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

STYCYD: America Finally Gets A Vote

So You Think You Can Dance: Top 16 Performance Show

The play-by-play:

• Cat's got a snakeskin-esque knee-length black dress with long sleeves. She has paired the dress with smokey eyes and future hair.
• Ashleigh's pants during the intros are heinous.
• The Season 5 dancers are in attendance. Can't say I missed them all that much. They're in the midst of their tour.
• It's Jason! He's still such a cutie.
• Wow, I want to go to this Dizzy Feet party--Mary and Dmitry are going to do the samba!
• Also in attendance tonight is Dominic. I'm sorry, but his hair is just not looking good these days.

Karen and Kevin (Maria Torres hustle):

• The featurette: What?! Karen says she and her husband (whom she auditioned with but then got cut in Vegas) decided to get a divorce. So I guess we're lucky that they're not the married couple that made it into the Top 20; that could have been really awkward.
• The dance: The beginning seems more waltz-y than hustle-y. It picks up a bit in the middle. It looked a bit rough in places; other places looked good. Kevin did a nice jete. I feel like Kevin's always seems to have his back to the camera for some reason. The exit out of that final lift was not smooth at all.
• The judging: Nevertheless, Adam loved it. He says he just saw Kevin for the first time. He thinks it was "amazing" and "fantastic." Mary says Karen looked like a hustle queen out there. Lol at the replay of Kevin's face when they did the death drop; he looked absolutely terrified!

Ashleigh and Jakob (Mandy Moore jazz):

• The featurette: One of Jakob's best friends is Jeanine. Ha at the home video footage of them when Jakob had poofier hair but Jeanine looked exactly the same. Prop alert! This dance involves a cane.
• The dance: Ashleigh's wearing very similar pants to the ones Janette wore during Wade's criminals piece last season. They both wear them well, but those pants are terrible. Jacob is terrific. This was a very nice routine; it never quite got to epic level though.
• The judging: Adam points out that there was a cane mishap; Nigel didn't notice it. Lol, Jakob denies that any cane mishap occurred. Adam is astounded by Jakob's jumping ability and flexibility. Mary loves and adores both of them. Nigel says this routine comes up to the Table routine with Neil and Sabra, and Nigel kind of makes it sound like that routine was the only good routine Mandy ever choreographed.

Pauline and Peter (JT and Tomas quick step):

• The featurette: Peter volunteers to teach special needs people to dance. Wow, these two are getting hung out to dry tonight: they "drew" the quick step. At least there's a cute story to this one: Peter is a Navy serviceman and Pauline is a hula dancer.
• The dance: Not sure why a Navy serviceman and a hula dancer are doing the quick step, but whatever. These two absolutely look their parts, and they look adorable. The quick step itself was probably not great, but they gave it a heck of a try considering that it is completely alien to their styles.
• The judging: Adam really liked the performance. Mary says they pulled off the quick step due to their performance, but some of the leg actions and positions weren't quite right. Nigel points out some more technical flaws, but says he doesn't care because it was a fabulous performance. Nigel thinks this was the first time someone put a story put to a STYTCD quick step, and I'm skeptical about that claim, but too lazy to research it.

Kathryn and Legacy (Andy Blankenbuehler Broadway):

• The featurette: Kathryn recently went on a mission trip to Costa Rica. Legacy loves soccer. Score! A Broadway number not choreographed by Tyce!
• The dance: Kathryn is looking amazing in this. And Legacy's doing a good job of keeping up too! I liked this routine sooooo much better than the typical SYTYCD (Tyce) Broadway routine.
• The judging: Adam says he wasn't getting enough character out of Kathryn but that the dancing was adorable. Mary thought the routine was adorable, but that they lacked a little bit of choreography. Ok, the judges are harshing on Kathryn, but I thought she was fantastic. I don't get it. Nigel thinks she looked childish. Um, maybe that had something to do with the jean shorts/sneakers combo.

Channing and Victor (Stacey Tookey contemporary):

• The featurette: Lol, Channing makes lawnmower racing sound so exciting... Oh, look, it's another contemporary routine about a toxic relationship.
• The dance: Poor Channing had to do a lot of falling down/thrashing around the ground in this one. Victor got to do some too at the end. It was nice to see someone lift Channing without looking like he was about to lift a piano. Rather lovely all around, I'd say.
• The judging: The judges like this new partnership. They commend the quality of movement, without being deeply touched. Do you think Cat wakes up in the middle of the night yelling "1-888-83676-0_"?

Ellenore and Ryan (Lil C hip hop):

• The featurette: Ellenore has ancestors of 6 different nationalities. They are having some trouble finding Ryan's hip hop swagger.
• The dance: Why are there so many robbers on SYTYCD? Aside from toxic couples, robbers might be the most represented group of people. Uh, this doesn't really look good at all. Not sure if it's the dancing or the choreo or the heinous costumes. Ryan doesn't look like he knows what he's doing. He's also looking at Ellenore a lot, and I'm not sure if he's supposed to be doing that or if he's lost and needs help.
• The judging: Adam called Ellenore a "weird, funny girl." Uh, thanks? Adam says Ryan is "the most transformed dancer of the night"--well, sure, but not in a good way. Mary says Ellenore is too covered up; has she been possessed by Nigel? Mary points out that while Ryan may have done okay for a ballroomer, we're getting to the point in the competition where that's not going to be good enough. Finally, Nigel speaks the truth and says it was not good at all. Nigel: "You were just dancing, and you really can't do that in hip hop."

Mollee and Nathan (Gustavo Vargas salsa):

• The featurette: Something America doesn't know about Nathan is that he goes jet skiing...and perhaps there's a reason we don't know that; it's not particularly interesting. Ugh, I do not want to see "sexified Mollee" at all.
• The dance: This looks rough. You can tell Mollee's not a salsa dancer. She looks completely lost. I can't decide if Nathan's off too or if she's throwing him off.
• The judging: Adam says that routine exposed all of their weaknesses. How does Adam know that Mollee and Nathan are "fan favorites"? The fans have never gotten to vote yet! Mary says she could have gotten over the mishaps, but the feel and the style weren't there at all. Nigel says they didn't feel the music, missed connections and lost their chemistry. So much for all of Mollee's perkiness--she can barely manage to muster up the spirit to mug for the camera when they flash the phone number.

