SYTYCD: A Near Perfect 10

So You Think You Can Dance: Top 10 Performance Show

It's the Top 10 plus All Stars, baby! Wohoo!

• I'll try to get it out of my system now: "PAAAAASSSSHHHHHHHHAAAA!"
• The camera man doesn't know where to point the camera during group shots now that Ryan's gone ;-)
• Cat is wearing a sequin-y black mini dress (silver at the bottom) with short sleeves, paired with long, very straight hair.
• The judging panel: It's Doogie Howser! Neil Patrick Harris will be holding down the fort, along with Nigel and Mary.
• Each of the Top 10 will dance with an All Star and do a solo.

 Marko with Chelsie (Jason Gilkison samba):

• The featurette: It's CHELSIE HIGHTOWER! This is exciting. Lol, Chelsie kicked Marko in the face a few times. 
• The dance: It's going to be hard for Marko to not get completely upstaged by Chelsie here. He's got to make sure it doesn't look like Dancing With the Stars. To that end, they try to give Marko a few little solo sections so we have to pay attention to him, and he did seem to be doing a pretty good job. And he got a kiss from Chelsie in the middle. 
• The judging: Neil says it was amazing and dirty. Neil: "She does that scissor kick around your face; I would have kissed her too by the end of it." Neil says, "Well played." Lol. Mary shrieks that Marko is the real deal, and she's so worked up that her earring fell off. She says his samba action was absolutely amazing. Mary: "Congratulations. You're something else, kid!" Nigel says although Marko wasn't dancing with Melanie, he didn't lose any of his chemistry. Cat: "Chelsie Hightower's like a James Bond villain."

Sasha's solo: To Duffy. Sasha's dancing is cool--it's a little weird and quirky, almost in a slightly Billy Bell kind of way. I like how she doesn't rely completely on spins and splits and the more "trick" style moves.

Jordan with Brandon (Dwight Rhoden and Desmond Richardson contemporary):

• The featurette: It's cool to see Brandon again; I haven't seen much of him lately. This routine is difficult. Jordan's lucky to draw contemporary two weeks in a row. 
• The dance: Brandon is shirtless and wearing some really skinny jeans. And of course Jordan's showing off her superb splits and leg kicks. Honestly, if this were a leg kick competition, she'd have it in the bag. As for the other aspects of the dancing, I think Brandon's got her beat. 
• The judging: Mary says it's so great to see Brandon on the stage. Mary thinks Jordan was fearless tonight and says that Dwight and Desmond played to all her strengths. Nigel says that Jordan doesn't have many weaknesses, so Dwight and Desmond had the freedom to choreograph whatever they wanted. Neil couldn't take his eyes off her.

Jess' solo: Argyle sweater vest and khakis. That tells you about all you need to know. (Aside from the fact that Jess displays an impressive amount of control coming out of his pirouettes.)

Tadd with Comfort (Chuck Maldonado hip-hop):

• The featurette: Hmm, another favorable pairing of dancer and style. Comfort is supposed to be "gutter fabulous" or something. 
• The dance: Not sure they wear tight plaid pants in the gutter. Not to mention the blue hair streaks, but whatever. I've seen hip-hop routines on this show that I liked better, but I've seen worse too. Tadd is doing a good job of keeping up with Comfort; he might be doing the moves better, actually. I'm pretty impressed with him here, actually. 
• The judging: Nigel says it was very, very, very fast. Nigel's impressed that Tadd can pick up and remember choreo as well as he can, since that's not something b-boys usually do. Nigel suggests that Tadd out danced his All Star. Neil agrees that Tadd out hip-hopped Comfort, which is not easy to do. Mary complains that Nigel's been on her case all night, and Cat responds, "He's on the end; just push him off. He's on a wheely chair." Mary says the routine didn't stop, and neither did Tadd.

 Melanie's solo: She's dancing to a really mellow version of "You're the One that I Want," and I never want it to end. It's been a really long time since we've seen her dance solo.


Mitchell with Melody (Tyce Diorio Broadway):

• The featurette: Eesh, Tyce is annoying. It's been a while since I've mentioned that, I think, so I'll go ahead and reiterate it. 
• The dance: This is interesting because I've never seen Melody dance before; I started watching in Season 2. Mitchell's doing a pretty good job of selling this (I'm actually somewhat pleasantly surprised with his performance level), but the choreo/routine is nothing especially wonderful/memorable. 
• The judging: Neil didn't quite get that much at all. He didn't get the airplane-ness of it. He says it was "disjointed" and not incredibly well thought out! HA! NPH must have heard that a sure-fire way to win over SYTYCD fans is to dis Tyce. Mary thought it was fun, but a bit overdone. Nigel thinks Mitchell "over egged the pudding" (like Ryan last week) and should think more about style than about over-smiling and making things too big. Mitchell is classy and compliments Tyce. 

Ricky's solo: He's got (his own) big shoes to fill after last week's dance for his life solo, and he pretty much pulls it off again--very good pirouettes. The biggest problem was that he ran off-stage after the solo, instead of going to stand with Cat to pimp his phone number. She gets him in line though, so it's ok.


Clarice's solo: She's in a bikini top and short-shorts, with a strange hunk of tulle sticking out from her hip. I somewhat liked the dancing though; it was peppy.

Caitlynn with Pasha (Miriam Larici and Leonardo Barrionuevo Argentine tango):

• The featurette: Oh, Pasha... He's so beautiful. 
• The dance: Props to Caitlynn for even getting me to look at her at all here. I think her tango kicks could be a little crisper, but by and large, she looks pretty good. There are some fancy lifts that she handles very well. 
• The judging: Cat: "No on Blue Steels like Pasha." Mary gives it a standing ovation. Mary says it was the first Argentine tango of the season, and it was really worth the wait. Mary says the passion Caitlynn showed was more real tonight than in any other number--well, no kidding! She was dancing with PASHA! Nigel says that tonight she was a woman and far sexier than ever before. He liked that she didn't over perform. Neil thought it started off a little slow, but then he got totally hooked in. NPH thought the were very in sync with each other, and this is the first time he's ever wanted to learn the Argentine tango.

 Mitchell's solo: White shorts, no shirt. Dancing to a John Legend song that reminds me of The Game. And spent most of the solo trying to remember why the song reminded me of The Game and didn't pay that much attention to Mitchell's dancing. It looked pretty good though.


Sasha with Twitch (Christopher Scott hip-hop):

• The featurette: I think we've missed an great opportunity to do a Sasha/Pasha number, but maybe some other time. Oh, I adore Twitch. He's just so inherently likeable. (And my annual apology: I know it's tWitch, but I can't stand how weird that looks when I type it.) Twitch: "At the beginning, we were lacking love. At the end, we were lacking breakfast." 
• The dance: Wow, Sasha is killing it up on that table. This is a rather slow and groovy hip-hop, but it's awesome. Wow, that routine/performance was so good. Twitch is awesome and Sasha totally was too. 
• The judging: Nigel make a joke about cornflakes that is so off-color that even he can't believe what he said. Nigel thinks this is the first time he's seen her with chemistry with her partner, and she really nailed that routine from beginning to end. Neil thinks it was the best routine so far; it was spectacular. Neil was blown away be how in sync they were. Mary says she needs, for various reasons I won't bother to relay, to call the sheriff, the fire department, and the paramedics (because she's ready to have a "hot attack"). Mary: "As much as I love Twitch, I loved you doing that number."

Jordan's solo: Didn't we already see Jordan's solo? No, I guess I'm thinking about the partner routine. She pulls out some nice pirouettes too, straight into a jump-to-ground, which she landed very lightly and flawlessly. I like how she tried to steer away from the splits and kicks a little, and some Lykke Li never hurt anyone.

Jess with Kathryn (Stacey Tookey contemporary):

• The featurette: Kathryn! There are lots of lifts. Kathryn: "He's actually a lot stronger than he looks." Stacey: "Kathryn can practically levitate, so if he can't lift her, we're in trouble." 
• The dance: Ok, Kathryn is extraordinary. I always remember that, but somehow I'm still always surprised by how good she is when I watch her. I guess I'll be going to see Step Up 4. Anyway, Jess does some nice jumps/kicks/flips stuff, which is good because he's in danger of being upstaged by Kathryn, in my opinion anyway. 
• The judging: Neil thinks it was an extraordinarily designed performance by Stacey. Neil thinks that sometimes Jess' face is a little muggy, which turns people off, and that's bad because he's an amazing dancer. Neil liked this one because the routine gave him less opportunity for mugging. Mary thinks it was her favorite piece from Jess this season. Nigel really liked the piece and Jess in it.

Tadd's solo: 10 seconds in, and I'm already way more impressed than I was by his whole elimination night solo last week. Although this one may have petered out a little. Eh, I don't know; I'm not good at rating b-boy solos.

