SYTYCD: The Terrific Trio

So You Think You Can Dance: Top 3 Performance Finale

• Is it bad that I'm more excited for tomorrow's show when we get to re-watch the best routines of the season than I am for tonight?
• Cat is wearing a black mini dress with elbow-length lace sleeves. It's kind of demure for the final performance show of the season, actually. Maybe she'll pull out the craziness for tomorrow.
• Each contestant is doing FOUR routines AND a solo?! Seriously? Is that really necessary?
• So everyone's doing four routines and a solo, and we still have time for this extremely long recap of the season?

Kent with Lauren (Dev Bollywood):

• The featurette: Kent: "What I want to know is why did she marry an 18-year-old?" Kent: "This Bollywood needs cheesy, and I can deliver so much cheese."
• The dance: Lauren's almost unrecognizable in her Indian costume. Kent's got a nice long silver jacket. It was a good routine, but sometimes it looked like Kent was just barely hanging in there.
• The judging: Mia says it was the perfect tailored Bollywood piece for Kent. Adam thinks the Energizer Bunny should retire. So apparently I'm the only one who thought Kent looked a little gassed. Adam says Kent is the feel good dancer of the year. Lauren apparently almost ran into a post on her way off stage. (Considering Kent is still breathing heavily after the lengthy judging panel banter, I feel pretty justified in my earlier assertion that he looked a bit tired.)

Lauren with Twitch (Tabitha and Napoleon hip hop):

• The featurette: It's a presidential debate. That's different.
• The dance: Um, they're doing an awful lot of standing behind the podiums in the beginning. I wasn't sold on the first section of in-front-of-the-podium dancing, but I think it's getting better as it goes. Twitch for president!
• The judging: Nigel says NappyTabs is just so good at inspiring people to dance. Uhhh, yeah. After misfiring with a Sarah Palin joke, Nigel's trying to tell us that this competition is still anybody's game. Well, maybe not Robert ;-) Mia says Lauren's filthy, and Cat says, "Aren't all politicians?" Mia doesn't know if there's anything Lauren can't do. Mia loves Lauren's balance of masculinity and femininity.

Robert with Mark (Tyce Diorio jazz):

• The featurette: Robert kind of looks just like Mark but with less personality and coolness. Anyway...
• The dance: It is a bit hard to tell who is who with the matching outfits and hair styles. Anytime they hunch down for some of the groovy moves, you can tell which one is Mark though. It was fun, but it was not really revolutionary.
• The judging: Cat asks how much handsomeness we can fit on one stage. Nigel really liked it. Mia says that Robert was "wowed" in the beginning and has gotten more grounded as the show went on. I'll agree; we haven't seen the hand/barf thing lately. Adam thinks working with Mark forced Robert to grow more than dancing with a contestant would have. Adam says Robert actually jumped up for once.

What? Now we have time to have sit-downs with each of the contestants? We're just made of time tonight...

Kent's solo: Open yellow shirt and shorts. He's doing it on purpose, but he definitely wiped out a few times there. Looked kind of painful at times.

Robert and Lauren (Dee Caspary contemporary):

• The featurette: The piece is about them going home and being at peace with the result of the competition.
• The dance: So they went "home" to the same place and are wearing their skimpy pajamas? Kent's going to be so heartbroken when he finds out about this... So, Robert is looking all kinds of good in this one. Possibly my favorite dancing out of him ever. Lauren's doing well too, but I think Rob is actually stealing the show here.
• The judging: Nigel thought there were touches of genius in the choreo. Nigel says the word that sums them both up is strength. Mia says Dee is unreal. Mia says this was by far Robert's most delicious performance. Mia says his humbleness is gorgeous. She says Lauren was perfection. Adam says it was magnificent.

Lauren and Kent (Mandy Moore jazz):

• The featurette: In this piece, they're really themselves.
• The dance: Ok, they're "themselves" but they're wearing nerd glasses? As far as I can tell, neither Lauren nor Kent actually wears nerd glasses. I'm confused. Not sure it's the best look on Kent. He looks like one of the background geeks from Saved By The Bell. And...the glasses are the thing about this routine that left the biggest impact on me. Not too revved up about this one.
• The judging: Nigel doesn't think they were challenged enough for the finale, but they kept the characters up and did what was asked of them. Mia's got glasses on too. Mia thought it was fun and they danced it well, but she didn't really like it because it's just not her cup of tea. Adam says he loves them. And now he just keeps repeating, "Get outta here; I love ya'!" It's bizarre. Lauren and Kent--especially Kent--do a great job of rallying around Mandy and saying that what the judges think doesn't really matter.

Robert's solo: Ok, Robert's finally won me over with his sweetness. He says if he wins the prize money, the first thing he's going to do is look at his mom and ask her what she wants. Awww. And now he's doing his solo to The Postal Service! And it's a good solo! With good choreo! Robert for the win!

Kent with Allison (Stacey Tookey contemporary):

• The featurette: Looking into a relationship that everyone thinks is perfect but really isn't. Stacey's trying to find Kent's maturity here.
• The dance: Allison is perfection. Oh, some really nice side-by-side work and then a beautiful little solo from Allison. Wow, good. Parts of it looked like they were letting Allison steal the show to give Kent a bit of a break on 5-dance night, but, whatever, it was good.
• The judging: Nigel thinks Kent's lines get better. Kent looks shook up from the mature emotion of it all. Mia points out that Kent actually said, "Get off!" at the end because he was so invested. Mia loves how invested he was (which he can be because he's already got great technique). Mia says she needs more ways to tell him she loves him. Adam asks Kent what is going on because he's about to burst into tears, and when Kent starts to explain it, Adam and Nigel totally cut him off. Adam thinks this was magnificent too. Kent seems to have had an almost religious experience here, in that he's got an almost totally different personality right now. The cheese has been dialed waaaaaay down.

Lauren's solo: Dancing to "I'm Going Down" in her typical style: backbends, hair flips, shoulder jerks, etc., all coming fast and furious. It looks better than it sounds, of course.

Robert with Kathryn (Spencer Liff Broadway):

• The featurette: Spencer (to Robert): "You're not a mime!"
• The dance: Ooh, West Side Story. Smart beginning, in that Robert gets a nice long solo before stage-stealer Kathryn shows up. She's rocking the "interrogator" attitude something fierce. Rob was good. That was a good routine.
• The judging: Uh oh, Robert's pants split. Didn't I just say last week that Rob's clothes are just a bit too tight? Nigel and Adam are having a dispute about whether that song is in the WSS stage play or just the movie. Not exactly all that pertinent right now, boys... Anyhow, Nigel liked it. Mia loved the classical feel to it and thought it was danced very well. She thought it could have used a bit more sizzle and simmer. Adam thinks WSS was the best piece of musical choreo ever, and he thought Spencer's takeoff was really good. And Rob was good.