Noelle and Russell (Sean Cheesman Afro-jazz):

• The featurette: Russell is also an artist. In this dance, Russell is a frog and Noelle is an African princess.
• The dance: Can I get a "hell yeah!" on shirtless Russell? Russell is just too good. I don't know if Noelle's quite got the style--she looks a little stiffer than I would think you should be. The assisted flipping they did was really, really cool.
• The judging: Adam's on my nerves tonight. He's too focused on being cute and not focused enough on giving an actual critique. It's a problem when you're waiting to hear from Mary Murphy so you can get some substance. Mary says Russell is the king of Afro-jazz and says he's the first king on the Hot Tamale Train. Nigel takes another swipe at Russian folk dance! Aren't we over that by now? That's so summer of 2009.

My favorites:
Russell and Noelle Afro-jazz
Legacy and Kathryn Broadway
Victor and Channing contemporary

The judges single out Ryan and Ellenore and Mollee and Nathan as the couples in trouble. Geez! Even now that we're finally allowed to vote, the judges are still trying to boss us around!

I agree with the judges that Mollee and Nathan should be in the bottom three couples, but I suspect that the teeny boppers will save them so it's hard to predict who else will be dancing tomorrow night besides Ryan and Ellenore. Maybe Karen and Kevin and Channing and Victor, just because there was more fuss made about the other couples?

SYTYCD: 'Super' Six

So You Think You Can Dance: "Top 6 Performance Show"

My commitment to blogging about SYTYCD knows no bounds. The laptop is on the fritz, so I was reduced to watching the show in a (gasp) computer-less room. But, unwilling to forgo the my customary recap post at this important stage of the proceedings, I took notes by hand and am now typing them up for the blog. I know, the horror!


The play-by-play:

• Cat is wearing a fairly simple royal blue mini dress with super straight hair and a big punk bracelet with a large silver pyramid on it.
• During the intro, Brandon threw and all-out fit in his mini solo!
• Jeanine is again dressed for the bedroom (of a bordello).
• Right away, Cat calls third judge Lil C out on his overuse of big words.
• Lil C says the voting is down to people's preferences now.
• Mary wants us to consider ALL of a contestant's work, not just tonight's performances. Was that a tacit admission that last week's cancer dance messed up the show by allowing Melissa to stay an extra week?
• Nigel basically flat out acknowledges that whoever gets the marquee routine gets the votes, allowing less skilled/versatile/charismatic dancers to stick around longer than they should.
• Nigel's list of past standouts (in terms of star power): Twitch, Joshua, Katee, Courtney G., Gev and Benji.

Guys' group number (Sonya Tayah jazz):

• The featurette: Evan acknowledges that Brandon is amazing. Brandon says that Evan is hard to carry around the stage.
• The dance: The throw/jump of Brandon was freaking awesome, as was Brandon's front aerial (after all these back flips, it's nice to see someone mix it up a bit with the tumbling). All three guys can do back flips. (Is that why Jason had to go? Did he do back flips? I don't remember.) That was a cool routine, and they all danced it well. In fact, I'm surprised because I expected Evan to be a lot worse than he was.
• The judging: Lil C also thinks Evan was better than expected and calls Brandon and Ade "powerhouses." Mary just loved it, yes she did!! Nigel thinks that performance was of a standard that he doesn't think the top three boys could have achieved in other seasons, which is comparing apples to oranges, really. Could these three do a better jazz routine that Josh, Twitch and Mark? Probably. Could Josh, Twitch and Mark do a better hip hop routine than these three? Most definitely. Obviously the standard can go up when they perform in a style that is so close to all of their specialties.

Jeanine and Ade (Louis van Amstel samba):

• The featurette: Jeanine was "relieved" when she picked Ade out of the hat (obviously, because she didn't want to dance with Evan.) Ade's been on the Latin train these past few weeks.
• The dance: Well, Jeanine's outfit is something. There are a heck of a lot of feathers on her butt. This routine is okay, but really not that sexy (as they kept telling us it would be). In fact, Jeanine's "sexy face" is horrendous and not sexy at all. It looks more like the "undead face" that one would make when performing "Ramalama" or last week's zombie hip hop.
• The judging: Abruptly, we start with Mary, who proceeds to skewer their technique move by move! (She was particularly hard on Ade.) Lil C agrees and says that Ade was "frollicking." Nigel thinks Jeanine "looks great." Thanks, Nigel, that's helpful. Nigel gives Louis a shout out, which is quickly followed by another shot at Ade's technique.

Kayla's solo: To the music of The Fray. It was a bit boring and then she did some nice pirouettes. Still better than what she had been doing for solos earlier in the season.

Melissa and Evan (Tyce Diorio Broadway):

• The featurette: I was sooooooo hoping to see Melissa and Evan do a krump and a quick step. A Tyce Broadway routine isn't a krump, but it's probably the next best (worst) thing. I want to see these two get Tyced! They will perform to "Get Me to the Church on Time," and Evan's uncomfortable about having to marry a married woman. Melissa cannot stop laughing at Evan's faces.
• The dance: Melissa's getting married in a negligee? Classy... And I'm not sure that the socks/boxers look is the best way for Evan to go. They're not dancing this routine poorly, but I'm so freaking bored that I can barely pay attention at all. And the more you look at it, the more hideous Melissa's costume becomes.
• The judging: Lil C thinks Evan didn't take the helm and live up to expectations. Lil C doesn't quite know what the element that was missing was. (I think it was interesting choreography, personally.) Mary praises the routine in an attempt to keep these two from getting sympathy votes. Nigel says Melissa has been able to adapt to every style they've given her, and I say, "That's because you've never made her hip hop!!!"

Ade's solo: Nice straddle jump, good pirouette series, some nice musicality, shirt wide open.

