Nadal Triumphant! The Master of Cincinnati 2013!!

Congrats to Our Hero, Rafael Nadal, for his superb win over John Isner today at the Western and Southern Open in Cincinnati. Rafa took the title in two close sets 7-6(8), 7-6(3)  for his first ever win at the tournament. It was actually Rafa's first final in Cincy as well. Both guys played an incredible match with unbelievable serving. There were no breaks in the match and only a handful of break opportunities. It call came down to the tie breaks, when Nadal managed to get a little more edge. That's why he's such an amazing champion! But credit to Isner for having an amazing tournament as well. He got through Raonic, then stopped Novak in the quarters (thank you SO MUCH for that, JI!) and then survived a match point against Delpo in the semis. He's looking really good right now heading into the US Open. I hope he does well there. It's really rough when the Americans have a poor showing at home.

So now on to some more almost unbelievable Nadal stats. He's now claimed his record-extending 26th ATP World Tour Masters 1000 title and his 9th title in 2013 for 12 twelve events entered. He has
extended his career-best hard court winning streak to 15-0. He's an absurd 53-3 for the year. He and Novak are now the only players to win five Masters 1000 crowns in a single year. This win marks the first time in his career where Nadal has won back-to-back hard court title in consecutive weeks. The win also means that Nadal will overtake Andy Murray in the rankings and will be the No. 2 seed at the US Open. He'll be at the top half of his draw! Hooray!

Rafa has just been on fire lately. He's playing with such precision and confidence and looks to be in excellent physical condition. Could this be the year he wins his second US Open title? It's going to be a very challenging tournament, and you simply never know what's going to happen. But he couldn't have put himself in a better position for success, so let's just be excited he's coming to NYC and cheer him on toward VICTORY! VAMOS!!

SYTYCD 10: 10 to 8 Recap - Child, This Show is Fierce!!

Big week this week, Dance Fans! Top 10! All-Stars! I've been so excited for this since the end of last week's episode. They released the names of this week's All-Stars early, so we know we're getting Brandon, Comfort, Jakob, Kathryn, Marko, Melanie, Neil, Robert, tWitch and Witney. A quick look at gender numbers and we can figure out that at some point in the night we're going to get some hot guy-on-guy dance action! Who will it be?  6 contempos, 2 ballers, 1 tappa tappa tappa and 1 hip hopper remain. I'm so ready for this. Let's get to it!

  
Opening number choreographed by Christopher Scott Music: “The Gravel Road” — score from The Village.

At first I'm like, "Ugh, THE VILLAGE!." But the track is pretty and haunting so I'll try to suppress my memory of the movie. There are lots of IKEA-style old-style rocking chairs. The dance and rock in and around the chairs in every way imaginable. And it looks like the top 10 are paired with their old partners for one last time, which I enjoy. It's a little hard to tell since there are four petite brunettes in the top five girls, but it's a safe bet the guys and girls are with their old partners. Jenna gets a nice featured lift moment. Also of note - there are actually 10 dancers on stage, which mean there are no injured dancers this week! Thank you, Jeebus!

On the judging panel tonight, along with Nigel and Mary, is the incomparable Debbie "This child is FIERCE!" Allen. FINALLY. Her first appearance all season! She must have been just holding off until she could witness the glory of the All-Star routines, and who can really blame her? She is super excited to be here and to get on with the show. I can't wait to hear what she has to say. Maybe she'll tip her hand to who she thinks are her favorites to win!

We quickly recap last week's awesome routines and it's time for the bottom 4 reveal. Tucker has to be in the bottom because he didn't perform last week, and joining him are Nico, Jenna and Makenzie. This is not surprising as Jenna and Mackenzie have both been in the bottom 3 girls for three of the last five weeks. They are phenomenal dancers who have never had strong voter support. The choreographers love them though. Jenna especially gets a lot of featured moments in the group dances (see picture above). Nigel tells us we've seen all of them dance solos enough so there's no need to go through it again. Has Nico ever actually had to do a dance for your life solo? I don't think so. He's been in the bottom, but he's always been sent to safety. Well, it doesn't matter. Nigel wants to get straight to the All-Star routines, and I'm certainly not going to stand in his way. I think being saved is actually up for grabs at this point. These could go either way.

