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: 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.

SYTYCD: Contemporary Masters

So You Think You Can Dance: "Top 10 Performance Show"

My predictions for the night: Jason and Ade bust out.

The play-by-play:

• Cat appears wearing a form-fitting multi-tiered (pleated?) green frock. I think this maybe be my favorite of her dresses this season. It's rather mermaid-y.
• The third judge is...Debbie Allen! I was wondering when she'd show up.
• Cat addresses the height issues associated with pairing up some of the Top 10 (a.k.a. Evan).
• Debbie Allen says that in the past few weeks, some of the comments by the judges have caused her to throw her Haagen-Dazs at her TV screen. I wonder if Haagen-Dazs had to pay for that mention or not.
• I feel like Cat's teleprompter is just flashing "Stall!! Stall!!" at her because we are going NO WHERE fast here tonight.
• We're starting the night off with a group Bollywood number with the girls. Did they do gender-based group numbers in previous Top 10 shows? I'm not convinced it's necessary. (After some quick research, it seems last season they did gender-based Top 5 numbers during the Top 10 results show. So they did them, but they didn't affect the voting.)
• What would SYTYCD do if they actually had an Indian or Indian American dancer on the show one season? That poor kid would probably end up doing Bollywood numbers week after week after week. I mean, yes, Bollywood is cool, but we may be getting close to overdoing it.

Girls' group number (Bollywood):

• The dance: One thing about Bollywood numbers is that most audience members don't understand enough of the nuances of this style of dance to know if the dancers are doing it well or not. Plus it's so fast that it's hard to tell if there are mistakes. Example A: Jason and Caitlin did a Bollywood number that the judges thought was amazing and the same judges hated (or didn't love) everything else those two subsequently did.
• The judging: Nigel says the girls are beautiful. That's pertinent, Nigel, thanks. Nigel puts the girls on his "Hot Bangers and Mash Train." Ugh. Mary thinks any of these girls could be in the final. Debbie thinks this is the strongest Top 5 girls in the show's history.

Kayla and Evan (Tony and Melanie Viennese waltz):

• The featurette: To prove that the producers "aren't fixing the couples," they let tall Kayla pick short Evan's name out of the hat. And then we get to hear about the height difference for about 5 minutes.
• The dance: Kayla's not wearing shoes so there's not that much of a height difference after all of that build-up. I really like the dance--Kayla looks lovely in this style. I don't love the faces Evan's making--he keeps pulling out this strange forced smile that doesn't seem to fit with the music.
• The judging: Now as they're waiting for their critique, Evan looks taller than Kayla. In a semi-lengthly exercise in irrelevance, Nigel goes on and on about how he didn't see the difference between their "Viennese waltz" and a "fast waltz." Mary says that Evan's "natural turns" were slightly painful to watch. Go Mary! The gloves are off, as she says. Debbie tells Evan that he "handled [his] big woman." Poor Kayla--under no one's definition should she be considered "big."

Brandon's solo: Very strongly choreographed to his music ("In Your Eyes," I think it was the Jeffrey Gaines version). Packed a surprising amount of movement into a stripped-down acoustic version of the song. Also surprising was that he was wearing pants AND a shirt instead of the tiny spandex shorts he usually wore for solos during auditions.

Janette and Ade (Napoleon and Tabitha hip hop):

• The featurette: This could be a super couple. But, yet, there is more bitching about height differences (Ade is tall; Janette is short). Ade seems kinda happy to not be dancing with Melissa anymore, but I might be misinterpreting him. And the boy finally gets to do some hip hop! It's a banner day for Ade. But then Nappy-Tabs shows up... (Seriously, are those two blackmailing Nigel or something? Nobody choreographs as much as them.)
• The dance: For having no funk, Janette's pretty good at butt wiggles. Ade should have kept the frumpy outfit on Janette because once it was off, she's started stealing the show. Ade finally got to wear his hair pick during a routine. And he got to do something other shlep his partner around the stage.
• The judging: Nigel just wants to say "Nappy-Tabs" again. ACK--Nigel just said that he's going to try to talk Mary out of her clothes later. Cat: "That's a terrible visual." LOL, Cat! Now Mary says, "We've got to get serious and cut the crap." I guess there's a first for everything.

Randi's solo: It was ok, but ultimately rather similar to every other generic girl contemporary solo ever.