Kayla and Brandon (Stacey Tookey contemporary):

• The featurette: This routine's not choreographed by Mia! I was sure that we were going to finally be treated to a Mia/Brandon collaboration. Stacey is Mia-esque though, so I guess this will have to do. The routine is very challenging, and Brandon says that they are always exhaling and never inhaling.
• The dance: At least, as the mistress, Kayla has an excuse for wearing a negligee. They need to turn up the set lights, because I can barely see the dancers (especially Brandon because he's not as blindingly pale as Kayla). Kayla really sold the facial expressions. The routine was performed very well, as you would expect from these two exceptional contemporary dancers.
• The judging: Lil C says, "That was beyond amazing!" Lil C also calls Kayla "a beast." Mary loved every second, yes she did!! Nigel says the girls have had it rough this year, what with having addictions, unplanned pregnancies, (and cancer), being strangled by a zombie and now being an abused mistress.

Melissa's solo: Walks a bit, stands around posing for a while, and then finally starts to move around and do splits right before the music ends.

Jeanine and Ade (Napoleon and Tabitha hip hop):

• The featurette: Bummer. I had felt like we've been having a nice (one week) break from NappyTabs. For the record, this is poor Jeanine's third NappyTabs hip hop routine. This one is about friends who get evicted from their apartment--I feel like we're scraping the bottom of the inspiration barrel here. Jeanine fell a lot during rehearsal.
• The dance: I can't see Ade's face at all, thanks to that hat, I guess. This routine is kind of boring, even by NappyTabs standards. The boxes aren't helping anything either. They made for a pretty stupid prop, in my opinion.
• The judging: Lil C: "I wish moving was always that fun. I would relocate everyday." Lil C says Ade finally rocked his innate "dirty groove," and that they both danced the routine well. Mary says that she forgot to tell Jeanine that she was really good in the samba. Nigel: "I thought Mary was a bit mean. She was like my ex-wife's divorce attorney." Too much information, Nigel. All of the judges are trying really hard to sell the idea that this routine was great (and the boxes were a fantastic prop). There is a general consensus that "they got down," whatever that really means. At least through this routine SYTYCD was able to spread some awareness about the suckiness of getting evicted.

Brandon's solo: He means business tonight--he's got his most dramatic music and his tiniest spandex shorts. His fantastic, powerful, and meticulously choreographed solo garners a standing ovation from the judges. Then there's a choppy cut to Nigel saying that that was one of the best solos ever on SYTYCD. (Who edited tonight's episode? It looks like a third-grader did it at times. Also, what did Nigel used to say in seasons 1 and 2 when "the best ever on SYTYCD" didn't mean all that much?)

Melissa and Evan (Louis van Amstel quickstep):

• The featurette: Didn't Evan use to be cuter? I mean, seriously. Evan can't lift Melissa without falling to the ground.
• The dance: Melissa's dress is either pretty great or hideous, and I'm not sure which. Very unvaried facial expressions, especially from Melissa. I think Melissa almost fell over completely at one point, and it looked like she ran completely out of gas during the Charleston portion. The routine was fun enough, but will it get them votes? Nah. I actually don't know if Evan was good or not; I just didn't notice him because I was having such problems with Melissa.
• The judging: Lil C thinks Melissa was fabulous and Evan danced bigger than ever. Mary says that Louis created a fabulous routine, yes he did!! Mary says that their performance lost all kinds of energy as it went on and it didn't live up to her expectations. Nigel reminds Melissa that she's only 29 and not Cloris Leachman on Dancing With The Stars. Nigel says that the Lindy Hop and Charleston sections dragged.

Jeanine's solo: She continues her string of skanky outfits. Other than a nice pirouette sequence, there wasn't much to like in this solo--unless you really dig a lot of hip wiggling and hair flips. (At this point in the competition, dancers should not be relying on moves that I can do, and I can do a mean hair flip.) Maybe she's tired? I've been wanting rid of Melissa for weeks, but Jeanine has been rubbing me the wrong way all night tonight (with her dancing; I like her fine when she's talking.)

Evan's solo: This is a quick turnaround here for him. Starts with a nice back flip and then proceeds with kind of a boring display of the usual. Ends with a string of pirouettes through to a nice straddle jump. At least he didn't wear a fedora and suspenders this time. That's a little variety anyway.

Kayla and Brandon (Doriana Sanchez disco):

• The featurette: I swear that every time anyone does a disco on this show, it is called "one of the most difficult discos ever on the show." Can we just agree that they're all difficult? Brandon says he's not really as confident as he comes off. Kayla says this disco is more like a circus.
• The dance: Brandon starts with a tumbling pass. I don't think Brandon is looking as good in this routine as he did in the other disco--I'm not sure if it's the height issue, the frenetic choreo, the hideous, Elvis-esque costume or what. Both dancers look very tired by the end. Kayla does a death drop and then Brandon does one too! After the routine, Kayla says she can't breathe.
• The judging: Lil C realizes this is one of his last chances to speak tonight and proceeds to spew out all of the psycho babble that he's been saving up. Something about pockets of music, I don't know... Mary also thinks this was great. Yes, it was difficult and exhausting, but it was not that good, people. Mary says Brandon's self-esteem issues make her want "to get at" him and stands up and has to be restrained by Nigel and Lil C. That was frightening. Now Nigel jumps up, runs around and yells. Mary says, "Trying to jump down my back, yes he is!!" What the hell is going on?!

Girls' group number (Sonya Tayeh contemporary):

• The featurette: The routine has a superhero theme because Sonya always wanted to be a superhero. I hope Kayla's not too wiped from that disco to do this routine. Whoa! Jeanine nailed Kayla in the face in practice!
• The dance: It seems like Kayla's doing most of the heavy lifting here. Melissa didn't seem to have any breakout feature or get lifted up at any point. I think I liked Wonka better.
• The judging: Lil C says Sonya's in charge of PE at the Superhero School for Girls. Lil C: "You still gotta eat, and the stage is your bowl." C thinks the dancers were maybe holding back in favor of synchronization. Mary thinks Kayla stood out because she had a few harder moves. Mary thinks they should take this act to Comic-Con. Nigel: "Is it a bird? Is it a plane? Or is it an arabesque?" Nigel then again gets all pervy about how Jeanine looks.

During the end credit dancing, Ade actually took some time to play to the audience and not the camera! Imagine!

We got to see a rather extended dancing-during-the-credits sequence, so were the choppy cuts earlier in the show really necessary?