Melanie and Pasha (Jason Gilkison Viennese waltz):

• The featurette: It's a two Pasha night! If only we could always be so lucky!! In this routine, Pasha's given up, but Melanie is encouraging him. 
• The dance: Pasha has given up to such an extent that he can't even bring himself to button up his shirt. Melanie's dress is gorgeous! As is their dancing, of course. Very soft and fluid and lovely. Pure grace. 
• The judging: Pasha looks like he should be on the front of a romance novel in that getup. Mary: "I'm just jealous that he got to dance with him." Mary says that it looked like Melanie's feet never touched the ground and she was just floating across the stage. She says Melanie does lifts like it was something she was doing all her life. Nigel says it was beautiful flow of movement and a master class in lifting and lift technique. Nigel says the reason choreographers keep using her as the rock because she's a solid, fantastic dancer. NPH says Mel looks like she's from that past, but dances like she's from the future. He says she's beautiful and it seems like it comes from the inside as well as the outside. She's easily his favorite dancer on the show. 

Caitlynn's solo: She also has a weird bunch of something coming out of the side of her short-shorts. She sometimes falls out of her pirouettes, so she solves that problem by jumping out of them tonight. Pretty good.

Ricky with Allison (Tyce Diorio jazz):

• The featurette: Ricky is star struck by Allison, which earns him points in my book. This routine is about a bad dream. There's an easy joke to make here involving Tyce's choreo and a bad dream, but I won't go there. 
• The dance: Allison = awesomeness. Ricky has a weird belt-like thing of red rags around the back of him. The routine is intense, and they're both so good technically that they're doing some pretty impressive stuff with it. I really like it. 
• The judging: Nigel loved this kind of choreo from Tyce. He doesn't think Ricky out-danced his All Star (because Allison is awesome) but he thinks he matched up to her. NPH thinks Tyce went for a bold move here by giving Ricky a mature routine to do, and Ricky pulled it off really well. Mary thought this was ridiculously dark, and she thinks that Ricky really brought it. Raw, reckless and spectacular. 

Marko's solo: Here's another dancer we haven't seen solo in ages. Nice back flip to start things off, plus some nice leaps and pirouettes and things.

Clarice with Robert (Nakul Dev Mahajan Bollywood):

• The featurette: Robert has to be the Bollywood All Star? I was never the biggest fan of Robert, but I feel a bit sorry him now. Robert looks more manly than in the past, I'd say.
• The dance: My feelings of pity for Robert having to be the Bollywood All Star just grew tenfold when I saw his sparkly purple parachute pants. At least they dunked Rob in some tanner to make him look somewhat Indian. This routine was way better than the Bollywood number that Nick and Iveta had to do earlier this year. And Clarice and Robert did a really good job with it. I do, however, now feel like we're throwing kisses into dances just for the sake of putting kisses in dances. 
• The judging: NPH says he hasn't really connected with Clarice yet this season, but he liked her in this one. Mary says it was fast and intricate and hard. Mary thought it was perfect for Clarice, and she doesn't think she could have done it any better. Nigel agrees that it was perfect fit. Exhilarating.

The wrap-up:

• This was another week where they seemed to put most everyone in a situation where they could excel. Consistent greatness might get a little boring after a while, but tonight I rather enjoyed it.
• There will be a whole new batch of All Stars next week. I like that formula, because that means we'll get to see more dancers, which is exciting because I love so many of them.
• There's a problem with the play back, so Cat has to line all the dancers up on stage and read their names and numbers really fast, which she handles like the pro she is.

My favorites:
Sasha and Twitch's hip-hop
Ricky and Allison's jazz
Melanie and Pasha's waltz

In trouble: Mitchell. Maybe Clarice.

SYTYCD: The Dancing Dozen

So You Think You Can Dance: Top 12 Performance Show

Wow, it's the last week before the Top 10 already! Time's flying.

The intro:

• Cat is wearing a sparkly silver dress with a trim of white feathers at the bottom.
• We get two routines from each couple tonight. Good. That means there will be less time for the judges to babble.
• Speaking of the judges, the panel is Nigel, Mary, Sonya and Jesse Tyler Ferguson of Modern Family, so this could be interesting. Jesse doesn't strike me as someone who will just sugarcoat everything.
• Mary looks less orange this week, which is a plus.
• Jesse says he has done Broadway and theme parks.
  

Sasha and Alexander (Tony and Meredith paso doble):

• The featurette: This is a nontraditional paso, because it's a battle between the two of them. I guess Tony and Meredith realized that Sasha is too fierce to just be Alexander's cape. Wow, that was a short featurette; we're not wasting any time tonight!
  
• The dance: This is kind of weird. It looks like time they had two guys (AdeChike and Jose) do a paso last year. I don't really feel strongly one way or the other about this one.
  
• The judging: Nigel says that Tony and Meredith recognized Sasha's strength and that Alexander managed to keep up with her. Mary says they deserve an "Ole!" Mary says Alexander had a breakthrough. Jesse says Sasha is a pillar of strength and Alex came up to her level. Sonya loves Sasha's strength. Alex says Mel and Tony dedicated this dance to their friend who is fighting cancer (and there wasn't a head scarf in sight!).

Jordan and Tadd (Travis Wall contemporary):

• The featurette: The dance is a metaphor about women who take advantage of weak men. Travis: "Everything's painful. There's nothing Tweety Bird about this." I'm noticing a trend: Jordan attacked Tadd last week too.
• The dance: Jordan is dressed like a bird. This is cool. Hey, Travis even worked Jordan's patented leg-kick-spin-flash-crotch-to-audience move! That was considerate of him. Kidding aside, Jordan does do some fabulous leg kicks and spins. Nice routine. Tadd snapped her neck at the end; finally a boy makes it through a number without dying ;-)
• The judging: Mary says Travis has outdone himself again. Mary says she's no longer surprised how well Tadd dances and that Jordan "just demolished that, from beginning to end." Jesse liked that take on the classic boy-meets-evil-vulture story we all know so well. Sonya says that dances like this with true conviction are what makes her cry. Nigel calls it the story of Thanksgiving. Nigel raves about Tadd and says they were both terrific.
  

Ricky and Ryan (Spencer Liff contemporary):

• The featurette: Nothing to declare.
  
• The dance: Ryan's dressed like Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany's. This dance is taking forever to get going. And it's massively slow. I am, however, enjoying Ricky in this. Wow, he just did a really nice pirouette. I'm on the fence about Ryan. Her performance isn't horrible, but I don't love it.
  
• The judging: Jesse felt like a glass ceiling was on the performance; it felt a little muted to him. Sonya felt like they were questioning it the whole time and letting it simmer too long, but it was okay. Nigel doesn't think the complete Broadway style set comfortably with them. Nigel now admits that BOTH of them have had problems connecting with the audience (in last week's elimination episode he said that Ricky had connection problems). Mary liked the first 30 seconds (when they were standing there doing nothing), but then they lost the style and could have done more with what they were given. Ricky looks kind of ridiculous in that hat, which is not helping matters.
  

Kaitlynn and Mitchell (LXD's Chris Scott hip-hop):

• The featurette: I've been a supporter of Invisible Children for years, so I'm excited to see a routine inspired by a cause close to my heart. The featurette didn't provide much of an explanation of what's going on in Uganda and the Congo, but hopefully people will be inspired to check out the Invisible Children website and learn more.
  
• The dance: If not told the story/inspiration in advance, I wouldn't have gotten it from this routine, however, the dancing is fairly solid. They are having unison problems though.
  
• The judging: Sonya said the lack of unison jumbled the message for her, and I think I agree. Nigel didn't really get the message about the abductees in the Congo from that routine either, and he wanted them to get in front of a mirror and dance together. Mary thinks it was still respectable and strong, but came up just a little, little bit short tonight. Jesse likes the power they dance with. He didn't really see the message in the dance either.

Melanie and Marko (Louie Van Amstel tango):

• The featurette: No story, just tango. Bring it!
  
• The dance: Goodness, Melanie's lacy red backless dress is all kinds of sexy. I don't know what's moving faster: the dancers or the camera that's showing them to us. I feel like I'm going to barf. They did some of the routine rather dangerously close to the edge of the stage. HOLY CRAP that back bend/swing lift thing at the end was stunning! You can tell this style is more foreign to them than anything we've seen them do thus far, but for two non-ballroomers, that was pretty darn good.
  
• The judging: Nigel says they did that routine was tremendously better than they did in the dress run. Mary explains some kinds of tango for us. This was American style tango, which is a combo of everything, and Louie put it all in there. Mary says there were some few awkward shapes, but they did a really good job for non-ballroomers. Jesse thinks they both have "that spark." Sonya says every time she watches them dance, they make her loose her breath because of their conviction, which comes from their souls. She says they're timeless dancers.

Clarice and Jess (Christopher Scott lyrical hip-hop):

• The featurette: The routine is about a woman's insecurities.
  
