SYTYCD Top 20. Again.

Yeah, so it's hard enough for me to learn everyone's names when that list gets two shorter every week. When it doesn't? Well, that's just mean. And ridiculous. I'm sorry, but this is a competition show. I know it's hard, but someone has to go home, Nigel.

That said, I can see where they just couldn't help themselves. By all accounts, Robert (the Woo guy) should have been sent packing based on both of his pathetically bad solos, but can you really send a guy home who actually performed the night before and keep the guy who was injured? Mitchell is clearly the better dancer, and it would have sucked to have lost him over something that was beyond his control. As irksome as it is, I see their reasoning. In a perfect world though, they would have taken one look at the solos and sent Robert on his merry woo, er, way.

Anyway, moving on to last night's festivities, here's how I'm ranking the performances:

1) Caitlyn and Mitchell (Contemporary--with the chairs)
2) Sasha and Alexander (Hip Hop--military homecoming)
3) Tadd and Jordan (Viennese Waltz--with the uh, waltzing)
4) Ashley and Chris (Broadway--jailhouse)
5) Melanie and Marko (Jazz--with the hats)
6) Nick and Iveta (Bollywood)
7) Miranda and Robert (Hip Hop--woodpeckers)
8) Ryan and Ricky (Jazz--with the torn stockings)
9) Jess and Clarice (Contemporary--with the near death of Princess Clarice)
10) Wadi and Missy ("Cha Cha"--and I use the term loosely)

All in all, it was a pretty solid evening, Debbie Reynolds' total lack of critiquing notwithstanding (seriously, she's a legend and a hoofer and all, but who thought she'd be a good judge?). There has yet to be a routine this season that I wanted to watch 87 times, but a lot of good, respectable, entertaining routines. Usually, this early on in the competition, there are considerably more train wrecks. Of course, last week everyone magically drew their own styles from the make-believe hat, so there wasn't a whole lot of room for error. Seriously, I thought they had finally given up the ghost (what with them not even showing the contestants draw from a prop hat anymore), but last night they tried to sell me on the randomness once again. Yeah, we'll see.

Here are my top-to-bottom thoughts on the evening:

1) Caitlyn and Mitchell
A lot of people will probably cry foul that I placed any routine about Sasha and Alexander's, but I'll explain more on that in the next section. For me, Caitlyn and Mitchell's contemporary piece won out. And as you know, there's no love lost between me and contemporary as a genre, so it really must have been special. I have a soft-spot for well-used props and creative structures and this piece had both in spades. I know that using chairs isn't exactly reinventing the wheel here, but these were used incredibly well and with a very artistic effect. The staging and direction of the dance helped tremendously. There was just something about the tableau that captivated me in a way that no dance has yet this season. I didn't post about last week's, but I gotta tell ya, the statue routine? It was lovely and all, but I wasn't blown away. That routine elicited my usual response to contemporary. Very nice, technically brilliant, not grabbing me. But Caitlyn and Mitchell really sold this. I loved the spotlights on the chairs and the way they were framed onscreen. Both dancers really acted the part in a way that was convincing and moving. So often, I can't separate the gravity of the dance form the kookiness of the dancers, but they both pulled it off. I'm really glad Mitchell didn't go home. He's one of the very few guys this season who has the power to really partner well.

2) Sasha and Alexander
This was the big, over-the-top, reduce Mary to tears dance of the night and it genuinely was excellent. Aside from the fact that the subject matter didn't really resonate with me as much as with other people, the main reason that it doesn't get my top spot is that Alexander didn't bring it the way Sasha did. She was fabulous and Alexander paled a bit by comparison. I actually like him quite a lot and think he's a lovely dancer, but he just doesn't seem to through his entire soul into a routine the way Sasha does. Were he with a different partner, I doubt I'd even notice, but with Sasha, there's an immediacy and and urgency that he can't seem to match. That said, it was a great routine. I really loved the structure of the dance, with him walking toward her frame-by-frame while her anguish is on display in the foreground. I think the choreographers quickly realized that Sasha was the star of this show because she had a whole lot more work to do. All in all, it was a superb routine, but I think Alex is going to have to take things up a notch if he wants to outshine his partner. Good luck with that.

3) Tadd and Jordan
I'm as shocked as you are. I enjoy ballroom more than most, but in general, the Viennese Waltz is the dance equivalent of Unisom. It's always very beautiful and flowy and whatnot, but there's a somnolent quality that I can't ignore. Tadd and Jordan, however, were surprisingly captivating. Jordan was about 60% less strippery which made me like her about 60% more. Apparently there's a direct correlation between sluttiness and my inability to care about someone's dancing. Which isn't to say that I have a problem with dancers being sexy. Far from it. The problem is that Jordan isn't sexy. She's trying way to hard to be sexy to actually be sexy. Shaking your ass for Nigel's enjoyment does not a sexy dancer make. Anyway, I'm hoping she's realized that the key viewing demographics for this show are women and gay men, neither of which really cares about your cans, sweetie. I wasn't surprised in the least that they were in the bottom last week. On the other hand, Tadd is a badass. I'm very critical of ballroom dancers, especially the men (they just seem to have a harder time with it for some reason) and he gave me nothing to complain about. Absolutely lovely. His extensions were graceful, not forced or awkward, his carriage was solid, and he actually has enough power to partner well. He's also supremely likable in his clip packages and his solos are insane. He should go very far. he's easily one of the strongest guys this year, although in fairness, there are a surprising number of forgettable fellas. Now if we can just get the slutty, moronic albatross off his neck, we'll really be in business.

4) Ashley and Chris
Not only do I love Broadway, but this routine used a song from Cry Baby, so it won itself about 50,000 points right there. I loved the concept and again, well-used props, but I have to admit, there was some chemistry missing. The routine was excellent overall, but I don't find Chris appealing at all, so I had a hell of a time seeing the heat between then. I think Ashley had a hard time as well, given what she said in her clip package. That said, she gave it her all and if I found Chris sexy in any way, shape, or form, I think this routine would have been HOT. Honestly, Ashley's rehearsal time with the delectable choreographer was a lot steamier. I gave this fourth because it's really not Chris' fault I'm not attracted to him at all. His work with the bars and his aerial tricks were most impressive and interesting to watch, but I kept forgetting to watch him because Ashley is simply gorgeous. She could not have looked any better than she did in that vintage red dress, smoldering against the bars. Note to Jordan, THAT is what's sexy.

5) Melanie and Marko
I'm not sure exactly what it says about them or about this routine, but when I was ranking the routines after the show, this is the only one I couldn't remember. I put 9 routines down and simply couldn't recall the last one. What does this mean? This probably wasn't the most memorable routine, either for good or bad reasons. I remember the ones I loved and the disasters, but this one was truly middle of the road. Hence, #5. It was a quirky little routine that was well-danced, but I wasn't bowled over. I liked the concept and this type of dancing, but I don't think Melanie and Marko were as perfectly suited for it as the judges seemed to think. It just felt a little forced. They're both wonderful dancers, but they're contemporary through and through, which isn't really my bag. The routine just didn't quite have the snap, crackle, pop that I would have expected. Marko lost a couple of points for losing his hat, but gained them all back for catching Melanie in that split. He's not a huge guy and she's not the tiniest girl, so that can't have been easy. I have to give props to Melanie to being as willing to wear those costumes as she is. Those shorts weren't doing a thing for her.

6) Nick and Iveta
Who's that charming young man dancing with his grandmother, you ask? That would be adorable tapper Nick and Leatherface. I refuse to believe she's only 30. There's just no way. Good lord, I could have gone to high school with that?! I assume the reason she dipped him in the opening (which was admittedly kinda cute) is that there were fears she might break a hip. As with Chris earlier, when one of the dancers is entirely unappealing, I have a hard time seeing the chemistry, and so do the dancers. Poor Nick. It must feel like he's stopped by the nursing home to pick up chicks every time they dance. She is frightening to look at. So I don't. With that in mind, it's hard to assess her skills with Bollywood, but Nick did a very nice job. Not perfect or anything, but this isn't a style that anyone has any experience with, so he rose to the occasion admirably. I would have liked his movements to be a little quicker and for him to hit a little harder, but I'm splitting hairs. For the style he was given and the partner her got saddled with (the fact the saddles are made of leather is not lost of me), he did a great job. He's also extremely likable and goofy. He's far and away the most promising tapper I've every seen on the show, so what say we just get rid of Iveta now (assuming she hasn't keeled over and died already) and pair him up with someone else? Anyone else? He's the only guy this season with any real height, so it doesn't really matter who you choose.

