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: Finale Disappointments

So You Think You Can Dance: "Finale Performance Show"

In my four seasons of watching SYTYCD, I don't think I've ever been so unexcited about a season finale performance show. Oh well, let's see how it goes:

• They are taping the finale in the Kodak Theater, and the stage/set is gorgeous. It's going to be kind of strange to not have a bunch of teenage girls standing right smack-up against the stage though. It seems like the dancers are so far away from the people.
• Was that Pono I just saw in the audience?
• BTW, Deeley is sporting a rather sack-like shimmery, shiny gold mini dress with sleeves. I'm not loving the frock. Her loose, wavy hair, however, is awesome.
• It's Shankers (Adam Shankman)!!! I thought he might show up for the finale. It seems like the less frequently he comes around to judge, the more I like him. Last year, he annoyed me, but this year I love him. I don't really get it.
• Finally, we've found a space big enough to handle Mary's boisterous shrieking.

Wade Robson group number:

• The featurette: Two jocks hit on two cheerleaders. Um, in the practice Wade was way out-dancing all four of these people...
• The dance: Hey, what a shock, Evan can't catch a football. Ok, the camera edits bother me even more in this space than in they do in the normal venue. Maybe Jeanine's facial expressions translate better to the 3,000-person live audience, but they were not made for television close-ups. Ugh, why do I feel like I'm watching a knockoff version of Bring It On?

We take a break from the season five action to watch an epic promo for the new fall season featuring flashbacks from previous seasons and some new audition footage. Hey, I think I saw that tapper girl (Bianca) who they keep not putting through to the top 20. (She must be a glutton for punishment--or they were saving her for season six or something.) Tyce: "Season six is here, hel-LOOOO!!!" Um, here's a suggestion for Tyce: when you are judging a popular reality competition show, you probably should try to avoid sounding like Kate Gosselin yelling at Jon in Toys 'R Us. Just a thought.

Jeanine and Evan (Sonya Tayeh jazz):

• The featurette: Jeanine gets to kick and punch Evan a lot.
• The dance: The routine was not poorly danced, but I just wish I could see season four's Mark and Courtney Galiano give this routine a go. Evan is doing a pretty good job of falling though. This stage is ginormous, and because of that I think it might be difficult to do a really good job of selling the routines tonight.
• The judging: Shankers says he never saw Jeanine coming (perhaps because she was so minimally featured in the pre-Top 20 episodes?) and that he didn't think Evan would make the Top 4 either. He says that Sonya did a good job of choreographing to the strengths of the dancers (Evan's exceptional ability to fall, I guess). Nigel roots Evan on like he actually wants him to win. Ha.

Brandon's solo:

• The featurette: Brandon slips into a Southern accent sometimes. Brandon says that his favorite routine was his tango with Janette. He says that he doesn't see his dancing brilliance in himself sometimes.
• The solo: I think he's wearing the same board shorts that Matthew McConaughey wore to film that surfer movie. (Example A. Btw, why is McConaughey is in a freaking tree? Ha!) Anyway, Brandon's solo was one long, uninterrupted steam of powerful movements. It was impressive, but he certainly wasn't relaxing and just letting his brilliance flow.
• The judging: So they're judging the solos now? We must have a lot of time to kill tonight. Shankers says that he doesn't get the board shorts and that the solo was great but a bit on the frantic side.

Kayla and Brandon (Tyce Dioria Broadway)

• The featurette: Uh oh, Brandon and Kayle are about to get Tyced. Kayla promises us that this will be Tyce's last routine of the season. Tyce asked Brandon to do a "rose plop," I think.
• The dance: Why does Brandon have to dance twice in a row? That seems unfair. At least the costumes are cooler than the usual Broadway costumes on this show. Kayla's opening split on top of Brandon on the table was gorgeous. I didn't hate this number, but I'm not sure it really engaged me either. They danced it well, even if their side-by-side "pirouettes" (that's what I'm calling them anyway, Nigel called them a hopping something) got a bit out of sync (it might have been on purpose?). Brandon's sequined shirt/jacket reminds me of Chuck Bass.
• The judging: Adam, Mary and Nigel all love it. Nigel says Tyce has been amazing this season and that he's named for a cookie. Then Nigel tells an anecdote about the time he had a heart attack (because Brandon's character seemed to have a heart attack at the end of the number). So, heart attacks can be played for levity in Tyce's world, but cancer is serious. Ok then.