• The dance: Jess is a painter. He can't really pull off the stocking cap hipster look, unfortunately. This is a little weird because they're hip-hopping really hard to a very slow, melodic song. I think that makes it harder for them to pull the dance off. It would be easier to tell if they were together and on-beat if you could actually hear a beat. It was all right.
• The judging: Mary thinks this number was so cute. Mary thinks they both have a pulse and swag and she loved the performance. Jesse loved it. Jesse wants to marry Clarice even though they both have boyfriends. Sonya thinks they're always adorable and that they slayed this routine. Nigel wasn't sure at first, but then he thinks they found the funk.

Sasha and Alexander (Tyce Diorio jazz):

• The featurette: Oh, look, it's Tyce. I hadn't been missing him.
  
• The dance: There's a street lamp on stage. Cause that makes so much sense. The music's Aretha Franklin, though, so that's pretty darn cool. Ooh, really nice lift there with Sasha's hands and flexed feet up in the air; very interesting. And another nice spinning lift towards the end too. I actually really liked this one. I love that they just really got to let loose and dance. Something weird happened at the end, and I'm not sure what. I think the lamppost was malfunctioning.
  
• The judging: Jesse thinks this was amazing and his favorite number so far tonight. Sonya keeps wanting to swear. Sonya says that this performance from Alex was what she's been hoping for all season. She was finally watching him too. Nigel says Sasha's carried Alex through a few weeks, but not tonight. Nigel: "The only shaky thing on that stage is that lamppost."

Jordan and Tadd (Spencer Liff Broadway):

• The featurette: Jordan is a princess and has been asleep for 100 years. Jordan doesn't have acro skills apparently.
  
• The dance: Jordan's doing a lot of lying on the table to start this one out. Watching this routine, I feel reminded that Broadway so very rarely works on this show. And that's through no fault of these two, who danced this pretty well. Jordan pulled out a nice pirouette at the end. Spencer's had kind of a rough night.
  
• The judging: Sonya was underwhelmed. She knows their abilities and didn't see them here, but she loves these two dancers. Nigel thought it could have been a little quirkier/sillier. He thought they could have brought more character to it. He thinks it was "okay." They're lucky they had a Travis routine earlier this evening. Mary says she likes cotton candy, but not too much of it. Jesse felt it was a bit of a grab bag of style and music and costumes.

Ryan and Ricky (Louie Van Amstel cha cha):

• The featurette: Holy crap, they're making them do ballroom! I never thought I'd see the day! Ricky's excited because this is out of their comfort zone and it's hot.
  
• The dance: Ok, I know Ryan's got her share of haters, and I'm not trying to pile on, but there is something a bit heavy about the way she steps when she dances. Otherwise, I'm pretty solidly impressed by both of them; I wasn't expecting much from Ryan with ballroom, and Ricky's quite good. The death drop was definitely something.
  
• The judging: Nigel thinks Ricky had great style and class. Nigel thinks Ryan was overselling it--"over egging the pudding"--and was a little bit sloppy. Perhaps Nigel has finally realized that he's not doing Ryan any favors with the relentless praise. Mary says that was the fastest cha cha she's ever seen. She thinks Ryan started good but then got a bit sloppy. But she thinks Ricky was awesome and she puts just him on the Hot Tamale Train. Jesse likes that Ryan was flirting with him during the dance. Jesse says it was his favorite performance from Ricky of the season. Sonya likes that Ricky was basking in the fun of it. She thinks that Ryan gets too tense and stressed and needs to embrace how wonderful she is.

Caitlynn and Mitchell (Travis Wall something--I missed the classification for this one--jazz?):

• The featurette: Caitlynn is a rock star who has just found out that her boyfriend is married, which is one of the more oddly specific concepts we've had in a while.
  
• The dance: But it's an excuse for a little Janis Joplin, so who cares? This is somewhat out of the Travis Wall norm, which is interesting. It included some rather fancy split lifts and stuff.
  
• The judging: Mary thought it was a little dirty and she liked it. She loved the whole thing. Jesse (to Caitlynn): "Only you can prevent forest fires, by not dancing like that in a forest." Jesse thought it was fantastic. Sonya thought it was really hot, esp. Caitlynn. Sonya thinks Mitchell loses his intention when he focuses on the partnering (it looks like work). Nigel doesn't want to say anything to Caitlynn because he'll look like a dirty old man. His one criticism is that she didn't need to play to the crowd, and should have just focused on Mitchell (and smacking him down).

Melanie and Marko (Dee Caspery contemporary):

• The featurette: I'd usually call BS on a contemporary couple drawing contemporary again, but I don't care--I want to see these two dance contemporary again! It's a nice swan song for them as a couple.
  
• The dance: So freaking beautiful. The light bulb thing was a nice concept, but it didn't get in the way of the dancing.
  
• The judging: Jesse has lost the ability to be coherent. He thought it was brilliant and it's his new favorite from them. Sonya is so grateful that this is the future of dance. She thanks them and hopes they stay humble and true. Nigel's excited about next week, except for breaking these two up because there's something magical about them together. Nigel's favorite style of choreo is when it flows and doesn't just look like a series of steps put together, and this flowed magically. Mary says Dee's work was amazing and relevant. The connections, transitions and everything else were flawless.

Clarice and Jess (Tony and Melanie jive):

• The featurette: Really? We're closing the show with a jive? That's ballsy. Jess says, "You name it, it's in this jive."
  
• The dance: Now Clarice has a feather-trimmed dress too. I'm not sure I like jive with this pop-style music, but the dancers seem to be doing a pretty good job with the jive style. Clarice almost fell over after a series of spins at the end, but otherwise I thought it was good.
  
• The judging: Cat: "Glad to see you got the memo on the frock." Sonya love, love, love, loves it. Nigel thought the footwork was good, but would have liked a little more energy in parts. Mary agrees that Jess' leg kicks were fabulous. She thought Jess lost some steam as it went on and didn't quite see the jive joy from him. But she thought Clarice had it and kept it up the whole time. Jesse thought it was fun.

The wrap-up:

• Jesse scores major points from me by saying that Emmy noms come out tomorrow and Cat deserves to be recognized because she is one of the most fabulous reality show hosts. Amen, brother! Cat turns bright red and looks rather embarrassed about being singled out, but she needs to hear the truth!
• Tomorrow they're announcing the All Stars! WOHOO!!!
• Nigel encourages us to vote for whoever we like, which is the point after all.
• Marko scores points with me by pretending to stomp on Jess while they're dancing during the end credits.
  

My favorites:
Melanie and Marko's contemporary
Sasha and Alexander's jazz
Jordan and Tadd's contemporary

**I couldn't remember exactly which two boys did the paso doble last season, so I went back in my blog archives to check and noticed that I was so much meaner last year! I'm going to have to bring the snark back out for the rest of the season!

SYTYCD: Fabulous Fourteen

So You Think You Can Dance: Top 14 Performance Show

• Not quite sure how to describe Cat's dress tonight. It's kind of blue and kind of kimono inspired and there are some flowers on it. She's paired it with a high, curly ponytail and some big earrings.
• Yeeeaaaaaa for "the stunning" Travis Wall. He does look serious and grown up this evening. Very professional hairdo.
• I'd forgotten that Carmen Electra is a dancer.
• I hope Travis brings the truth tonight.
• This is the first time a former contestant is serving as a judge, I'm assuming. I can't remember any other instances anyway. Awesome sauce.
  
• Ok, so we're clearly going to compensate for the fewer dances tonight by having immensely long commercial breaks?
  

Top 7 boys (Justin Giles contemporary): The first-time SYTYCD choreographer has created a strong, masculine dance depicting the seven stages of grief. Lol, the boys acting out the seven stages in practice was pretty funny. Well, a little Damien Rice to go with your contemporary never hurt anyone... Not sure I get the seven stages out of this, but I'm liking the dance. Some of the synchronization was pretty off during the unison part in the middle though.

Marko has to make a quick stop at wardrobe and come right back. Luckily, he's only wearing half an outfit right now, so it shouldn't take too long to change...

Marko and Melanie (Ray Leeper jazz):

• The featurette: Is it wrong that I want these two to have to mambo or waltz or krump or something? I know they can do jazz and contemporary. I have a suspicion that they can do everything, but I want to see it! Marko is from Guam. He worked in a drag queen show on a cruise ship, but he wasn't the drag queen. Melanie's boyfriend came to the show last week and saw her kiss Marko in the hip-hop. Oops... This dance is the story of a young Latin couple...played by a guy from Guam and a white girl.
  
• The dance: Marko's not wearing a shirt for this one either. Melanie's dress is weird. Mel's pirouette in the middle was to die for. I wasn't totally sold at first, but the longer it goes, the more I like it. Very fun.
  
