SYTYCD: Top Six, Take Two

So You Think You Can Dance: Top 6 Performance Show, Part II

• So who's injured tonight? No one? That can't be right...
• Everyone came out for the intros! Billy does have a massive brace on his knee though.
• Cat is wearing a one-shoulder, black and white snake skin print mini dress.
• Cat confirms that no one is injured.
• Toni Redpath is also judging tonight, which is nice because she at least knows ballroom, unlike these other schmoes.

Kent with Anya (Jean-Marc and France cha cha):

• The featurette: Kent has already done the cha cha. Anya points out that Kent has gotten to kiss a lot of girls on the show already. In this dance, Anya is a teacher and Kent is a bad boy. This is a little creepy.
• The dance: Anya's big see-through white shirt and '80s Madonna makeup are a little distracting, but the cha cha dancing looks pretty good from both of them. Kent looked downright Pasha-esque at times.
• The judging: Nigel says Kent started out as a young boy dancing but is now a man dancing. Really good effort. Toni says Kent was better at cha cha this time--he was more grounded and had better footwork. She thinks he got a little hunchy in his shoulders. Mia thinks he moved his hips right, but that the whole piece was crunchy and felt a little choppy. She thinks he's not taking the note on his face. Kent says that's who he is and it just comes out. By the time we get to Adam, I think we've got this whole pretty well hashed out. Adam thinks he needed more length. And in this one judging panel, I think I've heard more substantive dancing critiques than I have in some entire episodes.

Robert with Kathryn (Stacey Tookey contemporary):

• The featurette: Sorry, I missed it.
• The dance: Kathryn's splits are exquisite. Um, Robert would probably be better showcased by this routine if he didn't spend 70% of it with his back to the audience. Robert is looking a little more butch than usual. The end of this routine didn't look very hard (looked like something they'd give to Jose).
• The judging: Nigel loved the connectivity to it. Nigel says Robert used to be goofy but now he's not. Toni says she'd want to be the woman he was dancing with. Mia thought the beginning of that piece was so sacred and tender. Mia thinks he should allow his emotions to be the catalyst of his movement and that will take it to even another level. Adam says no one supports each other like dancers. Uh, ok, thanks for sharing. Adam says Kathryn is so stunning it freaks him out and Rob came up to her.

Jose's solo: He's starting by dancing on his feet again. Now he's on the ground. He's doing some interesting-ish stuff, but it seems kind of aimless.

AdeChike with Courtney (Tyce Diorio jazz):

• The featurette: The story to this routine sounds similar to the story of the other piece they did together. AdeChike doesn't want to look like a contemporary dancer doing a jazz routine; he wants to look like a jazz dancer doing a jazz routine. Not sure I'd really know the difference, AdeChike, if it makes you feel any better.
• The dance: Honestly this dance doesn't really look that much like a jazz routine to me in the beginning. The middle seems more jazz-ish, I guess. The outfits are also not really what I'd expect. Not sure why we really needed the two mini staircases.
• The judging: Adam says, first of all, Tyce, great. Whatever. Adam says that was just "balls-out dancing" and then acts shocked at himself for using that phrase. Cat says, "Adam, I'm never starting with you again." Adam wants AdeChike to loosen up his back. I want Adam to shut up. Mia says that music is everything. (Someone should compile a list of all the different things Mia thinks are "everything.") Mia thinks he did a good job, but she needs to see more style from him. Toni loved it. Nigel doesn't think there was enough abandon from AdeChike and that he needs to look like he's letting himself go.

Lauren's solo: Aretha Franklin's "Natural Woman" solo takes a little too long to develop, but the "You make me feel! You make me feel!" part is very cool.

Jose with Comfort (Marty Kudelka and Dana Wilson hip hop):

• The featurette: Jose is trying to pick Comfort up at a club. Comfort says Jose has no game. Gosh, I love Comfort's brutal honesty.
• The dance: Good strategy for the routine to start out with just Comfort dancing. I love that the costumes look more Broadway or jazz than hip hop. And that the music is classic soul. Of course the slow grooviness of the music seems to be making it easier on Jose to dance to it. It was an enjoyable routine though.
• The judging: Nigel says that people had to tell him that Jose wasn't in the group routine last week (I noticed that). Turns out Jose pulled his groin, but he says he's ok. Nigel thinks this routine was a bit flappy. Toni says she would have bought his pick up line. Mia says there was no swag in there whatsoever. She says Jose should have tapped into Marty's swag. She thinks Jose made it bouncy and kooky instead. Adam says he sees what they're all saying. But I don't really understand what he's saying. Oh, ok, he thinks the piece was supposed to be darker and sexy, but Jose made it fun.

Billy's solo: According to the other contestants, Billy is messy and helpful and focused but funny. And loud. And a nut job. Billy sure doesn't look like he's got the knee brace on now. His jeans are awfully skinny, and I don't see any outlines. Interesting solo there: kind of robot music and crisp, robotic moves.

Kent's solo: Kent is seething with emotion before his solo even starts! Not to be outdone, he's got skinny jeans too. Ok, I think this was one of Kent's better solos. There was a certain composition sense to it.

Lauren with Allison (Tyce Diorio Broadway):

• The featurette: Two girls dancing together for the first time this season! Cool. The number is about strong female dancing. And this is a good test for Lauren: if she looks good next to Allison, then she's really good.
• The dance: I think Lauren's just as good if not better than Allison at selling the Broadway faces and attitude. Allison's general quality of movement is sometimes probably a little bit better than Lauren's, but Lauren's doing really well.
• The judging: Adam says he thinks of Lauren as an All-Star already because she's so good at everything she does. Adam wants to see them do "Single Ladies." Mia says there's nothing to critique and that Lauren's kind of forged ahead. Toni says Lauren hit her facial expressions just right and didn't overdo it. Nigel just called this show American Idol. Uh, please focus, Nigel. Nigel feels like Lauren's going to be in the finale.

