Tonight’s performance episode certainly had its memorable moments!    From Nigel “going gangsta on us” with his snippy attitude to Mary’s ever-reddening skin tone to the repeated use of the words “butt” and “ass”, it was one for the record books.  I got to watch this one with my friend Jennifer, and it was fun to process what was happening with another person!!

The Good

• Cat’s dress and hair.  She was beautiful in her Grecian-inspired getup.  I didn’t expect her to top the white suit from last Thursday so quickly!
• Toni Basil, guest judge, talking about her Living Legend of Hip Hop Award, and her constant mentions of “the street”, “the groove”, and “the funk”.  All with that jauntily-placed beret on her head.  I would love to listen in on a conversation between her & Lil C, wouldn’t you? (”I would! Yes, I would!!!” - Mary)
• Vitolio’s rock star face.  He was using it like crazy tonight during judging (and it was much better than Janette’s, I’ve gotta say).  I also want to give props to Vitolio’s incredible sweetness towards Asuka during their rehearsal package.  Who uttered an “awww…” when you saw him comforting his partner?  (”I did!  Yes, I did!” - Mary)
• Kupono & Kayla’s Viennese Waltz choreographed by Jean Marc Genereaux.  Set to Jewel’s “Some Dreams For You”, it was so…  unexpected.  During their rehearsals, I said to Jennifer, “Kupono is going to let her down.  He’s not showing himself to be a very strong dancer.”  But I was wrong, and I happily admit it.  Despite Nigel’s conviction that their routine was nothing to stand up and cheer for, I was enthralled from the very first lift.  Everything about this performance was mesmerizing: the lighting, the song, the beautiful costumes, Kayla’s hair blowing around in the wind.  And Kupono was a revelation for me.  It is pretty much understood that Kayla will upstage anyone she’s partnered with - the girl is a force! - but Kupono more than held his own.  I thought they were a great match, and the fact that this was their first week together only impressed me more.  I thought it’d be sloppy.  Again, I was wrong.  I watched this one twice, and it is currently my favorite routine of the season.  (I will tell you right now, I never thought I’d say that about a waltz, or about these dancers.)
• Melissa & Ade’s Rumba choreographed by Tony Meredith.  First, Ade looked great in that classic black skin tight one-piece Rumba Outfit.  I remembered seeing Gev wear one - tiny Gev!, and Joshua, too.  Ade really rocked it, though, ’cause he’s so tall!  He and Melissa make a beautiful pair, plain and simple.  I didn’t like the song (”Emotion” by Destiny’s Child) it was set to, but I watched this one twice as well.  What can I say?  I love Ade!!  (I voted for them 5 times tonight.  Just throwin’ that out there.)
• Brandon & Janette’s Hip-Hop choreographed by Dave Scott.  What a cool concept: combining a rock attitude with hip hop moves.  It worked.  Brandon completed killed this one, in my opinion.  It was the first time I could get behind him and say, yes, I like him!  I loved his outfit.  He was slammin’ in those jeans & button-down shirt.  Maybe my opinion about Brandon will continue to change as the weeks go on, because it is clear that he & Janette will be around for the long haul.  They are the team to beat.
• Followed closely by Randi & Evan, of course.  Could there be a pair better suited for one another than these two?  (”No, there can’t!!” - Mary) They are so sweet.  I am really loving Randi’s personality - and her hair!!  Did you see her shirt in rehearsals?  It said, “Unitard Girl” on the front.  Loved it.  These two lucked out with the first Mia Michael’s contemporary routine of the season (not counting last week’s group number).  It was, how can we forget?, “all about the booty”.  Randi’s booty, to be specific.  Curl up that blonde ‘do and put her in a little nightie and she is transformed into Chicago’s Roxie Hart!  I wish I could say I loved this routine with all my heart - but Evan’s costume, a ridiculous, oversized suit contraption, took points off for me.  He’s already on the short side, and the high-waisted pants didn’t help that.  But his performance and ability overcame the clothes.  Their routine was saucy.  I liked what Toni Basil said about it, in what I think was a compliment: “The choreography can become the star” - but they didn’t let it.  They are clearly stars on that stage.  I don’t ever want to see them switch partners!  And Mia has yet to give us anything terribly emotional this season.  Is this a new trend for her, or is she saving the gutwrenching stuff for later?

The “Meh”

• Mandy Moore’s choreography to “Heartbreaker” with Asuka & Vitolio.  Mandy said she was going for “thrash-rocker-jazz”, but the whole thing was kinda lackluster for my friend Jennifer and me.  Nigel raved about it, but I agreed with Mary: their movements weren’t always in sync, and the routine lacked “oomph”.  It was kinda like Pasha & Sarah’s jazz routine from season 3, without the fun suspenders angle.  Mandy can do better than this.  I can’t wait to see what else she has for us this season.
• Caitlyn & Jason’s Paso Doble choreographed by Jean Marc & France.  I felt the choreography was great, but the performance merely decent.  I like both Jason & Caitlyn, but I haven’t seen them quite match what they did with their Bollywood in the Top 20 week.  (Jennifer was all about Jason’s costume and attitude.  )

The Bad

• Karla & Jonathan’s hip hop.  This was also done by Dave Scott.  Karla has a hip hop background, and it showed.  She made it look easy.  Unfortunately, she had a partner who couldn’t keep up.  Poor Jonathan.  After last week’s high, they crashed right back to the bottom with this.  Did anyone else think Jonathan looked like a young Travolta in his outfit tonight?  (”I did!  Yes I did!!!” - Mary)
• Jeanine & Philip’s Broadway choreographed by Tyce Diorio.  To be clear: Jeanine was great and held her own.  At the beginning of the season, I thought she was going to be carried by Phillip’s popularity.  Now, she’s starting to shine in her own right, especially in these styles that Phillip can’t seem to master.  I love Broadway and I feel that Tyce can really bring it to life on the SYTYCD stage.  But this did not meet its potential because Phillip lacks so much technique. 

