The Top 18

THE TOP 18 PERFORM
Dan Karaty got the night off, and Mia joined the judges’ panel. She started by telling Cat that this year’s show was going to be “Banoodles” the talent was so unique. Cat reminded us that we lost Rayven and Jamie last week. On that note, I would like to say a word about the elimination show. I thought Kourtni; Matt & Will’s solos were amazing. The remaining soloists were not memorable. I thought the group number was funny, and strange, and I loved the music. I thought the costuming took away from its overall effectiveness, as I found myself trying to figure out hairdos and not really watching the overall dance.
Back to last night. Cat’s dress and shoes made her seem even more gigantic, if that is possible. Sometimes I am not sure about the person in charge of dressing her. Before each segment begins, the dancers were asked to say what thing they like most about their partner and least. This process helped a few of the dancer’s, whose personalities haven’t been showcased yet. Let’s talk about the dancing.


THE PERFORMANCES

1.Thayne & Chelsea T (Jazz w/ Mandy Moore - "Untouched," The Veronicas)
Sometimes an idea just doesn’t translate onto the stage. From the first moment of this piece, I didn’t get it. Last week, I thought Thayne was extremely manly in the way he looked at Chelsea and moved her across the stage, and they were extremely sexy together. This week I thought the music was awful, the chemistry was completely off, and the costumes made Thayne look effeminate and Chelsea look ridiculous. I think maybe Mandy saw the success that Mia had with the “Two Kings” piece and wanted a go at that concept. I was bored to tears. Thayne couldn’t touch Neil and Danny’s commitment to the throne. Mia thought they were kicked off the train. Mary said it didn’t work. Nigel said it wasn’t believable, which was probably the biggest problem.

2. Mark & Chelsie H (Argentine Tango w/ Alex Da Silva - "Mi Confesión," Gotan Project)
As weird as Mark looks offstage, and as much playing around as the two of them did during rehearsal this week, when it came time to dance, Mark led her around that Tango like a hungry man. The footwork was really complicated and amazing, and his intensity was incredible. At one point it looked like he was going to kiss her throat and it was so sexy. I had already really liked these two after last week’s performance, and I think they solidified their popularity after their interviews and performance tonight. Mia loved them. Mary loved everything about it. Nigel needed a little more sex from Chelsea H. we can’t get people too worked up during these dances!

3. Will & Jessica (Hip-Hop w/ Cecily & Olisa - "Whatever U Like," Nicole Scherzinger)
Okay, I know that the judges have seen much more of the individual talents during Vegas and at rehearsals, but I am not getting the crazed Will feedback. This number was okay, but I was not blown away by either of them. I was more blown away by how the judges found so much brilliance in Will’s performance. I thought it looked too studio hip-hop minus any Urban rawness -maybe it was the use of the chairs. I certainly saw nothing remarkable in either dancer either week to warrant the praise that has been given. Is this Debbie Allen’s influence? Mia thought Will was so good that Jessica didn’t get herself noticed. Mary thought Jessica was too powder puffy. Nigel thought she did a great job and that Will be in the top 4. I just don’t get it after that performance. The judges better be careful. William could be gone faster than Allison was in Season 2, if the viewing public feels that he is getting preferential treatment. He also needs to become a real person to the audience, because you have Joshua out there with all of that humbleness and personality waiting to take all of Will’s votes.

4. Matt & Kourtni L (Foxtrot w/ Jean-Marc Genereaux - "A Foggy Day (In London Town, Michael Bouble),"
The interview process didn’t exactly help Matt out. Everyone else remarked on personality traits that they liked about their partners. Matt said his favorite feature was Kourtni’s eyes and that he gets lost in them. It was really creepy and awkward. I was actually really proud of these two when they started dancing. I thought they had clean technique and Matt seemed much more comfortable than last week. I thought they made the lifts look easier, and that they brought a class and elegance to the dance, and I was entertained. Mia thought Matt brought it, but that Kourtni needed to own her size. Mary, who actually knows about this style of dancing, was disappointed because of the footwork not being close. Nigel said that they needed to work on not being fake. Oh well, I liked it, and I hope these two can avoid the bottom this week.