Robert's solo: Billy says Robert is the songbird of our generation. This was probably one of my favorite solos from Robert so far. And not just because of the reckless abandon with which he just threw himself into that final, violent backbend.

Billy Bell with Ade (Stacey Tookey contemporary):

• The featurette: Ade is a high-powered businessman and Billy is homeless. And--surprise twist!--they're old friends! Kinda ruined the ending there, Stacey. She should have said "spoiler alert"!
• The dance: And it's to "Mad World" no less! Billy = exquisite. Even with his hat over his eyes. Ade is no slouch either. I loved it. Not so much for the social commentary, but for the awesomeness of Billy. Billy's expressions were superb as well.
• The judging: All judges but Nigel give it a standing ovation. Billy says his knee is better, but he has a big old brace on it. Nigel says that was really quite brilliant and that Billy was the most mature he's ever seen him. Toni says some pieces transcend dance, and that was one of those pieces. Mia says that was sheer perfection. Mia says Stacey is evolving into some artist. Mia says it was her favorite piece from Billy all season. Mia says Billy's face was absolutely everything. Mia says, win or lose, Billy will be remembered and is respected in the dance world as an up-and-coming artist. Adam says Billy just dropped in as one of the best dancers on the show ever. He says it was magnificent.

AdeChike's solo: Lauren says AdeChike is best friends with everyone and their mom. And AdeChick's got skinny jeans too. And no shirt. Pretty cool solo.

Kent and Jose (Spencer Liff Broadway):

• The featurette: Kent: "Snot just went everywhere!" I don't know if I can stand this much youthful exuberance in one place. It's exhausting.
• The dance: Jose got the short end of the stick having to wear those overalls. Kent just did a long solo; Jose just did a really short one. Ok, they probably shouldn't make Jose do side-by-side dancing with Kent. Because he's just going to look bad. Wow, Kent ended the routine with a giant belly flop into the backstage area.
• The judging: Adam thinks Spencer killed the 1940s/50s retro thing. Adam thinks it will come down to Kent and Lauren. He thinks Kent needs a little more training, but he was born to do this. Adam says its unbelievable that Jose made it through that. Mia says that was freaking fantabulous. Mia says Kent needs to live in this world of Broadway because everything about it fits him like a love. He is so "everything" in this style. Mia says you can see the difference in training between Kent and Jose, but Jose kept up. Toni says Jose's character made it ok that he wasn't up to Kent's level. Nigel says we haven't seen this Broadway style since Evan (and we saw so much of it back then that we haven't really missed it...). Nigel says dancing with Kent showed Jose's limitations, but he should be very proud of how far he's come. Nigel says this may be Jose's last week here.

Lauren and AdeChike (Jean-Marc and France fox trot):

• The featurette: This dance is more sultry and sexy than typical fox trots. AdeChike says the "fever" is contagious and they'll have the whole audience sick.
• The dance: Lauren's dress is pretty great. So is AdeChike's sweater vest. This is good. I'm wanting to call it the best contestant/contestant ballroom number of the year, but I'm forgetting what the other two-contestant ballroom routines have been, except the AdeChike/Jose paso. I really liked this one though.
• The judging: Nigel thought there were parts that looked very much like a jazz routine. He thought overall they did well with good connectivity. But he's not super excited about it compared to other dances tonight. Toni says they didn't dance it like ballroom dancers would; she says there were a lot of things that were off, but they got into the character of the dance. Mia says 'Cheeks' had a lot of great moments as a partner, but when he steps away from her, there's a disconnect. Mia says Lauren's grace and sensuality were great. Adam thought Lauren wasn't competing--just dancing. Adam says AdeChike looked very concerned about being there for her, which is good, but he shouldn't look like he's concerned.

Robert and Billy (Nakul Bollywood):

• The featurette: Two dances in a battle to get the main part in the biggest Bollywood movie ever!
• The dance: Well, this isn't starting out like the most masculine dance I've ever seen... Nice side-by-side spins. Billy sure is working the heck out of those knees for someone with a knee injury. That routine looked crazy hard. The both powered through it.
• The judging: Nigel says it was fantastic and one of the best Bollywood routines by two guys. Toni says at this point it's going to come down to personal choice. She really likes Robert. Mia really likes Billy. Mia says, OMG, that was so hard, but no injuries! But Nigel says Billy's moving his knee strangely. Billy says his knee is feeling it, but it's fine. Adam says he wants no parts of picking a winner at this point. So just let us decide with our votes already!!! We're down to 6 people; we can take it from here!

WHAT?!?! Now Cat says Lauren is with the medic! Come on, people!