7) Miranda and Robert
I just can't seem to like these two. Between Robert's overall annoyingness and Miranda non-descriptness, there's just not a whole lot to love. I think Miranda is actually quite a lovely dancer and she's got a great, athletic body for it, but she just doesn't really make much of an impression. Of course, I'd rather have her lack of impression over Robert's bad impression, but that's not exactly helping the cause much. The routine was pretty forgettable, but admittedly well-danced. Even though Robert is the hip-hop adjacent dancer of the two, Miranda's performance was better. Her movements were snappier and more precise and she hit harder. I can't say she seemed completely at home with the style the whole time, but she really pulled it off. I just can't stand Robert, so it's hard to even care how he danced. I don't recall a train wreck from him, but that's about all I can say. Forgettable routine by forgettable dancers.

8) Ryan and Ricky
As with Melanie and Marko, I had a hard time even remembering this routine existed by the end of the show. The only reason I recalled it was because of Ryan's unfortunate wardrobe malfunction. The dancing was probably pretty good, but I was so distracted by the giant tear in her nylons that I had a hard time watching. Overall, Ricky did a very nice job, but I kinda hate Ryan. She's just so damn smiley. It was annoying and ridiculous last week (no matter what lame-ass excuse she came up with), and this week, it felt like it was taking every ounce of energy she had to keep by hamming it up to the camera. The judges may have thought this was the sexiest, raunchiest routine they've ever seen, but literally, by the end of the Caitlyn and Mitchell's routine (which came right after this one), it took me a second to remember this. Maybe it's that I don't know the dancers very well yet, but I just wasn't feeling it here. Ryan doesn't have any edge at all and she wasn't convincing me with this routine at all. I have a sinking feeling she'll stick around for quite a while, but I wouldn't be sad to see her go. For as much as I like Ricky's personality, I honestly can't remember much from his dancing so far. Maybe he'll come into his own, but maybe Ryan is just too much of a weight for him to really shine.

9) Jess and Clarice
Wow, okay, this routine wasn't a total disaster, but the threat of Clarice's imminent death was just to palpable to enjoy this. This is truly the season of teeny tiny guys and Jess is the most Lilliputian of them all. Geez, just in the rehearsals I was wincing. She's a tiny girl and she's still twice his size. Evan from season 5 was a little Broadway dancer too, but I was never terrified for his partner during lifts. I was sure poor Clarice was going to faceplant into the stage at some point. Fortunately, she wouldn't have far to fall... All that said, he didn't drop her. Phew! It was really distracting though. I have to agree with Nigel here that their individual work was excellent, but their partnering was completely off. There's no chemistry between them at all and the whole prince and princess story fell flat. It's really a shame because they're both wonderful dancers. Seriously, for and tiny and irritating as Jess is, he's a phenomenal dancer. He just needs to shut the hell up and maybe grow a foot. That's all. No big. Literally. I have little doubt that these two will be in the bottom.

10) Wadi and Missy
Here we have the only real, absolute train wreck of the night. That was one of the worst Cha-Chas I've ever seen on this show. Missy did okay, I suppose, but only in comparison to Wadi's complete lack of form, style, and commitment. I realize that he's a b-boy, but seriously, so is Tadd. Not only was Wadi's technique totally lacking, but he appeared to be giving about 30% to this. If he had given it his all and failed, that wouldn't have been so bad. But with this, it was like he decided he couldn't do it so he wasn't really going to try. If Missy had been paired with someone else, I think she really could have excelled, but as is, she muddled through as best she could with only 1/3 of a partner. If Tadd had failed as well, I might be in a more forgiving mood, but Tadd kicked ass at a less exciting dance and Wadi just kind of gave up. The real shame is that I really quite like Wadi in general, but the last two weeks haven't done him many favors. The judges might have loved the Pandora's Box routine from last week, but I kept forgetting to watch. I literally started thinking about something else halfway through only to realize that I hadn't really watched the rest. I went back to re-watch and it happened again. I think both of these dancers could turn into stars, but at this point, I'm not impressed by either. The judges heralded Wadi's partnering, but I couldn't even see much of that going on.

As many of these reviews have mentioned, it's a surprisingly small, weak group of guys this year. Most are incredibly short and only a couple seem to have the requisite power to manage lifts. Although I take issue with Nigel's repeated insistence on calling the girls "beasts" this year, I can't deny that the girls are a lot stronger and more memorable than the guys. Unlike last year when the reverse was true. I'm not saying that all the guys need to be big, brawny powerhouses, but there are usually at least a couple each season that the choreographers can count on for the craziest stuff. I think about Ade and Brandon from season 5 and Ryan from season 6 and I just don't see any parallels here. Hell, even the more slender guys in seasons past held their own. Robert (!) from 7 (who paired with Caitlyn last week--lucky girl), Kupono from 5, and even Jakob from 6 didn't scare me during lifts. The guys this year? They're not exactly inspiring a lot of confidence. Some of them seem to have some power (Mitchell and Marko, in particular), but overall, they just don't strike me as real powerhouse partners for the girls. There was no chance that Ryan di Lello was ever going to win the competition or anything, but he was such a tremendous partner. The girls knew they could trust him. I remember when Kathryn drew some crazy dance, she said she was freaked out, but she knew she was with him so it would be fine. I'm hoping at least one of these guys emerges as the go-to for partnering, but I'll believe it when I see it.

Who's going to be in the bottom 3?

• Jess and Clarice
• Miranda and Robert
• Nick and Iveta

Here kitty, kitty...

I'm entirely too weary to write one of my big, long, presumably painful to read posts about So You Think You Can Dance, so I'm going to do my damnedest to keep this short.

First off, the title of this post refers not only to Billy's awesomeness last night, but also Cat's. Way to call the judges out on their total bullshit! Ha! More on that later...

Here's how I'd rank the performances last night (and yes, I'm way too lazy to look up the choreographers or exact styles):

Billy--Macavity
Ashley--Ninja Hip Hop
Lauren--Cha Cha with Pasha
Robert--Ken and Barbie Number
Kent/Lauren--Contemporary Prom Number
Kent--Hip Hip
Adechike--Bollywood
Ashley/Robert--The Dreaded Quickstep
Billy/Jose--African Jazz
Jose--Contemporary
Adechike--Bartender Jazz(?) Number

Was that all of them? Here's hoping. With Alex being out of action, my counting took a hit. Speaking of Alex, well that was unexpected! I think he was just about everyone's pick to win, but now? I seriously doubt he'll be able to re-enter the competition. If his Achilles (or, as Nigel would say, his "Ack-uh-leez" tendon is truly ruptured, he won't be dancing again anytime soon. Poor guy. I hope this doesn't cause any permanent damage. I mean, it's one thing to have to drop out of a TV dance competition, it's quite another to have your entire career on the line. Ouch.

BILLY
It seems like the judges and I have been at odds quite a lot this season, but with Billy's awesomely awesome turn as Macavity, I couldn't agree more. It's the best Billy's ever been. It may simply be my Broadway leanings showing themselves, but I absolutely loved it. It was really the only piece of the night that I really wanted to go back and watch again immediately. It was nice to see him get a piece that didn't totally suck this week. Seriously, a Tyce routine, then crump, then a generic contemporary routine? Yeah, no thanks. He needed something dynamic and technical and he aced it. The girl he was paired with was wonderful as well. Very smooth, and yet, very sharp as well. I liked it infinitely better than the African Jazz routine. Don't get me wrong, Billy did a fine job, but given the choreography that didn't really grab me and the fact that he was stuck with Jose as a partner meant that the routine as a whole kind of flopped. Here's hoping he gets something decent next week.

ASHLEY
Well, it's about time she got (had?) to do something other than her own style. I honestly didn't know what to expect, but was pleased to see her rock the house with that Hip Hop routine. I didn't think she'd hit that hard or that her moves would be so tight. Very well done, and that's coming from someone who isn't generally a huge Hip Hop fan. The Hip Hop this season has been SO MUCH BETTER than last season though, so maybe I just forgot how good it could be. As for the quickstep? Well, she survived. And actually did a pretty nice job. Her carriage was much better than Robert's and seemed a lot more comfortable with the style than he did. Now let's never speak of it again...

LAUREN
This was the real surprise of the night. She actually managed some sex appeal in her Cha Cha! I'm honestly shocked. I loathe her as a person, but I agree with the judges that it was like watching a completely different dancer on stage. Her movements were fluid and her partnering with Pasha was surprisingly good. Her routine with Kent was also very well done. When I saw the costumes, I literally said to my mom, "Oy, it looks like we have an 80's prom on our hands..." Little did I know how right I was. Kent was the real shining star of the piece, and to be honest, I didn't notice Lauren all that much, but she did a fair job. Now if we could just not let her speak and never have to watch a clip package of her ever again, maybe she and I could be friends (and by "friends" I mean, of course, that I don't actively want to set her on fire).

