So You Think You Can Dance - Two More Eliminated

Tonight’s episode of So You Think You Can Dance opens with a Charlie Chaplin inspired group number, shot in black and white with the exception of a red umbrella. Brought to us by Tyce DiOrio, YOUR Top 16 are now ready to compete for America’s votes once again. Cat Deeley informs us that the show will take a 2 week break after tonight, and 2 dancers will also leave at the end of the show based on last week’s votes.

Okay, Americer, let’s welcome the jidges! Tonight’s guest judge is a rather terrified-looking Kelly Bundy. Say what you want – she will always be Kelly Bundy to me. However, Christina Applegate joins us this evening, and I’m excited.  The woman is a hoot, and if you don’t believe me, check out this scene form Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead. Cinematic gold.

Contestants: Tiffany and George
Style: Hip Hop, choreographed by, Tabitha and Napoleon

This performance has a babysitting theme, and here’s hoping that neither Tiffany nor George get to watch over the little NappyTabs on the way. Seriously - they paid very little attention to the baby in that crib during the performance. Anywho, Tiffany's moves are much more aggressive than George's, and she is a definite stand out. This is a fun way to start the show, but not my favorite hip hop routine this season.

Judges Say: Nigel says this was an entertaining performance, but he would like to see the hip hop routines a little grungier. Nigel says George got tired, but Tiffany got down. Mary thinks it was fabulous and loved the setting. Christina says Tiffany was tough and scary, but she had wanted the slower parts to be “soupier.” I love her.
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Contestants: Amber and Brandon
Style: Jazz, choreographed by Ray Leeper

Amber and Brandon both lost their partners last week, so they were paired together by default. Unfortunately for them, they have to play catch up on chemistry. Quick. This performance is about two people living in the South, um..."uniting" in the heat. Amber is incredible - "heat" doesn't even fit in here. I can’t take my eyes off of her, which is probably the point given Brandon’s lack of jazz training. Strong dude though, and he is definitely working those suspenders.

Judges Say: Christina isn’t religious, but she says “Jesus” and then she’s bleeped out for 3 to 5 seconds.  She mentions how amazing Amber is and then tells Brandon he is sexy. Mary invites us all to Crazy Town for a moment because she "wasn't sure what kind of cereal these two had for breakfast this morning, but there was some soul in that bowl!" What the hell does that mean? Nigel says this was baby-making choreography….and then indicates that Ray may have choreographed Tabitha and Napoleon. Ew.

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Contestants: Janelle and Dareian
Style: Cha Cha, choreographed by Pasha (yay!)

It’s times like this when I miss the all-stars. Well, maybe I just miss Pasha's open shirt Latin routines. Janelle and Dareian dance to “Call Me Maybe” which makes me cringe (but secretly smile?). The dancers look like they are having a good time, but the song and its popularity unfortunately take away from any kind of Latin-y movements being attempted.  

Judges Say: Mary compliments the couple of tricks they had, but the overall dancing was not good for her. Then she gets incredibly technical, and I become incredibly annoyed. Remember how Cyrus attempted the jive a couple of weeks ago? Remember how he was a disaster, but it was okay, because it was not "his genre?" Ugh.  Christina tells Dareian to be careful how he uses his arms and feels really bad critiquing them. Nigel didn’t find Janelle sexy in this routine (did he not see what she’s wearing?) and he’s pretty harsh on them too.
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Contestants: Lindsey and Cole
Style: Contemporary, choreographed by Mandy Moore

This performance is a love/hate relationship brought to life, and Cole takes his characters very seriously. I worry that he may even karate kick her in a head a couple of times (must have been the awesome shadow-y effect behind them). However, this is gorgeous. Lindsey gives 100% for sure, and Cole is really a great supporting partner for her.

Judges Say: Nigel compliments Mandy and says the lighting was fantastic. Mary says Lindsey has all the magic in the world and tells Cole he is very versatile. She mentions nothing regarding what they may have consumed for breakfast. Christina says Cole is an enigma and says Lindsey spoke so much through her muscles and her body that her hair flying around didn’t matter. Interesting note - Christina might be my favorite guest judge ever.
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Contestants: Amelia and Will
Style: Jazz, choreographed by Mandy Moore

This dance is based on the idea that opposites attract. I’m already loving the costumes. This is a great routine too – it allows them both to stay quirky, and definitely connect better than any other couple has so far this evening. They complement each other perfectly.   