My favorites:
Billy and Ade's contemporary, Lauren and AdeChike's fox trot, Lauren and Allison's Broadway

List of things Mia said were "everything" tonight:

• the music for the AdeChike/Courtney jazz
• Billy's face
• Kent dancing in '40/'50s Broadway style

SYTYCD: Injuries and Double Standards

So You Think You Can Dance: Top 8 Perform

• I missed the intro. I hope it wasn't as fascinating as last week's... (I say sarcastically.)
• Um, where's Alex Wong?
• There was a strange echo while Cat was trying to explain the format of tonight's show. She dealt with it like a pro.
• Oh NO! Alex was injured in practice! Eesh, after seeing the footage of his injury, I'd be stunned if Alex is back next week. That looked like a torn Achilles, actually. And Nigel finally says they think it is a ruptured Achilles! Oh noooooo! Oh dear, if that's what it is, that's going to take months of recovery (I know that thanks to Courtney Kupets). Poor Alex.
• Alex will be automatically in the bottom three and judged tomorrow. If he can't dance next week, he'll automatically be eliminated.
• I heard that Allison was also injured this week. Honestly, it's kind of amazing that more of these dancers don't sustain major injuries with all the dancing and different routines they have to do.
• Ashley and Robert pulled the quick step! Uh oh for them.
• Oh no! I'm even more bummed about Alex's injury after seeing his interview with AdeChicke, where AdeChicke was explaining that Alex can get too serious and intense in practice, and while he's talking, Alex is giving him a look of death and then ominously reached toward him. It was hilarious.
• Billy tells us that all Jose talks about is Lauren Gottlieb's butt.

Lauren with Pasha (Jean-Marc and Franz cha cha):

• The featurette: Part of Pasha's job this week is to be a hair dresser. I'll sign up for an appointment with him!
• The dance: Ok, I don't want to hear Mia saying that Lauren's not sexy anymore. This dance is entirely sex, and she's killing it. I don't know that she always had totally the proper cha cha technique (Mary Murphy would know), but she had the wiggling down. And Pasha got to look the best he's looked so far this season.
• The judging: Nigel feels the need to tell us that Lauren is a "full-bodied woman." Mia says it was "pure murderation." Not to be outdone, Adam says "Holy shampoosis." They're trying to sell us on Lauren being on an evolution. Which I guess is why they tried to convince us that she was having performance issues a few weeks ago when she really wasn't.

Jose with Lauren (Mandy Moore contemporary):

• The featurette: Oh dear, no wonder Jose's all worked up--it looks like the most of the routine is him grabbing Lauren's butt and boobs.
• The dance: Oh, hey, '80s music. I would have never seen that coming. Um, Jose isn't really doing much dancing here. Lauren's doing a lot of twisting and flipping around him, and he's helping, but as for him actually dancing, there's not much there. And when he does dance a bit, you can see why they tried to avoid it.
• The judging: Ok, Nigel clearly wasn't watching what I was watching, because he thinks Jose looked "amazing." I am clearly holding Jose to different standards than Nigel is. We're down to 8--or 7--dancers; it's time to get serious, people! Nigel just made Jose cry. Mia thinks more people--including her--should try to be more like Jose. That may well be, but this is a DANCING show. Mia thinks Jose "melted into" Lauren at the right places and "loved her." Adam says that Mandy Moore played to Jose's strengths. Adam says Jose is one of the most beloved people on this show.

Kent with Comfort (Dave Scott hip hop):

• The featurette: Kent with Comfort--this should be good times!
• The dance: In this outfit, Kent looks like he's in a boy band. Comfort looks hot in her skinny jeans and high-healed boots. Ok, other than giving me a bit of an unfortunate Will Schuester vibe, I think Kent's doing pretty darn well here. The moves looked good, and about 90% of the time his facial expressions were good and not ridiculous. This is a well choreographed routine too.
• The judging: Nigel says it was like a "soft hop" instead of a hip hop and it was a nice Justin Timberlake-style for Kent that worked well. Nigel liked Dave's routine. Mia says she wasn't mad at Kent at all and thought he kind of had a cool factor there. Cat says that Kent hit his nose twice on the bottom of her pool during the 4th of July picnic. The judges all liked Kent's waves, whatever that means. Adam says, "I love that we're sitting here talking about 'growth' and 'small,' and it sounds so disgusting!" and then gets annoyed that everyone is completely thrown off by that comment. Adam is kind of pushing the limits here tonight.

AdeChicke with Courtney (Mandy Moore jazz):

• The featurette: According to everyone involved, the dance is going to be hot.
• The dance: AdeChicke is a bartender. This is a first: we've had tables and benches and sofas and doors on SYTYCD, but never a bar. Courtney's not doing a lot of dancing; she's just crawling around on top of the bar. AdeChicke looks good through. Ok, they finally got Courtney off the bar and the dance really got started. But then they both go back to the bar, and it fizzles out a bit again. Overall, pretty good from AdeChicke. He remembered to use his personality again, which is a plus.
• The judging: Nigel thinks AdeChicke rose to the challenge of creating the character. He praises AdeChicke for dancing out of his style--but like, really, how out of his style was it? Oh dear, one of AdeChicke's contacts has fallen out. Mia disagrees with Nigel! She thinks the dancing and the style were "so not there" and at this point of the competition, we need better than that. Except from Jose. From Jose we just need joy and happiness and mediocre (at best) performances. I'm not the world's biggest AdeChicke supporter, but I think Mia was too harsh there. Adam says he thinks AdeChicke did the same character this week that he did last week, which is just stupid. As Nigel starts yelling, AdeChicke was a GEEK last week and a BARTENDER this week! Come on!

Billy with Allison/Katee (Spencer Liff jazz):

• The featurette: ACK!!! Why did Allison have to get hurt?! Billy and Allison are a dream team! KATEE!!! IT'S KATEE!!!!!!!!!!! KATEE!!!! Ok, I hope Allison feels better soon, but it's KATEE so I can't help but be excited. I love Katee. Dude, dude, dude! Does this mean that Twitch and Katee can do Mia's door routine tomorrow?!?! Pleeeeeeease!
• The dance: OMG, Katee is fantastic. Is this routine utilizing the awesomeness of either Katee or Billy though? I'm not sure. It's awfully slow in the beginning. Ok, the routine picks up some pace for the middle/end, which was better, but it still wasn't as amazing as I feel like it should have been, considering the combined merits of these two dancers.
• The judging: Nigel thinks that, outside of his solos, this was the best he's seen Billy dance. Uh, ok, whatevs. Mia also thinks that was the best she's seen Billy and calls him "fabulicious." Adam agrees and says Billy connected better with his partner than ever before. Ok, so all the judges have fallen in line to sell the story arc they invented: Billy didn't connect with his partners in other weeks and this week he did! I don't really get it. But I was also mostly watching Katee, so maybe I just missed Billy's resurgent awesomeness.