Amy and all-star Brandon Bryant (season 5): disco choreographed by Doriana Sanchez Music: “I Will Always Love You (Hex Hector Radio Mix)” by Whitney Houston.

A few things before we get to the dance. 1. Doriana will not be satisfied until one of her female dancers is decapitated or ripped clean in two during one of her disco routines. I believe she's seriously looking to kill somebody. 2. This is the WORST SONG CHOICE EVER for a disco. Why didn't she just try to have them dance and smile their way through the dance remix of Adele's "Someone Like You?" It's just not a joyous song. What they are doing is extremely athletic and super fun, but they are fighting against the music with every step. At one point, the song cuts completely out for dramatic effect, but it sucks all the energy out of the routine for a long silent moment. There are insane lifts. Seriously if you were trying to kill someone, make them try one of these lifts. I like Doriana, and I generally like her disco routines on this show, but this comes so close to being juuust too manic in my opinion. It's danced so well, but it's almost stressful to have to watch the tricks unfold. It finishes with Amy hanging centimeters from the ground following a death drop. The judges give her a standing ovation for not dying as much as anything else. Mary agrees with me that the song choice was bonkers, and you KNOW she hated it if she couldn't stop herself from mentioning it (twice!) in her critique. Debbie thought they were well-paired and thinks Amy's a stick of dynamite. And that gold DRESS, honey! You're wearing that little outfit! Nigel loves Amy and thinks she should pay close attention to how Melanie Moore gets it done when she returns later as an All-Star, because he thinks Amy has that kind of potential.

 
Aaron and all-star Kathryn McCormick (season 6): contemporary by Stacey Tookey Music: “I’m Kissing You” by Des’ree.

OMFG. First of all this is one of my favorite sad love songs. It probably holds that place because it's not overplayed and I rarely hear it. And also because it's just simply a beautiful vocal. Aaron is just KILLING IT here. He's SO strong while being so vulnerable. Kathryn can just fly off him and around him and underneath him. She trusts him completely and her technique is exquisite. They have an INSANE connection. God, it's just gorgeous. An obvious standing ovation. The judges are gobsmacked and tongue-tied. They are trying to think of snappy one-liners but are at a total loss. Debbie gives us a "Child, call the fire department, honey!" She rightfully praises Tookey's great choreo here and she is all teary-eyed and proud in the audience. Debbie is so proud of Aaron. Kathryn is beaming at him too. She says he's raised the bar for the competition tonight, and I'd agree with her there. Nigel thinks it was sensational. All the elements came together. Mary thought it was one of the most beautiful routines she's seen on the show and calls out Aaron's mix of strength and tenderness. This one was a home run. Cat even takes more time to talk to Kathryn about how awesome she thinks Aaron is before she gives the audience his call-in vote info. He's a lock to be safe next week.

Fik-Shun and all-star Melanie Moore (season 8): jazz by Mandy Moore Music: “Feeling Good” by Jennifer Hudson.

I sometimes wonder if I oversell Melanie in my memory as being so amazing as The Beast of Season 8, but then she takes the stage as an All-Star and I'm like, "Nope. She's legit amazing." I can't take my eyes off her the entire time. I think Fik-shun keeps up just fine, but she is just on another level. It's really the danger of having her as a partner in this type of situation. She's not trying to steal focus but she cannot help but command audience attention. Hot hot hot. They get a standing O as well, but Melanie really got them on their feet more than Fik-shun. Nigel calls out some moves Fik-shun biffed in the group number and Fik-Shun's eyes go wide in a "are you really calling me out for the group number? DAMN." kind of way. I went back and watched the opening number and it's true. There's a moment where he and Amy mess up a lift and that leads Fik-shun to do a pretty sloppy cartwheel right afterwards. Still, Nigel thinks Fik-shun's been having a great journey on the show. Mary agrees about the poor lines AND the great journey. Debbie lets us know that Fik-shun is REAL! But she can't honestly show up this late in the season and expect that line to be fresh, even with her particular flair. Cat lets Fik-shun give Melanie her props and he's really gracious and charming. I love him, but I think he got really outshone here.There's so little room for error with this few contestants left!