ROBERT
I have had some qualms with Robert here and there, but arrogance was never the issue. I don't know where people got that impression, but I certainly never saw it. Although his Ken and Barbie number with Kathryn really could have used some cleaning up (it was a bit sloppy here and there), I still really liked it and thought Robert totally committed to the piece. For once, Kathryn's partner wasn't getting upstaged by her, so that's really saying something. He survived the quickstep, but only just barely. His carriage was pretty bad and his posture looked awkward. I liked this quickstep more than most quicksteps though because of the music. It reminded me of Labyrinth and made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside, so they basically could have fallen off the stage and I'd have been fine with it. :)

KENT
Like I said before, he was the real powerhouse in his and Lauren's number. It seems odd that this is the most mature he's looked, and it was a piece about a high school prom... Whatever. It worked. He can do a lot better than Lauren though, so let's hope the romance was purely dance driven. I actually quite liked his Hip Hop routine as well. It was one of the mellowest Hip Hop routines I've ever seen though, and I think that's the main reason Kent was able to rock it. Very smooth and controlled. I was afraid he was becoming this season's Evan Kasprzak, so it's nice to see he can actually dance. "She's the man I'm supposed to be, but can't!" Heh. I still like his clip packages more than the actual dancing, but the gap is narrowing.

ADECHIKE
First off, as near as I could tell, there wasn't any actual dancing to speak of in that bartender routine, so I can't really judge it. Honestly, that was the lamest thing I've seen on this show in a good long while. The fact that Tyce had nothing to do with it is a shock. Also, I'm with Mia on this one. He didn't even kind of embody the character, and when there's no dancing to fall back on, you have to embrace the character. Yikes. I actually liked his Bollywood well enough, even if he did dance it like it was a different style. Hats off to Cat for calling the judges on their favoritism!!! Adechike's Bollywood number was a million times better than Jose's, but Jose gets goo-goo eyes and praise and Adechike gets raked over the coals?! Say what?! You get 'em, Cat! Honestly, I find myself hating Jose more for the fact that the judges cut him so much slack more than because of his actual "dancing."

JOSE
Speaking of dancing in quotation marks, Jose is pretty terrible. Oh sure, he's gotten better than he was, and his contemporary routine wasn't as trainwrecky as expected, but that doesn't mean it was good either. Seriously, his partner was doing 96% of the actual dancing and Jose was just kind of there to support. He was the pole to dance around, essentially. Oy. I hope he goes home soon so I don't have to hear how adorable he is anymore. Oh, and that African Jazz routine? Well, Billy was doing his best to save it, but Jose is quite simply not a dancer. I pity the poor choreographers who have to keep coming up with ways to give this kid something he can actually do. Geez, I never knew how truly amazing and wonderful Legacy was until now. I don't care how adorable you are if you can't dance, Jose!

Anyway, last night's routines were better overall than recent weeks and I have to assume that that has more to do with the total lack of Tyce than anything else. Here's hoping Tyce and his chinstrap beard fell into a well or something.

Who should go home? Jose (!)
Who will go home? Probably Robert :(

Something is rotten in the style of ballroom...

Is it just me or has this new season of So You Think You Can Dance been a little underwhelming? Well, add to that notion last night's show and you can add "utterly perplexing" and "kinda hard to watch" to the list of adjectives. Fortunately, last night's foray into uncomfortable style/dancer pairings, we also got to add "completely awesome" to the list as Alex unexpectedly stole the show.

Last night was probably one of the weirdest on record for me. When my favorite routines of the evening are hip-hop and contemporary and I absolutely hated the ballroom numbers, something Twilight Zone-y must be going on...

Maybe it's a Stonecutters' plot.

Here's how I'd rank the routines from last night, and please bear in mind that the numbering isn't accidental, it's telling:

1!) Alex--Hip Hop
7) Ashley--Contemporary
8) Adechike--Hip Hop
11) Billy--Contemporary
12) Robert--Jazz
13) Kent--Jazz
19) Lauren-Broadway
11, 637) Jose--Samba (well, Anya was doing the Samba...)
266, 434) Melinda--Salsa (if you can really call it that)

Never, in the history of me watching the show (which is admittedly only the last three seasons), have the styles broken down like that. Wow. I'm still a little in shock... On a semi-related note, does anyone know why they don't put this show out on DVD? I would absolutely love to watch the seasons I missed, but for whatever reason, Fox doesn't seem it necessary. I'm wagering that a lot of people (even people who saw the seasons originally) would buy them, so if you happen to know anyone in the industry who could effect some change, I'd greatly appreciate it. (Quick note: "affect some change" or "effect some change"? Oh, don't you worry, Annie and I discussed it and we settled on "effect" as in "bring into effect". Ammon was the dissenting vote, but I'm going to have to defer to Annie on this one. Not that anyone besides the three of us would ever care.)

ALEX
After last week's lackluster Fosse number, I was loving Alex a little less than usual. Then I heard he was going to be doing a hip-hop number this week and I was honestly expecting disaster. (I don't know why it was such a big deal that he was dancing with Twitch, but everyone seemed to think this was positively scandalous. Of course, I wouldn't bat an eye at a Samba between the two, so maybe it's just me.) Anyway, much to my GREAT surprise and INFINITE delight, this was far and way the best routine of the season. Way better than that contemporary piece that the judges were sobbing over. (Although Adam gets teary-eyed over just about everything, awesomely, including this one.) Seriously, this is really the first time that I thought to myself, "Annnnnd, we're watching that again. Right now." I, like everyone else, was totally blown away. To see such a refined ballerino tackle hip hip with such skill is why this show exists. Not only did he keep up with Twitch, but in a lot of ways, I think he was better. Unlike a lot of routines where my eye is drawn to the all-star, I couldn't take my eyes off Alex. He was hitting every move and doing so with the perfect aplomb. Tabitha and Napoleon's routines are always a little hit or miss for me, but this one was all hit, beginning to end. As far as I'm concerned, the season has finally started.

ASHLEY
This was a surprise not so much because it's Ashley as the fact that it was contemporary (not choreographed by Mia), and I totally loved it. This is what contemporary dance should always be like. This routine was fluid and beautiful, as per usual, but it also had a dynamism and energy that most are lacking. I wasn't bored to tears and the dancers weren't employing their best emo faces and arm flailings to convince me how meaningful and deep it all is. And, because they weren't trying so hard to give it depth, it actually had more depth. Mia's description was a bit florid, but absolutely accurate. This was a powerful piece in terms of actual dancing, not just in terms of some ridiculous concept where "she represents justice and he's the cruel, unfair world" or whatever. This piece actually got me excited. The fact that the chose a compelling song didn't hurt either. End result? Ashley's the only girl in the competition that deserves to be there. Of course, that might be hasty, given that she has danced in her own style every single week so far, but all in all, she's the only good one in the bunch. (That statement also has to take into account the fact that Cristina was unjustifiably sent home last week--well, Mia and Adam, I hope you're happy... oh wait, you're not. At least Mia copped to it. Bad decision. More on that later.)

ADECHIKE
And the surprises just keep on coming. My third favorite routine of the night was Hip Hop? Starring Adechike?! What is the world coming to. Seriously though, this is the first week where Adechike actually put some personality into the routine. He genuinely seemed to be enjoying himself and playing the part, not just pretending to play the part. Honestly, last week's contemporary piece felt like emotion was just part of the choreography. And, step, pivot, smile convincingly, turn! Bad. This was a tremendous improvement and for the first time, I actually don't want him sent home. I hope this is a sign of things to come. Fun, fun routine, well-danced. I can't really ask for more from him than that.

BILLY
Oh, Billy Bell. Poor guy, it's not easy pretending to be heartbroken or emotionally wracked over girl trouble when you're oh-so-very gay. I honestly think he did a pretty good job with it. He and Kathryn are just kind of goofy friends, so I can see where getting to that place emotionally wouldn't be easy. That said, Kathryn got there. All the way there. And in spite of the total lack of sexual chemistry going on. I always enjoyed Kathryn during her season (her dancing, not her crying), but it's really here the I'm appreciating just how committed she is. What a pro. That said, the chemistry was obviously lacking here and there, but I think they pulled it off. I don't generally buy the farm when it comes to the cheesy set ups for these dances, so I was willing to let a lot go. He would have been higher on the list if he'd been able to manage some sexual chemistry, but I didn't expect it to happen, so it wasn't all that disappointing when his emotions fell flat.

