The Top 10!!

Well my SYTYCD friends, we have so much to discuss! The evening started a half-hour late at my house-due to birthday cupcakes (my niece is 15 today-Yeah Melissa) and chocolate martinis (just for Crystal, Janet Anna, Caitlin and me-the birthday girl got a cupcake with a glass of milk). Once we added the Beans, Dingo, and the man I will now and forever refer to as “The Potted Earth” to the above group-we were ready for some serious dancing.
The night started off with only (gasp) 9 dancers during the introductions. Allowing Jessica to explain her injury was a nice touch, and it makes you wonder how much of Jessica’s passion we haven’t really been allowed to see since she has been dancing with that big of an injury all season. Lil’C was the guest judge. I am going to say that where I prefer Mia to choreography rather than judging, the opposite was true of Lil’C. I was preparing for some of the foolishness we have gotten from Cecily and Olisa over the years when they sat in those chairs (highlights: “blah blah blah blah” and “what he said”) Lil’C had great insight and gave constructive criticism on all the styles of dance. Who knew?
Each dancer had two couple dances and one solo, and if you actually believe that this was a random hat draw you probably believe the front of the New Yorker too! Let’s break it down:


THE PERFORMANCES (COUPLES)

Courtney & Joshua

Hip-Hop w/ Dave Scott - "Skippin'," Mario
I was hooked from the first facial that Courtney pulled when Joshua electrified his Bride to life! Joshua is such a powerful dancer, and I was blown away by the energy he brought to the dance. What Courtney may have lacked in Hip-Hop expertise she made up for with the pure entertainment value of her performance. There was comedy, great chemistry and I thought for the dreaded first dance of the night; it is the one that I am still thinking about. Lil’C thought Joshua killed, but Courtney did a great job too. Mary asked herself if she thought they did well, and then answered with a “yes they did”. Nigel gave credit to Dave Scott. I agree with Nigel, that was good stuff.
Rhumba w/ Jean-Marc Genereaux - "Hero," Enrique Iglesias
You never know what Jean-Marc is going to come up with, and when this song starting playing I immediately got the giggles. (Enrique is so Telemundo, with all that angst he is packing). Once I got a hold of myself, I really did enjoy the chemistry that these two brought to this piece. It was sexy, and Joshua impresses me with his ballroom passion. Lil’C loved it. Mary said it was fantastic. Crystal said Joshua should always wear those pants. (When you have guest judges in the family room, you need to quote them sometimes too). Nigel said it fit their bodies, to which Joshua got in a funny comment in about Will and Twitch running around naked on the stage all the time. These two dancers had a great night.

Kherington & Mark

Two-Step w/ Ronnie DeBenedetta & Brandi Tobias - "Kick Back," Ty England
Brandi moved about twice as fast as these two did, and she was like 13 months pregnant. I think it is important to represent all different genres of dance, if you are going to appeal to a larger audience than just dancers and the people who love them. I applaud the effort. If we are going to have a bi-monthly Krump or QuickStep, we can at least show that there is much more to Two-Step than moving in a square. This should have been a high energy, quick twirling good time. It was a hot mess, and from the word go, I am not sure they ever got up to tempo or made even half of their connections. Even the lifts looked labored and not a bit fun. Lil’C tried to compliment their characters, but had to concede the mistakes that were made. Mary said a lot of stuff, but none of it was that interesting. Gina said it was like a bad dance competition number. (Yes, I had another guest critic at the house). The best that Nigel could say was that they didn’t give up. Yikes.
Jazz w/ Tyce DiOrio - "Canned Heat," Jamiroquai
The overall dancing in this piece was flawless. They both had great technique and plenty of personality on stage. There was a little something missing, and not being a dancer I am not sure what it was. Caitlin thought maybe they were let down by the choreography. My eyes were drawn more to Mark’s energy than to Kherington’s but I am not sure if was that they didn’t establish chemistry the first go around and this wasn’t enough to make it happen for either of them? I will be curious to read your comments, because this was a tough one for me. I love both of these dancers but thought they had a rough go around tonight. Lil’C thought they needed to be careful in the lifts. Mary wasn’t jumping up and down in her seat. Nigel said it was like a driving test. Everything checked off, but there was no passion.

Comfort & Twitch

Smooth Waltz w/ Hunter Johnson - "Open Arms," Journey
Oh my. What in the world did you think was going to happen when you forced these two to do another Waltz? Let’s just say, they executed the lift at the end. I didn’t believe for one minute that they were in love, or that they really got this style of dance. Twitch was stiff, and Comfort’s bad technique was ever apparent. It was exactly as awkward as I expected it to be. Lil’C thought it didn’t float. Mary said there was no rise and fall. Nigel said it wasn’t strong enough for a top 10 dancer.
Hip-Hop w/ Dave Scott - "Forever," Chris Brown
For as awful as the Waltz was, this number was that much more amazing. For the first time on the show, I thought Comfort was in the zone and she was fantastic. She held her own with Twitch, who killed it out there. You could feel the energy from the crowd pumping the two of them up, and the dance kept building up. I loved both of them! Lil’C said they were in the Land of Buck. Mary said she thought it was buck as well. Nigel said it was so good that it looked like it wasn’t choreographed. Since Comfort will probably go home tonight, I am glad she had this dance to finish out her stay.