Paul and all-star Witney Carson (season 9): cha cha by Jean-Marc Genereux Music: “Live It Up” by Jennifer Lopez.

First time through, this was a little underwhelming for me. Whitney's hair - but more importantly her energy - seemed to be flying around all over the place. The dancing was so sharp, but it still felt like it could spin out of control at any second. I watched it a second time and decided I liked it a lot better than what I got from a first impression. But I don't know if this was really a great moment for Paul. He's really perfect in the style, but was this enough to keep him safe with two more performances to go from the two guys in the bottom this week? I'm skeptical. I think that has to be mind set of all the choreographers from this week out: Is this routine going to give them enough that they stand out from the crowd? Is there a moment you're going to remember as a high point of the night? If not, then they should dig deeper. Also, I need to note Paul and Witney totally missed one hand connection after a long spin. A very quick flash of disbelief crosses Witney's face but they keep going strong. Tey finish and the judges give another standing O. Mary doesn't mention the missed connection. She loved it. She's so proud of Paul and of Witney. They are on the hot tamale train! Debbie is calling the police for Witney's outfit (which, in truth, is amazing and barely there.) Nigel thinks Paul is going to make it a very interesting race to win the show. Also it's his BIRTHDAY! He's 22. So young and healthy. And he's got so many charms.

Hayley and all-star Stephen ‘tWitch’ Boss (season 4): hip hop by Christopher Scott Music: “Locked Out Of Heaven (District 78 Remix)” by Bruno Mars.

Concept: Hayley is a loan officer and tWitch wants a loan... I feel like maybe Christopher didn't have a lot of brain space for this routine on top of his stellar group number. Parts of it don't feel very thought out. There's not enough flash to anything. It's fun, but nothing memorable happens. As I mentioned before, the choreographers have to be focused on highlighting the contestant as much as possible, and nothing about this routine really does that. Plus I didn't think this style fit Hayley well at all. It looked awkward on her. I didn't get her relationship with tWitch here either. They seem chummy, but there's no heat. Were they supposed to like each other? I didn't feel the chemistry. They do NOT get a standing ovation from the judges. First time tonight! Hmm. Debbie felt tWitch overpowered Hayley. Nigel thinks she's a dark horse here and he thinks she epitomizes the commercial dancer. Mary fauns over tWitch and then things get weird when she starts talking about pancakes and hands and her new diet and then she's kinda like "ME WANT FOOD!" Nigel checks to see if she's drinking alcohol on set, but no, that's just how she is.

Jenna and all-star Neil Haskell (season 3): contemporary by Mandy Moore Music: “I Can’t Make You Love Me” by Mark Masri.

Mandy Moore and Neil are always a good combo. It's a story about breaking up! One partner is ready to let go and one person is not. Such a story has never been examined on this stage before! Or maybe it's explored at least once a week. There are a million candles spread around the stage which must have really annoyed the stage hands. So Jenna is the partner who's ready to let go and I think her movement is really simple and elegant and her energy is present and lovely. Neil is a great partner. He does not outshine her here. The focus is kept on her. Judges give a standing O. Nigel makes a joke that with all the candles on stage he didn't realize it was Mary's birthday as well as Paul's. Debbie and Cat are like "what did you just say??" But Mary just swipes at his shoulder and laughs. "I'd hit him harder but he'd like it too much!" Nigel thinks Jenna is the most versatile ballroom girl they've ever had on the show, and notes how it's not easy to continually find yourself in the bottom but keep delivering your very best. And I'd say that's true for Makenzie as well. It's gotta suck to always be in danger. Who doesn't want to sail through? But you never feel any sense of inevitable defeat in their dancing. That takes strength. Mary agrees, but then once again falls into a "ME WANT FOOD!" narrative. Debbie mentions that Neil was on the show when she first started judging and how she loved him then and loves him now. OH, how his face lights up at that news! It's so cute. Debbie loves Jenna and said she found mastery in the choreography. Is she being saved or sent home? No clue.