CAT SAYS THAT AFTER THE BREAK WE'LL SEE A ROUTINE CHOREOGRAPHED BY TRAVIS WALL!!! And suddenly I don't care about anything else regarding this competition and am only thinking about how much I like Travis and that his hair is dark now. It might not be a good strategy by the producers to remind audience members how much more they liked the contestants of past seasons (like Pasha last week). I'll take it though. This Travis appearance will help to tide me over until I get to see The Bench Dance and "Ramalama" next Thursday!

Kupono's solo: Holy crap, it looks like he spent more than 5 minutes planning what he was going to do in this solo! What a nice change of pace! And he made his costume himself. (Meaning that he ripped up a wife-beater, I guess.) Is there no end to this boy's talents? Lol.

Jeanine and Jason (Travis Wall contemporary):

• The featurette: The two dancers who lost their partners last week got paired together anyway this week. Jeanine thinks she and Chbeeb stole the show with the Russian folk dance last week. Lol. I think it's appropriate that Travis is choreographing for Jason, since I pegged Jason as being a student of the Travis Wall School of Dance the other week. I think Travis might be trying to kill the dancers with this choreo.
• The dance: Ok, I love this because the movements they're doing look like Travis movement. And, whoa, there were some borderline softcore porn moments toward the end there. That Travis is pushing the envelope a bit.
• The judging: The judges all give a standing ovation. Nigel begins by raving about Travis' choreo, saying that it was only bettered by the dancers who performed it. And I was right--now the judges think Jason is awesome. Mary's fighting back tears over Travis' evolution into a top-notch choreographer. (Frankly, it wasn't that much of an evolution, since back in Season 2, his solos were always well-choreographed.) Debbie's reminiscing about when she first saw Travis when he was 14-years-old. Jason's brags about what a good job he did of tearing Jeanine's dress. Combining that performance and those critiques with the residual Travis love, there's no way either Jason or Jeanine goes home tomorrow.

Melissa's solo: I'm not impressed. I think she could get more extension in her leaps and she spent about 70% of the time just doing a lot of Bourree-ing, which I learned in my beginning ballet class at the Y when I was 3-years-old. (Granted, we weren't on pointe in the beginning ballet class, but you get my drift. Also, this girl I just found on YouTube's Bourrees blow Melissa right out of the water.)

Evan's solo: Well, at least he did an 180-degree split. But, yeah, I'm over Evan's shtick. (Although I was never especially taken with it, I guess.)

Kayla's solo: She's definitely got the leaps and the extensions, but I think she could used some choreography help with the solos.

Randi and Kupono (Tony and Melanie paso doble):

• The featurette: Um, on-paper this is like the opposite of a power couple tonight. Unless they get an awesome dance, these two might be heading straight out the door tomorrow night. The concept of the paso doble is confusing Pono. The practice session was rough.
• The dance: Randi's got some killer hair extensions and doesn't even look like herself. With the help of her extra hair, I think Randi's doing a surprisingly good job of selling this. Pono, however, I'm not so sure about. When he's just standing there giving attitude, he's good. When he was dancing by himself, he was ok. But when he was dancing with Randi, I wasn't impressed with him, and he could barely handle the most basic of lifts.
• The judging: I think Nigel's blaming the routine's lack of passion on Randi's wig? I think Pono's jig is up tonight. This is what happens when he doesn't get to do contemporary routines, people! I think Randi got thrown to the wolves with this partnering, but she was probably in trouble anyway.

Ade's solo: Attacks "Unchained Melody" with a kind of reckless abandon that probably could have used a little restraint (there were some bent knees in jumps, etc.) The highlight, though, was a very speedy succession of pirouettes.

Jeanine's solo: Redeems herself for her lack-luster solo-in-hooker-outfit last week with a nice solo featuring leaps and spins and kicks to some fiery Latin music that I'm sure was someone's floor exercise music. (I think it was Alicia Sacramone's music, which--heaven knows--should be engraved in my consciousness by now.)

Jason's solo: Also better than his solo last week. Tonight, he seemed to relax and just do a nice
Southern-inspired dance that showcased both his technique and his musicality without the near-panic and slight desperation of last week's effort.

Melissa and Brandon (Tyce Diorio Broadway):

• The featurette: Dear Lord, now Melissa's bitching about height differences too! We don't care anymore, people! Aaaaaaand it's Tyce. Who is here to choreograph a number from "a very famous musical called 'Hair'." Thanks for being so educational, Tyce. I'm sure few of us have ever heard of "Hair" before (eye roll).
• The dance: The routine started out definitely not being the typical Broadway style, but then it kicked in. I kind of hate this version of "Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In"...so much so that I'm having problems watching the whole routine.
• The judging: Nigel tries to continue the history lesson by pointing out that the '60s was the first time period that white girls danced with black guys. In the over-statement of the evening, Mary says the routine was "unbelieveable."

