Wow!  What a roller coaster.  Amanda & I are still texting about it!

MIA!!!  This is the “awe” portion of the show.  I have no recollection of Mia ever bringing the funk before.  Would not have predicted in a million years that her choreography would be to Stevie Wonder.  And it worked.  I really enjoyed this number.  It had all kinds of chess pieces moving at once, and it wasn’t one of those badly-lit hip-hop routines where you can only spot maybe one dancer’s face.  I felt like we got to see at least half of the dancers highlighted during the performance.  And did you notice?  Ade was strongly featured in the front, nailing his every bit - and I couldn’t see Brandon at all.  I was searching for him big time.  The drama continues!  Would sure love some background info on this situation.  Cat, can you help us out here?  (She blogs weekly about the show for ew.com now.)

CAT!!!  She rocked that white suit.  She has never looked better; what a stunner.  This was also “awe”-some.

Before we get to the results, I thought I’d mention the package that poked fun at Lil C (”Lil C’s Dictionary of Dance”) was laugh-out-loud funny.  The audience reaction shots were priceless.  Whoever edited this did a great job.  I think this season has really tapped into a lot of humor and fun.  (Last night’s “fun counter”, case in point.)  Lil C was a great sport, and proved he had no intention of watering down anything he says when he started going off on Ashley & Kupono when they found out they were in the bottom three later on.

But I’ll get to that.

In the comments of Amanda’s brilliant post yesterday, I predicted who would be in the bottom three and who would be going home.  Tonight, I was starting to think I was some kind of SYTYCD psychic.

Our first couples getting their news were Melissa/Ade (love!), Caitlyn/Jason, and Phillip/Jeanine.  I called Caitlyn & Jason, so it was fun to see MelAde safe so early on, and no surprise whatsoever to see Phillip/Jeanine safe.

Next round: Brandon/Janette, Jonathan/Karla, and Ashley/Kupono.  I had predicted that AshKup would be bottom three.  I was feeling pretty proud of my reality-tv-results-show-wisdom. 

** We interrupt this program with breaking news:  Ryan Kasprzak has just been given his second ticket to Vegas in the same calendar year!  The man’s LA audition was featured prominently in tonight’s program, making us love him even more.  After all, his tap routine was phenomenally good, sans whoopie cushion, and full of invention and, dare I say it, passion. 

I’m scared, though.  First of all, after everything this guy’s done for season 5, must he really do it all over again?  What else must he prove?  He’s not going to get hair plugs.  His style isn’t going to change.  He’s not getting any younger.  Are the judges going to set him (and us) up for disappointment, string him (and us) along, and make him (and us - okay, not so much) audition year after year, having no intention of ever putting him on the show?  I really hope this guy is guaranteed season 6.  Otherwise, it is going to be a cold, bitter pill to swallow.  I’m having Natalie flashbacks!!  Make it stop!!

…  Back to our regularly-paced results show**

Our final round of couples was Evan & Randi (who, in celebrating their safety, apparently busted the back of her outfit, proving that maybe unitards really are the way to go…), Vittolio & Asuka, and Kayla & Max.  This seemed like a no-brainer.  In my arrogance I had already written “bottom 3″ after V & A’s names and “safe” after K & M.  Um, WHAT?

SHOCKER!  I couldn’t believe it.  Vittolio and Asuka, he of great determination and heart and (fair) skill and she of the strangely unappealing personality made more people “pick up the phone” than Kayla (”I am universally beloved”) and Max (”I’m lucky to be paired with Kayla because I have the misfortune of resembling a 50-year old actor“).  Okay, so maybe that’s their problem.  I thought immediately that Max might have been to blame for their bottom-3 position.  Even though he endeared himself to me last night when they showed him cooking for the other dancers (aww!), he was was saddled with a really bad costume in a strange routine - after the voting audience had already seen one strange routine in the program courtesy of Sonya Tayeh, Ade, & Melissa.  And the comparison to Kevin Spacey must have only further alienated himself from the tween viewers.  Bye, Max, it was nice while it lasted.  Someone else will have to pick up the slack and make the cast their dinner. 

Right after that shock was handed to us in one of Cat’s little perforated envelopes, we were treated to a guest dancer.  And that is all I can say on the subject, because my mind was teeming with a combination of swirling red skirts and the realization that this week’s bottom 3 is entirely different from last week’s!

Which is both a fun and heartbreaking conclusion.  It’s fun because it keeps us guessing each week as to who will fall below.  It’s heartbreaking because this season’s cast is so darn solid that any little misstep will send you packing. 