Lauren with Pasha (Tony and Meredith cha cha):

• The featurette: In this routine, Lauren sees Pasha and just loses her mind. Well, that's understandable.
• The dance: Wow, that dress is about as little as it can be. Wow, nice life in the middle. The one bare side of her dress makes everything look so scandalous. The routine was pretty good; it seemed a bit on the slow side, but it was danced really well.
• The judging: Nigel says she's probably the best contemporary girl on the show ever to do a ballroom routine. Which seems a BIT strong to me. (Allison, Kathryn, Jeanine, Courtney G., etc. all rocked ballroom back in the day, and those are just the ones I can think of off the top of my head.) Mia says if she were still dancing, she'd want to dance just like Lauren. Adam says if music were embodied into a person, it would be her. Adam says that was exhibition-style perfect. And, again, I miss Mary Murphy. How have we gone all season with no Hot Tamale Train?

Robert and Kent (Malevos fight):

• The featurettes: These hats are just silly. Kent and Robert took some nasty falls during practice.
• The dance: They look like gangsters (well, Rob more so than Kent). But they're tangoing. Bizarre. Wow, Robert just lifted Kent up and swung him around his shoulders. There's some nice stunt stuff mixed in with some weird tango stuff, making for an odd mix overall.
• The judging: Nigel has never heard of this routine, but supposedly it's what the men do to practice their tango before they go dance with the women. Oookay. Nigel's taking the opportunity to talk about how great all three of the finalists are in general, instead of really talking about this routine. Probably a wise choice. Mia loved the feel of the piece. She liked that it was debonair and still had a 'hood feeling. She acknowledges that the leg work "could be tighter." Adam agrees that certain elements of the precision weren't exactly right, but says it doesn't matter any more. Adam says these three finalists are his three favorite dancers ever on the show. Oh, come on. Stop lying. (And if you're not lying, stop being ridiculous. Three favorite ever?!)

• Cat reads her send-off speech while still wearing one of Robert and Kent's gangster hats from the last number. Awesome.
• I think there were too many routines tonight. There was an awful, awful lot to digest.
• Well, Robert and Lauren both had pretty good nights, but I'll still be stunned if Kent doesn't run away with this tomorrow.

My favorites: Robert and Lauren's contemporary; Kent and Allison's contemporary; Robert and Kathryn's Broadway

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: Still Dropping Like Flies

So You Think You Can Dance: Top 6 Performance Show

• Deeley's finally bringing it fashion-wise tonight. It looks like she put on a beige slip dress and then kind of haphazardly tied a poofy red sheet around herself. It's awesome. She's balancing the strong look out with a smooth, low ponytail.
• ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!?! NOW WHERE'S BILLY!?! This is insanity.
• Guest judging tonight is Kenny Ortega of High School Musical fame.
• Billy has injured his knee and is sitting in the audience (wearing a very small pink tie). Doctors supposedly told him he could dance if he feels ok, but he doesn't feel ok today, so he's not dancing. They think he might be ok by next week, but they wouldn't tell us now anyway.
• Alex Wong's sitting in the audience, looking pretty cheerful.
• The SYTYCD costume designer has supposedly won an Emmy. Having seen some of the outfits on this show, I find that somewhat hard to believe.

Lauren with Twitch (Napoleon and Tabitha hip-hop):

• The featurette: It's a Wild West hip-hop routine. Ugh, I just cannot stand Napoleon and Tabitha. Them talking is even worse than them choreographing something.
• The dance: Twitch is wearing jean/chaps--it's really something. Ha ha, it looked like Twitch was trying to crawl through Lauren's legs and he couldn't fit. She's got some good hip-hop moves. And I liked the reverse somersault things she did (I don't really know what to call those.) The routine ends with Lauren riding Twitch across the stage.
• The judging: Adam: "Who are you?!" Didn't he ask someone that last week? Get a new catch phrase. I don't understand; how is she "not the same girl" who auditioned? Her attitude in this was similar to the attitude in the sexpot audition number. Mia thought she was good and says she needs to keep going hard because she's the only diva left. Kenny Ortega thinks it's an honor to be here and thinks that each season SYTYCD changes the field of dance. Kenny says, "Save a horse, ride a cowboy." Nigel tells Twitch that he really looks like he's been ridden hard and put away wet. Holy crap, Nigel, calm yourself. (Twitch is a little sweaty though, in all honesty.)

Jose with Allison (Sonya Tayeh contemporary):

• The featurette: Now we're going to see how good Allison really is. She used to make Ivan look pretty good, so I'm thinking she might be able to pull it off.
• The dance: I like Allison's dress, but the overall color scheme of their outfits is pretty drab. Ok, once again, we've got a choreographer going to bizarre lengths to cover up Jose's deficiencies. I could do a good contemporary routine too if 80% of it is sitting on the edge of the stage, moving my arms... That said, I did rather enjoy the routine and choreo. It was definitely something different.
• The judging: Adam thinks it was a beautifully conceived piece of material. But he recognizes that this routine made it hard to critique Jose's actual dancing. He thinks what Jose did do up there was perfect though. Mia thought the piece was conceptually genius. Mia says there's a difference between pedestrian contemporary (which most people can handle) and really "real contemporary." Mia says this was pedestrian contemporary. She thought it was really good, but would have liked to see more growth from the last time he did contemporary. Kenny thinks Allison is one of the most breathtakingly beautiful dancers. HIRE HER FOR SOMETHING, KENNY! Nigel thinks Jose was very committed to the piece. He knows, though, that Sonya covered up Jose's weaknesses. Nigel wants him to point his toes and straighten his legs. Uh, yeah, that does seem kind of important...

Robert with Lauren (Tyce Diorio jazz):

• The featurette: I'm getting uncomfortable with how much everyone's talking about Lauren's booty this season. This dance is all about seduction. They're trying to sell us on Robert and Lauren being all into each other... Really?
• The dance: Black S&M-inspired outfits. You know, Lauren's looking really good in this dance. Robert's doing ok too, but Lauren's kinda stealing the show. The routine's pretty cool too. Especially not bad considering it's coming from Tyce. It was a good routine because they were just up there flat-out dancing.
• The judging: Adam says Robert commands the stage and is started to lose himself more. Adam says Robert's "resting" hand position needs work. Mia says it's a breath of fresh air to see a strong, clean jazz routine with no concept and just good dancing. Kenny thinks this piece showed that Robert does "have bottom." Nigel loved the flow of movement.

AdeChike's solo: Shirtless. Oh no! He's dancing to "This Woman's Work." The Cancer Dance song. I can't handle it. If I never hear this song again, it's fine by me. Was so distracted by my distaste for the song that I kind of missed most of his dancing, but he did a nice series of karate-esque kicks.