Katee & Will

Broadway w/ Tyce DiOrio - "Sit Down You're Rockin' the Boat." (Guys and Dolls) Sam Harris
These two have both got it going on, and it is no coincidence that they were paired for the numbers that they were given. Will is a judge favorite who lacks charisma and comes off as a member of the dance elite. They needed to give him something to show some character and fun, and putting him with fan favorite Katee was the best gift they could have given him. I didn’t think it was the best Broadway routine Tyce has ever put together, but it was danced perfectly and was a lot of fun. Lil’C said (surprise) it was buck. Mary was hopping on the love boat. Nigel said that for being contained in a small space, their dancing was large.
Pas De Deux w/ Dwight Roden & Desmond Richardson - "Imagine," David Archuleta
This piece prompted my husband to ask what was meant by a “potted earth”. You can just imagine the hysteria that followed. We almost had to pause the show. This was technically the most difficult piece I have ever seen on this show, and with the exception of one labored turn, it was gorgeous. Once again Will was able to showcase his amazing abilities, but Katee was right there with him. You could tell when it was over she was beating herself up for the missed turn, but she needn’t have worried. By the time Nigel finished his dissertation on Desmond Richardson, we were all talking amongst ourselves and it was no longer really an issue. Mary was almost moved to tears. I can’t say that I had that reaction. I appreciated it for what it was, but there have been plenty of other dances on this stage this season that I enjoyed more. Hopefully this will change a few things for Will in the popularity department.

Chelsie & Gev

Contemporary w/ Sonya Tayeh - "These Arms of Mine," Otis Redding
I loved this piece. For me, it was the most unique of the evening. I thought they really nailed the emotion, and Chelsie was completely captivating. I am so drawn to her face when she dances, she is 100% committed to whatever character she is given. I never think about her being a ballroom dancer, she is so versatile. Lil’C gave it up to them. Mary said they had amazing chemistry. Nigel felt it. I thought that Chelsie was more present in the number than Gev was, but I was still moved by both of their performances.
Jive w/ Jean-Marc Genereaux - "The House Is Rockin'," Brian Setzer
This was cute. It was fun. I thought they danced it well, and had pretty good partnering and had high energy. I can't say much beyond that. It is something I am not going to remember much about in the morning. Lil’C thought Chelsie could dance with a mannequin and make it look good. Mary said it was terrific. Nigel said it was a crowd-pleaser, so I guess it was a great way to end the show.

THE PERFORMANCES (SOLOS)
1. Chelsie
Pon de Replay," Rihanna
For everything that Chelsie brings to her partnerships, she didn’t bring much to this solo. Respecting that most ballroom dancers don’t do solos, I thought she had great use of the stage, and threw a nice kick in there with all that hip swaying. I thought the dress was butt ugly, and didn’t add to the dance. She had a great night in both of her partner dances, and I think she has enough of a fan base that this solo won’t hurt her a bit.

2. Gev
"Hello/Goodbye (Uncool)," Lupe Fiasco f. Unkle
Gev had great energy and attitude, but it seemed like something went wrong with his trick at the beginning of the dance that threw him a little. I loved his move within his split, and I do think he brings something a little different to the competition. I am a little worried about him after tonight. I don’t think he stood out against his partner, and I think the fact that Twitch and Joshua are still dancing so strong hurts Gev. Unfortunately, I think he will be going home.

3. Courtney
"I Want You to Need Me," Celine Dion
I thought after she spun and dropped to the floor that she had to have busted that knee. It sounded and looked painful. I thought she danced beautifully otherwise, and after her two dances tonight, I am looking at her in a whole new way.

4. Mark
"Bohemian Rhapsody," Queen
This was by far my favorite solo of the night. I loved the uniqueness and his bizarre movement. I thought it was brilliant of him to almost create the instruments with his body and if all that quirkiness wasn’t enough for you, you had that ending pose to seal the deal. Whatever he missed on in his two groups tonight he completely made up for with this. I loved it.

5. Comfort
"Need a Boss," Shareefa f. Ludacris
This was more of the same we have come to expect from a Comfort solo. I actually couldn’t decipher the differences in her solos, and we have seen a lot of them since the show began. I think she ends her run here on a good note. I will be shocked if she stays.

6. Twitch
"I Question Mark," Wade Robson
Twitch was my superman for sure. I love this guy when he gets a chance to shine. He is the total package from amazing hip-hop to great entertainment. I think Twitch will be forgiven that God-awful waltz after those two hip-hop routines. Fantastic.

7. Katee
"This Woman's Work," (MTV Unplugged) Maxwell
Hey Janet, I think someone from the studio did a dance to this number! (Ha ha). This piece was a real gift to the audience. Katee dances with such purity and joy, and I could have watched her over and over. I can’t imagine a finale without her in it.

8. Will
"Dance With My Father," Luther Vandross
Will, perhaps building on his work to come across more personably to the audience put more heart and soul into this piece than we have seen before. It is not a song that I care for, but I enjoyed his performance. I think Will is still going to have to fight for his spot in the finale, despite his brilliant dancing.

9. Kherington
"Breakin' Dishes," Rihanna
I was pulling for Kherington to break out and wow us after the rough night she had on stage. I think she is a gorgeous dancer, but this solo wasn’t memorable at the end of the day. I can’t imagine that Comfort could beat her out this week, but I am worried for her future in the competition.

10. Joshua
"Jam," Michael Jackson
I love this guy. He was every bit as hard hitting and entertaining as Twitch was. The difference was he had a strong night on both of his partner dances and seems to bring the right flavor to every performance. It is going to be interesting to see which order these guys get sent home in, they are all so great.

BEST OF THE NIGHT
The Potted Earth and Gev and Chelsie

WORST OF THE NIGHT
The Two-Step and the Waltz

FUNNIEST CAT MOMENT
"Nobody puts Comfort in a corner."

MOST UNINTELLIGIBLE COMMENT
Comfort’s (the one before “it’s all good”).

Three group numbers tonight folks!