Ashley with Dominic (Tabitha and Napoleon hip hop):

• The featurette: The theme is ninja assassins and they're both trying to take each other out, which seems a bit familiar.
• The dance: Well, the ninja thing is rather literal in the costumes. There are moments where Ash looks pretty good, but there are other moments where she looks like she's in way over her head with the hip hop moves. Although I'm not sure the parachute pants are helping her any. Nor is the Ludacris/Alvin and the Chipmunks music. What the heck to chipmunks have to do with ninjas? The routine ends by the judging table, which just gives the judges an excuse to ham it up to epic proportions.
• The judging: Nigel seems not totally sold on Ashley's technique, but says that the routine was great. Mia thinks she danced that "so hard core" but there was "no kill" in her eyes. Adam thinks Ashley is a quiet contender. And, again, I'm not on the same page as the judges. I think Ash could be a contender too, but I didn't think that her hip hop was that great. Oh well.

Robert with Kathryn (Sean Cheesman jazz):

• The featurette: I missed what style this routine is supposed to be. Is it another jazz? Haven't we watched an awful lot of jazz tonight? In this dance, Robert and Kathryn are dolls who escape from their box.
• The dance: Ok, Robert as Ken doll is BRILLIANT. Props to Sean for coming up with that one. That is just an ideal utilization of his dancer. Kathryn and Robert start out the routine literally in two big boxes. The routine was really cool when they were in the boxes. The out-of-box stuff looks a little rough in places because they're twisting together and keep getting just a little tangled up. But overall the routine was pretty good. The choreo was great.
• The judging: Cat says it was "plastic fantastic." Nigel loved the concept and wished it had even more time to develop. Nigel says he went on an Internet mission to find out why Robert keeps getting put in the bottom three, and says people think he's arrogant, which Nigel says is not the case at all. Mia concurs that Robert is a very hard worker, etc., etc. I think Nigel missed the point; it's not that we think Robert is arrogant, it's that he mugs to the camera too, too, too much! Need I remind the judges of the old barf-into-the-hand-and-then-hold-up-the-number-of-fingers move? I mean, really. Anyway, Mia thinks this was a perfect piece for Robert's personality and movement. (That sounds like a backhanded compliment to me.) She does acknowledge that it "could have been tightened up a bit." Adam says Rob is so great and that he thought the routine was stellar.

Two routines a night: this is how people get injured, folks.

AdeChicke and Alex (Nakul Dev Mahajan Bollywood):

• The featurette: AdeChicke and Alex have a lovely rapport. AdeChicke relates better to Alex than most of the girls he has danced with.
• The dance: AdeChicke is dancing with Nakul's assistant Marla. Is she the same one who had to dance with Russell last year? AdeChicke looks pretty good here. I'm sure the judges won't love it nearly as much as they loved Jose's though. Because, you know, AdeChicke just isn't nearly as joyful. Ok, WOW! The last third of that routine was WICKED fast and AdeChicke killed it. And he charged through the series of straddle jumps that brought Alex down in the practice and just slaughtered them.
• The judging: Oh for goodness sake, now Nigel's complaining that AdeChicke put too much of his own personality in this one and needed to stick to the specific style. His plies weren't deep enough! Oh for crying out loud! How deep were Jose's plies?! Shut up. Brilliant Cat points out that there's a double standard here because the judges loved it when Jose put his own spin on Bollywood, and the crowd applauds her robustly. Mia agrees with Nigel and thinks AdeChicke's Bollywood looked more African than Bollywood. Adam starts pounding his hand and saying that AdeChicke (pound) will (pound) see it (pound) in the (pound) playback! Why do the judges seem so angry right now? Nigel cuts in to imply that AdeChicke is mad at them and he shouldn't be. Um, sorry, Nigel, he has every right to look at the three of you like you're a bunch of biased idiots, because that's what you are acting like. Seriously, I haven't liked AdeChicke much at all up until now, but after the way he's been treated tonight, I'm thinking about actually voting for him! Unbelievable. Are the judges purposely trying to be artificially mean (to inspire sympathy votes or something), or do they really think this is how to get him into the bottom three? [BTW, Courtney Galliano just tweeted: "Is anyone else in love with @catdeeley for that comment like I am?"]

Lauren and Kent (Travis Wall contemporary):

• The featurette: Lauren burps in Kent's face. Kent says she burps "like the man I'm supposed to be." The routine is about two kids saying goodbye after the prom. Travis is definitely playing to his dancers here.
• The dance: Wow, first 10 seconds were textbook Travis Wall choreo--I'd have instantly known who choreographed this even if they didn't tell me. Oh, this routine is beautiful. It includes some great lifts--Lauren can do some stunning mid-air lift splits. The end was a little frenzied, but the majority of the routine was stunning. Well danced too. In the style of the Jason/Jeanine routine, it ends with a big kiss.
• The judging: Nigel says it confirmed what a really good contemporary dancer Lauren is, what a really good contemporary dancer Kent is, and what a really good contemporary choreographer Travis is. Nigel says the pair is "really the ultimate in male and female dancers this year." Uh, Alex Wong?! Mia thought it was stunning and that Lauren was the ultimate in female dancing in that routine. Adam felt a little bit embarrassed because the connection was so honest and real and intimate. It made Adam feel weird (presumably like a creepy middle-aged man watching two teenagers make out).