And that leads me to the six who had to dance for their lives.  Real quick:

• Caitlyn’s was okay - but impressive enough for the judges.  I wanted her gone more than Ashley or Kayla.
• Ashley’s was not enough!  We have seen before that you never spend half of your solo time on the stairs.  (Faina!)  She was super adorable in her old-style getup/hair/makeup.  A younger Bebe Neuwirth.  I’m clearly not a tween if I know who Lilith and Kevin Spacey are!!
• Kayla’s was too much!  Ah, the ever-changing expectations of what dancing for your life should look like.  In season 3, Shauna saved herself from an earlier cut by doing pretty much what Kayla did tonight.  Nigel, you confound us all. 

And Ashley is given the boot.  She was disappointed but all smiles.  I loved her low-key demeanor and thought she had the talent to go a long way this season as a dark horse.

• Jason - excellent solo.  Nigel called it the best he’s ever seen in the series.  Uh, hello?  Not hardly.  (Go to 2:15 in that video, and then witness the only standing ovation from all 3 judges on a dancer’s solo I’ve ever seen.)  Perhaps he was speaking quickly and meant best so far this season.
• Kupono - no substance, more bling than Mary Murphy.  I really felt Max could sneak in with this one and this would be the end for Kup, but I was wrong.
• Max - very solid ballroom solo set perfectly to the last 30 seconds of “Footloose”.  Comparing this to Kupono’s, as well as remembering Max’s performance last night compared to Kupono’s, it seemed only fair that Max stay!  But Kupono’s personality won out in the end.  It’s a pity, really.  Ashley was the stronger of that pair last night and she is the one saying goodbye.

What did you think of tonight’s shocks & awes?  What kind of pairing will Kayla & Kupono make?  (Kayla certainly seemed upset by Max’s departure.)  Does Ryan Kasprzak need this show?  Is every week going to be this unpredictable?  Are you loving season 5 yet?  I think I just might be!!

Did Cat go shopping in the ‘Pretty in Pink” cast closet? I loved her swept back hair and witty charm this evening. By the end of the show I was loving her red bow dress as well.  I have way too many favorites this season. I like a lot of them for different reasons. Their style, their story, the way they dance, I can’t decide yet. So let’s get on with this judges-excessive-lovin-on-the-choreographers episode.

Randi & Evan
Jive, Louis Van Amstel, “Shake a Tail Feather” by Ray Charles

Dog lovin’ Randi and car lovin’ Evan opened the show with a high energy Jive. Lil “C” thought they came “out of the box with a bang” and critiqued Evan’s smooth moves. I like it when Mary and Nigel bust out with technical critiques and we learn about things like triple steps, double bouncing, and fast feet flicks. They did well and I still love Evan. Randi wore a unitard in her opening dance. Thankfully the wardrobe department helps her costumes with the dances!

Melissa & Ade (aka Adetokunbo Isaace Kayode Obayomi)
Jazz, Sonya Tayeh, “24 Hours (the Ashton Shuffle Terri A-Bomb Remix)” by Terry Poison

These Rock n Roll Imps (dubbed by Cat) made Sonya’s jarring choreography jump off my screen. Mary loved it and Lil “C” said something about “modifying manipulation of movement.”  He also called out Ade as a front runner. I can’t wait to see him paired with someone else. I don’t think Melissa will get past eighth place. I want to root for her (she is my age!), but I can’t stand her personality. I saw a commercial for a Bump It today - did you think Melissa was using one? Did you check out Melissa’s abs!? Seriously. Now that I have grown to appreciate Sonya - this was one of my favorite dances of the evening.

Caitlin & Jason
Hip Hop, Shane Sparks, “Missin You” by Trey Songz

While this couple may be “missing some nectar” during their Hip Hop routine, there seems to be some nectar between them off set. Maybe they were tired from last week’s intricate Bollywood dance, but this pair didn’t hit this routine hard enough. I also found Caitlin’s costume distracting. This un-sychronized routine may find them in the bottom three tomorrow night. How cute was  the video of Jason dancing as a kid? This is why I film my children now. You never know when you are going to need that footage.

Janette & Brandon
Disco, Doriana Sanchez, “Moving is really my game” by Brainstorm

Disco is always technically difficult with Doriana. This dance was the show-stopper of the evening and may have shut the mouths of Brandon nay-sayers. In my notes I wrote “they are sailing into the Top 10.” Lil “C” claimed that he witnessed the “birth of progression.” They were both amazing in their lifts and movements. Hands down the best dance of the night.

Asuka & Vitolio
Waltz, Louis Van Amstel, “Dreams are more precious” by Enya

Spit bubbles? Really. That’s kind of gross. I want to like you, Asuka, but you aren’t giving me much to work with here! This lyrical waltz moved Mary to tears and called it “painfully beautiful.” The judges said that the dancers were sincere. They were good, but I think we will see them in the bottom 3 and even possibly going home. And what is up with all the Louis love tonight?