Jeanine's solo:

• The featurette: Sounds like Jeanine's mom decided that Jeanine would be a dancer. Oh no, we're talking about the Russian folk dance again. Let's let it go, people. Jeanine's favorite dance was the Travis Wall contemporary routine with Jason. She claims the kiss at the end of the routine was not choreographed.
• The solo: Using tango music and wearing the most bikini-like dress I've ever seen. I think I missed a lot her dancing because I spent most of the time she was out there trying to figure out what was going on with the "dress." Travis sighting! When she's done, everyone stands and applauds like they've just seen, um, I don't even know what could have warranted this sort of reaction. (Ok, yes, the pirouette was good, but it wasn't Danny Tidwell terrority or anything. Calm down a bit, people.)
• The judging: Shankers is beside himself over her pirouette. Mary says that solo was the best thing that Jeanine's ever done on this show. Uh, guess I should have paid more attention then. Nigel says Jeanine's "in the final two" as far as he's concerned. Um, yeah, he says that after only two people have done solos. What's he going to say after Kayla performs?

Brandon and Evan (Laurieann Gibson pop jazz dance battle):

• The featurette: Why do the top two boys always have to dance battle? Neil and Danny were battling princes. Josh and Twitch were battling Russian folk dancers. (But, really, wasn't Benji and Travis' non-battle nerd hip hop the best of the bunch?)
• The dance: This is kind of a weak dance battle--they weren't even looking at each other for the first chunk of the routine. They did eventually get around to some fake fighting that I didn't really buy. Seriously, dude, what kind of guys dance fight to Janet Jackson music anyway? This is so weird. Evan's actually dancing this pretty well, but there's something weird about Evan trying to have a "nasty groove."
• The judging: Adam thinks Evan "got a little dusted." Um, does Adam realize that pointing that out is just going to get all of the hardcore Evan fans to vote for him all the more? Mary wants to know what the nastiest thing Evan's ever done is. Evan says that he can't decide because "the list is so long." Nigel says Evan has a "choochy face." Frankly, if I were Evan, I'd be sooooooooooo tired of people saying how nice and sweet I am that I'd go punch somebody's grandma or something. Enough is enough.

Kayla and Jeanine (Mia Michaels contemporary):

• The dance: Um. Something bizarre happened with my FOX channel--the commercials break stretched waaaay too long and they finally cut back into the show for literally only the final 6 seconds of this dance. Uhhh, what the hell? Thanks, FOX Philly, that was so helpful. After this debacle, I don't know if Jeanine or Kayla should count on too many votes from the greater Philadelphia area...
• The judging: Adam says it was a concept piece by Mia. Mary says this piece is going to be remembered forever--not likely! I can't remember something I never saw! Mary says these two girls are the strongest girls ever in a finale. Not buying that one, and I take offense on behalf of Katee and Courtney G., Sabra and Lacey, and Heidi and Donyelle. Nigel says something pervy about how he wishes more of the girl's outfits had come off. Great, I'm so glad I got to hear that instead of getting to actually watch the dance. Thanks.

Evan's solo:

• The featurette: Evan's favorite routine was the Mia Michaels butt routine with Randi. Evan says he's "dropping the hammer" tonight. Lol.
• The solo: He's got the fedora and a tie but no suspenders. I think I enjoyed that solo more than Evan's other solos, but maybe he's just finally worn me down and is building me back up to like things I didn't use to like?
• The judging: Adam points out that this solo was a variation of his audition routine and calls doing that a calculated risk (meanwhile, Brandon did his audition solo last week and no one seemed to have a problem with that). Nigel agrees that Evan is special and entertaining, but doesn't think that Evan has grown as much over the course of the season as he would have liked. Ultimately, I agree with that assessment. (Not that I feel like any of the Top 4 have "grown" a whole heck of a lot over the course of the season, actually. I'd say they're all about as good as they were all along.)

Kayla and Evan (Tony and Melanie jive):

• The featurette: Didn't Evan already jive this year? Let's see if we can finally get a good jive this season to make up for the two bad ones.
• The dance: Why is Kayla jiving in cowboy boots and a frilly tutu? I think something about Kayla's arm movements while jiving looks very bizarre--she looks like she's flailing around a broken arm or something. I'd say that they started out pretty strong but the middle and end weren't great. The choreo kind of petered out after the cartwheel/lift sequence. There didn't seem to be much going on after that.
• The judging: Adam doesn't think that was a "finale-level routine" in his opinion. I also found it to be a little lacking, but Mary liked the choreo. Mary doesn't think that Evan has the jive kicks right yet. She also criticizes arm movements, but fails to put out that it was KAYLA's arm positions that looked so bizarre and then says that Kayla stole the show. Unbelievable. This is why Evan's going to win, people--the judges need to stop picking on him! Even I feel sorry for him now, and I thought he should have been out of the competition weeks ago! Now Nigel says that Kayla hasn't been showing personality this season up until now? Wha!? He's never complained about her not showing personality before that I recall (he did say her hair was in her face once).