• The judging: Cat thinks Marko looks like a sexy firefighter who has forgotten his shirt. Travis has been taking Ray's class since he was 9 years old. Travis seems to have thought about what he's going to say (which is impressive because he only found out he was judging yesterday). Travis says that Mel is "by far" his favorite dancer in this comp. I didn't pay attention to anything Carmen just said. Mary says they have the passion. Mary liked the pirouette too. Mary is looking far, far, far too tan. Nigel says their technique matches their performance.

Sasha and Alexander (Shaun Evaristo hip-hop):

• The featurette: We already know Sasha's family or at least we know Natalia. Sasha's family is Trinidadian. Alex started dancing because he didn't want to do P.E. I do not find that shocking. Alex's dad was an actor in the '70s. Wow, we've got a whole bunch of different choreographers tonight. They are trying to teach Alex swag, but it's not taking.
  
• The dance: You know what, Alex is not bad. Better than I was expecting anyway. Sasha's good, but that's less surprising. And there's suddenly a random tree on the set. It's not the hardest-hitting hip-hop choreo we've ever had, but it was fun enough.
  
• The judging: Carmen said she loved Sasha and didn't really watch Alex. Mary didn't see the swag. Whoa, now she just called the performance "lacking." She didn't think they connected with the piece and she didn't connect with them. I guess it needed some Nappy-Tabs "ripped form the movies" plot line. Nigel thought it seemed like Hip-Hop 101. Travis didn't hate it as much as the other judges did. Travis says they do need to work on their shading and musicality. And spews out whole bunch of actual things they can work on instead of just saying some general mumbo jumbo. I love Travis...

Jordan and Tadd (Toni Redpath smooth waltz):

• The featurette: OMG, Jordan is from Chino! Suddenly things make sense... Ok, her Chino looks a lot nicer than Ryan Atwood's. Didn't these two just waltz? Enough with the waltz. Tadd is here to represent the Filipino community. In this routine, Jordan is a siren who seduces Tadd and then kills him.
  
• The dance: I actually like these hair extensions on Jordan. The smoke, however, is out of control. How can we see their dancing, if the smoke is up to their knees? Jordan seems more focused on seducing the audience than Tadd during most of this. Otherwise, it was fine.
  
• The judging: Cat: "If the kiss doesn't get him, the smoke will!" LOL. Mary gives us a nice little history lesson on the waltz. Thanks, Mary! That was actually constructive! She says it was dreamy and romantic and especially liked the beginning. I agree that Jordan's "floor sweep" was nice. Nigel thinks Toni's choreo was clever. Nigel's thinks Tadd's arms were fantastic. As were his "progressive twinkles." Travis thought it was beautiful, but, "Could it have been a little smoother? Yes." LOL! He thinks they should have flowed the moves together better. And gives Jordan a tip on her extensions! TRAVIS WALL FOR THE WIN!! Carmen says she doesn't know much about the waltz, and we're all shocked. I hereby propose a judging panel with Travis Wall only!!!

Clarice and Jess (Justin Giles contemporary)

• The featurette: Jess' dad was an actor too. This is a contemporary piece about a couple that has been through a very intense love that is coming to an end. Shock. Couples are so rarely happy in contemporary pieces...
  
• The dance: Why would Clarice have ever been in an intense love relationship with Jess in the first place? Ok, ok, I'm going to focus now. Really nice side-by-side unison moment there towards the beginning. I'm liking Clarice in this. And I'm liking that Jess is being rather understated.
  
• The judging: Travis' favorite routine from them this season. First time he felt their chemistry was honest. He loves it and still gives Clarice a practical tip on her supporting leg! Nigel loves Justin's work in both of his routines tonight. Nigel liked the jerky movements in this one and really felt the anger. Carmen really believed the story. Mary thinks this partnership has been growing every single week. Mary liked the synchronization section too. (I'm starting to get concerned that Mary and I keep liking the same things tonight...)

Ashley and Chris (Liz Lira salsa):

• The featurette: Salsa is kind of a rough draw for a couple that was in the bottom three last week. Ashley dreams of hosting her own cooking show. Chris comes from a huge Texas family. "There's always something to do and always something to clean." He suffered from severe dyslexia. This is one of the most difficult salsa routines that Liz has ever choreographed. There are lots of crazy lifts and swings. Godspeed, kids.
  
• The dance: Bless poor Chris for going out there in those white pants and looking all Saturday Night Fever. Ash has kind of a nice salsa flair at times. Her dress and shoes are fantastic. Chris is certainly giving it a solid try, but it's not working all that well for him. The flashy ending was nice though.
  
• The judging: Travis says it started out really hopefully and the lifts were good. When they broke apart it started to get iffy. He thinks their chemistry with each other has been better. And, oh my gosh, the audience is booing Travis! WHAT IS WRONG WITH THESE PEOPLE?! And Chris says, "You're so mean! I love you!" LOL. Carmen thinks it was ok but that something wasn't quite there. Mary doesn't think this was as hot as their week 2 number. She did think there were moments where Ash was on fire, but she didn't maintain her Latin swagger the whole time. Mary could tell Chris felt awkward, but does commend his partnering work. Nigel agrees that the lifts were quite good. Nigel says he feel uncomfortable talking about Chris' hips, but he didn't have the right feel.

Ryan and Ricky (Chucky Klapow jazz):

• The featurette: Sooooo many Californians... Ryan gushes about Mia a lot. Ricky loves the beach. Ricky moved to Tampa and ended up cheerleading. He seems to have rather enjoyed the experience. This dance is about fashion people who follow the fads and end up dead. Or something to that effect. Whatever it is, it's heck of a lot more interesting than the usual.
  
• The dance: Actually this concept and choreo reminds me of Wade's "Sexy Back" group number in Season 2. And that is not a bad thing whatsoever. Ironic that Travis is on the judging panel. I'm liking this routine all around, but I think Ricky is rather out-dancing Ryan (and not just when she fell out of the pirouette at the end).
  
• The judging: Carmen loved it--the music choice, the energy, etc. Mary says it was an experiment of movement down on the quirky side, and she likes a little bit of quirkiness in her life. She thinks Ricky was as good as ever and that Ryan went "full-tilt zombie." She gives it a scream. Nigel says he is the quirk in Mary's life. He calls it "zombie Zoolander." He loved their togetherness. And Nigel says it reminded him of Wade's "Ramalama." Travis: "We killed 'Ramalama,' and you killed this too." Ok, but guys, this was obviously "Ramalama" plus "Sexy Back." I miss Season 2...
  

Caitlynn and Mitchell (Mandy Moore contemporary):

• The featurette: Caitlynn's dad works overseas and only comes home every other month. Mitchell's dad died when he was 2. He and his mom were homeless and lived in a car for a while when he was a kid. For this piece, they are in love.
  
• The dance: The song is Celine Dion and not something from the '80s! Huh. Cait shows off some nice extensions. I don't know if they're in love, but Caitlynn is rocking the dancing to the extent of being almost Kathryn-esque. And Mitchell doesn't get much attention here, but he's doing a good job with the lifts and supports.
  
• The judging: I think Cat just said: "It was almost like Joshua and I at the Fourth of July barbecue, but not quite." Lol, what?! That was Mary's favorite number of the night. She's all crying and flustered. She says Mitchell is injured. Mary thinks this is their time! Nigel says the emotion grabbed us all. He liked the leaps and lifts. The whole routine took his breath away. Travis liked the unexpected partnering and agrees that this is their time and they should seize it. Carmen picks her last opportunity to offer her most legit sounding comment, which was something about dance taking you out of yourself.

Top 7 Girls (Ray Leeper jazz): The story is about seven girlfriends whose mission is to rid the world of evil men. These girls have done an awful lot of killing this season! Sasha says acting evil comes surprisingly naturally to her. Ha. The costumes are pretty awesome, especially the hats. Very slick, very sexy, very well-danced. (I wonder if the other girls mind that Ryan, Melanie and Sasha are always front and center in the group numbers.)

So after a couple weeks of me not being super impressed with anything, tonight I've got four favorites:

Clarice and Jess' contemporary
Melanie and Marko's jazz
Ryan and Ricky's jazz
Caitlynn and Mitchell's contemporary

I can't help but think that tonight's inspired choreography is connected to the amount of new blood among the choreographers. Since eventually the work of almost every choreographer starts to all look similar, it's probably best to cast a wide net with the talent.

Nigel says Season 6's lovely Kathryn has just gotten a "fabulous part in Step Up 4" (which begs the question if there are really any fabulous parts in Step Up 4... and also reminds me that I need to get Step Up 3 from Netflix. I wanna see tWitch!). Yea Kathryn!

SYTYCD: After the Massacre...

So You Think You Can Dance: Top 16 Dancers Perform

I speculated after last week's performance show that the double elimination formula could be a disaster, and boy was it. I didn't really think that any of the four who went home should have, but I was especially upset about Nick, Wadi and Iveta. The judges kicked three of my favorites to the curb in one show, and now we're left with the Jesses, Jordans and Roberts...