Jasmine and all-star Marko Germar (season 8): jazz by Ray Leeper Music: “Blurred Lines” by Robin Thicke feat. Pharrell.

I wish Ray had not said in the rehearsal footage that they should look EXACTLY like the same person because... they just don't! And first time through, that's how I watched it, and it took away from the joy for me because while they are both gorgeous humans, there are times they're not doing exactly the same movement exactly the same way. But they compliment each other very well and viewed as a partner dance, I think it's great. I love the style of the choreo. This is a very fun piece!  Marko is not drawing focus, while still being incredible. He does this one spinning vertical split kick thing that is truly insane and worth the price of admission alone, but then after that the focus is back on Jasmine. She is so slick and has so much personality. The judges give another standing O. Debbie and Mary thought it was all eyes on Jasmine the whole time and loved the routine. Nigel loved the routine and thought it pulled from all sorts of jazz styles. He wasn't sure if he was looking at one All-Star on stage... or two! Jasmine seems thrilled and relieved.

Makenzie and all-star Jakob Karr (season 6): Broadway by Spencer Liff Music: “Too Darn Hot (RAC Mix)” by Ella Fitzgerald.

Ooh, Makenzie and Jakob! This is a perfect pairing. They both have those insane feet. Spencer makes sure you know it with some well showcased développé. This number has a classic, smoky, sexy feel. Mackenzie is gorgeous. Jakob is stellar. Everything is working for them in this number. The non-Tyce Broadway numbers have really been on fire this season! There's this moment where Makenzie is walking away from Jakob with her back to him and her face goes from smoldering to just busting open with this wonderful smile in only a few steps. I love it! Great final pose too. ANOTHER standing ovation from the judges! Debbie loved it and makes the Cyd Charisse reference to Makenzie again. Nigel thinks these two have the best pairs of feet in the business and that Makenzie is one of the best dancers they've ever had on the show. Mary loved that Makenzie matched Jakob and thought it was mesmerizing. Is she being saved or sent home? Still no clue. Total toss up on our hands since both girls are amazing and nailed their routines.

 

Nico and all-star Comfort Fedoke (season 4): hip hop by Tabitha and Napoleon Music: “Get Ur Freak On (Amended LP Version)” by Missy Elliott.

Oof. Nico gets hip hop and Tucker gets the boy-on-boy dance to close the show? Well let's just say someone didn't get dealt a hand with a lot of trump cards, but we still play the had we're dealt, right? So they are playing giant reptiles to one of my favorite Missy songs. I think Nico does better than he did in that first hip hop routine with Alexis. He's sharp with the movement and strong with the character. He's kind of a sweet innocent lizard. Maybe not quite a freak lizard, but it's good. Comfort is amazing as always. I thought this happened to be a really good routine on a night that's already featured maybe five amazing ones.  This one does not get a standing O from the judges. BAD SIGN. Nigel didn't really love it, but he thought Nico really nailed the style. He thought he held the character even in the transitions, which has been something Nico's been told to work on a lot. Mary thought Comfort and Nico both got their freak on. She liked the routine more than Nigel, and found them both oddly freaky and enjoyable. Debbie felt like she was in Jurassic Park, honey! She reminds Nico that everyone is here to win and that he did himself proud. When Comfort leaves the stage she crab walks (crab sprints?) all the way across the stage. Seriously she moves so fast and it looks effortless. She's crazy! I love her.

Tucker and all-star Robert Roldan (season 3): contemporary by Travis Wall Music: “Medicine” by Daughter.