Janette's solo: Janette powers through her solo, refusing to buy into the idea that ballroomers can't do decent solos. And she isn't even relying on the help of a fringed costume.

Guys' group number (Jeffrey Page African dance):

• The featurette: Um, poor Evan just does not scream "African dance" to me. Pono: "It's just rhythms, a true, true dance style, and I just cannot get it!" So Pono just admitted that he doesn't have rhythm and can't handle true dance styles?
• The dance: This looks like one massive aerobic exercise. I'm having a similar issue with this routine that I had with Bollywood: I just don't know what it's supposed to look like. Were the arm motions supposed to be more fluid like Jason's or more abrupt and staccato like Brandon's? In any event, it looked freaking exhausting and they all deserve credit for just making it through. And, damn, how hot did Jason look during that?
• The judging: Nigel and Mary call more attention to Evan's lack of African-ness. It's generally agreed that they were all wonderful and no one in particular stood out. Nigel can't result throwing in one more quip about how much Russian folk dances suck. He's going to have a Russian-American boycott on his hands if he doesn't watch out.

My favorites:
Couple dance: Jeanine and Jason's contemporary (followed by Evan and Kayla's waltz and Ade and Janette's hip hop)
Guy solo: Jason
Girl solo: Jeanine

And I just want to take the opportunity to gloat one more time about the fact that my prediction that Jason would kill tonight (which I first made last week) was spot on. Booya!

SYTYCD: Addiction, Unplanned Pregnancy & Thievery

So You Think You Can Dance: "Top 12 Performance Show"

The opening:

• Ohhh, each couple is going to dance twice. I was wondering how we were going to fill the time tonight (because Lord knows it's been a struggle the last few weeks...).
• I think Kupono did more in this 5-second intro than he did in his entire solo last week.
• Cat is looking very prim and proper (but still kind of sultry and stunning) in a fitted, cap-sleeved black dress. Her makeup is rather bold, however. Her diamond bracelets are great though.
• Oh nooooooooooooooooooo, it's Tyce. (Well, on the bright side, I guess this means we won't have to watch any of his Broadway routines tonight.)

Melissa and Ade (Doriana Sanchez disco):

• The featurette: Can some please steal that comb away from Ade?
• The dance: I feel like this is one of the few times we've actually going to see Ade do any dancing other than just lifting Melissa around. He's kind of dancing circles around her in this style, IMO. Not that you can really fault her too much since she spent literally 60% of that routine being spun around and around and around in lift after lift.
• The judging: At least the two routines per couple tonight will mean that the judges will have to keep their critiques somewhat shorter. Or not--Mary's been babbling on for quite awhile.

Kayla and Kupono (Mia Michaels contemporary):

• The featurette: Um, yeah, the producers want these two to make it through the week--they're stacking the deck by giving them a Mia routine. Especially if it makes Kup cry during the featurette. But didn't these two just do contemporary last week?! I seem to remember something about vampires. Come on, people! This is ridiculous.
• The dance: Kayla's doing a lot of throwing herself around the stage--some of it looked pretty painful. I like Kupono's smug face. I'm not sure if I loooooooooooooooved the routine though. There was a lot of them standing in the same place and tangling up.
• The judging: Nigel says Kayla has too much hair. Kupono looks more like a vampire this week than he did last week. I'm not sure that the judges got the message that their constant over-hype of these two is not helping them out any in this competition (since they did one of the best routines last week and still landed in the bottom 3). Tyce calls Kayla "a beast" and it's meant to be a good thing. Cat thinks this routine is going to be one to remember from this season, but I beg to differ.

Caitlin and Jason (Tony Meredith and Melanie fox trot):

• The featurette: So Kup and Kayla get contemporary for the second week in a row, and these two poor kids get a fox trot?! Oy vey.
• The dance: I like Cailtin's sparkly dress with a flowy green skirt. This is a nice jazzy fox trot, but at times is seemed really, really slow. And then it went a little lift-crazy. Jason and Caitlin brought good presentation to it, however. Personally, I think there's been a collective overlooking so far this season of how good Jason actually is.
• The judging: Nigel thinks this is Caitlin's style: smooth, cool and elegant. Mary thinks it was "tremendous" too, but her tone is just a little lackluster. Tyce thinks they could have glided more.