ROBERT
Okay, I actually really like Robert, and I generally love Sonya (even if her choreography is looking a little to familiar from routine to routine), but there's something about the way Robert dances that kind of makes me laugh. When he was doing a few of those contorted poses, all I could think was that Niles Crane had been cast in the role of "raptor" for the next Jurassic Park sequel. Oh, "giant, hungry chicken". (Boy, that's a movie I'm going to have to see!) I couldn't find a clip, but if you have it saved on your DVR, go back and watch it again. Hehe. Other than that, it was a solid routine, even if not one of Sonya's best. It felt a little like Melissa and Ade's from season 5, only not as cool. This one just didn't seem to have much focus, but that's not really Robert's fault. The goofiness, however, is his fault.

KENT
Dear, sweet Kent. I have a sinking feeling he is turning into this season's Evan Kasprzak. As with Even, I find myself enjoying Kent's clip packages and the behind-the-scenes rehearsal videos more than the finished routine. Which isn't to say this was a terrible performance or anything, but it just wasn't the tour de force I had hoped for. I have to agree with his critics though and say that I just can't seem him as a powerful male lead in a dance. I just seem him as this innocent little farm boy who does as he's told. When asked, "Do you want me?" by sexy dance partner, he responds with a timid, "Yes...?" I half expected a "ma'am" after that. I think he'll settle in eventually, and he really does try to embrace the roles he's given, but only to varying success. It really did feel like an act, probably because it was. I honestly don't think he can relate to his partners in a way that's truly sexy and powerful, but I give him a lot of credit for trying. His older brother is becoming a youth pastor, for crying out loud. How much sex appeal can little brother really have?

LAUREN
I hate Lauren. A lot. She epitomizes "dingbat" for me and her dancing ability isn't enough to make up for it. She's stocky and inelegant and that makes her rather unappealing to watch. So, when she's put in the role of classic Hollywood starlet, she just can't pull it off. There's a very masculine quality in her dancing (and not in a good way) that she just can't seem to shake. She looked like a second rate drag queen dancing with Neil and exuded exactly no sex appeal whatsoever. She wasn't the sultry screen siren seducing the daydreamer, she was just awkward. Hell, even her dress falling apart didn't sex things up (although dirty old man Nigel sure seemed to enjoy it). There was no chemistry between her and Neil and I didn't buy any of it. For a Broadway number, the character is a lot more important than the steps, so while she technically got all the right steps in there, the whole set up was a flop. Send her home, oh PLEASE send her home!

JOSE
Oh. Dear. Lord. Speaking of sending people home, having Jose on this show is downright embarrassing. His Bollywood number last week should have been more than enough to get him the boot, but apparently no one (well, at least not the judges) seems to care that he can't dance. I guess maybe he thinks he can dance, and therefore technically meshes with the title of the show, I know he can't. Good god, that number last week was terrible and this week's "Samba" was just as bad. It's bolstering my confidence in my knowledge of dance that I can tell within seconds that he's terrible. My mom and brother seemed to think he did just fine, but I assured them the judges would make a point of his lack of skill. Well, little did I know that apparently the judges don't really care if he can dance at all. Oh sure, they recognize the fact that he's terrible, "but he's just so sweet!" Gag me. He's a nice enough kid, but without the skills to back it up, I'm sorry, he' needs to go home. This "Samba" was painful to watch. I felt so bad for poor Anya. The choreographer did everything he could to make Jose's first partner dance work (you know, by putting a table between them), but nothing could save this routine. Absolutely pitiful. He gave it his best shot and at least tried to embrace the style, but just couldn't do it. Samba Fail.

MELINDA
Speaking of terrible... oh look! It's Melinda! What is wrong with the world when the two ballroom numbers are at the very bottom of my list?! Oh good god, this "Salsa" (and I'm sorry for the air quotes, but it was be disrespectful to the style to call what Melinda did "Salsa" for reals) was beyond terrible. I don't know what it is about her dancing, but there's just something so wrong with it. Her pigeon-toes are a big part of the problem, but more than anything, she just seems so disjointed. She doesn't seem to connect to the music at all. Plus, like Lauren, there's a masculine vibe to her dancing that made her clash with her partner. Her problem goes beyond masculine or inelegant though. There's just something so hunched and floppy about her that's truly hard to watch. I couldn't believe they kept her over Cristina, so it was nice to see Mia and Adam with egg on their faces. They made the wrong call, and Mia had to admit it. Geez, the thought that Cristina could have done this routine makes the injustice all the bitterer. She would have rocked it. She had actual rhythm, musicality, and sex appeal. Melinda has none of those things. At least not when she's dancing. Her flirtiness in the rehearsals is always a little endearing, but she just can't seem to bring that to the dance floor. She'll be sent home tonight, so this rant is largely moot, but I needed to put it out there.

So, what have we learned from last night's melange of awesomeness and awfulness? Tappers and B-boys need not apply next year. Ugh.

Good Night, John Boy!

A new season of So You Think You Can Dance, another few months of motion sickness spurred by the director's quick-cuts, pans, and zooms. Oy. We all agreed last season that the new stage sucks, right? Well, add to that the fact that the show is trying to be %134 hipper with the directing and this season is already driving me nuts. The new stage is distracting as hell. I hate the lights and crap behind the dancers and I really wish they would just set up a stationary camera. Call me crazy, but I'm much rather watch the dancers the way the audience does. Only on the old stage... I think I miss the staircase most of all. It gave the choreographers something different to work with...

Anyway, along with the gripes and vertigo, this season of SYTYCD has completely overhauled the format (instead of 20 dancers paired together, each of the top 11 dancers will be paired with an all-star from past seasons). So far? I'm torn.

The Good: I think the overall quality of the performances is greater on average. There really weren't any total trainwrecks last night, which I suppose is a good thing... (I do rather enjoy the trainwrecks, thank you very much.) I think the best part about the new format is that a good dancer doesn't get tied to a crappy dancer for weeks on end. In that same vein, dead weight gets cut quicker because you don't have the popular half of the pair carrying the other half (Randi, Ashleigh, etc). The real formatting boon? The lack of Mary Murphy! Saints be praised! She is not missed. I really liked Mia as a regular judge last night (even more so than when she was a guest judge in the past). In all honesty though, if it means I never have to hear Mary scream or hear about the Hot Tamale Train ever again, I'd be thrilled to see an inanimate carbon rod filling the third chair.

The Bad: On the other hand, the new format doesn't really allow for slow growth (either of skill or popularity). The fact that we're starting off with the top 10 (er, 11) means that the learning curve has been essentially eliminated. You have to be awesome right off the bat or you're gone. The absolute worst part about the new format is that we won't get to see the chemistry and trust develop between the dancers as they spend the first several weeks together. I loved seeing that bond and I think it carried a lot more weight and impact when pairs were split up. They were teams and genuinely cared about each other when one was on the chopping block. Now? It's ever dancer for him/herself. Plus, when you only have three days to spend with someone, that doesn't allow for a real connection to develop. That said, the chemistry between the dancers last night was better than expected (for the most part), but I just didn't really care about the pairs in and of themselves. Which, I guess is a good thing because they'll all be paired up differently next week. I don't know, it just kind of feels too easy for the performers to be paired up with a pro. I really liked it when two specialties were paired up for a style that neither of them had ever done before. It adds more variety when the prospect of a contemporary dancer and a hip-hop dancer having to do the paso doble is on the table. Sure the results are sometimes catastrophic, but that's part of the fun.

The new format has its plusses and minuses. I think if I had started watching the show back in season 1, I'd be more welcoming to the change, but I only found this little gem a couple of seasons ago and hadn't gotten sick of the old routine. (Last season was a bit of a disaster for completely different reasons that the basic format.) I guess we'll see how it pans out, but I found myself missing the old format quite a lot.

At any rate, as I am ranked somewhat lower than an executive producer on the show, my opinion doesn't really matter, so I'm going to dive right in and just deal with it.

Here is how I would rank the routines last night:

1) Kent--Cha Cha by Tony and Melanie
2) Cristina--Jazz by Sonya
3) Robert--African Jazz by Sean Cheesman
4) Alex--Contemporary by Sonya
5) Adechike--Jazz by Travis
6) Melinda--Jive by Tony and Melanie
7) Jose--Hip Hop by Nap Tab
8) Lauren--Jazz by Mandy Moore
9) Billy--Broadway by Tyce
10) Alexie--Hip Hop by Nap Tab
11) Ashley--Contemporary by Tyce

Controversial ranking? Probably. The judges may have thought Alex's contemporary routine was the most sensational routine in the history of the show, but I don't even think it was the best of the night, and it certainly can't hold a candle to Sonya's last season routine (Tore My Heart) with Jakob and Ellenore. Maybe it's my distaste for contemporary, but I just wasn't blown away. I quite enjoyed it, don't get me wrong, but for my money, a half-way decent ballroom number beats a spectacular contemporary routine any day of the week.