So, a word about all this Chbeebery going on: in a season with all these tremendously talented dancers (of whom we’re constantly reminded), an inexperienced but likable dancer can only go so far.  We all know the judges like to have at least one “fresh off the street” dancer that they can mold and teach and sing praises over (Ivan, Cedric, and Twitch all fit this role to some degree).  I don’t think Phillip will be able to keep up with the 15 other dancers he’s up against.  But the judges will definitely want him on tour, so we can expect him to stick around until at least the top 10.  And since this is the search for “America’s favorite dancer”, he should be around for awhile after that, too.  Unless something big happens.  Tonight, Phillip had that awesome couch jump and the huge slit down the back of his pants to make up for how he couldn’t quite deliver Tyce’s routine.  I’d bet a few pennies that next week he’ll have hip hop again, something to make him look good, so the judges and America will be justified in keeping him around longer.

Predictions for the bottom 3:

1. Karla & Jonathan
2. Asuka & Vitolio
3. Caitlyn & Jason

with Karla & Jonathan going home.

What had you mesmerized tonight, fans?  Who do you predict will be in the bottom 3?  Did any dancer win your heart or surprise you tonight?  Can Phillip keep up with the what the other dancers bring to this season?  Does Toni Basil make any more sense than Lil C?  (”She does!  Yes, she does!!” - Mary)

And cut they did.  Holy moly, Wednesday’s Vegas episode was fast and furious.  The judges weren’t playing any games.  But we’ll get to that in a moment.

First, I want to answer for my earlier Top 20 predictions.  I was wrong about Gabi, Sammy, Amanda, Chimeze, and Priscilla.  Oh.  And Natalie.

Natalie!

Weren’t we all wrong about Natalie?  I thought she was a clear lock for Top 20 - heck, to win this whole thing!  So to have her be cut so unmercifully after the Jazz round (choreographed brilliantly by Sonya Tayeh - the few seconds of dance we saw were so fresh!) was a shock to my system - not at all what we saw coming.  Especially after we had seen her do the routine in front of the whole group (with Brandon), at Sonya’s request.  Sonya clearly loved Natalie and saw her genius.  So I am stunned as to why she is now gone - while lots of other, nameless girls remain in her spot.  Natalie handled her dismissal with class.  I don’t think we’ll see her again.  After last year, and now this, it seems SYTYCD is not in the cards for her.

The episode started off with each of the 172 dancers doing their solo routine, one by one, for the panel of judges including Nigel, Mary (unusually subdued tonight), Shanks, Lil C, Mia, and Debbie Allen.  44 dancers were cut right out of the chute, including Travis, the coach’s son from last week.  I didn’t expect him to go far, and it was kind of a relief to see him and other dancers say goodbye without extra time or sentiment.  (Makes me wonder why they get so much screen time during audition episodes, though.  It’s like they want us to get invested early in, and then rip out our hearts the second their plane lands in Vegas.)

They moved on to the Hip Hop round (with NapTab), and 33 more dancers were given the boot.  Fifteen minutes in, and we’re already down to 97!  The ballroom round followed (with Jean-Marc Genereaux & France).  Even though Philip Chbeeb “doesn’t know how to not pop”, according to Adam Shankman, they waved him through.  Also sailing through was Japan’s Nabuya, who cried like a baby and said, “I love here, I really love here.”

I’ve already mentioned Sonya’s jazz routine, and I just want to say again that I think Mia better watch out: she might soon be replaced as SYTCYD’s most beloved choreographer.  Then again, I incorrectly predicted six Top 20 dancers, so whatevs.  I want that song Sonya used for the choreography.  It was super catchy!  It’s what got me through the Natalie Shock.

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I’ve been listening to a lot of Cary Brothers lately, and every time I hear “The Glass Parade”, I think it’d be a great song for a contemporary piece - or for a contestant’s solo.  The chorus even says, “We are dancing in the glass parade.” 

Last week, I asked what songs you’ve become a fan of after hearing them on the show.  This time, I’d like to know What songs you’d like to hear used in a routine?

I love discovering new music, and one of my favorite things about SYTYCD is how many new artists are featured, either in the choreography or with a guest artist (on results shows).  After flipping through my iPod the other day, I realized I have quite a few songs that I bought after first hearing them on the show:

• “Dancing” - Elisa (used in the Lacey/Kameron contemporary by Mia Michaels)
• “Bleeding Love” - Leona Lewis (used in the Chelsie/Mark hip-hop by Tabitha & Napoleon)
• “Hometown Glory” - Adele (used in the Katee/Joshua contemporary by Mia Michaels)
• “Mercy” - Duffy (used in the Katee/Twitch contemporary by Mia Michaels)

I also already had “Dreaming With a Broken Heart” by John Mayer (used in the Kherington/Twitch contemporary by Mia Michaels) and “Blower’s Daughter” by Damien Rice (used by Travis Wall in his solo during season 2).

What songs have you added to your collection after hearing them on SYTYCD?