Ashley and Robert (Jean-Marc and Franz quick step):

• The featurette: The piece is about a powerful man and a woman who wants to take that power. Ash and Rob are having a hard time picking up the steps in practice.
• The dance: They're using paso doble lighting for the quick step. I'm confused. Oh dear, first round of "quick stepping" wasn't too great. I think they're supposed to be bouncier. Ash looks ok; Robert looks heavy with his steps. Oh, making to contestants do the quick step with no all-stars is just mean. I've seen better quick steps on this show. And the dancers who did those better quick steps got sent home.
• The judging: Nigel thinks Robert's elbow dropped too low in the close-hold. Nigel says Robert was stiff-legged and his shape wasn't quite right, but his performance was right. Nigel thought Ashley looked absolutely lovely. Mia says they got through it and it wasn't a train wreck. Mia thought Robert's legs were too far apart (at least I think she was addressing Robert). Mia says,"It wasn't the kiss of death, it was just a really bad kiss." Lol. Adam says they got through it and were totally committed.

Billy and Jose (Sean Cheesman African jazz):

• The featurette: Billy to Jose: "What about you? What do you love about me?" Billy is worried that they might clash during rehearsal due to their very different backgrounds. For this dance, Billy is the prey (a jaguar), Jose is the hunter.
• The dance: Uh, playing to strengths here: Jose doesn't need pretty technique because he's a caveman-style hunter. Tell me, What about Billy's outfit says "jaguar"? Goth zebra maybe, but not jaguar. Hmm, there's a lot of tackling and rolling on the ground. Overall, I think it was ok. The end pose was cool. Billy's outfit is terrible. I liked the concept. I'd like to see the routine performed by like a Billy and an Alex Freaking Wong and see what we get.
• The judging: Nigel loved the concept. Nigel thought Billy's cat felt a little Broadway and not like an realistic animal. Nigel didn't think it was powerful enough from either of them. Mia doesn't really think Billy was a jaguar, but whatever animal he was, she loved it. Mia thought he was amazing. Mia thinks is was Jose's weakest performance. Adam gave some actual dancing critiques to both of them, which must have come as a shock to Jose, who has been led until now to believe that this is So You Think You Have A Joyful Personality.

They dedicate the during-the-credits final dance to Alex and he seems to love it. Oh, poor Alex. I'm also bummed that we never got to see Anya and Alex dance together.

Well, I'm exhausted. It's hard to pick favorites just due to the sheer number of routines we saw tonight.

My favorites:

• Kent and Lauren's contemporary
• Kent and Comfort's hip hop
• Billy and Katee's jazz / AdeChicke and Courtney's jazz

Overall, it seems like we saw a lot of decent routines tonight, but not very many exceptional ones.

And, again, memo to SYTYCD producers: Tomorrow. Katee. Twitch. Door. Make it happen.

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: Vampires, Aliens and Ballerinas, Oh My!

So You Think You Can Dance: "Top 14 Performance Show"

The episode started off with quite a dramatic opening montage, seeing as it's only Top 14 night. (That intro seemed like it was designed for the finales or at least the week the cuts for the Top 10 are made.)

Cat's dress is a little on the boring side again this week. Strapless, hot pink, poofy skirt, kind of prom-y. She has at least paired it with kind of a punky belt, however.

Has the line above the U in Kupono always been there? I've not noticed it before. I guess I've got to start figuring out how to get that symbol in Blogger... or not.

Oh nooooo, the third judge is Mia! Poor Brandon. Hushed silence as we wait to find out if Mia pulled the stick out of her butt in regards to Brandon. She reports that her opinion of him has improved. So that's nice. I was sure they were going to milk that later in the show: Brandon performs and Mia suddenly has an epiphany and realizes that he doesn't represent everything she hates in the world after all. And everyone cries.

Do we need to do such a thorough retrospective on every couple's three previous routines? It's only been three weeks!! I still remember all of their previous dances.

Janette and Brandon (Jean Marc & France Genereux cha cha):

• The featurette: Janette's bangs/hair really bother me.
• The dance: I like Janette's hair poofier like this. This routine is pretty good. Janette's obviously really good at it, and Brandon's keeping up well. It wasn't really a Benji/Heidi-caliber Latin-style routine, but will anything ever be? I'm beginning to think no.
• The judging: Nigel says this was "the best damn cha cha ever on this show." I'm not convinced, but upon further reflection, I remember that Benji and Heidi did a "club salsa" and a "mambo" but not a cha cha, so all comparisons to them are, in fact, completely irrelevant. Apparently, salsa technique (Janette's specialty) and cha cha technique are totally different. After a remarkably reserved and articulate critique, Mary gives them two first-class tickets on the hot tamale train and totally loses it. Mia tries to explain her past pissiness off as her recognition that Brandon has great talent and her wanting to be harder on him so that she can drive him to his full capabilities. I think she might just be kinda mean. Or that the producers told her to pick someone random and just skewer them to create some drama on the show. Whatever.

Kayla and Kupono (Sonya Tayeh contemporary): Enjoy your gift, kids. I can't imagine a more favorable combination of style and choreographer for these two dancers at this point in the competition.