Kent with Kathryn (Sonya Tayeh jazz):

• The featurette: Kathryn: "Sonya at 8 a.m. should not be legal." This routine is very exhausting and intense.
• The dance: Kinda looks like a summer barbecue or a beach party. Kathryn is just sick sometimes. The routine was fun. The did a good job performing it as well. Will we remember it forever? Probably not.
• The judging: Kent apparently gave a monologue in Vegas about how putting him on the show would make it something special. Adam thinks Kent kicked ass. Mia says we all know Kent's a strong dancer. Mia thinks that sometimes his face gets so animated that it takes the choreography to an immature level. Dance-wise, though, she thinks it was great. Kenny thinks Kent is the guy to beat. Well, duh. The other guy to beat detached his Achilles a few weeks ago. Nigel thinks Kent's almost out-danced the All Stars two weeks in a row now. Sorry, Nigel, I don't think anyone really ever out-dances Kathryn.

Robert's solo: In the featurette, those were some rather tight jeans Robert wore to the batting cages... For the solo, Robert's wearing his third shirt in like 5 minutes! Some cool stuff in the solo, but it could have used a little more time to develop. And it's Robert's birthday!

Lauren's solo: Lots of back bends and quick turns and hair tosses. It pretty much worked though, I guess.

AdeChike with Comfort (Tabitha and Napoleon lyrical hip-hop):

• The featurette: AdeChike's going back to hip hop. He's not going to be a nerd this time, though. And it's NappyTabs again. Ugh, what do we have to do to get Dave Scott around here?
• The dance: Comfort's packing a suitcase...not to be confused with the briefcase Mark carried around in "Bleeding Love." I don't think AdeChike's hitting his moves quite as hard as Comfort. Oh, and she just smacked him for it. Lol, it's not that big of a deal, Comfort.
• The judging: Wow, Comfort--and AdeChike--are both rather shook up. There are tears. Did she actually really hit him? Just kidding. Adam says they really made him feel the story and the emotions. Mia says that felt more real that any contemporary piece because it came from such a raw place. Mia thinks AdeChike let so much out on that floor and just gave us a really big taste of who he is. He really seems to get better reviews on hip-hop than he does on contemporary. Kenny Ortega says it was like if Wesley Snipes could dance (presumably not the Wesley Snipes who wants to marry Liz Lemon). Nigel says it's hard to critique the dancing because the routine moved to another level and compares it to "Bleeding Love" and "No Air." Yeah, yeah, yeah...

Jose's solo: Starts his solo with kind of a groovy on-his-feet dancing section. Then lies on the ground for a little while. Does a little breaking, then stands back up. Then goes back down to break for another second. Then seems very pleased with himself.

Kent's solo: Kent's bringing out the wife-beater tank top and the old-school Boys to Men. I really think he needs some help with figuring out what he should do during solos though. That seemed a bit disorganized to me.

Robert and Lauren (Dmitry Chaplin samba):

• The featurette: DMITRY!!! I love Dmitry. This routine is about a beach party too. This is the first ballroom routine done by two non-ballroomers this season, so it should be interesting.
• The dance: That's what Lauren's wearing to a beach party? It looks like a cocktail dress with the middle ripped off. Robert's made a few slight awkward stumbles. Lauren looks pretty good with the technique though. Their side-by-side "shaking it" was good. Ok, Rob just barely got her off the ground when he was supposed to be swinging her around in a circle. Uh, she can't be that heavy, dude.
• The judging: Adam, however, thinks that Robert's lines were "so crisp and clean" and he did good partnering. Ok... He thinks Lauren's retractions, etc. were great. Mia thinks Rob actually looked like a samba dancer. Mia thinks Lauren's in plie a lot, which brings a heaviness to her dancing. KENNY, HIRE DMITRY FOR SOMETHING! Kenny thinks Rob's partnering was "amazing." What was I watching then? Nigel says Robert's upper body reminded him of Dmitry. Maybe they just don't want to be mean to Robert on his birthday. Nigel thought Lauren was very good, but he's sure "people will attack her" for her technique. Well, whatever. I miss Mary Murphy.

AdeChike and Jose (Dmitry paso doble with assistant Legacy):

• The featurette: Legacy! Hey, maybe Legacy can show Jose some breaking moves while he's at it... If ever there were a time for a hip hop, it would be this pairing. There are two matadors in this paso. Why is Jose always fighting/hunting people?
• The dance: Uh, how long are we going to stand here swinging our capes, boys? Once they actually started doing stuff, Jose had moments where he actually looked pretty good, and then had moments where he looked pretty horrible. Actually, this whole dance had moments were it looked pretty terrible. I say this was a bad experiment. It would have gone better if Dmitry and Legacy had just danced it themselves.
• The judging: Adam loves how committed they were. Technically, they put their strength into it, but Jose needs to stretch his legs. Adam thinks AdeChike needs more abandon. Mia says she thinks they did ok in a very unhappy sounding tone. She says their focus was great, but their technique wasn't. Kenny thinks it was a valiant effort, and it was an interesting exercise. Lol. Nigel calls the other judges "diplomatic." Nigel thinks if you look at how ballroom guys do the paso, AdeChike have a lot to learn. Again, I miss Mary Murphy. I'd love to hear her kick somebody's ass over ballroom technique.

Kent and Billy/Twitch (Chuck Maldonado step routine):

• The featurette: Oops, no, Kent, you don't get to dance with Billy Freaking Bell. HA HA HA HA HA HA! SYTYCD does its first stepping routine and they give it to Billy Bell and Kent! That is too funny. Kent keeps hitting himself in the face.
• The dance: Stepping in for Billy is Twitch. Aww, I love their collegiate cardigans. Ok, Kent is definitely not out-dancing his All Star in this one. He's doing ok, but Twitch is good. Twitch is even doing the grunts and yelling. Kent looks like he's trying really hard, while Twitch looks like he's stepping.
• The judging: Adam pats SYTYCD to the back for introducing "new and different" dance styles to the world. Um, stepping is not new to me; I just saw some this past weekend. Booyah, Adam! Adam thinks Kent kicked the routine's ass. Mia didn't know Kent had it in him and she lives for the chemistry between Twitch and Kent. Mia confirms that Kent is the one to beat. Kenny says 12 years ago he and Chuck brought stepping to the Olympic Opening Ceremonies for the first time. In Nagano? Huh? I'm thinking he did his math a little wrong there. 2010 - 12 = 1998 = Nagano. Did I mishear him? I really don't think there was stepping in the Opening Ceremonies in Japan. Nigel says his "Five Guys Named Mo" routine was stepping and Chuck helped him choreograph it. Nigel says he would have loved to have seen Billy do the routine because he knows he would have nailed it and it would have been fun to see the two white boys kill it.

My favorites:

Robert and Lauren's jazz; Kent and Kathryn's jazz; Kent and Twitch's stepping

The dancers dance around a cake commemorating the 150th episode of the show. Twitch does some paso doble moves that totally school Jose and AdeChike.

