Welcome to the 200th episode of So You Think You Can Dance, Americer! Oh how I’ve missed Cat Deeley. Tonight we will find out who the Top 20 finalists are, and we will also see them perform together, though America will not be voting until the next episode. Nigel Lythgoe informs us that there will be two winners this year: a guy and a girl. Woohoo! Mary Murphy graces us with her presence as well, and they are joined on the judges panel (or “jidges panel” if you are Cat Deeley) this evening by Zooey Deschanel. I’m not 100% sure what her experience has been in the world of dance, but she has a hit show on the Fox network so it probably doesn’t matter.
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When we left off in Las Vegas 35 dancers remained to be whittled down to the Top 20. In the first group of contemporary dancers (why wouldn’t there be more than one group? This show is about diversity after all), we start with Alexa Anderson. If you recall, Alexa is the dancer consistently criticized for her lack of emotion and personality, especially “Mr. Personality” himself, Tyce DiOrio. Side note – you’ll find throughout the course of the season that I am not a huge Tyce fan. Anywho, Alexa was also the last girl rejected last season, so I’m glad SYTYCD threw her a bone and didn’t keep her in the waiting room for 6 hours. Alexa, by the way, is IN! George Lawrence II arrives next. Debbie Allen loves George, and I love Debbie, so I feel that this will go well. George is also in. We then find out quickly that Will Thomas, who is much, much taller than I remembered has also earned as spot, and 2 time rejectee, Amber Jackson finally makes the cut this year as well.
Alexa, George, Will and Amber perform a contemporary style Tyce DiOrio routine, and I will say that I enjoy Tyce’s contemporary choreography far more than his Broadway choreography. More to come on that as the season progresses I’m sure. The contestants dance to Jesse J’s version of “We Found Love” which I rather enjoyed, and Amber blows my mind with an amazing leap into the arms of Will and George. She may be one to look out for. The bench part of the routine is nice too, but that kind of prop will never be used better than it was in Season 2 with SYTYCD God, Travis Wall.
Judges Say: Nigel compliments Tyce, who then gives himself a standing ovation. Mary yells some things that I believe are quite positive. Zooey can’t think of anything to say. Oooooh. Yeah. See – this is a problem because you are the guest judge tonight, and we are expecting commentary. She then compliments their teamwork.
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When we return from commercial we take a look at the remaining ballroom contestants. Three remain, but will all three make it through? Um, they should – since there are 20 total and half will most likely be contemporary-ish, can we show some love for the cha-cha fiends of the world? Nick Bloxsom-Carter is up first, and he begins ugly crying before he can hear the verdict. Take it easy, man – you’re in! Lindsay Arnold and Witney Carson find out their fates together. They’ve been competing against one another most of their lives, but they are also BFFs and SYTYCD roomies, so if one makes the Top 20, the other will still be happy….in a “you might wake up with a shaved head tomorrow” kind of way. After some torture, however, they are both in, and all is well with the world.
Our ballroom group performs a Jason Gilkenson routine set to J.Lo’s “Dance Again.” This dance is fast-paced and awesome. Doing a partner dance with three people is always tricky, and Nick doesn’t always keep up with the girls, but I’m a fan of this group.
Judges Say: Mary thinks the train has just arrived at the sizzle station and notes that Witney and Lindsay are some of the hottest tamales they’ve had on the show ever. Zooey pauses thoughtfully and says “that was incredible,” also observing that the girls are “like twins.”
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We move on next to the ballet dancers, and I honestly didn’t realize the remaining boys in this category were leaving professional ballet careers for this show. Eliana Girard seems like a judges’ favorite already, so it is no surprise to me when she is put through to the Top 20, but the judges do decide to torment Daniel Baker and Chehon Wespi-Tschopp (don’t worry – after today, I will only be using first names). After making them think only one will go through, they both do, and we are treated to a ridiculously incredible routine choreographed by Desmond Richardson and Dwight Rhoden. Granted, I have NO idea how Daniel and Chehon moved at all in those pants….unless they were painted on ….
Judges Say: Nigel loves Desmond and Dwight and commends all three dancers for their brilliance. Mary does one of those piercing “WOOOOs!” Cat doesn’t even bother to ask Zooey for an opinion.
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We are now half way to the Top 20, and the next group to hear their fate is comprised of the jazz dancers. Only two make it through though – Tiffany Maher and her lookalike, Audrey Case. SYTYCD decides to lump belly dancer Janelle Issis into the jazz group too, which is great because I am really interested to see how she makes it into the competition. My excitement is stifled, however, when Janelle makes it back to the waiting room but allows the door frame to get in the way of her head. She follows that up with falling ill, so Audrey and Tiffany perform a Sonya Tayeh routine as a duo instead of a trio. After seeing them perform though, I am really glad it was just the two of them. The performance allowed to Sonya to maintain her quirky style, but it also allowed the two girls to really push one another.