• Cat's wearing a sparkly mini with curly bobbed hair.
• #NoMoreChbeebInTheOpeningTheme
• Ugh, I miss Nick. And Wadi. And Iveta.
• I am excited about guest judge Kristin Chenoweth. Not sure we need both her and Lil C though.
• With two fewer couples, I guess they need to inflate the judges' commentary to fill time. Grrrrrrreat.
• Oh, we've got group numbers tonight too. Huh.
  

Group number (Tyce Diorio Broadway): Ryan, Sasha, Miranda, Charice, Marko, Tadd, Mitchell, and Chris. Sasha is stealing the freaking show. This routine is better than the usual from Tyce, I'd say. Probably because there are more people involved.

Sasha and Alexander (Dee Caspary contemporary):

• The featurette: Alex wore a lot of bow ties as a baby/child. Oh dear, it's another dance about a guy who remembers a girl he lost. Let's hope the memory girl doesn't smile too much this time! Ha ha.
  
• The dance: Sasha climbs out of a piano to begin. Alex's outfit makes him look like he's one of the kids in the Sound of Music. It's veering dangerously close to lederhosen. Creepy moment at the end when Sasha goes back into the piano but her hands reach out at Alex. This routine was rather good. It should be though, as it is in their style.
  
• The judging: Nigel says it was a good start. Nigel thought Alex was good but needs to connect with the audience some more. The neckline on Mary's top/dress is too plunging. Kristin loved them both and her comments sound like she actually thought about them before they came out of her mouth. Lil C says Sasha is eight notches above perfection. Cat: "A whole octave!"

Caitlynn and Mitchell (Jean Marc samba):

• The featurette: Mitchell: "When I was a kid, I was a ham." As opposed to now?! This dance looks promising.
  
• The dance: Cait's dress is awful. It's like crepe paper streamers are hanging from her. Ok, this routine isn't as good as I thought it was going to be based on the practice footage. It's almost good, but it's a little rocky/shaky. Cait looks like she's not getting her feet right where she wants them sometimes or something. I'm not sure.
  
• The judging: Mary thinks it was "spectacular" so apparently I'm a harsher ballroom critic than she is. Well, then Mary just forgot Caitlynn's name, so maybe she doesn't know what's going on. Kristin says "shut the front door" and all of the other doors. I'm not sure if that's exactly a critique, but she's cute so we'll let it slide. Lil C says they murdered it and gives a shout out to Jean Marc. Nigel disses Wadi. Let's rub salt in the wounds, Nigel, thanks.

Miranda and Robert (Tyce Diorio Broadway):

• The featurette: Why are these people still here when Nick, Wadi and Iveta aren't? Maybe I'll get over this someday. Oh, good, Tyce's high-class hooker number should help show them the door... Tyce's routines are often good for a trip to the bottom.
  
• The dance: It was pretty good while they were moving slowly, but I think the quality dropped a bit when the music picked up. Miranda gets to do some tap dancing though, which was cool. In the words of Randy Jackson, it was aaaaright for me.
  
• The judging: Kristin says she wasn't sure about them in rehearsal, but they killed it tonight. Is this the first admission that the judges watch these routines performed in rehearsal before the show? Lil C to Miranda: "With legs like that, who needs arms?" Nigel says Robert was good for a hip-hop dancer, and he's come a long way. Mary says she didn't even recognize Miranda in the group number. Um, can we get Mary some flash cards with the contestants names and photos on them? ;-)

Melanie and Marko (Napoleon and Tabitha lyrical hip-hop):

• The featurette: Marko wins the cutest kid award thus far. In this routine, they're two best friends but Marko just got left at the altar and then realizes that he should have been with Melanie all along. Very rom-com plotting, there.
  
• The dance: Props to Melanie for wearing that strange circus getup to her best friend's wedding! Marko looks really sad in the beginning; nice job. Of course these two are good at hip-hop too. Ok, even if you have been best friends for a long time, I'm not sure it's the wisest idea ever to start up a new relationship (make out with someone) immediately after being left at the altar. Might want to give yourself some time before diving into anything...
  
• The judging: Lil C says they're a power couple and the section in the beginning was extra buck. Nigel says it was a brilliant concept to create a dance about best friends falling in love. Uh, yeah, it was when Travis came up with it in Season 5 with the Jason/Jeanine/Jason Mraz dance! (That one is still a freaking masterpiece, by the way.) Nigel says they're the couple to beat. Nigel tries to kiss Mary. Cat: "That's like walking in on your mom and dad! That's gross!" Kristin is very moved and very touched, so she kisses Lil C. Then Nigel attacks Lil C too. And we've dissolved into complete chaos, but Cat's nailing her post-kissing ad libs. She's such a pro.
  

Ashley and Chris (Sonya Tayeh jazz):

• The featurette: Ok, baby Ashley was wicked cute too. Chris was afraid of Sonya. In this routine, they are half human/half zombie.
  
• The dance: Ashley's leg extensions are no joke. This is almost exactly an undead version of "The Garden." Ashley is really good at the dancing. Chris is really good at acting like a zombie.
  
• The judging: Nigel didn't connect with the music and wanted them to be more overt with the characters. Oh, this is his Jason/Caitlin alien critique all over again. Mary says Ashley is beautiful even when she's a zombie. Mary's impressed that Chris is doing pirouettes now. Kristin says the half-human/half-zombie characters are like half of her boyfriends. Kristin says Ashley is one of her favorites on the show. Lil C likes how Sonya gives the technique of the dance a character as well. Lil C thinks Ash is the sleeper this year.

Clarice and Jess (Jean Marc fox trot):

• The featurette: "Jess the Mess," yeah, that about sums it up... Producers, please stop allowing Jess to talk so much.
  
• The dance: Clarice's fringy skirt is exquisite. I was liking the beginning, but the actually in-hold fox trot stuff was sooooo slow, it was almost comical. The routine was cute; they did a good job. Clarice looked good.
  
• The judging: Mary says they did exactly what they were supposed to do. Mary thinks no other dancer on the show could have done what Jess just did. Kristin says that was her favorite performance of the night. She just pronounced Clarice's name "Clair-is"; is that how we're all supposed to be pronouncing it? Lil C says he knows Jean Marc loves dance and they just put a "face on the smile of his heart" or something. Nigel loves the dress. Nigel says Jess is a master of "this Broadway style." And here I thought this was the fox trot... Hmm...

Ryan and Ricky (Sonya Tayeh contemporary):

• The featurette: After their trip to the bottom three last week, there was no doubt in my mind that they'd be doing contemporary this week. And it's emotional, no less. Nothing brings in the votes like a contemporary routine about a break-up.
  
• The dance: I'm sorry, but Ryan's un-winding top is a choreographic crutch. At least Ryan's not smiling during this one. It was a nice routine and well danced, but my heart isn't breaking over here or anything.
  
• The judging: Kristin says Ricky's turn out is amazing. And she thought the piece was very beautiful. Lil C just loves Sonya. Lil C thinks they're a power couple too (apparently even though they were in the bottom 3 last week). Nigel says he's proud they kept Ryan. Right, because neither of the other girls would have danced well this week. *Eye roll.* Nigel says he couldn't take his eyes off Ricky. Mary acknowledges that they got freaking lucky by picking contemporary.

Jordan and Tadd (Napoleon and Tabitha hip-hop):

• The featurette: It's a hip-hop routine with a bed. They're college students who wake up in bed together and don't know who the other person is. Some classy inspiration, there... Tadd: "People might assume that Jordan is comfortable with this piece..."
  
• The dance: Did Jordan have those tight jeans on this whole time? I'm super impressed if she pulled them on that fast. That feat is far more impressive than her dancing in this routine. So, at the end, they decide to get back into bed together. Charming...
  
• The judging: Cat is afraid to toss it to the judges after the kissing incidents. Lil C claims to love the dance and the concept. He said they do need to work on using their whole bodies in some of the grooves. (I think that was directed to Jordan.) Nigel says the story of the dance overwhelmed the dancing. No kidding! That's the smartest thing Nigel's said all year. He assured them that America won't care about a silly thing like dancing though, and they'll be around for many weeks to come. I'm not so sure. Mary says they just "put the whammy on us." Kristin brings back her "front door" monologue.

Group number (Dee Caspery contemporary): Melanie, Ashley, Kaitlynn, Jordan, Alexander, Jess, Ricky, and Robert. Medieval women are trying to poison the boys. To "Poison and Wine" by the Civil Wars! Four powerhouse girl technicians in this number (including Jordan, who can do the moves quite well when she's not hell-bent on Pussycat Doll-ing everything up).