SYTYCD: Putting on Boogie Shoes

So You Think You Can Dance: Top 7 Performance Show

• Umm, now where's Ashley?! Come ON!
• Cat is wearing a slamming multi-colored artistic print dress with a purposefully messy side fishtail braid.
• After rehearsals on Monday, Ash was taking to the hospital with severe rib pain. She has been advised not to dance tonight. Oy vey! At this point, the winner is going to be the one who can make it the longest without getting injured.
• Same rules apply to Ashley that applied to Alex. (Is this the first time ever on SYTYCD that the same rules apply to different contestants? Just kidding.)
• Alex had surgery on Monday and it seems to have gone well.
• Anya's doing some double duty this week. Which is odd, because they have lots of boy contestants to go around.
• A gold star means Dominic? Lol. So, Dom's going to remind us what a good b-boy looks like?

Lauren with Mark (Tiana's Tahitian dance):

• The featurette: Hmm, Tahitian dance sounds interesting. Mark certainly is the man for the job.
• The dance: OMG, Mark's wearing a loin cloth. I don't really know what I should be watching for, but Lauren is good at wiggling her butt, which is about 90% of what she's being called on to do. Mark looks like a natural; I wonder if he ever did similar dancing in Hawaii before.
• The judging: Nigel doesn't know what to say. Adam says Lauren's hips don't lie. Nigel is rather flustered. Mia says it was absolutely fascinating and it looked like a duck in heat. Mia can't believe they were able to do this in the amount of time they were giving. Adam: "Mark, who are you?!" (Mark: "Why do all you judges love me so much now, but you weren't nice to me at all when I was actually on the show?" Ok, he didn't really say that.) Cat hands the mic to Lauren, and she gives a speech like she just won an Oscar.

AdeChike with Anya (Liz Lira salsa):

• The featurette: The dance is fast, it's intricate, and there are death-defying stunts. The dance drew blood in practice.
• The dance: Wow, AdeChike's outfit is tragic. Anya's is really, really neon. I think maybe they should have focused more on teaching AdeChike the proper salsa technique and less on the stunts, because something doesn't look right about his general performance. All of the lifts/twist/general-flinging-around-of-Anya, however, was quite good. The opening throw-twist thing was insane.
• The judging: Nigel thinks Liz Lira is a crazy person. Nigel says salsa is a totally alien subject for a contemporary dancer like AdeChike, but he totally pulled it off. (Really?) Mia thought the choreo was great and that the tricks were awesome. She saw some little bumps though. And she thought his hips were a little awkward, but thinks he got through it. Anya says this routine was truly competition style. Adam commends AdeChike fighting through the "hard-ass choreography" and never showing a sign of weakness. So I guess the judges are going for the old "when we are mean to you, you get lots of votes, so we're going to be fairly nice to you in hopes that people don't think they have to vote for you."

Jose with Courtney (Joey Dowling Broadway):

• The featurette: Joey's being a lot nicer to Jose than she usually is to the dancers. They seem to be focusing entirely on working on Jose's sad face, when I'm thinking they should be doing a little more dancing.
• The dance: Well, Jose's doing a fairly good job, but this routine is also ridiculously slow. Oh, it's the "Mr. Cellophane" song that Curt sang on the Glee pilot! As for the routine, I didn't have a giant problem with it, but I wasn't impressed either.
• The judging: Nigel thinks the routine took Jose's happy personality from him, which took away his greatest asset, leaving you to see only his dancing, which isn't very good. Ouch, Nigel! How many weeks in, you finally realize he's not a great dancer? Mia wants to say something harsh, but she's having a hard time saying it to Jose because he looks so sad. Mia says there was no hope in the performance and he didn't have technique to back up the performance. Adam says Jose needs more extension in his moves. Nigel cuts in to say that Jose needs dance lessons. Adam says Jose's bell kick was "neither here nor there." Courtney tries to stick up for Jose a bit. Cat says Courtney's going to put the showgirl outfit back in Adam's dressing room now.

Robert with Allison (Travis Wall contemporary):

• The featurette: Allison's all better! Yea! Travis says this routine is about his mom, who just had major surgery. Robert can relate because his mother has had similar experiences. Ok, the footage of the three of them doing the moves together was exceptional! Travis should do the routine with them!
• The dance: Ok, I love that to play Travis, they put Robert in cargo shorts and a partially undone button-down shirt. Wow, son of a gun, Robert is totally holding his own next to Allison in the side-by-side section! Color me surprised and impressed. Ok, that routine was good. That was like a moderately less emotionally-exploitative version of the cancer dance.
• The judging: The judges give it a standing O. Robert and Allison (and Cat) are fighting tears. So is Travis. Nigel compares it to Mia's "Addiction" and Tyce's cancer dance. Nigel says if the audience doesn't support Robert this week, we're crazy. He calls Allison one of the "greatest dancers we've ever had on SYTYCD." Mia's crying too, because the dance reminded her of the week before her mom passed away. Mia thinks that dance was bigger than the show and that our moms are everything. She thinks it was the best Robert has danced this season. Adam says if Travis doesn't get an Emmy nomination for that, there's no God. Personally, I wouldn't tie God to Emmy nominations, because those things are notoriously ridiculous. Adam thinks it was one of the performances of the season.

Cat plugs the Season 7 tour, but, seriously, at this rate who is going to be healthy enough to perform in it?

Billy with Anya (Louis van Amstel jive):

• The featurette: Poor Anya is the hardest working girl in show business tonight. Anya's presence makes Billy laugh awkwardly.
• The dance: I'm going to call this one of the best jive's we've seen in a while. Billy certainly kept the energy level very high, and I actually believed him in the rock-and-roll, I-want-to-sleep-with-Anya character.
• The judging: Nigel thought Billy worked harder at a connection with his partner this week than other weeks. Nigel thinks he needed to "get down" a little bit on the jive technique but thought it was pretty good overall. Mia thought it was a great performance. Mia thought his technique and training were everything in that piece. Cat tries to ask Billy a question about Anya being a "sex bomb" and Billy can't understand what she's trying to say at all. He thinks she's saying "sex bum" and can't for the life of him understand what she means. It's hilarious. Adam thinks Billy was totally in control during the routine. And Nigel cuts in again to try to make yet another reference to the World Cup.

Kent with Neil (Tyce Diorio Broadway):

• The featurette: It's the wholesome (and somewhat cheesy) combo of Kent and Neil. The dance has a baseball theme.
• The dance: This would be better if there were a few more baseball player dancers on stand up there with them. It's just a little bizarre with only two guys. Baseball isn't a partner sport. They both did a good job though. Very high-energy and athletic performances.
• The judging: Nigel says Tyce threw every trick in the book. Nigel says he went to see the All-Star Game last night. He says Kent was the MVP tonight and said that Kent was out-dancing All-Star Neil. Mia says she loves boys so much. She enjoyed the strong male dancing. Adam tells Tyce that the routine was so awesome. He thinks Kent has a huge future in Broadway. He liked how effortlessly they made it look. The judges keep raving about Kent, but Neil looks better in the baseball uniform at least.

