-hop." Oh, come now. I could name a whole score of people, but I'll stop at one: Alex Freaking Wong.

Clarice and Jess (Stacey Tookey contemporary):

• The featurette: Clarice sleeps with her eyes open. Jess draws a stick figure orchestra. Ok, that secret's actually interesting... And then Jess burns all the goodwill his stick figure orchestra inspired in me by saying, "I can't wait to tell my mommy I'm a prince!" in a baby voice. Holy heck, man.
  
• The dance: A contemporary dance inspired by the royal wedding, I guess. This has its moments (her extensions, the too-brief side-by-side part), but it also has some slightly rocky spots. Not bad.
  
• The judging: Debbie says they touched her heart, and she'll take them both home with her with Wadi. Nigel liked parts of it. CAT IS HOSTING AN EVENING IN L.A. FOR WILLIAM AND KATE! Nigel liked the separate stuff, but thought some of the together stuff looked uncomfortable. (Finally, I agree with someone!) Mary calls Clarice "Miss Legs."

Jordan and Tadd (Jean-Marc Genereux Viennese waltz):

• The featurette: Eesh, this was a tough draw for them. Tadd says that Jordan is dumb (in nicer words), but that's no secret, buddy...
  
• The dance: This involves a park bench? Are you kidding me? Her lines are nice, but her style is still a little hoochie for the waltz. Tadd's waltzing could use a little work. Especially his steps when he's holding her up in a lift. He looks a bit staggery there.
  
• The judging: Nigel thinks it was just so beautiful. Nigel seems quite impressed with Tadd's waltzing, considering he's a b-boy. And now he says that this is the best he's seen a b-boy dance something like a Viennese waltz. Put a kibosh on the exaggerations, Nigel. Mary says Tadd is the biggest surprise of the season. She thought his lines were unbelievable. She thought Jordan was beautiful too. Debbie says they were just as wonderful and Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire and Cyd Charisse. (Speaking of exaggerations...)

Melanie and Marko (Mandy Moore jazz):

• The featurette: Melanie has a big issue with people touching her ears. Marko loves to read romance novels. The routine features an old song with a new twist. And a hat. This looks promising.
  
• The dance: Melanie's outfit is rough, but everything else is great. Marko's rocking it. Until he dropped his hat, that is... The concept is good, but the choreo could be a little better.
  
• The judging: Mary thought it was so good. She thinks these two can take on anything that is thrown at them. Debbie thinks they're stars, and Nigel agrees. He thinks they've both got the perfect 50% technique/50% passion combo.

Alexander and Sasha (Napoleon and Tabitha hip-hop):

• The featurette: A sensitive routine about a soldier coming back from Afghanistan and seeing his wife for the first time. Oh, Nappy-Tabs... Trying to recapture the Katee/Joshua glory of yore.
• The dance: Why the soldier's wife is dressed so scruffily, I don't know... Sasha is good. Alex, not so much. He's a little stiff. The uniform is probably not helping that perception though. My favorite part was when Sasha was dancing in the beginning before he came back. That can't be a good sign.
  
• The judging: Debbie loved them. Mary's crying. Emotional exploitation, this routine is. But we've made it through most of two episodes without one of these types of routines (cancer/addiction/war/etc.), so I guess it was only a matter of time. Nigel finds it "ironic" that they did this dance after Obama announced troop withdraw in Afghanistan. He thought they performed it well.
  

Ashley and Chris (Spencer Liff Broadway):

• The featurette: Not a good sign that I completely forgot about the two of them. In this routine, Chris is incarcerated and they have to dance with a row of bars between them. The bars are kind of far apart though, so Ashley could easily squeeze through them if she really wanted to...
  
• The dance: They're dancing well, but Ashley's skirt is kind of stealing the show here. It's quite eye-catching when she twirls. Chris did some cool stuff on the bars. The routine was all right. They danced well, but the concept may have stifled them a bit there.
  
• The judging: Nigel is impressed with b-boy Chris doing jazz. Nigel says the next time they put him in prison, he hopes Ashley comes to visit. Mary talks about 211 degrees and 212 degrees and it's all just a bizarre buildup to putting them on the Hot Tamale Train. Debbie calls them sensational.