My favorites (no particular order):

• Melanie and Marko's lyrical hip-hop
• Sasha and Alexander's contemporary
• Clarice and Jess' fox trot
  

SYTYCD: Deja Vu

So You Think You Can Dance:
The Top 20 Perform...Again

I didn't blog about it, but I called bull-hinky (in the immortal words of my beloved Dale Kettlewell from Greek) on the judge's decision not to send anyone home last week. Personally, I could have picked some people to go home without any trouble at all. But it is what it is: all 20 are back to dance this week, and two girls and two boys will go home tomorrow.

Play-by-play:

• OBAMMMMAAAAAA!!!! Come on, dude. Make your announcements on Mondays or Tuesdays. FOX has skipped covering his speeches in the past in favor of prime time programming, so I'm kind of surprised they're showing him tonight.
• I wish they'd just take Barack's time out of the time allotted for the judges to babble so we can still finish this on time. I say give each judge 30 seconds to give his/her critique and then cut off his/her microphone!
• Ahh, yes, a flashback to last week when the judges showed us yet again that they're always willing to make the rules up as they go along.
  
• I'm starting a campaign: #NoMoreChbeebInTheOpeningCredits #SeasonFiveIsOver
  
• I guess they decided that the solo intros were so boring last week that they're announcing them in pairs tonight.
• Cat is wearing a brilliantly yellow knee-length cocktail dress with a lacy top. I like it, but aside from the color, it's a little dowdy for Cat. The length and the lacy cap sleeves make it look a tad on the mother-of-the-bride side.
  
• Guest judge is dance icon Debbie Reynolds! Let's bring the truth tonight, Debbie!
• Cat shows a clip (featuring Debbie) from one of her favorite movies, Singing in the Rain. They could do a Debbie Reynolds tribute group dance tomorrow night.

Ricky and Ryan (Mandy Moore jazz):

• The featurette: We're sharing each other's secrets tonight. Ricky says Ryan's leg hair grows really fast. That's just TMI. They have to be sexy for this dance and are having problems with that in practice.
  
• The dance: Hey, guess what, it's a Mandy Moore routine set to an '80s song ("Addicted to Love"). I would have never seen that coming... Ryan's smiling too much again. And her non-smile facial expressions are a bit much too. Ricky's looking pretty good in this one. Aside from his snow pants-style outfit, that is. Overall, it was fine, not fantastic.
  
• The judging: Nigel loves it because it was "so raunchy." That's also shocking. Mary is addicted to the two of them. Come on, Debbie, bring the sanity! Debbie, "You fell out of your top, you fell out of your bottom, you gave us your all!"

Caitlynn and Mitchell (Stacey Tookey contemporary):

• The featurette: Caitlynn's secret is that she has boots that turn her feet blue. That's a really lame secret. Hey, guess what, this Stacey Tookey routine is about a relationship that has gone very bad. That's also a shocker.
  
• The dance: It involves two chairs. Caitlynn's dancing in the chair is pretty. They're doing a pretty good job with the emotions behind it, and the dancing is lovely. The concept is a little trite by now for SYTYCD, but it was a nice performance.
  
• The judging: Caitlynn reveals that Mitchell accidentally punched her! Yikes. I thought I saw something go wrong, but I wasn't sure. Mary loves it and is excited to see Cait go further outside her style at some point. Debbie: "I mean, you bled for us!" Lol, Debbie is a riot. Nigel calls it remarkable and says he felt Cait's inner turmoil.

Missy and Wadi (Jean-Marc Genereux cha cha):

• The featurette: Well, at least somebody's dancing out of their style tonight... Wadi laughing at Missy's laugh is pretty endearing. Jean-Marc says this is the most difficult cha cha he's ever choreographed for the show. What is he thinking?! Wadi is a free-running b-boy!!! Missy got on Jean-Marc's nerves during practice.
  
• The dance: So far, this is mostly sexy wiggling, and not much cha cha. Unless this picks up fast, I don't believe for a second that this is the most difficult cha cha routine from Jean-Marc in history. It's so slow! This had "we're novices" written all over it.
  
• The judging: Nigel thought Wadi was a strong partner, but as for his actual technique, a lot was missing. Nigel says other people who have never done the cha cha before have done better than Wadi. He thinks, however, that Missy was very good, and I disagree. Mary says the beginning was spectacular--and admits that's because there was no cha cha dancing in it! She didn't think Wadi did very well either, but she feels for him. She thinks Missy is the cha cha queen. I guess we'll have to agree to disagree. Debbie says she'll take Wadi home. HA! Wadi looks uncomfortable. Cat: "You made her night, I think." Wadi: "At least I made someone's night." AWWWWW! Poor Wadi! Don't take it so hard!

Iveta and Nick (Nakul Dev Mahajan Bollywood):

• The featurette: Nick always wears shorts. Yeah, these two have Bollywood written all over them, lol.
  
• The dance: Um, this is a little rough. Part of the problem is the jerky camera work. Part of the problem is Iveta's hair extensions. Independently, they both look ok, but next to each other, they don't look quite in sync. The spinny lift towards the end was nice though.
  
• The judging: Nigel says it was entertaining and they did a good job since they weren't in their style. He does say that others (Joshua and Katee) have done better at Bollywood in the past. Mary saw chemistry between the two of them somewhere in there. Debbie's just excited to be here; she feels 20 years younger. She thinks they were terrific. Nick looks like he wants Debbie to offer to take him home.

Miranda and Robert (Napoleon and Tabitha hip-hop):

• The featurette: Ugh, first Nappy-Tabs routine of the season. Duck and cover... Miranda allegedly has a crush on Tadd. Ugh, this routine is about woodpeckers! I hate woodpeckers! And I hate Nappy-Tabs routines!
  
• The dance: I guess they figured they better show us why Robert is here fast or he wouldn't be around much longer. Ok, color me unimpressed all around by this one. Esp. by Miranda's back flip that she didn't get the whole way around. Most of this looks like something I could do after 2 hours of practice...
  
• The judging: Mary always gets nervous when animals are imitated on this show (little foxes, anyone?) but she liked this one. And then she gushes about Nappy-Tabs. Come on, Mary... Debbie was mesmerized. Then she does the Woody Woodpecker laugh. Nigel: "I'm just worried about how many dancers she's taking home with her tonight!" Nigel thinks Miranda is the "best contemporary dancer he's seen do hip-hop." Oh, come now. I could name a whole score of people, but I'll stop at one: Alex Freaking Wong.

Clarice and Jess (Stacey Tookey contemporary):

• The featurette: Clarice sleeps with her eyes open. Jess draws a stick figure orchestra. Ok, that secret's actually interesting... And then Jess burns all the goodwill his stick figure orchestra inspired in me by saying, "I can't wait to tell my mommy I'm a prince!" in a baby voice. Holy heck, man.
  
• The dance: A contemporary dance inspired by the royal wedding, I guess. This has its moments (her extensions, the too-brief side-by-side part), but it also has some slightly rocky spots. Not bad.
  
• The judging: Debbie says they touched her heart, and she'll take them both home with her with Wadi. Nigel liked parts of it. CAT IS HOSTING AN EVENING IN L.A. FOR WILLIAM AND KATE! Nigel liked the separate stuff, but thought some of the together stuff looked uncomfortable. (Finally, I agree with someone!) Mary calls Clarice "Miss Legs."

Jordan and Tadd (Jean-Marc Genereux Viennese waltz):

• The featurette: Eesh, this was a tough draw for them. Tadd says that Jordan is dumb (in nicer words), but that's no secret, buddy...
  
• The dance: This involves a park bench? Are you kidding me? Her lines are nice, but her style is still a little hoochie for the waltz. Tadd's waltzing could use a little work. Especially his steps when he's holding her up in a lift. He looks a bit staggery there.
  
• The judging: Nigel thinks it was just so beautiful. Nigel seems quite impressed with Tadd's waltzing, considering he's a b-boy. And now he says that this is the best he's seen a b-boy dance something like a Viennese waltz. Put a kibosh on the exaggerations, Nigel. Mary says Tadd is the biggest surprise of the season. She thought his lines were unbelievable. She thought Jordan was beautiful too. Debbie says they were just as wonderful and Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire and Cyd Charisse. (Speaking of exaggerations...)

Melanie and Marko (Mandy Moore jazz):

• The featurette: Melanie has a big issue with people touching her ears. Marko loves to read romance novels. The routine features an old song with a new twist. And a hat. This looks promising.
  
• The dance: Melanie's outfit is rough, but everything else is great. Marko's rocking it. Until he dropped his hat, that is... The concept is good, but the choreo could be a little better.
  
• The judging: Mary thought it was so good. She thinks these two can take on anything that is thrown at them. Debbie thinks they're stars, and Nigel agrees. He thinks they've both got the perfect 50% technique/50% passion combo.

