The Top 16 Deliver

Now this was an interesting show! Adam Shenkman was our guest judge for the evening and started by telling Cat Deeley that she looked Catastic. (oh my). I was completely entertained, and enjoyed the diversity in the choreography, as well as the energy and passion each of the dancers brought to the floor. As has been in the last several weeks, I had a couple of moments where I completely disagreed with the judges critique, but more about that later.
I am thrilled that they are starting to bring in new choreographers-although Sonya makes Mia look like Doris Day. My choreographer buddies need to send in some tapes (word to you MEX Girls)and see what happens. This week the contestants were asked to reveal something about their partners that no one else would know. Once again this gave a few dancers the chance to charm their way into our hearts (Kherington's shoe addiction-like what is wrong with that?). It also allowed Matt to divulge the whole Ninja mask thing, which was unfortunate. Dom from Season 3 was in the house and the whole place supercharged waiting for the dancing to begin. Let's talk:

1.Kherington and Twitch - Hip Hop (Napoleon and Tabitha)Don't Touch Me by Busta Rhymes
The story line on this dance was a Prison Break,which was perfect for these two, who easily infused comedy into the performance. I didn't really care for the jumpsuit, but I understood what they were going for. I was so impressed with Kherington. She is NOT just a beautiful smile, but she brought the funk. There is something about both of these dancers in their interview process, work ethic and performance that makes them unforgettable-even in that deadly first position of the evening. Was this my absolute favorite hip-hop number from this show? No, I think Twitch could have wowed and amazed us with tricks and power. That being said, I LOVED the way they delivered it, their commitment to the story and the sincerity they give to every performance. Plus Kherington can pulls this face that looks so much like my Teeny it cracks me up! These two have that indescribable "IT" factor. Nigel pretended as if he would list the good qualities in the dance and then the bad-but there wasn't anything negative he could say. Mary loved it. Adam gave tips for the future, because he thinks they will be around a long time!


2.Courtney and Gev - Rumba (Tony Meredith)Wishing on a Star by Rose Royce
These two are growing on me and after a slow start (did anyone else think that Courtney was never going to get down Gev's leg to the floor?) the two of them delivered a technically sound and sexy Rumba. Courtney looked amazing in her dress (which pervy Nigel had to point out that half of it was missing)and I am pretty sure Gev was not acting when he was staring Courtney down during this piece. Maybe it is their smallness, but both Courtney and Gev seem so young to me. I really enjoyed everything about this dance. The judges all enjoyed it as well.

3.Comfort and Chris - Jazz (Tyce Diorio)Beautiful People by Marilyn Manson
I was really pulling for these two. Despite the fact that technically I haven't seen the kind of performance from them to put them in the same league as a few of the other dancers-I really like them. I thought they came out strong and I thought that Chris gave a great performance. My problem with this piece was completely with the music. I have seen this music danced to at several dance competition, and (surprise) the hair is always a mess, there is always black make-up all over the eyes, and the movement is always animal like. I didn't see anything African about it, besides (apparently, according to Comfort) Comfort's dad? I thought they worked hard together, and that it was clean, but that awful music just took away from it for me. Nigel, Mary and Adam thought they didn't bring enough energy, and basically put the fault on the dancers. I completely disagree. I thought they committed to the piece, but that the choreography wasn't cohesive. It certainly wasn't their fault that they only used the fabric for 15 seconds of the dance. I am a huge Tyce fan, but this one just didn't quite capture whatever it was he was going for.Unfortunately, with the huge amount of negativity from the judges paired with the awful music, I think these guys will be doing solos tomorrow night.

4.Jessica and Will - Disco (Doriana Sanchez)Heaven Must Have Sent You by Bonnie Pointer
Doriana has to get a little firm with Jessica, who apparently can't get serious. Both Will and Jessica launch into trick after trick, which apparently makes them confused, because at one point one or both of them forgot what was next. From there ensued a moment of blank stares as Jessica got off the floor for the 3rd time and not very easily I might add. The last 30 seconds of them struggling to finish the choreography, ended with Will falling out of his pose and Jessica quickly putting her arm down to make it look like they were supposed to fall. From this mess, the judges gave the utmost praise. I don't get it. We had to all watch Will do his Saturday Night Fever pose and hear how authentic and great the pose was, never mind that the couple forgot the choreography and fell out of the final pose. I don't care how great they were as individuals, I would not watch that piece again. I think they will be in the bottom 3 couples. Three weeks running we have heard about Will's superiority to the other dancers in the competition, and three weeks running I have yet to see it on the dance floor. Maybe if they give him a new partner he will work it out?

5.Chelsea and Thayne - Quickstep (Heather Smith)You Can't Hurry Love by Phil Collins
What was Heather thinking with this music? The music didn't work with the rhythm of this dance AT ALL. As hard as these two worked, it didn't look like very much fun (despite the big fake smiles). I am not a huge fan of the quickstep, but definitely the last three seasons dancers have made it look a little less arduous. I thought Thayne looked less stressed out than Chelsea, she almost vanished from the piece. When Nigel said to her, "when we lose your personality, we lose you" he was dead on. Mary thought Chelsea let Thayne down. Adam loved the ending pose. It was great, but it takes a lot more than a pose for me. They will be in the bottom three for certain, Chelsie may end up going home on this one.

6.Kourtni and Matt - Contemporary (Sonya Tayeh)Wrestlers by Hot Chip
This vision of a comic strip come to life was the complete package. The choreography was quirky, but with such incredibly different movement than we have seen on this show-I totally loved it. Both dancers technically were perfect, but Kourtni stood out for me. Her character was so believable, I saw her in a completely different way. Unfortunately for Matt, I can't get over the Ninja mask. As beautiful of a dancer as he is-and I really do appreciate his technique and lines, he is just getting stranger every week-and not in a good way. As far as the choreography, I am not sure the mainstream could take a steady diet of Sonya Tayeh, but I was thrilled to see something unique that was executed so well. The judges seemed to enjoy it, but Adam was with me, the ninja mask should have stayed a secret.

7.Chelsie and Mark - Hip Hop (Napoleon and Tabitha)Bleeding Love by Leona Lewis
The story behind this piece was a workaholic leaving his love, who desperately wants him to stay. I am not sure that Chelsie captured all of the nuances of popping, but this dance was fantastic, one of my favorites of the entire night. The emotion from both of them, was so powerful and compelling. Week after week these two keep coming out with strong performances, and the connection between them is complex and rich. You see them joking like brother and sister in their interviews-aggravating each other and having fun, and then they break out this amazingly passionate intensity on stage that takes you by surprise. They will be around for a long time. The judges loved it, and Adam even said they were the couple to beat.

8.Katee and Joshua - Samba (Tony Meredith)Baila Baila by Angela Via
Joshua comes off so little boy like in his interviews, with his braces and that sweet smile. The minute the music starts, that boy becomes a man, and from the first step down those stairs, he takes control of his partner and it is HOT. The sexual tension in this number was fantastic, and the two of them looked like they had been doing this type of dance for years. This couple is still one of my favorites so far, they work so well together. I loved the music, the lifts, the costumes and I even liked Katee's hair straightened. She looks so much like a dancer I know (Cindy Loo-Hoo)that at times I think I know this girl! Joshua brings so much passion and Katee is amazingly versatile. It makes me want to take up Latin dancing for myself. The judges were blown away, and the night ended on a perfect note!

Top 3 Couples
Katee & Joshua, Chelsie & Mark, & Kherington & Twitch

Bottom 3 Couples
Chelsie & Thayne, Comfort & Chris, Will & Jessica

Going home-????

Can't wait for tonight my friends!!