Lauren and Billy (Mandy Moore jazz):

• The featurette: Billy tells us that Lauren eats like a squirrel. Lauren says that Billy is obsessed with soda. The concept of the dance is that two shoes meet up and want to boogie. Um, ok.
• The dance: Whoa! The boogie shoes are sparkly! I'm loving Billy in this. Like hardcore loving him. He just looks like so much fun! Lauren's doing well too. Her dress could be better though. To me, this routine for Billy was like the hip hop routine for Alex: it's the moment where you realize that not only is he an awesome dancer, but he's also legitimately fun to watch.
• The judging: Nigel says it was absolutely adorable. Nigel says Billy was again really connecting with his partner and that the jazz style suited him well. Nigel tells Lauren: "Don't go clicking your heels three times, dear, because you're not going home yet." Mia says the choreo and performance was "completely in the pocket." Not sure I know what that means, but it reminds me of when P.J. said "The lotion is in the basket" on My Boys. Mia thinks it was quirky and groovy at the same time. Adam says Billy finally got lost in a dance. Adam thinks Lauren could get way up there in the standings.

Jose with Dominic (Napoleon and Tabitha b-boy routine):

• The featurette: Cat says Jose "randomly picked" the gold star. Yeah, I don't believe that for a second. Dominic says that Jose has to put toilet paper on the seat every time he goes to the bathroom. Dom says they have different b-boy styles (Jose is more on the ground and flowy; Dom is more up in the air on his hands).
• The dance: Choreographing breaking too much just seems weird. In the side-by-side regular hip hop steps, Jose wasn't matching up to Dom. His breaking stuff seemed ok, but I don't think he's at the level of a Legacy or a Hok, although I'm certainly no breaking expert. At the end, Jose pulls a sword out of a rock in the middle of the stage.
• The judging: Nigel doesn't want Jose to hold the sword while he critiques him. Cat and Dom fight over the sword. Nigel says that Jose redeemed himself. And Jose starts crying again. Nigel says no other dancer on the show could have done that routine. Well, yeah, but Jose couldn't have done any of the other routines as well as any of the other dancers. Mia thought the beginning was amazing, but she still wants more training and strength, strength, strength from Jose. Adam says the criticism earlier really hurt Jose, and he still managed to come out and "school" us. Oy vey. If Jose is such a delicate little flower that he can't stand to hear honest statements about how his dancing is not up to the level of other dancers on the show, then he needs to start improving his dancing really fast, because he is just not up to the level of the other dancers on the show.

AdeChike and Kent (Dee Caspery contemporary):

• The featurette: AdeChike really likes food and wants to become a chef. AdeChike says Kent has a crush on Lauren (the non-Gottlieb Lauren).
• The dancing: I kinda missed the explanation about what the chairs mean, so I'm a little lost, but the routine itself is quite good. Lots of "strong male dancing" as Mia would say. This is a good week for Kent. AdeChike was good too, especially when he leaped over Kent.
• The judging: Nigel thought it was very good. Nigel liked AdeChike's leap. He liked that Kent underplayed it instead of being all "Hi! I'm Kent!" Nigel says that Kent stands a remarkable chance of being this year's champion. Well, duh. I could have told you that during Vegas week. Or earlier. Mia thinks Kent was great. She liked having two male dancers bringing strength but also vulnerability. Mia says it was a great week for AdeChike. She liked his lines and power. Adam says that they just taught America that a super athlete can be a super artist. He says they were both brilliant.

Robert with Kathryn (Doriana Sanchez disco):

• The featurette: Kathryn is filling in for Ashley. Robert says Ashley is in love with him. Ashley says Robert laughs really loudly.
• The dance: So how many days did Robert and Kathryn have to practice this routine together? If Ash got hurt on Monday, I guess they had like two days. Kathryn's outfit is a little bit scandalous. I can't believe they're closing such a good show with a disco. Even well-performed discos are kind of eh. They did a good enough job.
• The judging: Nigel says that back in the day, they'd do a hard disco routine and then go throw up. Thanks for that anecdote. Nigel thinks Robert gave lines and strength. He thought it was tremendous for this style. Mia says she loves Robert, but hopes she never has to see him do this again. Mia didn't think he was masculine enough to sell the routine. Adam thinks he sold fun, which is the point of disco. Adam says it's hard to look masculine when you're doing the silly disco moves. Robert's lucky he had Travis' contemporary routine to balance out this disco.

HA! I just realized who Billy reminded me of in that boogie shoes jazz number. It was Sheldon Cooper! I probably should have kept that to myself.

My favorites:
Billy and Lauren's jazz
Robert and Allison's contemporary
Kent and AdeChike's contemporary

SYTYCD: The Top 10 Dance

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

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

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

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

Adechike with Allison (Mandy Moore contemporary):

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

Alex with Lauren (Tyce Diorio Broadway):

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

Ashley with Mark (Travis Wall jazz):

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

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

Billy with Comfort (Lil' C krump):

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

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

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

Melinda with Ade (Stacey Tookey contemporary):

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

Jose with Kathryn (Nakul Dev Mahajan Bollywood):

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

Lauren with Dominic (Tessandra Chavez lyrical hip hop):

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

Kent with Courtney (Tyce Diorio jazz):

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

My favorites:

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

Guilty pleasure:

• Jose and Kathryn's Bollywood

In trouble:

• Christina
• Melinda
• Adechike

SYTYCD: The Top 11 Get The Competition Started

So You Think You Can Dance:
Top 11 Performance Show

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

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

Billy with Lauren (Tyce Diorio jazz):

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

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

Christina with Mark (Sonya Tayeh jazz):

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

Jose with Comfort (Napoleon and Tabitha hip hop):

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

Adechike with Kathryn (Travis Wall contemporary):

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

Melinda with Pasha (Melanie and Tony jive):

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

Alex with Allison (Sonya Tayeh contemporary):

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

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

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

Lauren and Ade (Mandy Moore pop jazz):

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

Kent with Anya (Tony and Melanie cha cha)

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

Ashley with Neil (Tyce Diorio contemporary):

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

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

Robert with Courtney (Sean Cheesman African jazz):

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

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

My favorite routines:

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

Probably in trouble: Melinda, Adechike, Alexie

SYTYCD: Now We're Talking!

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

The play-by-play:

• Is it just me or did Victor do literally nothing in his intro dance?
• Almost all of the girls are wearing hot pants. Except for Karen, who has on sort of a wrap dress. I guess she's trying to be a little more frumpy since we're not voting for her because we're intimidated by her sexuality, according to Nigel. Couldn't be because we just don't like her, huh?
• Cat is wearing a sparkly silver-ish Grecian strapless dress.
• No, we don't want to see a 9-year-old Nigel! Stop wasting my time! Just bring out the dancers!
• Adam makes a botox joke about Mary.
• Mary does look gorgeous tonight.
• Ha! Adam's child pic is pretty funny.
• I know Travis choreographed a routine for this episode, and I'm guesses it's for either Mollee and Nathan (redemption for last week) or Russell and Noelle (further proof of the awesomeness of Russell).