Well, if you have a contestant who survived a nearly-fatal accident and an All-Star who has survived an even more recent nearly-fatal accident, clearly you have to put them in a Travis routine about one brother saving another from Darkness. I mean, this pairing makes more sense than even Makenzie and Jakob's perfectly pointed feet. The routine is very emotional and the movement is gorgeous. But the whole here is greater than the sum of its parts. It's a very personal piece to Travis and if you have a history with the show (as I assume most of us do) it touches a deep place for these dancers that we've cared about for years now. So it's special. The judges of course give it a standing O. Mary cries and asks the boys if they see and feel the love from everyone in the room. OMG THE TEARS. TEARS FROM EVERYBODY. Mary can't even talk anymore. Debbie calls out how the piece is really about Travis and his own brother Danny Tidwell. The mention of Danny's name makes Travis's face crumble and makes me furiously google "Danny Tidwell" to make sure he's not dead, or being held in a room across the hall from Amanda Bynes in some posh LA sanitarium. But no, he's doing great. He's performing as a soloist with the Norwegian National Opera and Ballet which is why he's never around as an All-Star. So HE'S FINE. They're ALL FINE and I'm NOT CRYING! Nigel thinks all of the right elements came together for this piece and that it will always be remembered on the show. SO... Tucker is not going home this week. I mean, obvs.

Elimination time. Nigel lets us know there was a panel of 15 votes tonight. That seems like a lot of people! For the boys, it was unanimous among the voters who would go. He stresses that they really love them both and it's not a matter of one of them being bad, but clearly Tucker just had that MOMENT and Nico didn't, and that's that. Still going on tour though! For the girls it was 9-6 with Nigel in the minority. So Jenna survives and Makenzie is leaving tonight as well. Aww. Jenna is in disbelief that she got through AGAIN. Nico hugs Makenzie oh-so-tight and cries. They are adorable. Nico's reptile makeup gets sweated off onto Makenzie's face. Aww again.

List of tonight's dances in order of my personal preference:

Aaron and Kathryn's contempo
Tucker and Robert's contempo
Jasmine and Marko's Jazz
Mackenzie and Jakob's Broadway
Jenna and Neil's contempo
Paul and Whitney's Cha Cha
Fik-shun and Melanie's Jazz 
Amy and Brandon's Disco
Nico and Comfort's hip hop.
Hayley and tWitch's hip hop

Next Week - It's all All-Stars - as Partners AND Choreographers! Pulling double duty next week, we'll get tWitch (Season Four), Dmitry Chaplin (Season Two), Comfort Fedoke (Season Four), Courtney Galiano (Season Four), Chelsie Hightower (Season Four), Allison Holker (Season Two), Mark Kanemura (Season Four), and Travis Wall (Season Two). SO if you're a HUGE season 2 or 4 fan, next week is pretty much made for you! I'm really excited to see what they bring to the choreo. Predictions for Bottom 4? I just can't believe Aaron or Tucker are going to be in the bottom next week. By default it has to be Paul and Fik-Shun. For the girls? I don't know. Amy... and finally Hayley? Jenna seems like the consistently lower finisher, but I thought she had a better night than the other two. This was a top notch night of routines, though. Really. It makes me want to go and watch it all again and again. Which I'll have to do anyway to write this recap. See you next week!!

I believe I can guarantee you won't like who goes home next week either. Goodnight everybody.
— Nigel Lythgoe (@dizzyfeet) August 14, 2013

Rafa Returns! Routs Raonic at Rogers!

(taking a bite out of 2013!)

Congrats to Our Hero, Rafael Nadal, for another incredible tournament win today at the Rogers Cup in Montreal. After a very closely fought victory over Our Nemesis, Novak Djokovic, in the semis, Nadal bulldozed Milos Raonic in the final 6-2 6-2. It was sad for the Canadians watching who were hoping for a home grown title winner for the first time in 55 years, and it seemed like Raonic had a shot at it going in, but the wait will have to continue for at least another year. Rafa was at the top of his game. His serve was working for him, the breezy on-court conditions were working for him and he played a well-executed aggressive game throughout. I'm so thrilled to have Rafa back in action after his seven week summer vacation, and to be doing so well again after that unfortunate first round loss at Wimby. This was a very good tournament for him, as he got his first win over Novak on hard courts since 2010 and took down a very formidable opponent in Jerzy Janowicz two rounds before. Excellent, excellent play this week from Nadal.

(TBT - Throw back trophy! taking a bite out of 2008!)