• The featurette: Sonya's hopping right onto the pop culture vampire bandwagon with this routine.
• The dance: And, just in case we didn't get it, the song (Blue Foundation's "Eyes on Fire") comes straight off the Twilight soundtrack. I'm loving Kayla in this. Kupono's okay. I'm kind of wishing that he was Mark right now though. Mark + vampires would be absolutely creeptastic! I think they could have done a little more with Kupono's makeup for this one. He does not look all that vampire-ish; his lips aren't red enough.
• The judging: Nigel mention's Twilight and Sonya goes "YES!" in the audience. Lol, that seemed excessive. Nigel says that he's not going to talk about Kayla first because Kupono was so awesome. Ok, whatever. Mary likes it too and wants to know where Kup's beautiful kicks came from. Mia thinks this is Sonya's best piece ever on the show. (I still like "The Garden" better.)

We're 35 minutes in, and only two couples have performed. Oh my freaking heck...

Randy and Evan (Joey Dowling Broadway):

• The featurette: The couple reflects on their charmed life in this competition (getting assigned jazz, jive, and contemporary routines). And now Broadway! This is Evan's specialty. Ha ha, this Joey chick is hardcore.
• The dance: That opening spin/kick-(cartwheel)-on-the-table thing from Evan was awesome. Evan also looks way hotter than usual tonight. And this routine is eons better than most of Tyce's Broadway routines. Let's lock this Joey lady down! Evan was really good, and Randi was good too.
• The judging: Nigel thinks that their wrists need to be more flexible. Seriously? How does one make one's wrist more flexible in a week? Nigel says Randi did well but that Evan could do more. Mary says she really enjoyed it, but the tone of her voice doesn't sound too convincing. Mia says that since Evan and Randi are short, they need to take the dancing to an even higher level. Mia says Randi's dancing was "a little heavy." Mia also says "good job," but in a way that makes it sound like she's saying "that was the most horrendous piece of crap I've ever seen."

Wow, does Katherine Heigl's The Ugly Truth look terrible, or what?

Caitlin and Jason (Brian Friedman pop jazz):

• The featurette: Jason's personality seems a bit too calm for this show. He's very chill, and chill is rare on SYTYCD. Brian's back! Catlin is an alien who blew up Earth and then comes down to find the last man left with whom she can procreate. Now we're talking.
• The dance: Santigold!! "Creator" is a kick-ass track and it fits this theme well. Caitlin's doing pretty well with her alien role, but Jason's looking really good, even though his role isn't as flashy. Actually, he's kind of killing this. His pop jazz movements are superb. Isn't anyone going to suck this week? Who are we going to put in the bottom three?
• The judging: Nigel thinks Brian comes from another planet. Are those cuts on Jason's face part of his costume? OMG, Nigel just said that Caitlin's outfit makes her look like a "dancing condom." Cat: "Safety first, Nigel." Mary says this doesn't sit right with her. Come on, what's the big deal? How was this any weirder than crash test dummies or vampires or comic books or foxes or transformers or mannequins or any of the other weirdo stuff they've had on this show before? Would we seriously rather watch the same sappy contemporary routines about lovers getting together and then breaking up over and over and over again? I would not.

Jeanine and Phillip (Napoleon and Tabitha hip hop): ARE YOU SERIOUS?! They're doing another Nappy-Tabs hip hop routine? They did a Nappy-Tabs routine in week one! This is week four! That means that two of their four routines have been Nappy-Tabs hip hop routines! Come on! I realize that Phillip hasn't been showing that he can do any other style particularly well, but that's no reason to keep serving his specialty up to him.

• The featurette: Phillip describing how he felt when his pants ripped last week was hilarious.
• The dance: Kayne West's "Love Lockdown," get it? Because they're chained together? I appreciate that the addition of this chain must make this whole thing much harder, but the problem is that they're making it look like it's hard. I thought they were going to take each other out for awhile there. I'm not super impressed. Even the parts where they could ignore the chain and just dance for a while didn't seem that great because everything looked so much like what they did in week one.
• The judging: Nigel, however, loves it. Nigel actually uses the term "Nappy-Tabs." I thought that term was kind of derogatory, so I'd been refraining from using it. Mary says that this routine was just so incredibly creative. So to Mary, chains = creative, but aliens = no good. Oookay. Somehow Mary and Nigel both manage to not mention that this couple already did a Nappy-Tabs hip hop routine just weeks ago! Mia, however, thinks the chain made things look sloppy, and I agree. Way to sock it to Nappy-Tabs, Mia!

Melissa and Ade (Thordal Christensen classical/traditional pa de deux):

• The featurette: I guess this is the first "classical" pa de deux because Melissa's going to wear pointe shoes. So obviously this the only couple who could pull this style off, as Melissa is the only pointe dancer. I mean, can you even imagine Phillip trying to do a classical pa de deux?
• The dance: Beautiful. Not as flashy as SYTYCD routines are known to be--just very simple and classy. Excellent lifts. Melissa was lovely and Ade did all right. I would like to see them do a routine sometime that puts more focus on Ade, however. I feel like he's almost always there just to lift Melissa.
• The judging: Nigel almost wets himself over this, and then points out that tonight we've seen aliens impregnate dancers, dancers in chains, and now classical ballet. Mia says that Melissa was brilliant.

And now for a special announcement: Nigel, Adam Shankman, Carrie-Anne Inaba and Katie Holmes (naturally) have established The Dizzy Feet Foundation to benefit young, underprivileged dancers. They are kind of making it sound like no one has ever given scholarships to dancers in need before. In any event, Katie Holmes looks far better here in this interview than she's looked in years. Also involved is the top-notch team of Lil C, Paula Abdul, Miley Cyrus, Jennifer Lopez, and Debbie Allen. (Debbie is actually top-notch. Miley, not so much.) For more information: DizzyFeetFoundation.org.