Judges Say: Zooey, who is starting to make my right eye twitch now, says “Oh my gosh….you girls are amazing!” She then goes on to talk about how they did not upstage one another but supported each other instead. Whoa. I’m inclined to think that one of the producers approached Zooey during the commercial break and informed her that she would need to start speaking with substance. Nigel then compares Audrey and Tiffany to a pair of dancing Pebbles Flintstones. So….they are pudgy toddlers?
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For round two of the contemporary dancers, we find out the journey has ended for Joshua Alexander, the poor soul who tried to execute a back flip and ended up in the hospital. I grieve for a minute before I discover that Matthew Kazmierczak, who is a dead ringer for Ryan Gosling, has made it through so I quickly wish Joshua safe travels. Dareian Jujawa is known this season as the man with brick feet, but he is through as well. Janaya French joins Matthew and Dareian in the Top 20, which is super for her considering she has received no screen time. Now we are down to Amelia Lowe and Jill Johnson for the final spot in the group (for real this time – only one of them is going through). I’ve been pulling for Amelia from the get go. There is something so classic about her, and it could easily just be the pale skin in a world of bronzers and spray tans, but I like her. She’s IN – the judges say they are looking for star quality, and I’m not too sure how Jill feels about that. This group performs a Stacey Tookey number, complete with amazing partner work, and as much as I enjoy Ryan…er…Matthew…Dareian catching Amelia’s leap was the highlight of the routine for me.
Judges Say: Zooey begins once again with the “Oh my gosh” and then tells us the performance was like watching a painting move. Okay. I can be on board with that. Mary is a big fan of Stacy Tookey, and she notes that the standing ovation the judges just gave the contestants shows them exactly how the judges feel about them.
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Our final group tonight is kind of, sort of hip hop. Cole Horibe, the dancer who combines martial arts with hip hop makes it through, which is kind of a head scratcher to me, but maybe I will be wowed later. Stepper Brandon Mitchell makes the Top 20 as well, though I don’t recall seeing him much on the previous episodes. The nail biter here (not really) is Cyrus “Glitch” Spencer v. Feliciano Turk. Cat’s voiceover tells us that Feliciano excelled in every style during Vegas week, and Glitch struggled. We know this already because dude has had more screen time than any other contestant. Glitch makes it through though because everyone loves the underdog. These guys perform a Christopher Scott number with a style that is hard to describe. There is a baseball theme, and each dancer dances his own way, and then it’s over. This is my least favorite performance of the night.
Judges Say: Nigel finds the combination of the martial artist, stepper and animator thrilling. Mary says they hit it out of the park. See what she did there? Cat has the line of the night though: “Zooey, let me guess…speechless?” LOVE HER.
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The remaining 20 or so minutes is filled by large group routines. Travis Wall choreographed a contemporary number for the Top 10 girls (except it’s 9 tonight due to Janelle’s ailment). The theme is the girls trying to go through the gateway to the afterlife. This isn’t the first time we’ve seen the doorway used on SYTYCD, but I generally like the concept because it symbolizes the journey these contestants are taking trying to achieve a level of stardom.
Judges Say: Nigel calls the performance beautiful and inspirational, noting that all of Travis’ routines flow effortlessly.
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The Top 10 guys take on a Sonya Tayeh routine with a ton of muscle and fighting. She begins rehearsals by asking them to remove their shirts….she then makes a comment about wanting to eat them up. I now picture her gnashing her teeth. I’m not sure what these guys are wearing as the performance begins, but I also don’t care. They are beasts, and I love it.
Judges Say: Nigel does not care for the maternity pants. Heh. Zooey then gives Cat a run for her money with her (almost) line of the night: “Wow, it must be really difficult to lift each other.” I imagine it is.
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The final performance of the night includes the Top 19 and comes from the mind of Mia Michaels. Let me just say I slapped the couch with both hands and “wooed” loudly when I heard this. Oh Mia, I have missed you greatly. Just promise me you will stay. With SYTYCD’s ratings slipping last year, I do hope bringing back this brilliant choreographer will help. When the performance begins, I think “The Matrix has you.” I’m enthralled immediately though, and this is so damn good I am posting the link.
The next episode will show us exactly how this year’s elimination will work as we make our way to the two 2012 winners. Til then!
A few too many contemporary/jazz people as always, but I'm excited about the ballroom & ballet trios. A little surprised at the lack of hip hop guys, considering.
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