So some fun stats: Rafa has now entered 11 tournaments this year, made 10 finals and won 8 tournaments. He has extended his tour-record career haul of Masters 1000 tournament titles to 25. He is undefeated on hard courts for the season (!!) with two Masters 1000 titles on the surface already. He's jumped up a place from 4th to 3rd in the overall rankings. He's now 48-3 for the year (94% win percentage) and has not won this many tour titles in a single season since 2008. He now has 58 career singles titles to his name.

(TBT - taking a bite out of 2005! just a baby!)

Next up we have the Western and Southern Open in Cincinnati - a tournament I don't think Nadal has ever won. He has some formidable opponents in his section of the draw including Federer as a possible quarterfinal match up and then Murray possibly in the semis. If he keeps up this kind of form, Rafa has a great shot at the title this year. VAMOS!!

As a bonus, here's a clip of Nadal accidentally hitting Novak in the head with the ball early in the third set of their semifinal match. He tried to apologize right after, but Novak wasn't having it. Rafa again apologized at the net when the match was over and Novak accepted his apology and they moved on. But damn, that was a crazy moment!

SYTYCD 10: Recap 12 to 10 - Edge of Elimination / Edge of Glory

Greetings once again, Dance Fans! This week went by pretty fast and now we're back where we belong. This is the one that really counts for our favorite contestants. The Tour is on the line. All-Star partners are just around the corner. They're almost at the last big hurdle. But two will stumble. I hate to even think about it! 7 contempos, 3 ballers, 1 tappa tappa tappa and 1 hip hopper remain. The contempos are dominating right now. We'll see if it lasts! Let's get to it!

Opening number choreographed by Nakul Dev Mahajan, Music: “Dabangg 2″ (Original Soundtrack) by Pandeyjee Seeti.

Bollywood group number! Everyone is flying around the place! But wait. This week I can count the dancers and I can see we are short one boy. WHAT. THE. HELL? AGAIN??? The routine is super fast and fun and everyone seems to be keeping up. Nico especially seems really into it and has the energy dialed up to 11 and gets a nice spotlight where he flips into the center of the formation. With Top 10 and the tour on the line it looks like he'll be emptying the tank and giving his all. Smart boy!

Kenny Ortega is on hand tonight as a good judge of both dance technique and star quality. Cat is in a darling white dress/skirt that indicates she may have just come from or be heading to her 1st Holy Communion.  She gives us the bad news that Tucker was not in the group dancers due to a knee infection. Come again? No further medical explanation is provided, however. How'd he get a 1-week knee infection? I don't understand. What kind of virus attacks the knees? Tucker seems to already be better, but he couldn't rehearse prior and can't do the routines tonight, so if he manages to survive this week, he'll automatically be in the bottom next week. Unlike Jade who withdrew due to injury and Curtis who was okay but already at the bottom of the pack, Tucker's pretty much avoided being in the bottom altogether before this point. He's never been Nigel's favorite though, so it might just come down to who else is in the bottom if he's in danger.

And is he in danger, Cat? Yes, he is. Along with Alan, Nico, Jenna, Malece and Amy. DAMN. Don't nobody slip on a prop or you sink all the way to the bottom. Amy looks petrified. The safe dancers barely seem to realize they've made the Top 10 as they stagger off the stage in shock. I would say it's curtains for Jenna except Nigel saves her! Over Amy? That means Malece has pretty much no shot to advance. She knows it too. What a quick change of fortune for her! Nico is also saved, so it remains to be seen if Alan can wow them enough tonight to keep himself alive over Tucker.

The bottom 4 do solos. Tucker basically shows he can still move just fine. Amy gives the dance for your life solo Nigel has been looking for as she throws herself around leaving no emotional stone unturned and ends collapsed on the stage, hair flung all over her face. Malece is much more composed but I actually like her athleticism and choice of movement here. Alan forgoes the cape for this solo and does a great job, but his tone and expression is so light here. I think he's going for "joyous" but I'm afraid they misinterpret it as him not taking things seriously enough. That happens in his routines a lot too. Oh, Alan. You and Malece gotta nail tonight's routine if you have any chance.