Then Nigel announces (to no one's surprise) that SYTYCD's 100th episode on July 23 will include a tribute to Judy Garland choreographed by Tyce Diorio featuring Katie Holmes, who "donated her entire performance fee" to Dizzy Feet. Since when can Katie Holmes demand a performance fee for dancing? She was on freaking Dawson's Creek. That's like Adam Brody showing up on American Idol and expecting to get paid for singing.

Karla and Vitolio (Jean Marc & France Genereux quick step): These poor kids almost got kicked off last week and now they've got to end the show with a quick step!? It sure seems like they are getting thrown under the proverbial bus.

• The featurette: Jonathan looks just as happy sitting in the audience tonight as he did when he was actually in the competition. Vitolio already had to do a ballroom routine; cut this kid a break.
• The dance: I love Karla's polka dot outfit...whoa, and then all of a sudden it turns into a flowy pink dress! I'm no quick step expert, but this looks okay. I'm not sure that the quick step technique was impeccable, but the routine was fun: there was some Charleston and there was a little bit of a story. It was nice. I don't know if it will really inspire people to vote for them though. I think this does prove that Jonathan was holding Karla back a bit.
• The judging: Nigel and Mary both like it. Mia says Jean Marc is a genius and that this piece was amazing. Mia says that at times Vitolio looks like "a wild horse" who cannot be tamed, but sometimes he's great. Vitolio: "It was the kiss of death, but hopefully we made it the kiss of joy." That was a sweet thing to say, Vitolio, but I think it's going to take more than that to keep you out of the bottom three.

Phillip almost took Karla out when they first started to dance during the end credits. Other than that, the end credits dancing was much improved this week.

My favorites: Kayla and Kupono's contemporary, Caitlin and Jason's pop jazz, Randi and Evan's Broadway

Headed for the bottom three: It's kind of a tough one to call this week. I'm thinking Karla and Vitolio, Caitlin and Jason (due solely to the judges' lackluster critiques), and maybe Brandon and Janette (just because they went early and didn't have one of the gimmicky "marquee" routines of the night).

SYTYCD: Finding the Groove

So You Think You Can Dance: "Top 16 Performance Show"

Yea! I'm actually home to watch (and blog) a SYTYCD performance show for the first time this season! I'm so happy about that!

Last week's eliminations: Ashley got a little screwed. I wish that Caitlin's pretty good solo wouldn't have been able to make up for her poor performances during the performance shows. I think she's in over her head and the producers just want to keep her around because she's blond and pretty. Max, on the other hand, got REALLY screwed. During both week's performance shows, he was impressive, and he did a good ballroom solo too. I like Kupono (I think his to-do lists are adorable and I like that he's kind of like last season's Mark), but if this show were fair, he would have gone home. His hip hop during the performance show was not good, and his solo was sub-par. I didn't think he was even doing much dancing during the solo. And, of course, I'm royally peeved that they tossed the ballroom boy out already (I'm not counting Jonathan as a ballroom boy because I'm not convinced that he actually is one.)

BTW, this post over at SYTYCD Social does a good job of articulating a theory that might explain why this season feels a little off. Personally, I think it has some merit.

Tonight's show:

Is this the most conventional dress Cat's ever worn on the show? (It's kind of Grecian with gold trim at the neckline and waist.) I feel like I've seen dresses like this a thousand times before. It's almost boring!

Karla and Jonathan (Dave Scott hip hop):

• The featurette: How exactly did Jonathan go from gymnast to Latin dancer? I'm not sure I understand. Why do none of this season's boys have the ability to do a good gangster face? Jon kinda looks like Ashley Parker Angel in the face. (How embarrassed am I that just admitted to remembering O-Town?)
• The dance: Karla's good at this. I'm not so sure about Jason. Maybe it's just that his shiny silver pants aren't doing him any favors. They certainly don't make him look anymore like a gangster. I liked the routine better than most of the Napoleon and Tabitha routines (and the Shane Sparks ones last week), but it wasn't performed all that well.
• The judging: Nigel is flipping out and says that he bets they'll be in the bottom three this week. Hey, speaking of Cat's dress being conventional--Mary's almost wearing the same one! Toni Basil says they had no groove or funk. I kind of feel bad for Karla--she was all right, but Jon's badness distracted the judges.

Asuka and Vitolio (Mandy Moore jazz):

• The featurette: Asuka makes jewelry for ballroom dancers. Mandy choreographed a rocker jazz routine. I'm glad they're doing this style this week, because I was wondering how Asuka would do with a jazz or contemporary routine. Poor Asuka's been reduced to tears, and Vitolio is being very sweet to her. That was one heck of a play for the sympathy vote ;-)
• The dance: I'm kind of distracted by Vitolio's tight light blue pants. This is not my favorite jazz routine ever, but I'm not sure how much of that is the choreography and how much of that is the performance. I'm going to say 40% choreo (just not as cool as Sonya's routines have been) and 60% performance?
• The judging: Is Asuka really a sweetheart, as Vitolio says? It seems like she rubs a lot of people the wrong way. Nigel says Mandy gave them simple steps. That might explain some of my issues with the routine--it just like kind of simple. I do like Asuka's rocker makeup though. LOL, so Toni's saying that the best part of their work this week was how Vitolio acted before and after the actual routine.