5. Gev & Courtney G (Contemporary w/ Mandy Moore - "Lost," Anouk)
I am partial to contemporary dancing, and I enjoyed the intricate partnering that took place in this piece. I can’t say that I was blown away by it. I thought that Courtney’s hair kept distracting me from getting a read on the emotion in her face. Although I was impressed that Gev was able to bring as much to the dance as he did, I was not left with that desire to rewind and replay (as I did with the Mia piece and the hip-hop piece from last week). Technically I think it worked, but I am not sure that these two have developed chemistry together. It was lacking that little bit of magic that you have to have in a love story. Mia thought that Courntey brought too much jazz to it (?) but was really proud of Gev. Mary loved it. Nigel thought it was danced well but was lacking in emotion.

6.Joshua & Katee (Broadway w/ Tice DiOrio - "All for the Best," Godspell)
Can I just say that these two are quickly becoming my favorite couple? I LOVED it! The energy was manic and crazy, and they both kept up with it and performed at the same time. About halfway through the piece when the music started to quicken, you could feel the crowd starting to come alive, which just took the dancers to an even higher performance level. As far as the interview process goes, these two have that nailed as well. They present themselves well, and their connection to each other is just as powerful offstage as on. Nigel gave it a standing ovation. Mary said something about Satisfaction Guaranteed. Mia said it was Amazing.

7. Marquis & Susie (Salsa w/ Alex Da Silva - "Agualine," Willie Colón & Hectgor Lavoe)
Susie shouldn’t have shared that Marquis has bad breath from all the chips he eats before they rehearse. Her obvious disgust not only caused my lips to curl, but it made me think a little less of her as well. This dance should have been her cup of tea, but just as with the waltz last week, things appear to be a struggle for the pair. When Susie went down into her split, I didn’t think Marquis was going to get her back up again. They did one stunt where the audience gasped, I think it was because they both had a look on their face like “I sure hope we pull this off”, and there was nothing sexy about it. These two could go home and I would not miss them at all. All three judges were disappointed.

8. Twitch & Kherington (Viennese Waltz w/ Jean-Marc Genereaux - "A New Day Has Come," Celine Dion)
I have done a lot of kidding about Jean-Marc being Joe Pesci over the years that I have been blogging this show, but I have a new appreciation for him after tonight. It is hard for me to critique something that is so personal. I thought that Kherington floated through the piece. I thought the costumes and the choreography made them both look weightless and gorgeous, and they made me fall in love with the Waltz (which I have not really liked in four seasons). I don’t know how fair it is when a couple gets a handed a piece of choreography like this, (when others are getting the prince and the forbidden love) but I do believe that this piece worked because of the joy that the two of them brought to it. You could tell they both felt a huge responsibility to make this special for Jean-Marc. Mia went on and on about how she thought Kherington smiled too much which sparked an argument with Nigel, who completely disagreed. The love put into this waltz from its idea to execution had a huge impact. I have nothing but awe and respect for this man who would create something so beautiful, for the smile he would see in his disabled daughter’s eyes.

9. Chris & Comfort (Krump w/ Lil'C - "Come and Get Me," Timbaland f/ 50 Cent & Tony Yayo)
I really like these two dancers. The interview with Chris cracked me up. It is unfortunate that they got stuck with the only form of dance that I dislike more than the Waltz. Their performance of it was just as awful as I expected it to be from watching the rehearsal. I think Lil’C was trying to make the movement slow enough for Chris to catch on. He needn’t have bothered, because fast or slow-Chris is not a krumper. The only thing he succeeded in doing was taking away from Comfort’s performance as she tried to dial back to Chris. I thought they handled the criticism from the judges well (especially when Nigel said Chris danced like a toddler who had to go pee) and hopefully their likeability factor will keep them in it another week.

RANDOM OBSERVATIONS
What was up with Jessica pushing her boobs around?
Was Chelsie H’s pinky out of her shoe the entire performance?
Was anyone else amazed at how little Gev and Courntey were? Next to them, Cat was frightening.
Was anyone else a little disappointed in Mandy Moore’s choreography this evening?
Would anyone miss Krump if they took it out of the line-up?

BEST OF THE NIGHT
Katee & Joshua, Chelsie H & Mark, and Twitch & Kherington

WORST OF THE NIGHT
Susie & Marquis