Alexander and Sasha (Napoleon and Tabitha hip-hop):

• The featurette: A sensitive routine about a soldier coming back from Afghanistan and seeing his wife for the first time. Oh, Nappy-Tabs... Trying to recapture the Katee/Joshua glory of yore.
• The dance: Why the soldier's wife is dressed so scruffily, I don't know... Sasha is good. Alex, not so much. He's a little stiff. The uniform is probably not helping that perception though. My favorite part was when Sasha was dancing in the beginning before he came back. That can't be a good sign.
  
• The judging: Debbie loved them. Mary's crying. Emotional exploitation, this routine is. But we've made it through most of two episodes without one of these types of routines (cancer/addiction/war/etc.), so I guess it was only a matter of time. Nigel finds it "ironic" that they did this dance after Obama announced troop withdraw in Afghanistan. He thought they performed it well.
  

Ashley and Chris (Spencer Liff Broadway):

• The featurette: Not a good sign that I completely forgot about the two of them. In this routine, Chris is incarcerated and they have to dance with a row of bars between them. The bars are kind of far apart though, so Ashley could easily squeeze through them if she really wanted to...
  
• The dance: They're dancing well, but Ashley's skirt is kind of stealing the show here. It's quite eye-catching when she twirls. Chris did some cool stuff on the bars. The routine was all right. They danced well, but the concept may have stifled them a bit there.
  
• The judging: Nigel is impressed with b-boy Chris doing jazz. Nigel says the next time they put him in prison, he hopes Ashley comes to visit. Mary talks about 211 degrees and 212 degrees and it's all just a bizarre buildup to putting them on the Hot Tamale Train. Debbie calls them sensational.

I refuse to pick three favorites tonight. I feel like we were just watching various shades of mediocrity for the most part this evening. If forced to pick three, I guess I'd go with:

• Melanie and Marko's jazz
  
• Caitlynn and Mitchell's contemporary
• Chris and Ashley's Broadway

This three-couples-in-the-bottom, four-dancers-go-home thing could get really sticky tomorrow night.

SYTYCD: Starting Off Season 8

So You Think You Can Dance: Top 20 Performance Show

First performance show of Season 8! Let's go:

• Cat is wearing a sparkly black mini dress with silver shoes, tousled wavy hair and smokey eyes.
• I am so sick of seeing Chbeeb in this intro.
• There are some seriously unfortunate outfits amongst this top 20. And I'm getting a little sick of watching everyone do leg kicks. I think we went a little contemporary heavy this year. Esp. with the girls.
• Cat is having a slightly rough time reading her intros tonight.
• Megan Mullally?! Seriously? Because she danced in that I Can't Believe It's Not Butter commercial? She says she has a dance history. Ok, I guess that's all right then.
• Mitchell injured his elbow. He can't perform tonight so he's automatically in danger tomorrow.
  

Jordan and Tadd (Sean Cheesman Afro-jazz):

• Featurette: Jordan wants to be a Pussycat Doll really bad, and that makes me like her even less than I already did. Tadd was a dancing taco in a movie. When he was a kid, he thought he was Caucasian. His 8-second intro was amusing.
  
• The dance: This started out really cool, but I think it lost some steam in the middle. Picked up towards the end. Seemed really long. Danced well though.
  
• The judging: Nigel thought it was tremendous. Mary agrees. Mary was impressed with b-boy Tadd. Megan liked the precision and power.

Sasha and Alexander (Travis Wall contemporary):

• The featurette: I find this Alexander dude a bit on the creepy side. Sasha gets to kick the crap out of Alexander. Watching Sasha beat him up has made me warm up to Alexander a bit.
  
• The dance: Sasha's dress is out of control. Oooh, Sasha's rocking the creepy face there. It's a good routine, but I'm not blown away. I feel like they could be doing something harder, perhaps?
  
• The judging: Mary likes the transitions in Travis' routines. Mary thinks Sasha is very strong. She liked it, but she didn't quite feel the connection between the two of them. Nigel is scared of Sasha.

Clarice and Jess (Tyce Diorio Broadway):

• The featurette: Well, they sure played right into Jess' hands by giving him Broadway. Um, yeah, Jess is annoying. I think the helpers are Katee and Jakob!!! Or am I seeing a mirage? Can we watch Katee and Jakob instead?!
  
• The dance: With all the cards that are stacked against this one - Tyce, Jess - I'm not expecting to like it much. Clarice just knocked out one heck of a split leap though. She's got nice extensions. Otherwise, I'm pretty bored. They danced it well, however.
  
• The judging: Megan loved everything about it. Nigel wants more from Clarice. She'll need to work hard to keep up with Jess and his innate Broadway style. Whatever. Nigel says Jess is one of his favorite guys this year. Ugh. Mary says Jess couldn't have done anything any better.

Ryan and Ricky (Christopher Scott lyrical hip-hop):

• The featurette: Ryan is obsessed with Law and Order: SVU. Ricky kind of reminds me of Brandon from Season 5. He's really peppy though. Yea for lyrical hip-hop that's not choreographed by Napoleon and Tabitha.
  
• The dance: Ryan's dress is cute. It looks like something someone would actually wear. I'm liking this. I feel like the girl actually gets to dance in this routine, and not just sassily strut around, as often happens in these hip-hop routines. They're both good, but I think Ryan's stealing the show a little in the side-by-side dancing. Nicely choreographed routine!
  
• The judging: Nigel didn't quite get the story, but he loved the dancing. He says Ryan stands out in the sea of good girl dancers. Mary thinks Ricky is one of the best boys.

Caitlynn and Mitchell (Sonya Tayeh jazz):

• The featurette: Yea Sonya! Mitchell is a little much too. He also sweats a lot.
  
• The dance: Robert is taking Mitchell's place. I'm happier to see Rob now than I ever was last year... This routine is pretty classic/standard Sonya, but it's cool. Caitlynn's pretty good.
  
• The judging: Mary loves Sonya's choreo and thinks Kaitlynn's legs are spectacular. She thinks Kaitlynn was brilliant. Mary sure hopes we see Robert later this season as an all-star. Megan was impressed with how young, small Kaitlynn showed such power. Nigel gives her 10's for performance and technique.

Miranda and Robert (Jason Gilkison jazz):

• The featurette: Miranda is from Pittsburgh. She's dancing in lingerie in her intro clip. Robert kind of sings his 8-second intro. He also has an Urkel voice. He's also a bit much. What is with these boys this year?
  
• The dance: Mod outfits for the jive. Interesting. Miranda's jive looks a little stompy--not very light. I don't think Robert quite has it either, but he's got nice spirit. I'm excited to hear Mary's take on this.
  
• The judging: Megan liked it. Nigel points out the obvious: that Robert might alienate people with all the "woooooooo"-ing. He wants him to point his toes. Nigel wants more confidence from Miranda. Mary seems to like it, and I'm a bit befuddled. She gives them a wohoo. Ok, I'll defer to Mary. She knows more about jive than I do.
  

Missy and Wadi (Sean Cheesman jazz):

• The featurette: Missy likes talking in a Jamaican accent and Wadi was born in Jamaica! It's perfect! The dance is about evil, sexy demons.
  
• The dance: They start the dance in two separate boxes. Some very cool moments in that routine, especially the end when Wadi jumped and flipped all over the two boxes. Nice.
  
• The judging: Nigel thinks this is Sean's best work ever. Nigel thinks Missy is one of the beasts of the girls. He thinks Wadi is brilliant. Mary says something incomprehensible about Pandora's box and whoopass. Megan pulls out a Mia Michaels-esque "ahh-MA-zing."

Melanie and Marko (Travis Wall contemporary):

• The featurette: Here's my power couple. Marko is from Guam. They are two statues that dance into one.
  
• The dance: Mel and Marko plus Travis, and an Ingrid Michaelson song to boot! They're awful bendy for statues... This is gorgeous. They both display amazing control over these moves. So, so good.
  
• The judging: Judges give it a standing O. Mary's almost in tears. Ok, she's really in tears. She says this was one of those magical numbers that happen once or twice a season. Breathtaking. Megan has chills. Nigel thinks that could have been the first Emmy-nominated routine of the season. Marko's the one who still has a bullet in his shoulder. Nigel says Melanie is the queen of the beasts. He thinks she's the best girl dancer EVER ON THE SHOW. Wow.

Ashley and Chris (Christopher Scott hip-hop):

• The featurette: The dance is about a couple that finds out that they're both cheating on each other at the same time. Chris is cute. Ashley has a nice smile.
  
• The dance: To Cee-Lo's "Forget You," of course. This is spunky. Not sure Ash is the best hip-hop dancer ever, but she is a ballerina after all. They're bringing a nice energy to it. Not one of the marquee number of the night though.
  
• The judging: Nigel thought it was a lot of fun. Mary liked Ashley's swag and Chris' heart. Megan thinks SYTYCD has the best makeup and costumes of any show.