Coming into tonight's episode, I wanted Melissa and Evan to go. After tonight's performances, however, the only two I know I want in the finale are Brandon and Kayla. Honestly, I could do without all of the other four at this point.

SYTYCD: It's Raining Dancers

So You Think You Can Dance: "Top 18 Performance Show"

Blogging SYTYCD recaps has become such an ordeal for me this season. Last week, I was on vacation and literally in the middle of picking hard shell crabs when SYTYCD came on, so typing up my comments was not an option. (For the record, I liked Janette and Brandon's fox trot, Ashley and Kupono's crash test dummies jazz, Melissa and Ade's contemp, Evan and Randi's jazz and Kayla and Max's samba. I was underwhelmed by Caitlin and Jason's Bollywood, Phillip and Jeanine's hip hop and Karla and Jonathan's cha cha. I didn't like Asuka and Vitolio's Broadway (and that's all on Tyce, IMO) or Paris and Tony's hip hop. I was overjoyed that they kicked off Tony and abandoned the hope that he'd be "this season's Ivan"--because, seriously, I wasn't the world's biggest Ivan fan, but he was way better at his style and others than Tony is. Tony wasn't even this season's Cedric, because at least Cedric could do a decent solo. Paris was a victim of being one of a few too many brunette contemporary dancers.)

My viewing of this week's show turned out to be even more of a disaster (involving a long driving trip, a rain storm of epic proportions, some nearly flooded out roads, and a FOX channel that was cutting in and out). Due to sheer perseverance however I have managed to now watch and recap all of the dances through a combo of tape recordings and online videos. It's taken me most of the day, but come hell or high water I was going to do this recap, so here it is:

Randi and Evan (Louis van Amstel jive):

• The featurette: Evan built his own car. I don't think I need to hear the word "fun" again for awhile.
• The dance: Wow, both of these kids can really dance. They showed great presentation quality in this zany jive style. My favorite part was when she did a back bend and he did a straddle jump over top of her.
• The judging: Hmm, Mary says that Evan didn't quite get the "triple step motion." Nigel makes sure to mention Louis right off the bat (after the judges ignored him last week). Nigel thinks Evan lost the "double bounce feel." I'm kind of lost.

Melissa and Ade (Sonya Tayeh jazz):

• The featurette: Wow, Ade's full name sounds even longer than Kupono's full name. Uh oh, Ade says that Melissa's "rib is falling out."
• The dance: How exactly is Melissa playing "hard to get" if she's starting the dance on Ade's back? I think I like Melissa's hot pink pants. I liked the dance too, but I didn't loooooove it. It looked like it was made up of a bunch of stock movements from Sonya's other routines (the side-by-side pointed-toe hops from the comic book contemp, a lift similar to the one from "The Garden"). I think the dancers performed it well, but I don't think they brought anything particularly special to it. Ade's full-twisting wolf jump (Nigel called it something else) was phenomenal, however.
• The judging: Lil C rubbed his palms together and said the routine was buck.

Jason and Caitlin (Shane Sparks hip hop):

• The featurette: Jason was super cute when he was a little kid doing his Michael Jackson impression. Caitlin is annoying me.
• The dance: My enthusiasm over Shane Sparks doing the hip hop choreo this week instead of Napoleon and Tabitha was quickly tempered by some sub-par dancing, particular from Caitlin. When she was actually trying to dance, she looked--at best--like a low-rent Britney Spears impersonation, so I guess Shane tried to get around that by just having her sassily walk around and pose for most of the routine. Jason was all right though.
• The judging: Lol, Lil C just called this performance "a nightmare" and then says that it was "missing some nectar." Mary points out that they looked like they were impersonating Michael Jackson and Britney Spears. Frankly, Mary, I think that if you watch their Bollywood routine from last week, you'll see that it wasn't that good either.

Janette and Brandon (Doriana Sanchez disco): I can't believe they're still making people do disco on this show. Has anyone ever actually really liked one of these disco routines?

• The featurette: Brandon has "never worked out" a day in his life, apparently. I think they should phrase it that he "never lifts weights at the gym" because clearly the dude "works out"--he's a professional dancer for crying out loud.
• The dance: The lifts were really good, as you would expect from these two, but I also thought that the actual on-the-floor disco dancing was quite strong too. So, yeah, it turned out like most of the disco routines on this show: well danced, but ultimately not particularly inspiring.
• The judging: Lil C: "I believe that the primary focus of all obstacles is to induce labor so that progression can be born." Uh, yeah, right. Me too. Lol. The upshot is that Lil C finally likes Brandon (now that he's not under the influence of Mia).

Asuka and Vitolio (Louis van Amstel fox trot):

• The featurette: That bubble thing Asuka can do with her mouth is strange.
• The dance: Asuka's got a lot of fake hair. I liked the swinging spiral lift thing. Overall, it was lovely and well-danced. Asuka especially looked good. I don't think, however, that this is something I'm going to be remembering for very long.
• The judging: Tell me, Mary: how was Vitolio supposed to be "honest" in his performance of that crappy Broadway number last week? (Mary and Nigel both give Louis more shout-outs.) No, Nigel, you're not seeing a "completely different couple" than last week--you're seeing the same couple with a better routine.

Max and Kayla (Brian Friedman pop jazz):

• The featurette: Max cooks for everyone; that's so sweet. It's nice to see Brian back to choreograph. So far this season, we've already seen Brian, Shane and Wade Robson all come back, which is great in my opinion because it means there will be fewer routines by Tyce DiOrio and Napoleon and Tabitha.
• The dance: This opulent couch and ottoman set up puts Mia's bench dance to shame. I'm not sure that I'm getting "princess and usurper" from these costumes. They look more like insane circus performers to me. As for the routine, I feel like it had the potential to be awesome, but it ended up being just cool. They danced it well though.
• The judging: Lil C: "I know how hard it is to pick up Brian Friedman's vernacular." Kayla's grandpa!!! I agree with Mary about the iffy nature of Max's outfit.

Jonathan and Karla (Stacey Tookey contemporary): I picked these two as the most likely to get kicked off this week in the EW.com prediction contest, but I was worried that they'd get some romantic contemporary routine that would score them the sappy vote, and sure enough...