Jeanine and Phillip (Youri Nelzine and Lilia Babenko Russian folk dance):

• The featurette: I'm not sure how I feel about the Russian folk dance being brought back. It was fun when Twitch and Joshua did one during last year's finale, but I don't know if I need to see another one. (Especially one performed by two people who can't jump as high as Josh.)
• The dance: Why do I feel like Jeanine's going to win this "dance battle" handily? Phillip sure is smiling awfully big though. To his credit, Chbeeb does pull off some impressive squat-kicks. There was an odd moment at the end when the music was at a fever pitch and they were both standing basically still, preparing to do a pot-stir. (I kind of wish they'd sent Nina, the girl from auditions who could do that awesome pot-stir, through just for this very moment).
• The judging: Nigel's not sure they should have made a couple do this. Well, duh, it wasn't my idea to make them dance in a folk style. I'm not one of the producers. Nigel thinks we needed more vodka to watch that. Mary really believed that Jeanine was a Russian folk dancer for a second. Tyce does enunciate his words very well.

Randi and Evan (Napoleon and Tabitha hip hop):

• The featurette: Oh, geez, this routine's about a young couple who finds out they're going to have a baby. I feel like we're running out of material here. It's about time these two got hip hop though.
• The dance: This looks soooooooo much like the Nappy-Tabs routine from last year that Mark and Chelsie did, just minus the briefcase and plus some more stomach-touching. If she's supposed to be pregnant, should she being doing so many lifts? In any event, I think they danced it fairly well; but I was kind of distracted.
• The judging: Nigel expresses chagrin at a routine showing a pregnancy preceding an engagement ring. And he also wonders whether Randi should have been doing the lifts in "her condition."

It's beginning to seem like this show has a theme along the lines of "the problems of young people" or "the challenges of growing up" or something, since we've focused on addiction and now unplanned pregnancy. What's next? A lyrical jazz routine about getting busted for underage drinking? A fox trot about bombing the SATs?

Brandon and Janette (Leonardo and Miriam Argentine tango):

• The dance: Let's see if these two can out-tango Chbeeb...so far, so good. Janette's leg movements are spectacular. Like, all I could look at during the entire dance was her legs. The lifts were great too.
• The judging: After a dramatic pause, Nigel gives the couple a standing ovation and is joined by Mary and Tyce. Nigel says, for a ballroom routine, that was about as close to perfection as we've seen on this show ever. For once, I'm pretty much on board with his hyperbole. Mary puts them on the Hot Tamale Train and spends the next 60 seconds screaming uncontrollably. Tyce uses a very extended, bizarre metaphor about an orange and a juicer. I'm at a loss.

Yes! Next week, we're breaking up the couples! Bring it on.

Melissa and Ade (Ron Montez waltz)

• The featurette: Melissa seems much more distressed about the breakup of the couple than Ade does. Now Ade has to do that waltz? Eesh--when will this guy get a chance to do something other than carry this chick around the stage? Give the boy a hip hop routine, darn it! BTW, why has Melissa never had to do hip hop? Seems like she's also getting a lot of very favorable dance selections (like Kupono and Kayla).
• The dance: I'm not loving Ade's jacket-without-sleeves. The flowy skirt of Melissa's dress is definitely stealing the show here. Hey, look, Ade just did an impressive series of pirouettes! So he can do things other than just picking Melissa up and making her look good.
• The judging: Nigel would have liked some more rise and fall from Ade, and Mary says his "twinkles" didn't have enough power. I'm serious; that's what she said. Nigel asks if he gets a break from Mary next week and Mary says, "NO! Pipe down, English muffin!" Tyce doesn't think that Melissa quite rose to the occasion of dancing to a song like "Natural Woman."

Why hasn't anyone had to krump this season?

Kayla and Kupono (Joey Dowling Broadway):

• The featurette: Pono says what he'll miss most about Kayla is "her sweating hands and feet." Lol, ouch. I love how Joey torments all the dancers.
• The dance: They're kind of waltzing too, to begin the number. But it turns out to be music from West Side Story. There's something distractingly weird about Kup's pants--I think they're too short. The dance was decent--it seemed like there was something slightly off through most of it, like Pono was constantly on the verge of a big mess-up or a face-plant or something.
• The judging: Nigel didn't think they captured the right tension and style. Mary still thinks that these two are great though (eye roll). Tyce also thinks they could have dug in more, but that they'll still be around for awhile.

