On tonight’s episode of So You Think You Can Dance, we will say goodbye to 2 guys and 2 girls as the normal Thursday night elimination show has been…well, eliminated this year. We begin with some sort of creepy Marilyn Manson group number that makes me want to reach for the nearest crucifix. I could have sworn this was the work of Sonya Tayeh, but Cat informs us that “Tabither” and Napoleon were the culprits. The guest judge tonight is former non-guest judge, Adam Shankman, who is here to promote Step Up 14 – Dancing on Space Mountain. Annnnd we're off!
Contestants: Lindsay and Cole
Theme: (Lyrical?) Hip Hop, choreographed by Christopher Scott
Cole does a 180 from last week’s bad ass Paso Doble character and turns into a nerd in a dentist’s chair for this number. It’s fun and entertaining, but not mind-blowing. The fact that he stays in character for the post-dance judging is endearing at first but then because quickly annoying.
Judges Say: Nigel says it was a fun routine to start off the show, and he likes the characterization but more so for Cole the Lindsay. Mary thinks the routine was just terrific, but Lindsay will need to bring more acting chops to the show. Adam thinks the American Dental Association should use this dance as a promo. He then reminds Lindsay to be more in character. I think she’s got it.
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Contestants: Amelia and Will
Theme: Contemporary, choreographed by Sonya Tayeh
Will and Amelia are two souls trying to find the light at the end of the tunnel, so of course the performance is incredibly dark. The music illustrates their agony, and it’s awesome. This is a huge departure from last week’s routine, and I wasn't sure if each dancer's crazy and often quirky style would adapt well here, but they certainly did a great job.
Judges Say: Mary “Wooooooooos!” and compliments Sonya, Will and Amelia. Adam gives them a standing ovation and then tells Sonya “we’re gonna have words because that was sickness.” He then plugs his own movie. Nigel says the pair of them immersed themselves in the routine and they are lucky that they are such brilliant dancers.
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Contestants: Nick Jonas and Amber
Theme: Tango, choreographed by Miriam Larici and Leonardo Barrionuevo
So Nick gets a ballroom routine again, huh? Interesting. Let me start off by saying that Amber’s legs are ridiculously strong. Like, she could kill someone by scissoring their neck. I honestly like her footwork better than Nick’s, and maybe it's just because I am drawn to her more here, but given how intense this routine is, they both make it work.
Judges Say: Adam says it was hotttttttt, and then I stare out my window and tune him out. Nigel calls Amber a cobra ready to pounce and says Nick looked very strong. Mary says this was an extremely difficult and demanding routine, and the two of them made it look easy.
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Contestants: Audrey and Matthew
Theme: Jazz, choreographed by Sonya Tayeh
This dance expresses a power struggle between a man and woman. We’re back to quirky Sonya and this dance is very aggressive and sexy. I’m not sure who won the battle of the sexes, but I’m also not sure that I care. I thoroughly enjoy the performance as well as the costumes. Less is more?
Judges Say: Nigel says the performance was absolutely fantastic. Mary says Matthew and Audrey are one of her favorite couples because they “dance all the way out.” Adam thinks the night belongs to Sonya. He also says Audrey is brilliant, and this competition is Matthew’s to lose. Wow. That's quite a prediction to make in week 2.
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Contestants: Janelle and Dareian
Theme: Lyrical Hip Hop, choreographed by Christopher Scott
Dareian is a young man trying to propose to his girlfriend, but they have to do a lot of dancing first to the tune of "My Girl." He stands out for me more than Janelle does in this number for sure. This, again, is more of that “character pop” than hip hop, and I'm not super impressed here, but they end with an adorable kiss so it's hard to complain.
Judges Say: I guess I'm the only person who has a hard time complaining about this performance. Adam rambles. A lot. Nigel thinks the routine was a little uninspiring, and the dancers could have done more than what was given to them. Christopher Scott's face handles this well. Mary agrees and says she was nervous about the kiss, and then Adam then pretends to kiss Nigel because he is an attention whore. Next.