Ashleigh and Jakob (Tabitha and Napoleon hip hop): I was guessing that these two were headed for a hip hop. They will, at least, probably be better served with a NappyTabs hip hop routine than they would have been by a more hardcore Dave Scott, Shane Sparks, or Lil C number.

• The featurette: It is cool that we get to see videos of the dancer's favorite childhood performances. Jakob used to be a little "chunky." Awww! Jakob's doing the "Bye, Bye, Bye" dance in his archive footage! Haha!
• The dance: Wow, Jakob is good at this--not sure why I'm even remotely surprised by that. Ash is doing pretty well too--eons better than her husband did at hip hop last week. Half this dance looks like the same moves that were in "Bleeding Love" but without the briefcase. Nevertheless, I'd say it was one of the better NappyTabs routines in a while.
• The judging: Nigel knows so many people who have suffered due to the wrong people seeing their texts. Nigel has no doubt that Jakob's going to make it into the Top 10. Nigel thinks Ashleigh's style was really good tonight as well. Mary: "What a shocker...another bad relationship on So You Think You Can Dance." Adam thinks that Jakob is about as sure of a bet for the Top 10 as ever there was on SYTYCD.

Karen and Kevin (Spencer Liff Broadway): Eesh! These two were in the Bottom 3 couples last week, and this week they have to do Broadway? That's a bit harsh.

• The featurette: Ha at the video of little Kevin dancing. One of Kevin's most memorable dance performances was a Michael Jackson tribute number, during which he broke down and really thought he was Michael Jackson. Karen and Kevin had a much harder time with the routine than Spencer expected.
• The dance: Well, it's not the most dynamic or engaging routine, but I rather like both of them in this. Some of Kevin's facial expression choices are confusing me though. I definitely like Karen a lot better in this than I do when she's relying so heavily on being sexy.
• The judging: Nigel didn't like Karen's performance as much as usual because she didn't get to bring the sexiness to it (Nigel and I are on opposite pages). He thought Kevin's performance was worse. Mary thinks Kevin looked awkward in the in-between transitions. Adam points out that it's amazing that Kevin can even get through it, being a hip hopper. Adam enjoyed watching Karen dance without pulling out the tigress. So Adam agrees with me, and is thus back in my good graces.

Noelle and Russell (Eddie Simon fox trot): Are you kidding me? Russell has to do another fox trot?! That's what he did with Melanie in the first week! Boooooo! What's the boy have to do to get a Travis Wall contemporary routine? (So this means Mollee and Nathan get Travis' routine tonight, if my calculations are correct.) If they're going to make him do more ballroom, at least change up the style: samba, cha cha, jive, mambo, rumba, tango, paso doble, whatever.

• The featurette: Vintage video of Russell singing!! Awww! Aww, and there he is doing Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean"! So cute!
• The dance: Russell looks a little stiff maybe, but that might be what you're supposed to do in a fox trot for all I know. They did some really flashy turns there in the middle; very nice. The routine looked like it kind of ran out of steam in the middle-end part, but, overall, it was rather entertaining.
• The judging: Nigel says Russell's vastly improved at the fox trot over the past few weeks. Nigel says his "rise and fall" was really there and he commends his fouette pirouette, which I also loved. Mary says that Russell didn't look worried, and there's a lot to be worried about in a fox trot because it is so slow. Mary says Noelle's footwork and knees and feet were absolutely correct. Adam says the fox trot is the second most deadly dance aside from the quick step.

Channing and Victor (Tyce Diorio jazz): I thought we'd been getting away without much Tyce lately...

• The featurette: Victor: "I was a brat. I was the kid who would get lost in a department store." Victor's turns in the old routine don't look that bad to me. The routine is about two curious blackbirds coming out to play. Arg--Tyce is acting even Tyce-ier than usual.
• The dance: Wow, there's a big bird cage made of rope on the set. That thing is cool. Channing's looking good tonight. Parts of this routine are really cool; other parts aren't as exciting. Overall, I rather liked it, and thought they danced it quite nicely.
• The judging: In practice Channing pecked Victor in the head and he had to get 5 stitches above his eye! Nigel says this is the first routine where Channing looked like she was enjoying herself, and that made it a lot more interesting to watch. Nigel says Victor's always been at a high level, but he's kind of stagnant so he needs to push it a bit. Adam says the weirdness of this rendition of the song kept him out of the number a bit, but that it was well danced and well choreographed.

Kathryn and Legacy (Tony and Meredith paso doble):

• The featurette: Kathryn's mom owned a dance studio. Legacy was a rebellious child. Legacy's dad bribed him with $5 to do a '70s dance at a house party. In this dance, Legacy is an admiral in the navy who comes into port to see his Kathryn, his concubine, who is angry with him.
• The dance: Um, why isn't the navy admiral wearing a shirt? What kind of navy is this? Kathryn looks very good. Her flowy skirt is helping. I thought Legacy is handling this routine well too. Ooh, very nice! I quite liked that routine/performance! It was dramatic, but not quite as over-the-top dramatic as the paso Jeanine and Brandon did in last season's finale.
• The judging: What? Now we have to wait until after another commercial break to hear what the judges think? Nonsense! Nigel: "How many admirals do you know who are walking around like that?!" Adam: "If he's an admiral, I know a lot of people who want to join that navy!" Nigel says Kathryn certainly wasn't being juvenile in her dancing this week and says that she was "absolutely magnificent." Mary says Kathryn played that just right. Mary says some of the technical aspects weren't there for Legacy, but he nailed the character of the paso perfectly. Adam says Kathryn "killed it" and "just destroyed out there." Adam says that Legacy's stamina has grown a lot since Vegas. Adam: "You are no longer a break dancer; you're a dancer."

They interrupt the show to give us an update about the Dizzy Feet Foundation.

• Can you imagine how pumped SYTYCD is going to be when one of these Dizzy Feet kids makes the show?!
• Debbie Allen! I miss Debbie Allen. And Mia! I kinda miss Mia too!
• We meet the nine kids with Dizzy Feet scholarships and then see some other cute kids as well.
• Dude, I can't go to this Dizzy Feet gala! I don't live in L.A.! If it's really the "can't miss dance event of the year," televise it, darn you!

Ellenore and Ryan (Travis Wall contemporary): Ack, I was foiled! These two "pulled" the Travis routine. I guess the producers don't want Ryan in the Bottom 3 anymore because they'll have an increasingly hard time justifying keeping him around? (Ballroom solos typically don't play that well on elimination night.)