Here's the routine by routine breakdown, in order of my preference (for the performance, not necessarily the person):

KENT
Okay, I don't usually go for folksy smalltownishness, but I simply can't help myself. I adore this kid! The fact that his first dance was ballroom didn't hurt either. I never saw Anya's season of the show, but she's pretty damn amazing. Oh my god, it was so much fun to see this experienced, sexy femme fatale paired up with sweet, innocent farmboy Kent. I was a little apprehensive about his ability to pull this off, but I am SO VERY GLAD I was wrong! For me, performance is a lot more important than technical precision (not that his technique was bad or anything, but it wasn't perfect). His footwork was determined, it not exactly perfect, his technique impressed me, but far and away, the best part of this routine was his commitment to it. He absolutely went there and gave 100% and loved every minute of it. That wins him about a million points in my book. He played the part even though it's about as far from who he actually is as possible. He had the Latin ballroom blue steel face, the swagger, the maturity, the machismo and it all worked for me. It was a super sexy routine, but finding that country bumpkin sexy was just a tad out of my comfort zone. Anya was sexy as hell, and while Kent kept up with her shockingly well, I just couldn't quite deem him alluring... it's just a tad statutory to say something like that about John Boy incarnate. He's just so wide-eyed and innocent! That said, Kent FTW!

CRISTINA
Second in line in the annuls of "I'm expecting that to be a disaster, but it totally wasn't!" we have Cristina. [This just in: I started this post the day after the competition show and am now picking back up with it after the elimination, so adjust expectations accordingly.] Honestly, Cristina is the only girl this season that I even remotely like. Again, my penchant for ballroom wins her a lot of points, but as with Kent, I think it was her sheer commitment and determination to the piece that won me over. She totally went for it and managed to keep up with her partner beginning to end. Call me crazy, but I liked this piece better than Sonya's other piece. What generally determines for me how much a liked a piece is how inclined I am to watch it again, and this one came in above Alex's routine. Anyway, Cristina isn't my favorite competitor, but she's far and away my favorite girl and did NOT deserve to be in the bottom three. It's such a shame that the solos screw over the ballroom dancers so royally. It's a style that's predicated on having a partner, so when there is no partner, there's not much that can be done. I think now that they have the new format, they should just have Anya or Pasha pair up with the ballroom dancers for the "solo". Oh wait, Cristina is the only ballroom dancer. There are certain aspects to this show that I do not enjoy...

ROBERT
...is decidedly pretty to look at and happens to be a very talented dancer to boot. I don't generally dig the African Jazz pieces all that much, but I really loved this one. It seemed to have more sophisticated choreography than I'm used to seeing and Robert and his partner were almost uncannily in sync. And once again, it was clear that he was having a blast doing it and that goes a long way for me. I think my only issue with Robert is his "surprise" face. It doesn't seem all that genuine, even though I think it actually is. His personality can be a bit over the top, but I kind of like that. I didn't really notice him in the tryouts, but he and Billy were placed front and center for the "Meet the Top 11" exhibition episode, so apparently Wade Robson sees some serious potential in him as well.

ALEX
It was a wonderful routine set to a terrific song, but I wasn't bowled over in the same way the judges were. I have to assume that seeing it in person was much more spectacular... Anyway, there's just something about contemporary dance that bores me. Maybe I just don't know enough about dance to appreciate it fully (and that is absolutely a possibility), but it just seems so lethargic to me. I like the dynamism and energy of the other styles. Also, and again, the fact that the entire style seems to be based on "Look how much emotion I'm pretending to have!" drives me a little batty. When I watch someone truly enjoying a jive or getting caught up in a sultry samba, I feel it and believe it to be genuine. Some contemporary pieces strike me the same way, but by and large, not so much. Anyway, Alex is pretty adorable himself and is truly an amazing dancer. I could definitely see him go all the way. I'll be very interested to see this ballerina (ballerino?) do some other styles, so I'm glad he'll be around for a long time.

ADECHIKE
I hate to put Adechike this high on the list, because really, the judges were totally right about his performance, but Kathryn brought so much to the table that it saved the entire routine. I honestly don't think I looked at Adechike even once. Unlike my favs, he didn't commit to the character at all, and while the steps themselves were well-executed, he didn't bring any charm or personality to the performance at all. Which is a serious shame because Kathryn BROUGHT. IT. She looked absolutely stunning in that red dress and it made it kind of hard to care about Adechike. Also, as much as I love Travis, this routine seemed oddly familiar... oh wait, that's because it's already been done. Travis' take was better than the original, but the basic concept has been done (and really wasn't all that spectacular the first time around). I was a bit surprised that Adechike wasn't in the bottom three. He certainly deserved to be there.

MELINDA
Okay, the judges didn't like this routine (and apparently neither did America), but I actually liked it. Melanie's technique wasn't spectacular or anything, but Pasha is gorgeous, the routine was fun, and she really did give it her all. I've seen much worse jives (ahem, Russell and Mollee (mostly Mollee) get much better reviews in the past and much better jives get much worse reviews (season 5, Evan and Randi (I couldn't find a clip)). Her feet really were kind of pigeon-toed, and I've never been a fan of tappers, but the fact that she isn't a contemporary dancer and this wasn't a contemporary piece helps a lot. I like fast routines with a lot of energy, and jives are both. By no means the best jive I've ever seen, but she committed to the character and I quite enjoyed the back and forth between her and Pasha.

JOSE
He's a sweet kid, and it was a good routine, but I wasn't blown away. The fact that the b-boy just happened to get hip-hop for his first routine reinforces my theory that the show isn't quite as random as they claim, but at least we didn't have to watch him try to keep up with Anya. I think my main quibble was with his b-boying in the routine. If you're going to be a b-boy, you'd better be pretty damn impressive, and this just wasn't. He held his own, which is admirable, but Nap Tab's hip-hop often leaves me underwhelmed. It'll be interesting to see how he does next week when his style isn't hand-picked for him (or so I assume). The devil on my shoulder hopes he gets the dreaded quick step. Muahahaha!

LAUREN
Toward this end of the list, the competitors really suffered (and benefited, actually) by their all-star pairings. They benefitted in that the all-star basically saved the routine, but overall, they were upstaged by their partner. Lauren is a fine dancer and all, but I was watching Ade. Lauren was just too smiley to the audience and it broke down the fourth wall for me. I agree with the judges that she really didn't embrace the character or the concept (which, who all guessed that Mandy Moore would pick yet another song from the 80s? Ooh, ooh, I did!). She just strikes me as a dingy blonde who happens to dance. She's very technically proficient, but I'm not a fan so far. This routine didn't really do her a lot of favors, in her defense. The couch should have been an apparatus for awesomeness, but instead it just seemed like a liability.

BILLY
...is clear down here on the list because of Tyce's crappy routine, not Billy's dancing ability. I love Billy and think he did an admirable job with a pathetic, meandering, lame-ass routine. Tyce is a terrible choreographer and does a major disservice to Broadway with each and every routine. Seriously, when anyone else in the world choreographs a Broadway number, it's spectacular, focused, and has a real story behind it. Tyce just seems to draw dance steps out of a hat and throw them all together. I'm glad Billy will have a chance at a better routine next week because he got the short end of the stick this week.

ALEXIE
...also got a pretty crappy routine to work with, but unlike Billy, she didn't make the most of it. I wasn't watching her at all. The routine was lame to begin with, so I can see where she was disinclined to commit to it, but that's just what you have to do. It's a shame she was sent home before she really got a chance to show her skills, but at the end of the day, this was easily one of the worst of the night. Poor girl. She tried out for the show oh-so-many times and then gets sent home first? That's gotta hurt.

ASHLEY
What's worse than a boring contemporary piece or a Tyce routine? A Tyce routine that's contemporary. Good god, he's a pathetic choreographer! This routine has the novel concept of "love." Wow, Tyce, way to think outside the box. It's really not Ashley's fault that I hated this piece so much. It has more to do with Tyce than with anything else. The only reason she wasn't in the bottom three? Her telling Nigel [with regard to whether or not she's ever been in love], "You know, I think I might just be." I'm going to reserve judgment on Ashley till I've seen her in something even remotely good, but so far, she didn't make much of an impression. She seems like a good dancer, but when your stuck with this kind of crap routine, there's only so much you can do. Oh, and the robot voice wasn't as charming as she thought it would be. (See Ellenore's alien voice from season 6, for reference.)

Well, there you have it. I think this season is going to be all about the boys as the girls are eliminated one by one before any of the fellas are even in danger. Geez, do the girls suck this season or what? Cristina's the only girl I like and apparently America disagrees. I think Kent and Alex will go all the way. I think Robert is going to fly under the radar for a while, then really make a splash. I think Adechike will be the first boy to go home.