• The featurette: If I've seen one contemporary routine about strangers meeting and falling in love, I've seen a thousand... At least Stacey seems like a nice person (yeah, that comment was directed at Mia...).
• The dance: And the music is "Falling Slowly" no less! With that song, they could just go up there and sit on their butts and still get enough votes to not be in the bottom three. Due to my technical issues, I've watched this one about three times now, and the first time through I was not particularly impressed. Now upon the third viewing, however, I rather liked it. Jonathan didn't do a whole lot, but Karla was really good.
• The judging: Mary says Jonathan did that style better than his own--which would be saying more if he were better at his own style...

Phillip and Jeanine (Tony Meredith tango):

• The featurette: Jeanine's obsession with her bear is a little creepy. Jeanine's use of the word "tragic" in regards to this practice seems very apt, with the groping and kicking and everything.
• The dance: Chbeeb cannot tango. He can't even make the appropriate tango face. And Janine's not that great at it either. This one was rough. Frankly, as we learned on last week's results show, a good tango isn't all that interesting to watch, so a bad one is really a problem.
• The judging: Lil C: "A lack of confidence is the heaviest anchor you can put on your creativity and your art." Lil C is freaking brilliant. The tangential discussion about bent knees was also informative. Nigel: "I loved the way your knees were bent throughout the entire routine." A nice thing about SYTYCD versus American Idol is that on SYTYCD when a favorite sucks it up, the judges actually admit it. There's no equivolent of pretending that Danny Gokey's performance of "Dream On" was actually good going on here.

Ashley and Kupono (Shane Sparks hip hop):

• The featurette: Kupono has some major OCD tendencies. This kid cracks me up. Kupono showed us his to-do list again!!!
• The dance: Why does Kupono's "shadow" have such tighter pants than him? At first I thought that Kupono was doing the side-by-side moves better than Ashley, but then when she did the solo dance, that looked pretty good. Overall, though, it wasn't fantastic from either of them.
• The judging: Lil C: "There was no synchronization to be had or to be found." Lol. Lil C says Kupono was the problem. But, seriously, how could Kupono be taken seriously as a hip hopper when he's wearing a rainbow-colored scarf and a bunny t-shirt?!

It felt like they were trying to stretch not-so-much content out this whole episode. The routines seemed long, the judges had lengthy chats, the commercial breaks were substantially long, and the featurettes were lengthy too.

This is kind of random, but I wonder if the choreographers purposely save their best routines for later in the season. I haven't seen any routines so far that match the quality of some of the iconic SYTYCD routines, so I'm thinking everyone is just holding their best work for later. Why should they trot it out now, when there's still the chance that the dancers who perform it won't make the Top 10 and the routine won't get to be used on the tour?

My favorites: Max and Kayla; Melissa and Ade; Evan and Randi; Karla and Jonathan

In trouble: Jason and Caitlin; Kupono and Ashley; and it should be Phillip and Jeanine but I'm guessing it will be Asuka and Vitolio instead.

SYTYCD: NAAAATALIEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!

So You Think You Can Dance: "Vegas Callbacks #1"

Wow. I don't think I've ever been this royally cheesed off by an episode of SYTYCD. (I'm sure I've been pretty upset with the show before, but nothing springs to mind to match how I'm feeling now.) I'm peeved at the judges' decisions and how they all were acting like butts just to increase the drama. I'm peeved at how they seemed to be making up the rules as they went along. I'm peeved at how the show was edited in such a way that when the final 32 contestants were revealed, I found myself wondering who at least half of the people were. I peeved that they only tended to show people right before they got cut, which made the whole thing fairly predictable. But, above all, I'm peeved (and "peeved" is not a strong enough word) at how they treated Natalie Reid, who was my favorite dancer last year during the auditions and callbacks and was my favorite this year. (Plenty more ranting about that situation can be found in my play-by-play...in fact, I'm going to put it in bold so that it is more noticeable and more obviously angry.)

This episode has to be the show's most discouraging night. We had to watch person after person get cut, but we didn't get to end the night on the happy note of seeing the Top 20 get picked. So, it was a whole lot of sadness and no light at the end of the tunnel.

My (cheesed off) play-by-play of the night's events:

• So we must narrow 172 dancers down to 20... That sounds like it's going to be tough.
• Lil C! Oh, thank goodness.
• Alex Wong = way cooler in this opening solo that he was during auditions.
• I'm already annoyed with Mia and her "woooooooooooooooows."
• Tony's got a pretty high concept hip hop solo going here. There wasn't a whole lot of dancing, but there sure was a lot of Nigel's face.
• There was some pretty fantastic stuff in that montage of solos. (And a lot of contemporary.) But Nigel must have been watching different solos that then ones they showed us because he's all bent out of shape and cutting people (whose solos we didn't get so see). The judges wittle out 45 people for reasons unbeknownst to us.
• The people who were cut included Travis (son of football coach), Talia (the widow) and Chimezie! Noooooooooooooo! (The silver lining here is that I guess I won't have to memorize the spelling of Chimezie after all.)
• How much does Fergie pay SYTYCD to plug every single song she makes?
• Geez, Mia, just shut up; "I love cutting people, because I like to see people who aren't good at what they do go home." What? So, if Mia was an elementary school teacher and a 6-year-old couldn't read well, she'd like to see him just leave school and go home?
• Gabi Rojas got to stay based on the merit of her initial audition solo, and I just had to remind myself who Gabi was: she's the girl with rheumatoid arthritis and who grew up in the circus.
• Whoever that Russian-looking guy was who was dancing with Gabi was killing it though ;-)
• 97 dancers left after day 1.
• Ohh, Philip is not a waltzer.
• Wow, all six of those dancers got sent through, but we only watched Philip? Thanks, SYTYCD editors/producers...
• I was kind of surprised that Ariel made it though the first day, but I was really surprised that she got cut after waltz, which I thought she did pretty well. It was not until later in the evening that I realized that the quality of your dancing does not necessarily correlate with whether you get cut or not.
• Receiving accolades during the waltz were non-ballroomers Kayla and Priscilla and ballroomers Maksim, Asuka and Ricky.
• Nobuya was rocking that waltz ;-) Good for him. I've realized that one of his main strengths on this show is that something about him makes you think that he's going to be ridiculously bad and then he dances and turns out to be so much better than you were expecting.
• Oh no, that one kid kicked himself in the face? That's actually kind of impressive.
• Ohhhhhh nooooooooooooo. Natalie's performance before the judges wasn't as good as the one she just did in practice for Sonya.
• OH MY FREAKING GOD! I CANNOT BELIEVE THEY JUST CUT NATALIE!
• Her performance wasn't fantastic, but it certainly wasn't bad either. It should not have been enough to get her cut, especially since she's earned the benefit of the doubt by now.
• The judges totally just did that to prove the point that they're willing to cut anyone. But, why do they need to prove that point? Of course people are going to get cut--everyone except 20 people are going to get cut! I'm sure everyone understands that.
• I am seriously pissed off. I bet Sonya's pissed off too. Sonya should boycott the show unless they bring Natalie back. I would threaten to boycott the rest of this season, but I know I can't not watch this show.
• So, do we think Natalie will try out again next cycle? Or will she tell them to go screw themselves (like Katee threatened to do if they cut her last year)? Personally, I love her, so I would love for her to come back, but after this horrendous treatment, I would not blame her one iota for never coming near SYTYCD again.
• So, basically, Natalie and Brandon are getting screwed over because the other judges over-hyped them? It's not their fault that the judges over-hyped them! This is all so upsetting.
• Nigel: "Damn. My favorite unique dancer is not good."
  Well, damn, Nigel, my favorite unique dancer IS good and YOU CUT HER ANYWAY!
  