Caitlin and Jason (Mandy Moore lyrical jazz):

• The featurette: Jason is still super chill and collected. Jason points out that this is the first week they've gotten the chance to showcase their lines and their technique.
• The dance: Jason also gets to showcase his bare chest. Caitlin looks stunning in these lifts. She can strike positions just as beautiful as the super-hyped Kayla and Melissa. The routine was good. I'm not sure that it was the tour de force routine that they probably needed to keep them in this competition though.
• The judging: Nigel says he doesn't always see chemistry between them, but says--in a very subdued manner--that they danced it very well. Mary says she loved the piece, but that they didn't bring "magic" to it. Mary thinks it was really good, but not memorable. Tyce thinks they did a great job, but could have taken it further. This is like the night of mixed-message critiques. Everything is "very good" but "not memorable" or "not taken far enough."

Jeanine and Phillip (Tony and Melanie jive):

• The featurette: Wait, Chbeeb and Jeanine aren't going to do another Nappy-Tabs hip hop for us this week? The jive? I'm confused. Phillip: "We have a few booty-grabs and chest-shimmies-in-the-faces."
• The dance: Ok, you know what, Phillip is not that bad at the jive. I'm sure he's not nailing the finer points, and he did almost fall over at one point, but he's got the general idea and he's doing a good job of selling it. Jeanine's looking very good. She's turned out to be very versatile. That was a fun routine.
• The judging: Nigel says the choreo was terrific and that, without question, this was the best that Phillip's been out of his style. Well, duh. Mary guarantees us that Jeanine will be here next week. Well, ok. Mary thought Phillip was going to crash and burn, but that he actually did a really good job. Mary puts Jeanine on the Hot Tamale Train. Tyce says "call 1-800-fan-freakin-tastic!"

Randi and Evan (Pasha and Anya samba):

• The featurette: PASHAAAAAA!!!!!! PASHAAAA!!! PAAASHHHAAAA!!!! Holy crap, he's adorable!
• The dance: Randi's got a weird leopard print-and-fringe dress that definitely looks like it would be right up Anya's alley. Since the music was mostly rhythm (very little melody), it demanded a technical proficiency, crispness and attitude that they weren't exactly displaying. Could we please just now watch Pasha and Anya do that routine? PLEASE!!
• The judging: Nigel says it wasn't hot enough--and not as hot as it would have been if Pasha and Anya were doing it. Mary says they did a good job, but Evan needed to do more and find some more fire. Mary thought Randi was a Hot Tamale though. Tyce brings up Danny and Lacey's hot samba in addition to Pasha and Anya's hot routines, saying that this performance didn't live up to those.

Janette and Brandon (Wade Robson jazz):

• The featurette: Finally, Brandon and Janette get one of the marquee routines! They've been consistently great each week, but they haven't gotten any particularly memorable choreo. This routine is about two thieves.
• The dance: Thieves with some crazy sunglasses, apparently. Lots of stair-work in the beginning. This song is pretty awesome. This style is more up Brandon's alley, but Janette is killing it. That was a super fun and very nicely performed.
• The judging: Wade and his wife are wearing crazy sunglasses too! Nigel says that this shows that there's nothing they can throw at these two that they can't do. He's impressed with Janette's ability to keep up with Brandon too. Mary says the best was saved for last. She says they stole everybody's heart. Tyce says they have "that thing." It's a little hard to take Wade's "strong voice in the industry" seriously when he's wearing those glasses... Tyce's stint on the juding panel tonight turned out to be far less annoying than I was expecting.

My favorite routines:
Janette and Brandon's jazz
Janette and Brandon's Argentine tango
Jeanine and Phillip's jive
(runner up is Caitlin and Jason's lyrical jazz)

In trouble:
I'm thinking the bottom three couples will be Caitlin and Jason, Kupono and Kayla, and Randi and Evan.

SYTYCD: Finding the Groove

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

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

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

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

Tonight's show:

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

Karla and Jonathan (Dave Scott hip hop):

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

Asuka and Vitolio (Mandy Moore jazz):

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

Melissa and Ade (Tony Meredith rumba):

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

Janette and Brandon (Dave Scott hip hop):

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Jeanine and Phillip (Tyce Diorio Broadway):

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

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

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

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