I love this show, so in spite of my quibbles, I think this season is going to be great. It's too early on to know exactly who's going to go be in the finals, but I think there are only about 5 truly viable candidates. I'm shocked and a little embarrassed to admit it, but yeah, I'm pulling for Kent. Seriously, just seeing how genuinely happy he was for Lauren and everyone else who made it through last night and how devastated he was for Alexie was enough to win me over completely.

And just what exactly did Alexander Graham Bell do to you!?

Well, last night was the final episode for the dancers to perform in their original pairs on So You Think You Can Dance. Tonight, two more will be cut and we'll finally have the top ten in hand. I have to tell ya, when the top twenty were revealed, I never in a million years thought I'd be pulling for the couples I'm pulling for right now... People I hated have somehow become my favorites and people I thought I'd love have already been eliminated.

Of course, my hatred for Mollee runs as deep and true as ever, so I guess some things never change...

Anyway, here's what I thought of last night's performances:

RYAN AND ELLENORE
I'm not totally sure when it happened, but I think this is my favorite couple. I know, I know, I'm as shocked as you are. I didn't know anything about Ellenore at the beginning of the competition and what I knew of Ryan I didn't particularly like, but these two have knocked it out of the park every single week (with the exception of their hip-hop routine, which I think had a lot more to do with the lameness of the routine itself rather than the way they danced it) and I last night I found myself really pulling for them. Their Lindy-hop was wonderful. I'm a sucker for that kind of dancing and have a certain affection for that time period, so I was thrilled when they nailed it. As much as I enjoyed their first dance of the evening, however, it was their Broadway number that cemented my allegiance. I only started watching this show in season 5, so I haven't have a ton of time with it, but what I've seen of their Broadway numbers I haven't enjoyed at all--and I'm a person who loves Broadway! I'm a Broadway baby through and through, but the performances on this show have just kind of, well, sucked. Based on Asuka and Vitolio's weird as hell clown director number, Evan and Melissa's tacky wedding piece, Phillip and Jeanine's Singin' in the Rain mishap (mostly due to Phillip, let's face it), and Kayla and Kupono's lackluster West Side Story number, I was really starting to think that Broadway might just suck. As it turns out, it's not Broadway dancing that sucks, it's Tyce D'iorio that sucks. Seriously, his routines have always felt a little flat to me and you can always tell that the judges are just trying desperately not to criticize the choreography (because apparently that's illegal or something), but it's true. Don't get me wrong, the dancers clearly didn't take to the style very well either, but I think it mostly hinges on the crappiness of the routines. Well, back on point, last night's kickass Razzle Dazzle routine was amazing. (Could that be because Tyce had nothing to do with it? Methinks, yes.) It reminded me of why I love Broadway so much. Ryan is just an excellent partner through and through. It's so nice to see a guy who can do all the lifts so effortlessly that you don't see them coming and you don't feel the strain. Along with that, he totally, totally embraces his characters and last night was no exception. For as wonderful a job as he did, it was Ellenore who did the major ass kicking. Her movements were perfectly timed to the music and the character she portrayed was flawless. Ellenore transforms herself into whomever she needs to be and with a support system like Ryan, she can do no wrong. I'll be pretty bummed to see this pairing break up because they work so well together and really jump into each routine with both feet. It really sneaked up on me, but like I said, I found myself really pulling for them last night, and it kind of surprised me.

ASHLEIGH AND JAKOB
Speaking of surprises, I went into this season expecting this pair to completely fall apart, mostly due to Ashleigh. Not only has she come through every single week, but the two of them seem to make each other better dancers. Jakob is an insanely talented dancer to begin with, so it was nice to see him need to lean on her skills a bit last night with the cha-cha routine. Now, I was one of those people who hated Ashleigh at first and didn't think she'd survive a single week. The primary reason I hated her was because of those stupid faces she'd make while dancing. Well, as it turns out, apparently those faces are part of they style! Who knew?! I really have to take back a lot of my criticisms now that I know that blue steel expressions, fake surprise, and cheesy pointing weren't really her idea at all, but are actually tennets of Latin ballroom dancing. I seriously had no idea. Anyway, their cha-cha was fantastic and it was a hell of a lot of fun to see Ashleigh doing what she does best. I thought Jakob actually did a pretty great job for having never done Latin ballroom before. The routine was fun and fast and well choreographed. Nice. I also really loved their Sonya-style Jazz routine. I'm not a big fan of contemporary dancing ("But look how much emotion I'm pretending to have whilst flailing my arms around like a mental patient!"), and this Jazz routine was a little closer to that I'd generally prefer, but this routine really made it work. It was slow, but powerful and engaging, even it's quietest of moments. It was really a great antithesis to the cha-cha and between these two routines, you got to see just what kind of a range this couple has. As with Ashleigh's husband and partner, I'm not sure when it happened, but I think this couple is probably my second favorite. Again, I'm as shocked as you are! They've just been so consistently awesome that I can't seem to hold anything against them. Even Jakob's purpleish pants... Which, leave it to Adam Shankman to say what everyone in the audience was thinking. :)

KATHRYN AND LEGACY
And the surprises just keep on coming... to an extent. I'm enjoying this couple a lot more than I expected to, and I can recognize just how much Legacy has improved week to week, but at the end of the day, his technique just can't stack up to the other dancers. The choreographers do a really good job putting together routines where he can showcase his b-boy skills and kind of mask his technical shortcomings, but that Viennese Waltz needed some help. Kathryn did a hell of a job carrying the routine (a routine in which it was basically designed for her to lead--way to play to their strengths there, choreographers), and Legacy managed to keep up, but when someone with as untrained an eye as I have is thinking, "Oooh, his footwork is really sloppy and his stance is weak," you know you're in trouble. The judges were pretty forgiving, after some well timed waterworks, but I really think they were pretty underwhelmed by his technique. I still very much enjoyed the performance, so I guess I have to give him a bit of a pass as well... Their other routine was excellent. Sonya's Jazz routines are always pretty weird, but they're always interesting and leave me wanting more. This was an instance in which Legacy's b-boy skills were employed in awesome ways (rather than kind of forced ways). They both totally committed to their roles and while again, I think Kathryn kind of carried things, this routine was much stronger for Legacy and he managed to not only keep up, but seamlessly blend his technique with hers. This couple kind of reminds me of Phillip and Jeanine from last season. Once Kathryn gets a partner who can really keep up with her technical skills, I think she'll blossom even more. At present, she's having to do most of the heavy lifting, just as Jeanine did, and while Legacy is getting better week to week, I think he's kind of holding her back. I'll be interested to see how Kathryn does with a different partner, but I think Legacy will go the way of the Phillip. Soon as he pulls an Argentine Tango or something and is partnered with a partner who isn't quite so accommodating as Kathryn, I think it's all over folks.

NATHAN AND MOLLEE
Speaking of Mollee, I still hate her as much as ever and kind of hate Nathan by extension. The judges said how thrilled they'll be to see this couple pair up with more mature partners, but in Mollee's case, I think that has quite the creepy-icky potential. Seriously, just imagine her having to dance some sultry Samba or a smoldering Tango with someone like, say, Ryan. Or Legacy. Or pretty much anyone other than Nathan because Nathan is the only one young enough not to come off as some creepy old guy scamming on a 12-year-old. Fortunately, I'm quite confident that the pairings and dance choices are no where near as random as the show would have you believe, so I'm guessing it won't be an issue. Unless of course the show wants to showcase just how juvenile she really is... Hmmm... Anyway, back to last night, I really, really, really hated their hip-hop routine. Wow. I tell ya what, wow. Please refer back to the title of this post for my thoughts on this routine. Again, I think it had more to do with the routine itself than how it was danced, but this was just bad, lame, cheesy, and stupid from second one. Not that Alexander Graham Bell and his assistant trying to get a dial tone doesn't just scream "street" to me, but... well... yeah... Nathan really seemed to have fun with it and was hitting hard enough that he almost made it work, but Mollee kind of sucked it up with this one. She didn't hit any of her moves hard enough and kind of stumbled around the stage. Bad. This season has been pretty awful for hip-hop (with the shocking exception of Ashleigh and Jakob) and last night was no exception (you just wait till we get to Karen and Victor...). Fortunately, their can-can number was much, much better, but I don't think anything can save this pair for me. Their can-can was entertaining, and was far better choreographed than I could possibly have expected from Tyce, but for me, it's too little too late (even with Mollee's rather impressive ariel--in heels). I'm glad they've added it as a style and Mollee and Nathan did a fine job with it, but it just didn't seem anywhere near as naughty or scandalous as the can-can is supposed to be. I'm hoping to hell Mollee goes home and that Nathan can finally have a partner that isn't Cindy Brady's squeakier doppelganger.