• The featurette: Ryan's grandparents were professional ballroom dancers. In his first dance performance, he was a bunny, ha! Look--Travis' helper is Season 3's Jaimie (of the Hummingbird Routine)!! Travis is flipping out during the practice.
• The dance: Aww, it's to "Your Ex-Lover is Dead" by the Stars (which was featured on The O.C. back in the day). I'm hooked already; this song is great! Loved the routine (as followers of my Travis love would expect). I adored the "surprise meeting" aspect to it. Ellenore looked great. Ryan was good, but he looked a little ballroom-stiff (his extension was a bit lacking at times).
• The judging: Nigel says they benefited from a brilliant Travis Wall routine. Nigel says this routine was his favorite of the night. Nigel says Ryan was the best ballroom dancer who has ever done contemporary (on the show). Uh, I'm going to have to consider that claim. Mary says Travis just hasn't taken a wrong step in this season (which is good since I think he's only choreographed two routines so far). Mary and Nigel say that Ellenore can transform into any character she's given. Mary says Ryan has broken so many barriers for ballroom dancers in this competition. Adam says SYTYCD has "just kicked in right now." Adam says Ellenore was ridiculous.

Mollee and Nathan (Laurie Ann Gibson pop jazz): Is it just me, or do Nathan and Mollee always get to close the show or go near the end, while Karen and Kevin and Ashleigh and Jakob always have to go first or at least early?

• The featurette: I think we've already met the "kiddie versions" of Nathan and Mollee. Mollee was wearing a lot of makeup for a child--she looks awful child pageanty in the footage. Oh, Laurie Ann is going to eat these two for lunch!
• The dance: Lady Gaga. The routine/dancing is good, but I'm not totally blown away. That probably has more to do with how good so many of the other routines have been tonight and less to do with this one. I'm a little burnt out. The first 10 seconds of this routine when they jazz sprinted across the stage were easily the best part.
• The judging: Nigel commends their commitment to this dance. Uh, did Nigel just say that "only in dancing" are you "underpaid, underappreciated, and overworked"? Seriously, Nigel? I know there are a lot of people in a lot of other professions who would beg to differ. Nigel says Nathan needs to start to grow some more because other (less technically proficient) dancers are rising to his level. Mary said Mollee was "just perfection" and so was Nathan, but the performance didn't give her chills. In the future, Adam wants them to find more nuance to their chemistry, and that point makes a lot of sense to me. We like these guys, but we haven't really been given much reason to like them other than the fact that they're cute.

Overall, tonight's performances were muuuuuuuuuuuuch better than the ones we saw last week. There literally wasn't a routine tonight that I didn't at least like, and it's hard to pick just three favorites. I'll go with:

Kathryn and Legacy's paso doble
Ellenore and Ryan's contemporary
Channing and Victor's jazz

but I can't rank them amongst those three. And I also really liked Jakob and Ash's hip hop and Russell and Noelle's fox trot. Eesh! Who is going to be in the Bottom 3 this week? Looks like Kevin and Karen, but aside from them, I don't know. The judges don't seem to know which other couples are headed for the Bottom 3 either.

In any event, bravo to SYTYCD tonight! In my opinion, this was easily the best performance show of the season so far.

SYTYCD: The Top 20 (Kind Of) Compete

So You Think You Can Dance: Top 20 Performance/Elimination Show

I don't really appreciate that America doesn't get any kind of say in who goes home this week. I know the World Series messes up the schedule, but they could have done the regular competition last night and the results tonight. The judges just picked the Top 20--if America wasn't going to get a say until next week, the judges might as well have just picked the Top 18 right off the bat.

The play-by-play:

• Cat is wearing an Asian-inspired red mini dress with 1940s hair and red lips.
• Billy Bell became very ill so he's out of the competition. (I heard he broke his hand, but Nigel's really hitting the word "ill" hard here.)
• Additionally, Noelle had an accident and her leg is in a massive brace thing. And apparently she gets a free pass this week. Interesting. In Season 3, when Jessie didn't dance during the performance show, she still had to dance for her life the next night (even though Pasha, her partner, received enough votes to be safe) and ultimately went home. They are employing entirely different rules now.
• So choreographer Melanie has to sub in again! She's the only person who has ever had to do that on SYTYCD, and she's had to do it twice now!

Channing and Phillip (Jason Gilkison jive):

• The featurette: This is not the most dynamic pairing ever. Oh dear, Phillip does spoken word.
• The dance: Well, SYTYCD couldn't do its Michael Jackson tribute, but they do get to use "Rockin' Robbin" by The Jackson 5. Channing looks hot in her feathery outfit. This performance was not bad. It didn't look entirely effortless though; they looked like they were thinking pretty hard about everything.
• The judging: Adam liked it, Mary says it was "not bad" (I think that's the exact phrase I just used) but SHE. WANTS. MORE. Nigel wants Channing to get her weight over her toes more so she can bounce.

Ashleigh and Jakob (Tyce Diorio Broadway):

• The featurette: Oh no, Jakob got saddled with Ashleigh! BTW, Ash couldn't dance for 6 years due to illness and injury. Oh no, Jakob got saddled with Tyce! Tyce says Ash and Jakob need "to find that man/woman thing."
• The dance: Why is Ashleigh's dress looking navy when Jakob's wearing a lot of black? Wow, Jakob can leap like nobody's business. Well, I liked Jakob, but I could take or leave Ashleigh on that one.
• The judging: Jakob is sweating up a storm. Adam says that Jakob is amazing and it will be hard for Ashleigh to keep up with him. Mary thinks Ashleigh was phenomenal and that she didn't think Ashleigh was capable of dancing as well as she just did. Mary to Jakob: "Everything you do is just kind of perfect!" Nigel calls Jakob one of the most gifted dancers ever on the show (and he adds that Billy Bell was too). Nigel goes so far as to say that Jakob will go very far in the competition and will take Ashleigh "to the finals as well" is she continues to dance well. Um, I hope not?

Ariana and Peter (Tabitha and Napoleon hip hop):

• The featurette: Napoleon and Tabitha are sooooooo annoying. The dance is about androids.
• The dance: Peter can to some b-boy style tricks. There is an awful lot of head banging in this routine. Too much, I'd say. Apparently, androids act as though they're at a grunge rock concert in the early '90s? The dancing also wasn't really the best display of hip hop ever.
• The judging: Adam says they weren't dancing similarly. Then he does a Lil C impression. Mary loved the beginning but thought it was sloppy in the middle. Nigel was disappointed by these two for the first time. Could it be because this was the first time he's had to watch them do a NappyTabs routine (not counting the group routine in Vegas)?

Noelle and Russell (Tony and Melanie fox trot):

• The featurette: Hahahahaha! Melanie has to dance with Russell! This is going to be classic! It's not every day you see a krumper try the fox trot...
• The dance: Melanie looks hot, and Russell is so debonair! I loved it! I think they should make Melanie dance with someone every week.
• The judging: Adam can't believe how fantastic Russell is. Mary takes her hair off to Russell. She says he did a respectable job. Nigel says Russell's rise and fall wasn't good, but his lines were.