• Why does Gabi get to dance for her life, but Natalie didn't? Didn't Natalie earn that right after being one spot away from the Top 20 last season? Let's just make the rules up as we go to fit our own personal agendas, shall we, judges?
  
• Come on, judges, if Gabi can't do ballroom and she can't do jazz, how is she going to do this competition?
  
• Look, folks, I like Gabi's solos too, but this is not fair. How many second chances are we going to give this poor girl?
  
• Oh, but meanwhile Sammy gets cut without a second thought. This whole process sucks massively. I do not remember the Vegas selection process pissing me off this much in the past. (Maybe I didn't watch them? The Vegas episodes usually coincide with my vacation.)
  
• I don't know how I'm going to make it through another hour of this!
  
• Hey, it's Silky! I bet we're checking in with him to see him get cut too. Poor Silky had some serious group issues. In their defense, they didn't have the easiest song to choreograph to--if you're not a swing dancer, it's probably not easy to whip out a swing routine.
  
• Lil C: "The buck stops here." (So Lil C does use the word "buck" in the conventional expressions and not just as a hip expression of awesomeness.)
  
• Brandon's group was good. Their opening "huddle" choreography was cool.
  
• If Jason is "just so So You Think You Can Dance" according to Adam, could we maybe see him dance for more than 2 seconds?
  
• Why does nerd hip hop always seem to go over so well?
  
• We still have 68 dancers.
  
• Silky's dancing for his life dance was not nearly as cool as his original audition dance. That's a shame. Bye, Silky.
  
• What? Now the judges are making Tony repeat the choreography? They ARE making this up as they go along!!!
  
• Why can Mia judge people doing her own choreo? Maybe if Sonya was on the judging panel, she would have saved Natalie.
  
• Oh nooooo, poor Nobuya just got cut. Keep at it, buddy.
  
• Megan Kinney made it through with that contemporary performance? I didn't think she was very good.
  
• Now Caitlin Kinney has to dance for her life immediately. (Another example of the judges totally winging this whole competition.) She did a great leap and a nice spin, but the stuff in between wasn't all that exciting.
  
• I like watching Ryan better when he's not dancing with a whoopee cushion.
  
• Evan's really good. I'm definitely buying him as a contender now.
  
• Again this "Jason" advances to the next round without us getting to see him actually dance.
  
• I think Cat's got a crush on Tony now. She seemed really into hugging him ;-)
  
• Oh no, it's Tyce.
  
• Bianca is better at other (non-tap) styles of dance than I was expecting.
  
• Oh no! Priscilla just did a face-plant at the end of the routine!
  
• And now they cut Bianca! WHAT?! They only show people right before they cut them. I don't blame Bianca for feeling indignant about getting cut. I'm pissed on her behalf.
  
• So much for my prediction that there might be three tappers in this season's Top 20. Looks like there's going to be zero again.
  
• Wow, now Priscilla, Gabi and Megan Kinney are all out too. I thought Priscilla might make it further.
  
• Some of these girls in the top 16 look completely unfamiliar to me. That seems like a problem.
  
• Hey, what a shock, the group of guys full of people we've ever heard of or seen before got cut.
  
• The top 16 boys also include people we've never seen before.
  
• Um, geez, they could have shown us more of those solos.
  

As I suspected, the promos for tomorrow's episode suggest that they arrange it so that either Ryan or Evan get the last spot, so as to pit the two brothers against each other (like the pitted best friends and roommates Katee and Natalie against each other last season). How very classy, SYTYCD. And extremely predictable.

So, are we going to get to see any dancing tomorrow night? Or will we just watch a bunch of people sitting in a room and the judges trying to fake everybody out? I would at least like to see some footage of the dancing of the 15 or so of the top 32 who I don't remember ever seeing before...

BTW, what happened to Peter, the buff tapper guy from Philly? What about the dude with the really long Hawaiian name that started with a K? Did Adam Wong make it to the top 16 boys? Seems like the least they could have done was end the show by running down the names of all 32 dancers who are left.

SYTYCD: Bad Judge, Good Judge

So You Think You Can Dance: "Auditions #3 and #4"

I wasn't planning to blog this episode, but Tyce Diorio was SO annoying during his critique of the opening performance by that Tony guy that I had to start a post just to say: Holy crap, Tyce is annoying!!! Like he's so annoying that there has to be a word stronger than "annoying" to explain it. I don't think "obnoxious" covers it either. (Brief recap: Tyce: "BAAA-aaa-AAAA-aaad.") I now long for the days of Napoleon and Tabitha...