VICTOR AND KAREN
After last week's eliminations, I was pretty excited for this pairing to show their stuff. Having finally gotten rid of the duller-than-dirt Channing and just-kind-of-there Kevin, it was nice to see Victor and Karen finally have partners who could keep up with them. Their Tango was excellent. They were so synchronized and stayed in character so well that I was really starting to think this would be the new power couple. I hadn't really thought much about either of them prior, but that Tango made me really sit up and take notice. How great did Victor look, by the way? Anyway, they buoyed my confidence with their first number to a degree I could hardly have foreseen, but then they totally cut it back down to size with yet another dreadful hip-hop number. Seriously, last season had some wonderful hip-hop (Jeanine and Phillip, Jeanette and Brandon, Jeanette and Ade, etc), but this season has just been abysmal. It's weird, because when they showed clips of them rehearsing, I expected it to be really good. They were totally in sync and really feeling the movements in rehearsal, but when they actually performed, they were totally out of step with one another and the whole thing just felt empty and lame. Again, I have to hand it to Adam Shankman for having the guts to point out poor music choices and at least obliquely referring to choreography problems, but those were only the tip of a very poor iceberg in this case. It's really a shame they pulled such a bad routine, but I'm afraid it's what is going to send them both home, once and for all. As much as I'd like to see Mollee go home and as much as I think Legacy probably should go home, I'm confident it's going to be Karen and Victor, which I honestly won't be too broken up over.

RUSSELL AND NOELLE
This is a pairing that I like, but really wish I liked more. They're both wonderful dancers and they generally do a pretty good job week to week, but there's just something that isn't quite clicking for me. I think it's Noelle's Dallas Cowboy's cheerleader looks... As much as I try to see her disappear into a character, I just see can't. I adore Russell, but I think his technical shortcomings combined with her unlikability is really souring this pair for me. Their Samba was awful. You know you're in some serious trouble when even I'm thinking to myself, "They're gonna get nailed for those Samba rolls..." I'm none too versed in dancing, but I knew that was bad. Noelle's gyrations were frenetic and meaningless, and Russell just doesn't have the stance or footwork necessary to pull off that kind of ballroom dancing. The whole thing felt really forced and it really fell apart at the end. The music wound down and so did their energy. I was not impressed. I totally agree with Adam that they were just too nice with the whole thing. I didn't buy their characters at all and for a Samba, that's the kiss of death. I really hoped their second number would be better, and in a way it was, but really, I think I'd rather watch a bad Samba than a Tyce D'iorio contemporary piece (a combination of my least-favorite choreographer and my least favorite style) any day of the week. It was danced well and everything, but it was just so boring that I didn't really care about any of the technique. Oy. I miss Mia Michaels... I tend to judge routines based on how much I'd like to re-watch them, and this contemporary piece was only slightly above Karen and Victor's disastrous hip-hop number. Not good. Again, this has a lot more to do with the choreographer than the dancing. I'm not a fan of Tyce's work, plain and simple, and poor Russell and Noelle had to bear the brunt of it. Between a somnolent contemporary piece (complete with cheese-tastic swatches of paint--gag me) and a totally non-sexy Samba, I think this couple might be in trouble, even in spite of Russell's appeal.

Overall, last night had a lot better dancing than this season has really had to offer. Here's how I'd rank the routines from favorite to least favorite (roughly--some of the bad routines all kind of fall into the same level of blah):

Ellenore and Ryan--Broadway
Jakob and Ashleigh--Cha-Cha
Jakob and Ashleigh--Jazz
Karen and Victor--Tango
Kathryn and Legacy--Jazz
Ellenore and Ryan--Lindy-Hop
Nathan and Mollee--Can-Can
Kathryn and Legacy--Viennese Waltz
Russell and Noelle--Samba
Russell and Noelle--Contemporary
Nathan and Mollee--Hip-Hop
Karen and Victor--Hop-Hop

Well, this has officially turned into one hell of an epic post, but you'll just have to deal with it. A few notes that you've probably already noticed: I have no idea if dance styles are supposed to be capitalized, so it's inconsistent at best. Also, I was going to hyperlink to all the dances I reference, but that's a whole lot more effort than I'm willing to put in. I assume anyone reading this is familiar with everything already anyway. :)

Final thoughts?

Who should go home? Mollee and Legacy (I like Legacy, I really do, but technically, he just can't hold a candle to the other dancers)

Who will go home? Karen and Victor

Dance Dance Meh-volution

My first foray into So You Think You Can Dance was over the summer. Not knowing a damn thing about dance, I had never really been all that inspired to give the show a chance. My hatred for American Idol left me with the sour assumption that SYTYCD would be the same show, only with dancing... Thankfully, I couldn't have been more wrong. :)

I was a little hesitant at first given my total lack of dance knowledge, but I figured, I enjoy Top Chef without knowing anything about cooking, so hopefully the same principles will carry over. So if you've never given either show a chance based on a paucity of expertise, fear not, you'll still enjoy the show and quite frankly, learn a whole lot. I have found that going to restaurants (real restaurants) is a lot easier because I'm familiar with a lot of the terms, actually know what they mean most of the time, and most importantly, know how to pronounce everything so you don't sound like a moron while ordering.

Anyway, back on topic. I watched season 5 of SYTYCD over the summer and absolutely loved it. I didn't have any prior knowledge of the show, so I couldn't really compare and contrast. This season, I have the luxury of experience to rely on when critiquing the newest crop of dancers. So far? I'm a little underwhelmed... I have heard from SYTYCD aficionados that last season wasn't all the great, but I didn't know any better, so I loved it. I'm not sure if it's first time nostalgia that is giving my perceptions of last season a warm soothing glow or if it was genuinely better, but that's how I'm feeling so far.

We'll get to the actual dancing in a minute, but first I must give credit where credit is due. The best part of season 6 so far? Adam Shankman! Holy hell he should have been made a permanent judge ages ago. He was always my favorite guest judge, for oh-so-many-reasons. I've hated Mary with a white hot passion since even before I started watching the show (indeed, she was one of the contributing factors in my refusal to watch for so long) and Nigel is kind of a dour wet blanket (whose jokes are generally pretty labored), but decent enough, I suppose (at least he sticks to his guns), but up till this season, the show has rotated the third judge spot (among the choreographers and assorted other guests) so you were never too sure who you'd be stuck with. I say "stuck with," because with rare exceptions, the guest judge kind of sucked most of the time. Let me count the ways:

• Lil' C: It would be one thing for him to try to sound smart if there were even a kernel of actual knowledge behind his comments, but it became very clear very quickly that he doesn't have a clue in hell what he's talking about. He just talks in ridiculous circles that he thinks sound profound until he spirals out of control. I'm sure he thinks he's some sort of genius and that he has the audience fooled into agreeing with him, but that's just not the case. The only style he ever really has anything substantive to say about or on which he can offer an informed opinion is hip-hop (and even then he usually just spins his wheels till he runs out of words from his word-a-day calendar (which he generally uses incorrectly)). I knew he was out of his depth in other styles when he ripped Phillip apart last season for his tango with Jeanine, not because it was bad (and it was--mostly due to Phillip), but because his knees were bent the entire time. Thankfully, Mary (for whom ballroom is the only style on which she has an informed opinion) totally called him out and she and Nigel went so far as to ask the choreographer what was correct. Turns out? Phillip's knees, which were bent the entire time, were supposed to bent. The entire time. Oh, Lil' C. Of all the problems with that routine, you picked out the one that wasn't actually real. Nice job. He was hilariously cowed by this whole event though, and that was quite satisfying to watch. :)
  
  
• Tyce D'iorio: I'm not even sure how to really define why he's a mediocre guest judge. His chinstrap of a beard is almost too distracting to pay attention to what he says. His comments, like his choreography, are generally constructed in a fairly decent way, but doesn't leave you wanting more. I guess he just doesn't really make much of an impression. Although, when he's trying to be fabulously bitchy, he makes an impression, but it's not a good one. He ends up with mostly just bitchy, and with no where near enough fabulous.
  
  
• Debbie Allen: I actually kind of like Debbie as a judge, but she seems to rely a lot more on down-home charm than on actual critique. She likes entirely too many of the dances and doesn't express criticism very well. To boot, when she expresses praise, it sometimes goes a little something like this, "You handled your big woman, yes you did!" Um... thanks? That was possibly very... sweet... of you... She's entertaining enough, but is a bit lacking in the critique end of things (which would be fine, but Mary's kind of out of her depth a lot of the time and that leaves all the heavy-hitting to Nigel... which isn't optimal).
  