I refuse to pick three favorites tonight. I feel like we were just watching various shades of mediocrity for the most part this evening. If forced to pick three, I guess I'd go with:

• Melanie and Marko's jazz
  
• Caitlynn and Mitchell's contemporary
• Chris and Ashley's Broadway

This three-couples-in-the-bottom, four-dancers-go-home thing could get really sticky tomorrow night.

SYTYCD: Starting Off Season 8

So You Think You Can Dance: Top 20 Performance Show

First performance show of Season 8! Let's go:

• Cat is wearing a sparkly black mini dress with silver shoes, tousled wavy hair and smokey eyes.
• I am so sick of seeing Chbeeb in this intro.
• There are some seriously unfortunate outfits amongst this top 20. And I'm getting a little sick of watching everyone do leg kicks. I think we went a little contemporary heavy this year. Esp. with the girls.
• Cat is having a slightly rough time reading her intros tonight.
• Megan Mullally?! Seriously? Because she danced in that I Can't Believe It's Not Butter commercial? She says she has a dance history. Ok, I guess that's all right then.
• Mitchell injured his elbow. He can't perform tonight so he's automatically in danger tomorrow.
  

Jordan and Tadd (Sean Cheesman Afro-jazz):

• Featurette: Jordan wants to be a Pussycat Doll really bad, and that makes me like her even less than I already did. Tadd was a dancing taco in a movie. When he was a kid, he thought he was Caucasian. His 8-second intro was amusing.
  
• The dance: This started out really cool, but I think it lost some steam in the middle. Picked up towards the end. Seemed really long. Danced well though.
  
• The judging: Nigel thought it was tremendous. Mary agrees. Mary was impressed with b-boy Tadd. Megan liked the precision and power.

Sasha and Alexander (Travis Wall contemporary):

• The featurette: I find this Alexander dude a bit on the creepy side. Sasha gets to kick the crap out of Alexander. Watching Sasha beat him up has made me warm up to Alexander a bit.
  
• The dance: Sasha's dress is out of control. Oooh, Sasha's rocking the creepy face there. It's a good routine, but I'm not blown away. I feel like they could be doing something harder, perhaps?
  
• The judging: Mary likes the transitions in Travis' routines. Mary thinks Sasha is very strong. She liked it, but she didn't quite feel the connection between the two of them. Nigel is scared of Sasha.

Clarice and Jess (Tyce Diorio Broadway):

• The featurette: Well, they sure played right into Jess' hands by giving him Broadway. Um, yeah, Jess is annoying. I think the helpers are Katee and Jakob!!! Or am I seeing a mirage? Can we watch Katee and Jakob instead?!
  
• The dance: With all the cards that are stacked against this one - Tyce, Jess - I'm not expecting to like it much. Clarice just knocked out one heck of a split leap though. She's got nice extensions. Otherwise, I'm pretty bored. They danced it well, however.
  
• The judging: Megan loved everything about it. Nigel wants more from Clarice. She'll need to work hard to keep up with Jess and his innate Broadway style. Whatever. Nigel says Jess is one of his favorite guys this year. Ugh. Mary says Jess couldn't have done anything any better.

Ryan and Ricky (Christopher Scott lyrical hip-hop):

• The featurette: Ryan is obsessed with Law and Order: SVU. Ricky kind of reminds me of Brandon from Season 5. He's really peppy though. Yea for lyrical hip-hop that's not choreographed by Napoleon and Tabitha.
  
• The dance: Ryan's dress is cute. It looks like something someone would actually wear. I'm liking this. I feel like the girl actually gets to dance in this routine, and not just sassily strut around, as often happens in these hip-hop routines. They're both good, but I think Ryan's stealing the show a little in the side-by-side dancing. Nicely choreographed routine!
  
• The judging: Nigel didn't quite get the story, but he loved the dancing. He says Ryan stands out in the sea of good girl dancers. Mary thinks Ricky is one of the best boys.

Caitlynn and Mitchell (Sonya Tayeh jazz):

• The featurette: Yea Sonya! Mitchell is a little much too. He also sweats a lot.
  