Continuing on with the Miami auditions:

• Priscilla's a great dancer and she's really adorable too.
• Oh, I didn't recognize Janette without the blond streaks in her hair. This routine is just one insane lift after another! Ok, now they're doing footwork and that looks good too. And holy heck, that flip/split lift thing is beyond awesome!
• Can you learn ballet by reading books? I'm thinking no...and this performance is doing nothing to convince me otherwise.
• Did Tyce always have so much attitude? I'm assuming he did, but somehow I've never noticed before. I think Nigel is regretting putting him on this judging panel, and I don't blame him. Sweet mother of mercy, I wouldn't want to have to listen to this guy talk for two whole days.
• Here's a plan: how about we get rid of Tyce and all of the Broadway numbers on this show completely?
• I kind of love this Joseph guy. He's reminiscent of Twitch with the combination of hip hop and effervescent personality. And I love his tongue-sticking-out face.
• Cat is so cute learning everyone's catchphrases.
• "I feel like I should be throwing up in the bathroom, but that's not my style. I need all my nutrition."
• I'm enjoying the tap performance by Eric ("Silky") more than I normally enjoy tap performances. I like it because he moves around the stage more than other tappers and he has incorporated other styles of dance (hip hop, breakdancing). And anyone with a forward AND backward worm in his routine gets a thumbs up in my book. Between this guy and the muscly dude from last week, I think there's going to be a tapper in the Top 20 for the first time!
• Paris, the former Miss Washington, isn't bad. I think she could stand to lose the tutu though--I don't think it's doing anything for her and it's kind of distracting. I liked the eerie version of "Toxic" that she performed to as well.
• Megan (I think that's what her name was...she was the girl in the purple shorts) was cool too. I liked her Terin Humphrey-esque backbend/split thing.
• Alex Long did one heck of a leg-up pirouette (there's probably a more appropriate ballet term for that move, but I can't come up with it). Marta should make all the gymnasts who try to do that move in their balance beam routines watch a video tape of him.
• Talia's story (her husband was killed in a motorcycle accident) is heartbreaking. She's a good dancer, but her routine is kind of NBA cheerleader-ish.
• Whoa, I totally fell for Nigel's "I'm sorry...to disagree with Tyce" fakeout. He shouldn't try to dupe widows. That's not nice. The poor girl has been through enough.

On to Memphis:

• Lil C!!!!!!!! I guess having him on the judging panel for the second hour is our consolation prize for having to listening to Tyce for the first hour.
• Police officer Marico's Memphis Jookin' (Ok, that can't be how you spell it...sweet goodness, I just looked it up and that is how you spell it!) is pretty buck, to borrow a term from Lil C. (I so can't speak hip hop.)
• Holy cow, this is quite an intellectual conversation we're having about jookin' here. I'm not really following it, but I appreciate it. Lil C always elevates the proceedings.
• Wow, look at that: Lil C just gave a weak performer constructive criticism (suggesting a dance style he should try) instead of just saying that he was "b-AAAA-aaaa-AAA-aaaaaaad" and ruthlessly insulting him.
• Is it just me or have we had to watch a lot more of the bad/ridiculous performers tonight that we did last week? I'm so over it. Let's just watch the good ones please.
• Ok, this dude just lost all my respect: He doesn't want to stick around to hear what Lil C has to say!
• Argh, now we're watching a montage of bad auditions from a variety of cities! I said I wanted to see good dancers!
• Caitlin, the sister of Purple Shorts (Megan, I think) from Miami, is here! That's cool. And Caitlin is awesome. She has gorgeous, Nastia Liukin-esque flexibility and extension. And, wow, she's only been dancing for 5 years (but she did gymnasts before that). Goodness, she's had hip reconstruction surgery! (I bet she has gymnasts to thank for that.)
• Anna's a winner too. She displays some very creative movement and positions. It's looking like it's going to be hard to pick the Top 20--I think we've already seen at least 20 great dancers, and there are still plenty of auditions left.
• Travis, the son of a football coach, is cute. He has gorgeous facial bone structure. Aww, the poor kid got teased a lot. ...Well, wait, was he wearing shorts with one leg that is longer than the other one when the teasing occurred? Because that is kind of silly.
• Oops, I don't remember this Evan kid at all.
• Ryan (to his little brother, Evan): "My whole life I've been waiting for you to grow up so we could be best friends."
• Boy are they pushing Glee hard tonight.
• More twins! These girls (Lydia and Lauren) are actually good though.
• I loved the look on Lil C's face while Ryan was performing. He was like, "I can't believe I'm watching a guy tap dance with a whoopee cushion." It was exactly like how my face looked during that routine too. Oh, but then Lil C goes and says the routine was delightful! That did not look like an "I'm delighted" face to me at all ;-)
• Previews for tomorrow: I was wondering when "Sex" was going to show up. There should be a rule that you can only try out for three cycles (without making it to Vegas) and then you're banned forever.

I began the blog to complain about one judge, but I'm going to conclude it by raving about another: I adore Lil C. His critiques are intelligent and nontheatrical, and that's just so nice.

I'm excited to see Mia tomorrow; she's always good for some weirdness and some brutal honesty. And, heaven help me, I think I'm even kind of excited to see Adam Shankman. (See what happens when this show goes away for such a long time? I even start to miss the aspects of it that annoy me.)

SYTYCD: It's the Top 10, Baby!

So You Think You Can Dance: Top 10 Performance Show

Pre-show prediction of who is in trouble this week: Gev (process of elimination) and Comfort (seeing as she was already eliminated once)

So, let's find out what's wrong with Jessica: She doesn't look particularly injured... She "broke two ribs and fractured one"--wait, what's the difference between a "break" and a "fracture"? Whatever. It doesn't seem to have affected her ability to walk around in really high heels and a really tight dress. So that, at least, is something.

As for Comfort: I can't really see this shaking out in any other way than her getting voted out this week. And getting eliminated two weeks in a row has got to really suck. At least she (and Thayne) can go on the tour.

It's nice to see Lil C on the judges panel tonight. At least I'm fairly confident that he's not going to just start shrieking...