  
• Mia Michaels: I quite enjoy Mia's choreography, but I'm always a bit underwhelmed by her criticisms. Aside from generally having the appearance of having just gotten out of bed, her critiques are kind of lazily delivered as well. She knows what she's talking about and when she gives praise, it's hard won, so it's satisfying, but she tends to set up shop in the dour, slightly listless end of the spectrum... I'm pretty bummed that she's left the show as a choreographer though... and I'm sure all the contemporary dancers this season who were swooning at the chance to work with her are pretty bitter--which I guess softens the blow. Heh. I'm not much of a fan of contemporary, in case you couldn't tell. Not that watching people throw their arms around as they show us how much emotion they can pretend to have isn't riveting, but well... yeah...
  
  
• Ellen Degeneres: ...apparently knows even less about dance than I do. She tried too hard to be funny and couldn't temper the bad jokes with actual, knowledgeable critiques. Overall, her appearance was a flop for me.
  

Which brings me back to Adam Shankman. Not only is he genuinely funny and entertaining to listen to, but he offers criticisms that are justified and might just help the dancers be better dancers next week. He has constructive things to say about every single style imaginable and does so in the most charming, energetic possible way. He clearly has a wide breadth of knowledge not only of dance technique, but of dance history and performance. Regarding Bianca and Victor's Color Purple number: While Mary and Nigel basically echoed his sentiments in vague and unoriginal ways, Adam pulled out very real references that totally supported his argument and informed on his critique. Mary generally just says something like, "It just didn't quite do it for me." Thanks, Mary. That was very informative and constructive. I'll take that stirring critique and use it to improve for next week... Adam, on the other hand, makes it very clear why is didn't quite do it and what the dancers can do to improve things in the future.

When I started this post, it was actually going to be about dance, I promise, but somehow I got derailed along the way...

Hopping back on the track, this show actually has people who dance, not just people who judge. Shocking, I know. So far, I haven't exactly been blown away by anyone really, but there have been a few surprises and there are several people on my radar... Here's how things are stacking up:

• Channing and Phillip: Perhaps my overall "meh" with this season so far started out off with their lackluster, zero-energy, poorly performed jive in episode one. Add to that the most awkward, potentially dangerous samba I've ever seen in episode two and I found myself very thankful that Phillip was sent packing. For as awful as their jive was, the judges weren't nearly as brutal as I had expected. Evan and Randi's jive last season was a million times better and they got skewered for it. Somehow Channing and Phillip got by with tepid reviews and weren't even in the bottom for it. Redemption was had last night though. Channing actually did a pretty respectable job with the samba and was willing to take her life into her hands with those lifts. Seriously, Phillip is not the guy I'd want lifting me six feet in the air, thanks... Bad. He didn't support her at all and I'm pretty sure she banged her head on the floor at the end. He won't be missed.
  
  
• Mollee and Nathan: Mollee is pretty much the embodiment of everything that's wrong with humanity, so I'm having a really hard time appreciating anything about this pairing. Nathan is fine, but he seems to be feeding off some of Mollee's perkiness and it's making them pretty nauseating. Their dancing is fine, if not spectacular. The judges seem to like them a lot more than I do, but then often have more to say about their youth and energy than their actual technique. I'd like to see Nathan stick around, but Mollee needs to be thrown out of a window. I thought their Bollywood number was stronger than their frenetic disco last week (I don't know what Dorianna is smoking, but is certainly doesn't mellow things out), but that may be because I hold all disco numbers to the standard set by Brandon and Jeanette last season.
  
  
• Pauline and Peter: After Brandon was used and abused and sent packing by the show last week, and Ariana (was it?) got the boot before she really had a chance to break out from the crowd (and who should have stayed instead of Noelle), I was very interested to see how Peter and Pauline would pair up. Apparently, they pair up quite nicely because I thought they totally rocked their crazy-ass Wade Robson routine. I love Wade Robson, what can I say? Like Adam said, you have to give 1000% to one of his routines and they absolutely did. It ain't easy portraying a blob of paint that has come back to haunt Vincent van Gogh after he excised you from The Starry Night (that's Robson for you), but they pulled it off. I like this pairing and was surprised to find just how much I'm liking Peter (who is the only remaining tapper, after last night).
  
  
• Bianca and Victor: Speaking of tappers, Bianca rather unjustifiably got the boot last night. Don't get me wrong, her performance wasn't great, but it was good. And a hell of a lot better than Noelle. My primary gripe with getting rid of Bianca, aside from her superior performance, is the fact that if America were actually voting, there's no way she would have gone home. As the judges say time and time again when someone controversial is cut, this is America's favorite dancer, not America's best dancer. Bianca would have outlasted Noelle by a long shot--on talent and on popularity. Sigh. As for Victor, he'll be dancing with Channing next week. Unlike Phillip, Victor will actually be able to do the lifts without endangering Channing's life, so that'll be nice.
  
  
• Russell and Noelle: Speaking of Noelle, she should have gone home. Again. I understand that the rules allow for a one week's reprieve when the doctor has ordered, but she didn't perform last week and kind of sucked it up this week. She should have gotten the boot. I don't think they should allow for a week off, personally, but whatever. Everyone seems to claim that she's a wonderful dancer, but I have yet to see it. Her and Russell's tennis hip-hop routine was pretty bad. Russell held his own (both with the hip-hop and the tennis), but Noelle struggled with both. Add to this the fact that she's friends with Mollee (with two e's--gag me) and I'm really starting to hate her. I adore Russell and think he deserves better.
  
  
• Legacy and Kathryn: All together now, "I did not see that coming!" I was unimpressed by anything but Legacy's b-boy skills in Vegas and was sick of Kathryn's crying after about 10 seconds, but somehow, inexplicably, they are one of the strongest couples on the show. Their caveman hip-hop routine last week was excellent, but I was a little afraid of the thought of Legacy doing contemporary this week... I needn't have worried. His performance was very strong (as was hers) and somehow they make for one hell of a team--a team that appears to genuinely like each other. I'm as shocked as you are, peeps, but they've really brought week to week. I hated them both at first, but they've really grown on me. I'm not counting my chickens, though... we'll just see how things go when they draw the quick-step... yikes...
  
  
• Kevin and Karen: The judges keep telling me they're amazing (well, mostly Karen), but I just don't seem to care... I think my favorite aspect of this couple is Adam's reaction to their routines. He cracked me up after last week's cha-cha as he noted that she was insanely hot ("And for those of you who know me, that's not usually my thing") and this week, fell out of his chair (literally) twice. It was cheesy, but totally perfect. The speed with which he hit the deck was the funniest part. Anyway, Karen is certainly more interesting (and more talented) than Kevin, but so far, they kind of bore me. It'll be interesting to see how they fare when it's up to America, not the judges.
  
  
• Ashleigh and Jakob: I'm not all that thrilled with this couple, but they've honestly performed much much better than expected. The show seems to feel the need to remind us that she's married every ten minutes, which is annoying, but not necessarily her fault (read: Dear Show, please stop reminding us!). In Vegas, I really didn't think she had the technical skill to make top 20 and was sure her inclusion was based solely on Paula dropping out, but Ashleigh has actually performed pretty well thus far. Jakob is obviously a better dancer, but she's been able to keep up (more or less). Jakob's technique is impressive, but I'm not wowed by his personality thus far. It's an odd pair, but somehow seems to be working. I'm a little sadistically excited for them to draw hip-hop though... I don't think either of them is suited for that. At all.
  
  
• Ryan and Ellenore: Ryan (who's married to Ashleigh, in case you forgot) has always been more talented than his wife, but I was pleasantly surprised at how he has parlayed his Latin ballroom skills into other styles. And Ellenore, who is way taller than I remember, is a beautiful dancer all around (kooky, but very talented). Their modern, contemporary, jazz-y, uh... Sonya Tayeh routine last week was bizarre, but very well done. I was interested to see how Ellenore would handle ballroom, and as it turns out, she's a pro. Ballroom and hip-hop are the areas where contemporary dancers generally struggle, and if she's this awesome at ballroom, odds are she can handle hip-hop as well. Extra points? Her dress was caught on her heel for about 40% of the routine (according to Kat) and she never faltered. Im-press-eeve.
  

Anyway, this post has somehow turned into the mother of all posts, so I'm going to wrap things up. I generally have a lot of opinions about this particular show ("...as opposed to your other shows?"), so I'm going to be posting about it more and more, methinks. I'll be glad when it finally goes back to audience voting though. It should make things a lot more interesting and will hopefully liven up this season for me. If Bianca had made it on to any of the previous seasons for which she auditioned, I have no doubt she'd have made it to the top ten.

Sigh.