Melissa and Ade (Tony Meredith rumba):

• The featurette: Ade looks like he is a disaster at the rumba. As in, he looks like me trying to do the rumba ;-)
• The dance: Well, Melissa is wearing the customary half-dress that all girls wear when they rumba. And this dress really catches the light. Looks like they've gotten a lot better at the technique since the first practice. By far the highlights of this dance were the displays of her leg flexibility. I think they're doing a good job with the technique and performance, but I still find rumbas to be boring.
• The judging: Cat wishes she were wearing Melissa's dress. Nigel: "What a difference 'Ade' makes." Mary's freaking out because Ade was "grooving" and it's a little creepy.

Janette and Brandon (Dave Scott hip hop):

• The featurette: Brandon likes to make the stage look "all sparkly." Janette likes banking and loans. I was also wondering how Brandon and Janette would do with hip hop, so I'm glad we get to find out tonight.
• The dance: Well, that is one hell of an outfit they've got on Janette! Janette's doing pretty well with her chair dance at the beginning of the routine. And, I gotta say, I'm loving Brandon's hip hop dancing! It's light and fluid like you'd expect from a contemporary dancer, but it's freaking good. This was easily the best hip hop routine of the season: best choreography and best performances.
• The judging: Mary and Nigel point out that these two did really well with hip hop which is very different than their personal styles. Mary gives them a scream. Toni says they had the groove.

Kayla and Kupono (Jean-Marc Genereux Viennese waltz): These two almost got kicked off last week, and they're making them do the Viennese waltz this week?! Ouch. I want to see Kupono try to do Latin--I feel like that would be funny.

• The featurette: Is Kayla tall enough to be a runway model? I'm not surprised that Kupono likes costume design--not just anyone would go on national television with half of a green boa attached to his shirt. Kupono says he lacks upper body strength.
• The dance: The set design (a cityscape projected with lights) is really cool. It's probably bad that I'm paying more attention to the set than I am to the dancing though. I'm no Viennese waltz expert, but I thought that this one looked pretty good.
• The judging: Cat: "Sometimes when a dancer reaches into a hat and pulls out the Viennese waltz, they die a million deaths." Nigel says they did a beautiful job but concedes that people think Viennese waltzes are boring. (Then why are we still doing so many of them on this show, Nigel?) Mary tries to bolster the cause of Viennese waltzers everywhere by putting these two on the Hot Tamale Train.

Randi and Evan (Mia Michael's contemporary): Didn't these two just dance a contemporary routine two weeks ago? I guess that was "jazz" but it was very contemporary-esque. It wasn't choreographed by Mia though, and this marks her first couple routine of the season (she choreographed the Top 18 group dance). But I wanted to see Evan try hip hop, darn it!

• The featurette: Is it just me who is unfamiliar with this "gearhead" term? Evan's still trying to get mileage out of his joke about the jive being "fun." Well, Evan, if you're working with Mia, this week might not be so fun ;-) What's this about him being hypnotized by Randi's booty? What?
• The dance: What is Evan wearing? He looks like a hobo. Randi's doing a lot of dancing with one bare foot and one stiletto, which doesn't look easy. Randi's dancing is really reminding me specifically of someone, but I'm not sure who. Maybe Lauren from Season 3 or Allison from Season 2? I don't know, I'm leaning toward Allison. Whatever, I like this routine. I think Randi (and not just her butt) is overshadowing Evan though.
• The juding: Cat: "Cheeky!" Nigel: "...but--and there is a butt..." Nigel definitely planned this critique out ahead of time. He's not just spouting off these butt puns off the top of his head. He says the routine was kind of simple (for Mia), but it was well-danced. If Randi is sooooo uncomfortable with people people looking at her butt, why would she own so many unitards with hot pants? Speaking of butts, Toni is doing some major kissing of Mia's.

Caitlin and Jason (Jean-Marc & France Genereux paso doble):

• The featurette: Caitlin definitely has a broadcast journalist vibe to her. Our first paso of the season.
• The dance: The routine starts out with an impressive opening that showcases Caitlin's exceptional flexibility. Jason just made a "ROAR!" face, and I didn't buy it at all. He looks like a extra in a Robin Hood movie in this costume. The dancing looked a little rough towards the end of the routine. They did really try to make it intense though.
• The judging: Nigel does not seem blown away, but he says they did a good job. Mary's trying to tell us that this was a strong performance; and I might have believed her, if she hadn't just said that Jason looks great in that costume. Her credibility is shot to heck now.

Jeanine and Phillip (Tyce Diorio Broadway):

• The featurette: Phillip wants to be an inventor. Jeanine wants to be an actress (yet she's on a dancing show). Lol, Tyce just yelled "Get over it!" at Phillip. Ugh, I hope Phillip makes it the whole way over the couch tonight.
• The dance: He cleared the couch! In other news, I think they're both dancing this routine well. And they're good pillow smashers. This style suits them because they're both good at personality-driven performances.
• The judging: Oh no, Phillip ripped his pants! And Nigel pointed it out. Poor Phillip. Jeanine's bangs are driving me nuts. Phillip: "I gave you more than you wanted this time." Mary: "I'm allergic to down feathers...but I wasn't allergic to that routine!!" Lol, that was ridiculous. Toni: "I thought it was adorable, but I don't think adorable is a great, great word..."

Is it just me or is the quality of the dancing during the ending theme song (while the credits are rolling) really poor this season as compared to others? Half these people aren't even dancing, and some people are just acting weird.

My favorite routines: Brandon and Jeanette's hip hop, Randi and Evan's contemporary, and I guess Melissa and Ade's rumba (by process of elimination)

In trouble: Karla and Jonathan (I forgot all about that routine by the time they showed the recap); Asuka and Vitolio, and probably Caitlin and Jason (but maybe Kupono and Kayla).