Iveta and Nick (Jason Gilkison quick step):

• The featurette: Well, if someone had to get the quick step tonight, at least it was world champ Iveta. Iveta is originally from Lithuania. Nick's very slow 8-second intro was funny. Iveta is a quick step slave-driver.
  
• The dance: Well, it's a quick step. So there's that. It's kind of a rockin' one though. It's alright. Not my favorite dance ever, but they did a good job.
  
• The judging: Megan was impressed by tap dancer Nick. Nigel thinks Nick came up to scratch. Mary is flat-out screaming her critique. The dance had everything it was supposed to. Iveka is the first American representative to win all 10 dances. Mary says it was unbelievable and Nick rocked.

My favorites:

• Melanie and Marko's contemporary
• Missy and Wadi's jazz
• Ryan and Ricky's lyrical hip-hop
  

Overall, it was a pretty good start to Season 8, I'd say.

Greek: Moving On

Greek:
"Legacy"

This is it. I've been dreading this moment for weeks, but now it's upon us: the series finale of Greek. One last hurrah with our favorite CRU students.

I'll begin with one last Greek play-by-play, and then I'll get all sentimental at the end of the post.

Highlights and my observations:

• Is Rusty wearing the same flannel shirt that Evan was wearing last week? That would be scandalous. (Ok, I've looked into it, and can confirm that it is NOT the same shirt. I guess it would be a little late in the game to open the Rusty-and-Evan-have-a-secret-romance can of worms...)
• Finals already?! Fastest Greek semester ever!
• Evan! Evan's broken hand!
• Evan says "nothing" is up with his broken hand/arm.
• Um, Casey and Evan aren't really going to be able to come up with "what the KTs are going to try to pull" to save their house. It's hard for non-KTs to think like KTs.
• Actually, Evan, Casey Cartwright stops "thinking about her future" on a fairly frequent basis.
• Calvin has picked accounting as his major. He does not sound too convincing though when he says he loves it. Uh oh.
• Aww, Rusty gave Ashleigh a name tag for her new office.
• Dale's second cousin Barry got married last week and he hadn't left the house in five years!
• Dale: "You don't think it's us, do you?"
• LOL at Dale offering a long list of all the "horrible" Matthew McConaughey movies and still never hitting on the one Rebecca was referring to (Ghosts of Girlfriends Past).
• Ha at both Cartwrights accidentally breaking things upon entering the KT house.
• Oh no, Pledge Spidey's dad is Villian X. Suddenly things make sense. I didn't see it coming; I was blinded by my love of Jonathan Silverman as Richard in Weekend at Bernies.
• YEEAAAAAA! It's a good-old KT brainstorming session! These scenes are seriously one of the best parts of Greek.
• Beaver suggests they try a plan based on the plot of Up but attributes it to something he saw on 20/20!
• Rusty: "You can't blame Luke Skywalker for being Darth Vader's son."
  KT: "Spoiler alert!"
• Cappie: "Pledge Spidey, bring me the action figures! And the Barbies! We're going to need them all!"
• Casey calling Evan "Evan Bacon." LOL.
• Heath, Calvin, Beaver and Ashleigh's "tourist" disguises.
• Wow! Dale's even helping too!
• Tour guide: "Have I told you about our house rabbit adoption center?"
• Ha at Casey yelling "Oh!" in surprise upon seeing Cappie in the organic cafe.
• This is epic.
• And now Rebecca is pretending to be Ashleigh. This is a complicated plan.
  
• Ash's big glasses are cute.
• Evan nailed Beaver's balloon scheme on the head!
• Cappie can graduate!
• Casey: "You accidentally graduated?!"
• Casey: "I get it. Go to her!"
• Rebecca: "So, I got an e-mail from Robin. She says we didn't work out because I'm not a lesbian."
• Dale: "Why didn't we ever work out?"
  Laura: "You don't like to sweat?"
• While I'm not totally on board with Laura being the future Mrs. Kettlewell, the kiss was worth it to see Rebecca getting shoved into the cake.
• Oh, poor Rusty's breaking down.
• IT'S WADE!!!!!!!!!!!! Wade's looking cute with his new haircut!
• Katherine! Aw, Katherine's going to share a KT story! And her story is that she lost her virginity in the KT house... Yikes.
• It's Jen K.! Has she been around this whole time?! She says she regrets writing the article. But she's the editor of the CRU paper, so I guess it worked out for her.
• Oh no, Mr. Parks just singled out Casey and Evan to explain why the house should be torn down. How is that their jobs as law students, exactly?
• Come on, Evan, be a nice person! YEA!!! Evan did the right thing! Good for Evan.
• (Why did they want Evan and Casey to speak anyway if they were just going to tear the house down no matter what? No consensus was reached. Why even bother trying to talk the "protesters" into it?)
• Oh, Beaver! Oh, Rusty! Ohh, they're all crying! Oh, KT house...
• Casey: "You're not my geeky little brother who got beat up by a sixth-grader when he was in high school."
  Rusty: "She was an eighth-grader."
• Casey: "You don't need me or anyone else to look out for you anymore. You can take care of yourself."
  Rusty: "I get that from you."
• Casey: "I did the right thing. I got that from you."
• Uh, no, Evan. You and Rebecca didn't work out because you're still in love with Casey. But it's the last episode, so I guess we have to gloss over that fact today.
• Evan punched the wall!!! (because he was sad about losing Rebecca)
• Rusty's rallying the troops! Aww.
• KT brother: "We can't sleep in tents all winter! In case you forgot, this is Ohio!" (Uh, I didn't forget that it was Ohio. Greek's writers forgot that.)
• Ashleigh: "You know, this room is crazy big!"
• Evan: "Hey, Crappie."
• Oops, I don't think Evan meant to inspire Cappie and Casey to run away together. But that's exactly what he did. And he was super cool about it. Evan has been such a do-gooder today! Redeeming himself for semesters of misdeeds in one swoop!
• Awww, Ash and Rusty!
• Ok, everything's going great and all, but I feel like the resolutions are coming at us at a really rapid-fire pace. It's hard for any one moment to sink in, because there's another one coming right on its heels.
• Ha at Cappie doing jumping jacks before orating.
• Professor: "For your finale I just have one question: Why?"
  Cappie: "Because you're lazy."
• Cappie's real name is "Captain John Paul Jones"!
• Calvin and Heath are going to India to help people.
• Cappie: "You are my legacy, Spitter." (This one gets the distinction of being the Sweetest Line of the Night.)
• Aww, even this Rebecca/Casey hug is making me sad. Holy crap!
• OH MY GOD, they're playing Youth Group's "Forever Young" cover from The O.C.! ARE THEY TRYING TO KILL ME?!?
• (How fitting is it though that Greek borrowed a song from the last show whose series finale made me cry like a little girl?)
• Evan hugging Cappie and Casey.
• DALE JUST KISSED CASEY! Ahahahaha! Everyone's reactions were fantastic.
• Cappie: "Dale?"
• I really wish this Casey "Where to?"/Cappie: "Wherever you're going." exchange--THE LAST LINES OF THE WHOLE FREAKING SERIES--hadn't been spoiled in the promo that ABC Family has been showing all week. Knowing exactly what was coming kinda ruined that moment for me.
  

It's hard not to feel sentimental about this finale. It really does seem like an end of an era--not just for Cappie, Casey, Evan, Rusty, Dale, Calvin, Ash, Rebecca, Beaver, Katherine, etc., but also for me. Greek made its debut shortly after my own collegiate experience ended, and over the years it has allowed me to vicariously experience some college moments I missed out on, as I did not participate in the Greek system; was not part of a messy, never-ending love triangle; and did not engage in too many crazy capers. I guess I was rather like Rusty would have been had he not joined Kappa Tau. (Or like Katherine...but not as stern.) So Greek not only taught Rusty to have fun, but allowed me to experience some of the fun I may have missed.

Even putting aside my college nostalgia issues, Greek has meant a lot to me over the years purely because it is fun. I can remember several times when I was sad or frustrated, and watched an episode of Greek that saved the day. In that respect, the show itself has been a great friend to me.

And, speaking of friends, what I will miss most about Greek is its characters, all of whom I view as my friends (even though I know they're not, in fact, real). Over the episodes, I've raved about Greek's ability to make a spectrum of different people all seem very likable. This extends from the top with the main characters--Casey, Rusty, Cappie--on down to the supporting characters who have gotten to stick around because they're so darn lovable--Beaver, Heath, Katherine, etc. Some shows are lucky if they can create one or two good characters who display a unique personality, have interesting layers, resonate emotionally, and inspire love and devotion from viewers. Greek is--sorry--was a show full of them. And they will all be deeply missed.

P.S. It's not too late to make a spin-off featuring Beaver striving to manage his new job as a kindergarten teacher and his blossoming relationship with a certain Type A law/MBA student.

(photos: abcfamily.com)