Judges Say: Christina says Will and Amelia are the dream team, and they embrace every style perfectly. Nigel didn’t feel it at all this week. I’m not entirely sure why. Mary is somewhere in between, saying it wasn’t as good as their other performances, but “it wasn’t bad.” Again, no real reason why. Maybe Mandy Moore will schedule a “WTF?” conference call with them later. Call me. Maybe.

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Contestants: Audrey and Matthew
Style: Salsa, choreographed by Liz Lira

I loooooooove Audrey and Ryan Gosling Matthew. However, I think this is supposed to be faster than it appears. I keep waiting for the pace to pick up, but it never happens. Audrey shines more here than Matthew does, as she has included at least some Latin rhythm in her hips, but overall, this is lackluster…pains me to say.

Judges Say: Mary says the connection was uncomfortable. So clearly, the train left without them. They may have thrown themselves in front of it. Christina was distracted by the music and thought the dancers looked a little lost. Nigel needed sex, energy and fun (from the dance, or in general?), and there was not enough going on for him.

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Contestants: Witney and Chehon
Style: Contemporary, choreographed by Stacy Tookey

The theme here is two people who want to be together, but circumstances won’t let them. They dance to Whitney Houston’s (RIP) version of “I Will Always Love You,” which will immediately pull on heartstrings everywhere, including mine. Witney and Chehon dance beautifully, show and incredible amount of emotion, and my only complaint is - the performance was too short. I wish they had been able to dance to the whole song rather than just the beginning and end, because they were doing such a great job telling the story.

Judges Say: Standing ovation. Christina is crying and says they weren’t just the muses – they were the painters. Aw. Mary is also crying saying she feels sadness and joy when she hears Whitney Houston’s voice. Agreed. She says this is their most defining moment in the competition. Nigel is so happy the judges were able to save Chehon and Witney out of the bottom 3 last week, otherwise we never would have seen the routine. He then says they were “flawless.”

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Contestants: Eliana and Cyrus
Style: Hip Hop, choreographed by Tabither and Napoleon

She is a ballerina on a music box, and he is the robot set to “turn her on.” They said it, not me. I might be completely alone here (keep all snide remarks to yourself), but the opening takes me back to the "Doll on a Music Box" sequence from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Just sayin. It’s hard not to watch Cyrus here since he could write a book on robotic dance moves. Whoa! Is Fox really able to broadcast these head in the crotch dance moves?

Judges Say: Standing O. Really? Mary says “you two were fabulous doing it.” Uh huh.  She then declares "you’re both on the damn train." Christina says Eliana is one of the best dancers she has ever seen, and tells Cyrus he is lucky that he hasn’t gotten contemporary yet. Ha! Nigel says Eliana was better than Cyrus in terms of “getting down.” Hmmm. Perhaps he should watch the performance over again?

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Now onto the eliminations. For the girls: Amber, Lindsey, and Eliana are the bottom 3. Oh hell. For the guys: George, Brandon and Dareian. Interesting. Nigels asks Amber, Eliana, Brandon  and Dareian to dance for their lives, and they do so. But….does this mean Lindsey and George automatically be safe?

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While the judges make their final decision Alvin Ailey's dancers treat us to "The Hunt." I'll be honest here and say I really have no idea what's happening during said hunt.

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Results! The girls take the stage first, and indeed Lindsey is safe. The judges also choose to save Eliana, sending Amber home....even though Nigel keeps reiterating that no one is "voted off" the show. No, Nigel - you just voted to not keep someone on the show is all. The guys are up now and George is immediately declared safe. The judges also save Dareian, thereby not saving Brandon.

Now we have a 2 week hiatus before the remaining 14 dancers compete again. With Amber and Brandon both going home this week, there shouldn't be a shake up in the pairings just yet. I imagine by Top 10 though, we'll see everyone "draw names out of a hat" once again. Enjoy the break!