Bianca and Victor (Travis Wall contemporary):

• The featurette: Bianca's living in L.A., and the only family she has with her is her little dog. Victor says he is very colorful. It's Travis!!!!!! YEEEEEEAAAaaa!
• The dance: Victor's got really nice lines. Very cool lifts and, uh, tanglings. Travis has done it again! Awesome, awesome routine. What was interesting is that the male/female dynamic in this was very reminiscent of the relationship in the Bench Dance that Travis performed with Heidi.
• The judging: Adam says Bianca's head and knees are good, but her shoulders and toes need work. He loved Victor. Mary loved them both. Nigel says that they were the most connected partners so far. And, of course, everyone loves Travis. (Let's do a SYTYCD: All-Stars, folks!)

Karen and Kevin (Tony and Melanie cha cha):

• The featurette: Karen is from Venezuela. Kevin is a model.
• The dance: Ha ha ha! they're dancing to the Glee version of "Push It." Karen's outfit is very skimpy. I don't think Kevin quite has this down. He looks uncomfortable. Karen did ok, but I was distracted by her dress. The dance seemed slow.
• The judging: Adam says Karen looks "aaaRUUUgaaa!" and those who know him know that's not really his thing. Mary said Kevin was rhythmical and sexy but not sharp enough. Shocker, Nigel's "gaga" over Karen. He thinks Kevin danced it quite well.

Ellenore and Ryan (Sonya Tayeh contemporary jazz):

• The featurette: Ryan likes to work out. Ellenore's parents were dancers. The dance is about two angelic creatures: a bad one (Ryan) and a good one (Ellenore).
• The dance: The style of movement in this is very prototypical Sonya. Ellenore is good. I wouldn't say that was one of the best routines in SYTYCD history, though. I think Ellenore oversold it in the featurette a bit. It wasn't as good as "The Garden."
• The judging: Adam says they just became two of the most exciting dancers on the show. Mary thought the chemistry was crazy. Nigel says Ryan totally took him by surprise.

Well, that was ominous. Cat just said the judges are going to have to send two dancers home tonight and they cut straight to Pauline and Brandon, who appear to be dressed for a waltz.

Pauline and Brandon (Jason Gilkison smooth waltz):

• The featurette: Pauline likes photography. Brandon is a hip hop dancer who just showed up. Ugh, poor Brandon: he's a hip hopper who just got called in and now he's got to do a waltz.
• The dance: I'm not a waltz expert, but Pauline looks gorgeous when she turns in that flowy dress. The part where they were actually in a hold and waltzing looked a little rough, but everything else looked lovely.
• The dance: Brandon's only been here for a day and a half!!! Adam thinks they did a great job in a difficult situation. Mary liked their chemistry, considering how little time they had to work on it. Mary begins a sentence to Brandon with "if you continue on..." so that sure doesn't bode well for him. Nigel says it wasn't strong enough in his opinion.

We are just tearing through these performances tonight!

Kathryn and Legacy (Dave Scott hip hop):

• The featurette: Goofy caveman hip hop.
• The dance: This is good. And a very strong argument for sending NappyTabs packing. Kathryn was rather good for a non-hip hopper.
• The judging: Adam loved it. Mary screams "Yabba dabba do!" and the continues to shriek for quite a while. All three judges heartily commend Dave Scott. Yes, that's what good hip hop choreography looks like, folks.

Mollee and Nathan (Doriana Sanchez disco):

• The featurette: Did they seriously pair up Nathan and Mollee?! Whyyyyyy? There's no reason to isolate the two young ones--Chelsie Hightower was young when she was on the show and she did fine dancing with Mark. But my real reluctance about this pairing stems the fact that I like Nathan but am annoyed by Mollee. And to make it worse, they're making them do disco! Nathan looks ridiculous in that white outfit. Nathan plays the piano and the trumpet.
• The dance: Something looks off to me about Mollee's arm movements. Nathan's still great. They pulled off some very cool lifts quite well. I liked her doing splits while Nathan pulled her across the floor.
• The judging: The judges commend them both for their energy and spirit.

My favorite dances of the night:

• Bianca and Victor's contemporary
• Russell and Melanie's fox trot
• Kathryn and Legacy's hip hop

Now the judges are going to pick two guys and two guys to dance solos. They will be judged on everything the judges know about them from all season.

Dancing will be: Ariana, Brandon, Pauline and Russell.

RUSSELL?!?! WHAT NONSENSE IS THIS?!? So, theoretically, he could be sent home tonight for his fox trot, while his partner (Noelle) got injured and gets to go straight through to next week without even having to dance! Perhaps if Russell had known about this loophole, he would have faked an injury! Hell, if I were a dancer on this show, I'd plan to develop some sort of "injury" as soon as I drew the quick step.

Also, Ashleigh doesn't have to dance for her life tonight? I think Pauline is getting a little screwed over.

Ariana's solo: Wearing kind of a frilly purple dress. She did a nice, powerful solo.

Russell's solo: Russell has one heck of a buck krump face. He dances with such aggression and passion. If the judges kick him off tonight, they won't be able to make it out of the building.

Pauline's solo: Opens with some nice pirouettes. It had nice energy, but there wasn't too much else going on. It kind of looked like a ballroomer's solo.

Brandon's solo: I think he's hip hopping to a John Mayer track Interesting choice. It was pretty but rather low-key. After the sheer force of nature that was Russell's solo, poor Brandon doesn't have a chance.

This group seems really big on making little heart shapes with their hands.

The girls: Ariana is cut. Nigel says she's a remarkable dancer but that they'd like to see more love in her eyes. If I were her, I wouldn't be looking at the judges with love in my eyes right now.

The guys: Holy crap! Nigel just scared the crap out of me when he told Russell they hope he will keep learning new styles of dance. What a dumbass thing to say--of course Russell will continue to learn new styles since he's staying in the competition. What else is he supposed to do? Pull "contemporary" out of the hat and flat out refuse to do it? Krump while his partner is doing a mambo?

But, anyway, Brandon is going home. Nigel says he'll talk to FOX and the powers that be and try to get a rule exception so that Brandon can try out for the show again next year. (Typically, once you make the Top 20, you can't try again in another season.) That's really only fair, because Brandon really didn't make the Top 20 and only stepped in a the last minute to help out. His experience wasn't a typical Top 20 experience; he didn't have the opportunities to prepare and practice that everyone else did, so it would really suck if this 2-day experience precluded him from having the chance to participate more fully in the future.

Seriously, why did they put Russell in the bottom two? Based on tonight's performances, in addition to Brandon, I would have ranked Peter, Kevin and probably Phillip all below Russell. Aside from the stupid comment about hoping he'll continue to learn new styles, Nigel didn't even give Russell any actual constructive criticism or advice. He certainly didn't get the "show more passion" line. I'm guessing the judges just wanted to see him krump? Or rally his supporters for the future? I don't know.

Let's hope that SYTYCD will get a handle on what they're doing after the World Series is over. These fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants rule/format alterations aren't working very well.