• The dance: Robert is taking Mitchell's place. I'm happier to see Rob now than I ever was last year... This routine is pretty classic/standard Sonya, but it's cool. Caitlynn's pretty good.
  
• The judging: Mary loves Sonya's choreo and thinks Kaitlynn's legs are spectacular. She thinks Kaitlynn was brilliant. Mary sure hopes we see Robert later this season as an all-star. Megan was impressed with how young, small Kaitlynn showed such power. Nigel gives her 10's for performance and technique.

Miranda and Robert (Jason Gilkison jazz):

• The featurette: Miranda is from Pittsburgh. She's dancing in lingerie in her intro clip. Robert kind of sings his 8-second intro. He also has an Urkel voice. He's also a bit much. What is with these boys this year?
  
• The dance: Mod outfits for the jive. Interesting. Miranda's jive looks a little stompy--not very light. I don't think Robert quite has it either, but he's got nice spirit. I'm excited to hear Mary's take on this.
  
• The judging: Megan liked it. Nigel points out the obvious: that Robert might alienate people with all the "woooooooo"-ing. He wants him to point his toes. Nigel wants more confidence from Miranda. Mary seems to like it, and I'm a bit befuddled. She gives them a wohoo. Ok, I'll defer to Mary. She knows more about jive than I do.
  

Missy and Wadi (Sean Cheesman jazz):

• The featurette: Missy likes talking in a Jamaican accent and Wadi was born in Jamaica! It's perfect! The dance is about evil, sexy demons.
  
• The dance: They start the dance in two separate boxes. Some very cool moments in that routine, especially the end when Wadi jumped and flipped all over the two boxes. Nice.
  
• The judging: Nigel thinks this is Sean's best work ever. Nigel thinks Missy is one of the beasts of the girls. He thinks Wadi is brilliant. Mary says something incomprehensible about Pandora's box and whoopass. Megan pulls out a Mia Michaels-esque "ahh-MA-zing."

Melanie and Marko (Travis Wall contemporary):

• The featurette: Here's my power couple. Marko is from Guam. They are two statues that dance into one.
  
• The dance: Mel and Marko plus Travis, and an Ingrid Michaelson song to boot! They're awful bendy for statues... This is gorgeous. They both display amazing control over these moves. So, so good.
  
• The judging: Judges give it a standing O. Mary's almost in tears. Ok, she's really in tears. She says this was one of those magical numbers that happen once or twice a season. Breathtaking. Megan has chills. Nigel thinks that could have been the first Emmy-nominated routine of the season. Marko's the one who still has a bullet in his shoulder. Nigel says Melanie is the queen of the beasts. He thinks she's the best girl dancer EVER ON THE SHOW. Wow.

Ashley and Chris (Christopher Scott hip-hop):

• The featurette: The dance is about a couple that finds out that they're both cheating on each other at the same time. Chris is cute. Ashley has a nice smile.
  
• The dance: To Cee-Lo's "Forget You," of course. This is spunky. Not sure Ash is the best hip-hop dancer ever, but she is a ballerina after all. They're bringing a nice energy to it. Not one of the marquee number of the night though.
  
• The judging: Nigel thought it was a lot of fun. Mary liked Ashley's swag and Chris' heart. Megan thinks SYTYCD has the best makeup and costumes of any show.

Iveta and Nick (Jason Gilkison quick step):

• The featurette: Well, if someone had to get the quick step tonight, at least it was world champ Iveta. Iveta is originally from Lithuania. Nick's very slow 8-second intro was funny. Iveta is a quick step slave-driver.
  
• The dance: Well, it's a quick step. So there's that. It's kind of a rockin' one though. It's alright. Not my favorite dance ever, but they did a good job.
  
• The judging: Megan was impressed by tap dancer Nick. Nigel thinks Nick came up to scratch. Mary is flat-out screaming her critique. The dance had everything it was supposed to. Iveka is the first American representative to win all 10 dances. Mary says it was unbelievable and Nick rocked.

My favorites:

• Melanie and Marko's contemporary
• Missy and Wadi's jazz
• Ryan and Ricky's lyrical hip-hop
  

Overall, it was a pretty good start to Season 8, I'd say.