Kayla & Max
Pop Jazz, Brian Friedman, “Hot Like Wow” by Nadia Oh

This couple on the way to Rat Town on the Hot Tamale Train stretched Max’s ability and made Kayla the female front runner. I believe she is this year’s Katee. Each week I am loving Kayla more and more. Did you see her eyelashes? Last week Kayla had to learn the ballroom terms and this week Max had to learn a whole new vernacular from choreographer, Brian. I loved how the tables were turned this week. I  am with Lil “C” and I loved it. But then again I am always a sucker for these royal court themed dances.

Carla & Jonathan
Contemporary, Stacey Tookey (from SYTYCD Canada!), “Falling Slowly” by The Frames

This routine had an Academy award winning song, but not an award winning dance. I love this song so much and the dancing paled in comparison. It was beautiful and nice, but forgettable. Jonathan has a David Archuleta “puppy dog” quality about him. Carla is very Sarah from Season 3-esqu. I hope she sticks around long enough to school us on how chicks can pop and lock. These are also a bottom 3 pick for me. I hope Carla is polishing off her Dance For Your Life!

Jeanine & Phillip
Tango, Tony Meredith, “Violento (Up Mix)” by Bailango!

Philip tried his best to pull off a serious Tango while Jeanine saved the dance. I loved how the judges criticized them, they were honest, but still rooting for them. Phillip’s popularity will keep him out of the bottom this week. I can’t help myself from liking him either. Engineering Physics major, oh yeah! I LOVED the slow mo of Phillip’s face while lifting Jeanine. I think that is the worst strained face I have ever seen on this show. Hilarious! Go lift some weights, Phillip!

Ashley & Kupono
Hip Hop, Shane Sparks, “Imma Be” by The Black Eyed Peas

Kupono’s To Do Lists crack me up. Unfortunately I don’t think he can check off “Find My Inner Shane Sparks” tonight. Ashley is proving to be a good dancer. Every time I watch her dance I am glad that she kept trying out and made it her fourth time around.  And oh my gosh, that projectile vomit story was hilarious! Perseverance and humor, I like her! While the dance was underwhelming, their personalities were not tonight. Here’s hoping they are safe another week!

What was your favorite dance of the evening? Who is your pick to go home? Are you looking forward to Mia Michael’s group routine on the results show?

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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Hey, y’all!  I need to begin with a confession.   I’m not a fan of the audition rounds.  I usually skip them and start watching with the Top 20 show.  I prefer seeing the real candidates over lots of time spent on the “inspirational stories” and “joint-tortionists” that never make the actual competition.  Does that make me a bad person?  (Don’t answer that.  This is just one fan’s opinion.)  However, I’m committed to getting emotionally invested early in this year, starting with tonight’s season premiere.  I am making it fun for myself by predicting who will be in the top 20 based off their first audition alone.  This recap will be a bit stream-of-consciousness; hope you don’t mind.

Amanda: Hi! Dawn and I are still working out how we are going to do our recaps. For this post I am going to share my thoughts after hers. Hooray! Season 5 has begun! After feeling disconnected with American Idol this year, I am ready to be emotionally invested. So, let’s get on with the recap.

We started in Brooklyn, NY.  Thoughts:

Dawn: Gabi Rojas - set the bar high with the “best audition they’ve had in five years”.  Mary wasted no time with her scream and Nigel said she’d likely make it to the top 20.  He said the same thing about Kherington last year at her audition, so there you have it.  When Nigel likes someone, good things happen for them.  I saw shades of Sabra in this dancer’s demeanor.  She has rheumatoid arthritis.

Amanda: I liked how the other dancers in the auditorium stood up and applauded at the end. Unless something crazy happens in Vegas, she will be in the top 20. I hope she can do a good Waltz!

D: Mutation - a genre of joint-tortionism and green face makeup.  I couldn’t understand their music choice - an upbeat song that was incongruous with the mood they were trying to set.  This is exactly the kind of thing that makes me frustrated with audition eps:  it’s so obvious that they won’t fit in with the direction of the show, yet they audition anyway.  After the choreography round, they were gone.

A: I thought it was hilarious how they professed to be the pioneers of this dance and maybe they are, who knows? Does anyone really care? They reminded me of Ringmasters on America’s Best Dance Crew.

D: Philly Peter, the tap dancer - went straight through to Vegas, despite his weird outfit.

A: Dawn, I said the same thing - that outfit was whack! Tap dancers never do well on SYTYCD, so I don’t expect to see him in the top 20. They had the best tap dancer ever last season and she fizzled out.

D: Nabuya - a locker from Japan.  He was super cute.  I thought the build-up about him was leading to a joke of an audition, but he gained favor from all the judges and got his ticket to Vegas.  I think his personality went a long way - but I will be honest and say it seemed like he didn’t do all that much in his initial audition.  Was that just me?

A: “I’m big in Japan!”  Dawn, I didn’t get it either! I just rewatched it and thought is was okay. I can’t believe he made it through. Interesting bit - in his interview package they used the song “Tokyo Drift” by Teriyaki Boyz the same night “Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift” the movie was playing on TNT.

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