Courtney and Joshua--Dance 1 (hip hop): Courtney has never "popped" before. It will be nice to see Josh do hip hop because I feel like I haven't seen him dance in his own style in a really long time. Courtney's hair is fantastic! (Speaking of hair, has Josh's hair always been this long? He's got quite a pony tail.) Well, I'm not popping expert, but it looks like Courtney's doing a good job to me, and I'm just glad to watch a hip hop routine that's not choreographed by Tabitha and Napoleon.

Chelsie's solo: Ahh, the solo, the bane of the ballroom dancer's existence. It was fairly standard fair, but she did a pretty good job. And her tiered dress made everything look extra cool.

Kherington and Mark--Dance 1 (Texas two step): Good riddance, Twitchington, I'm so over that pairing. I had a feeling Mark would be paired with Kherington this week, because she needs someone tall. Ok, so what I'm gathering is that the two step involves a lot of spinning around. Their dancing seemed oddly slow and not as smooth as it could be. Kherington's bikini top is weird too (it reminds me of Star Wars for some reason). Kherington looks slightly terrified--because of the dance or out of fear of a wardrobe malfunction? Mary's putting the blame on Kherington and her lack of connections.

Gev's solo: It was cool how he took off one of his shirts while doing a cartwheel. Other than that, it wasn't that exciting.

Comfort and Twitch--Dance 1 (smooth waltz): Seriously? They're making Comfort and Twitch do a smooth waltz?! That's just mean! Twitch: "I have a big hand though, so she has a big seat." At least Comfort has some chemistry with this partner. As far as waltzes go, this isn't the best one I've ever seen by far, but the performance level was better than I was expecting. The lift at the end was nice. Cat: "No one puts Comfort in the corner."

Courtney's solo: She started out with a lot of flopping to the ground (looked better than it sounds). I liked this solo--it mixed some leg extensions and "tricks" with some other dance moves.

Will and Katee--Dance 1 (Broadway): Sight unseen, I love this pair. Will's a cute nerd. I still, however, do not love SYTYCD Broadway routines, but as far as they go, this is one of the better ones. It was very well danced. Dimitri and Mia are hanging out together in the audience! Lil C says Will and Katee were "explosive in the character and even more explosive in the choreography," and I agree.

Mark's solo: Mark's own style of dancing is so weird. He always dances like a mad scientist or something. Nevertheless, I like it and I hope, hope, hope he doesn't get voted off this week.

Chelsie and Gev--Dance 1 (contemporary): Poor Gev, they're sure making him out to be kind of pervy... I like the song, I like how this contemporary routine is almost waltzy at times, and I like the lifts and the incorporation of Gev's tricks. I'm a fan. Nigel needs to stop pushing this Gev/Courntey stuff.

Comfort's solo: Why do I feel like I've seen this before?

Twitch's solo: I like the floor coverage that Twitch works into his hip hop solos and also his nice, fluid movements.

Courtney and Joshua--Dance 2 (rumba): Ahh, the boringest of all the Latin dances... (Why haven't we seen a paso doble since the first episode?) Wow, Josh is selling it; he's having one of his I-don't-look-like-a-hip-hop-dancer moments. I liked this routine significantly better than the other SYTYCD rumbas that I remember. It was a little faster and that last lift kicked ass. I'm glad that Josh has also noticed that Will and Twitch are "always nekkid on stage."

Katee's solo: This is the first time we've seen her dancing by herself in quite a while, and it's definitely worth watching. You can see the technique that everyone is raving about, but I also thought she did a good job of interpreting the music.

Kherington and Mark--Dance 2 (jazz): This routine is kind of disco-tastic. Not a bad routine at all, and I hope it's enough to keep Mark in the competition. They showed good technique. These last few weeks, I've noticed something lacking in how Kherington relates to her partner.

Will's solo: Hang on, Will's dancing and his chest is thoroughly covered...wait, what?!

Comfort and Twitch--Dance 2 (hip hop): I figured they were going to give this pair a hip hop number to make up for the smooth waltz. The futuristic costumes are fun. Twitch did the backwards worm! So, based on the individual hip hopping merits of these two dancers, putting them together should make for the best hip hop routine ever, and, you know what, I think it kind of was. I've liked other hip hop routines better for the characters (Transformers, mannequins, nerds, etc), but as for the quality of hip hop dancing (and, granted, I'm no expert), I think this one took the cake. And I'll agree with Lil C that this was the best performance by Comfort ever (she stole the show in my opinion). So apparently, getting eliminated is what it takes to give Comfort a kick in the pants.

Kherington's solo: Um, I'm not all that impressed. I'm beginning to feel like we've seen all K has to offer.

Katee and Will--Dance 2 (pas de deux?! WTF?): Katee's become quite the new dance pioneer. Ahh, look, Wills not wearing a shirt. Wow, I didn't know Katee's legs bent like that either! I think this is a perfect dance for these two technically proficient dancers. I'll say that I'm a fan of the pas de deux, (or "pa de dure" as I spelled it. Ha.) which, I guess, is kind of like ballet. Whatever it was, Katee and Will were super. You know, I think I'd like to see Katee win this whole contest.

Joshua's solo: We haven't seen him dance a solo in a long time either. Well, he made me giggle. I like how he seems so sweet in real life but can put on such an attitude when he's dancing.

Chelsie and Gev--Dance 2 (jive): Ok, come on, guys, we need a good jive this season... Not to quote Mary Murphy, but when Chelsie's doing a ballroom-type dance, she is one hot tamale. Gev's personality translates well into a jive, even if he's not the best jive technician ever.

Major kudos to Lil C's judging tonight. I had a good feeling about him, and he came through. I liked how he even attempted to give constructive criticism instead of just complimenting people for looking hot and saying, "WOOOOOOOOO!"

Best Routines:
Chelsie and Gev's contemporary
Comfort and Twitch's hip hop
Katee and Will's pas de deux

Who Should Go:
Girls: Kherington (In my opinion, Comfort saved herself with the hip hop, and Kherington wasn't great at anything tonight.)
Boys: Well, I imagine it will be either Mark or Gev, and I'm not really sure who it should be. Neither of them were all that remarkable tonight.

Tomorrow night: A group Bollywood number!!! Mia choreographing the girls!!! A mystery guest working with the boys!!! Sweet!!!