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Contestants: Janaya and Brandon
Theme: Broadway, choreographed by Sean Cheesman
Janaya is a hopeless romantic pursuing Brandon. Brandon is not interested, but they sure smile a lot while they dance. So really, Janaya and Brandon brought a good amount of cheese to Cheesman’s number (see what I did there?). That’s the best thing I can say about it, which is a shame because they kid of wasted a realllllly good song from the Jekyll & Hyde Soundtrack. This is my least favorite of the night so far.
Judges Say: Adam says this was a successful character piece and then promotes his movie again. Nigel compliments Brandon and says Janaya brought something this week that she did not last week. Mary thinks this was one of the most entertaining dances of the night. That's fine - what do I know?
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Contestants: Eliana and Cyrus
Theme: Jive, choreographed by Tony Meredith and Melanie LaPatin
Oh Cyrus. Thank goodness Eliana is dancing well and wearing something flashy. She's even giving us a "hey look at me!" smile with very wide eyes. This is just bad, and I think Cyrus knows it, but he smiles and powers through it just the same.
Judges Say: Mary basically says Cyrus wasn’t good, but that he was there to support Eliana. She then calls Eliana a phenomenal dancer, which she is. Adam compares Cyrus’ mind to a zoo with animals running wild. He then tells him he is fantastic. WHAT?!?! Nigel says sometimes Cyrus will hit a brick wall, but thank goodness Tony got him through it. And this is all okay though because America is on his side. He then tells Eliana that she has to compensate for Cyrus’ lack of training....because he is the underdog and the judges have no intention of eliminating him if he is in the bottom 3 tonight.
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Contestants: Alexa and Daniel
Theme: Contemporary, choreographed by Dee Caspary
The dance takes place in a bathtub. Not kidding. But it’s all about connection, right? And these two accomplish that for the most part. The lighting is great, and the dance is, well...pretty, but it's definitely missing something.
Judges Say: Adam says it was an extraordinary routine, but he thinks it was lacking chemistry and connection. I disagree on connection, but perhaps he is on point with the chemistry. Mary thinks everything was executed to a “T” but she had wanted more. Nigel says the choreography was beautiful but the dancers were lost emotionally.
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Contestants: George and Tiffany
Theme: Fox Trot, choreographed by Tony Meredith and Melanie LaPatin
This is very classy and very old school….even though they use Sinead O’Conner’s version “I Want To Be Loved By You” for the performance. They glide well and are very smooth in their movements. They also seem to genuinely enjoy dancing the fox trot even though neither of them specializes in ballroom.
Judges Say: Mary says the fox trot is one of the most difficult dances, but these two pulled it off. Adam is madly in love with the performance (and madly in love with Adam), and then he plugs his movie again. Seriously Fox? Nigel thinks they make an incredible couple, and they give a lesson to all of the other couples on how to connect.
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Contestants: Witney and Chehon
Theme: Bollywood, choreographed by Nakul Dev Mahajan
This performance looks incredibly challenging, but two two dancers are delightful here and make me smile. I have no idea how to critique Bollywood dancing, but ultimately, my favorite Bollywood number was Katee and Joshua's from Season 4. However, I think this is pretty darn good too.
Judges Say: Adam says the routine was “absolutely so much fun,” but he then tells Witney to dance with a long neck. Uh-huh. Mary thinks it was absolutely perfect and tells Chehon that this was worlds better than the samba last week. Nigel likes Witney’s knee turns and then busts out some terms that I have never heard of.
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All of the dancers join Cat on stage now to determine the 3 guys and 3 girls in the bottom. For the girls we have Janaya, Alexa and Witney. Bummer. I hope they save Witney. For the guys we have Nick Jonas, Daniel and Chehon. I'm hoping for a Daniel save here. He's dreamy. Cat asks if Nigel needs to see any of them dance for their lives and he says “no.” Apparently the judges already knew the results and have pretty much already made their choice. But while they talk and decide some more, SYTYCD alumns Phillip, Kathryn, and Twitch, Step Up for a performance with the supporting cast of the film. I refuse to plug Shankman’s movie any more than that.
Results! We start with the girls, and the judges choose to save Witney (whew), sending Alexa and Janaya home. Now for the boys…. The judges choose to save Chehon, sending Daniel (booo) and Nick Jonas home. So I'm guessing Amber and Brandon will be partners now? It seems a little too early to switch things up. We'll find out next week...Til then!
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