Kayla's solo:

• The featurette: We get to spend a little more time with Kayla's grandparents. One last time for their cuteness to get her some votes. Kayla's favorite routine was the addiction piece with Kupono. Kayla says she's not just a dancer and always "reaches out and pulls people into the performance" or something like that. Well, that was modest.
• The dance: To "Sweet Dreams" and the strong music helps her through her iffy solo composition tendencies. It was good, but there was one leap in there that didn't look up to her typical standards.
• The judging: Adam compares her to some of the best dancers ever on the show (namely Travis, Will, and Danny). The judges all say nice things about her, but no one flat out says she should win (like they did about Brandon and Jeanine). I guess they realized that they've been backing a losing pony this whole time?

Jeanine and Brandon (Louis van Amstel paso doble):

• The featurette: To big it home one more time that the powers that be at SYTYCD want Jeanine or Brandon to win, they give them the coveted final performance slot. (It probably would have been more fair to end with the four-dancer group number, but I guess they figured that immediately after watching that cheerleader routine, people might have refused to vote for anybody.) We're ending the finale performance show with a paso? That's a bold choice. It's a good think Debbie Allen isn't here.
• The dance: Oh, it's just an excuse to get Jeanine in another bikini top. I think that this very dramatic music and strobe lighting would trick you into thinking this is a great routine even if it's not. Luckily, it does seem to be going much better than the other paso dobles of the season. Ok, the performance was good; the judges are going to be beside themselves though and I don't think it warrants that.
• The judging: Shankers thinks that what makes a champion on this show is the transitions and the small things in a dance (which, by the way, was what was missing in Kayla and Evan's jive). Mary lets out a scream because she's somehow forgotten to do that all night. And then she lets out about six more screams. Nigel also tries to scream. Nigel again goes waaaaaaaaaaay too far in regards to Jeanine and what he'd "like to do to her." You can literally hear the audible discomfort of the audience members.

Cat wants the judges to pick the winner and Adam just compliments everyone, to which Cat replies, "Mary, can you be more of a man than Adam?" HA! Go Deeley! Nigel takes a quick second to plug the fact that Evan's brother will be in season 6. (So, um, can we assume that Ryan's going to make the Top 20, because if he doesn't this is really ridiculous.) Nigel calls it for Brandon or Jeanine and Evan and Kayla look pissed off.

My favorite routines: ??? Um, I guess I'll go with the Broadway (did I just say that?) and the paso.

Honestly, right now I can't really pick who I want to win because I just feel annoyed with this episode and this season. During this performance show I went from being neutral/apathetic to kind of detesting the dancers, the judges and even the show in general. And I am not used to detesting this show; I don't like feeling this way about it. When pressed, I guess I'll go with Brandon for the win, just to compensate for all of the other fantastically-skilled boy contemporary dancers who got shafted in seasons past (Travis, Danny, Will). However, if for some reason SYTYCD forgets to announce the winner tomorrow night and we all just forget this season ever happened, that's totally fine with me too.

SYTYCD: 'Super' Six

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

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


The play-by-play:

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

Guys' group number (Sonya Tayah jazz):

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

Jeanine and Ade (Louis van Amstel samba):

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

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

Melissa and Evan (Tyce Diorio Broadway):

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

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

Kayla and Brandon (Stacey Tookey contemporary):

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

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

Jeanine and Ade (Napoleon and Tabitha hip hop):

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

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

Melissa and Evan (Louis van Amstel quickstep):

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

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

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

Kayla and Brandon (Doriana Sanchez disco):

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

Girls' group number (Sonya Tayeh contemporary):

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

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

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

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

SYTYCD: It's Raining Dancers

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

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

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

Randi and Evan (Louis van Amstel jive):

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

Melissa and Ade (Sonya Tayeh jazz):

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

Jason and Caitlin (Shane Sparks hip hop):

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

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

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

Asuka and Vitolio (Louis van Amstel fox trot):

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

Max and Kayla (Brian Friedman pop jazz):

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

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

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

Phillip and Jeanine (Tony Meredith tango):

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

Ashley and Kupono (Shane Sparks hip hop):

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

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

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

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

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