Hayley and Nico - Broadway choreographed by Sean Cheesman, Music: “Kiss of the Spider Woman” by Jeffrey Huard & Chita Rivera.

Concept: Hayley is a fortune-teller trying to steal Nico's soul with a kiss. Is that an actual thing? Anyway, The Spider Woman song is kind of an acquired taste. I could see some people getting taken out of the dancing because of it. Hayley and Nico go after it FULL FORCE though. I'm not always sold on Nico's acting and some of his facial expression basically looks like "UGH! Kissing this girl would be GROSS." But they have a great connection for their first dance together and they do two INSANE flips masterfully - one where Nico gets flipped over and another where Nico grabs her leg from behind and flips her over his head and across the stage. Somehow nobody died. They get a standing O to start the night. Nigel praises Nico, Hayley, and Sean, calling it one of the best Broadway routines ever on the show (we also really liked Spencer's Ghost Dance this season too!). They talk about Nico getting stronger every week, and it's clear this kid has his head in the fight. Hayley meanwhile has made it to the Top 10 as the only girl never to be in the Bottom 3. Good on her!  

 
Alan and Malece - jazz by Mandy Moore, Music: “Come Dance With Me” by Michael Buble.

It's old Hollywood! Gene Kelly! Except... well why don't you tell us yourself, Alan? "I'm 19 years old, I've never seen a Gene Kelly film." HERESY! This will not help your case with Nigel AT ALL. Somebody loan this kid a DVD of Singin' In The Rain immediately! Malece claims she has seen a few Old Hollywood movies (as if sensing saying otherwise would be to sign her own death warrant), but I'm not sure how many movies would equal "a few" in her mind. The rehearsal footage interviews did them no favors. Nothing in the routine helps them out either. They have no dance chemistry together here. It's bad that the routine is like two minutes long and can't hold my attention.This type of routine came at the absolute worst time for both of them. Kenny tries to be nice to them (mostly to Malece) but Nigel has a long list of technical and character problems with their performance. Mary tries to land somewhere in the middle of the guys, but also felt the routine was uncomfortable. Malece better hope Amy has another prop heavy routine and that she trips over everything and knocks Fik-shun off the stage. It's her only shot to continue at this point.

Jenna and All-Star Alex Wong (subbing for Tucker) - paso doble by Jean-Marc Genereux, Music: “He’s a Pirate (Ship Ahoy Tribal Remix)” by Chris Joss & Klaus Badelt.

I actually think Tucker would've been a perfectly good partner here, but if you can upgrade to Alex Wong, why the hell wouldn't you? I think a Pirate-themed Paso is a little cheesy and the costumes here are a bit "Party City" (and not in an awesome Sharon Needles way) but the routine is danced well, that's for sure. It's not my favorite of the night, but it's well above what Alan and Malece just did. Mary freaks the hell out for it. She loves her some Alex. And rightfully so. This is the dude that popped two Achilles in consecutive years and still came back from those injuries to dance on Broadway and be an All-Star and like seriously folks, strive above the adversity life throws at you and follow your effing DREAMS! Nigel points out Alex never even got to do ballroom on the show (see above: injuries) but is amazing. Kenny names Jenna his favorite dancer! Until Amy and Jasmine come out on stage? I don't know. I like Jenna! I'm glad she's in the Top 10, but Voting America seems much less impressed with her than I am.

Makenzie and Paul - contemporary by Mandy Moore, Music: Lady Gaga’s “The Edge of Glory” (live from A Very Gaga Thanksgiving).

Concept - Secret Loves dancing in their safe space! I don't know that I get that from the routine, but who cares? Mackenzie and Paul KILL IT. They are so gorgeous together. It's one of those routines where all the ingredients come together the right way: the music, the costumes, the lighting, the choreo and the right dancers. It's really perfect. Another standing O. Nigel congratulates Mackenzie on finding her way out of the bottom three. Mary is also totally thrilled. Kenny compares Paul to the Paul in A Chorus Line, and I don't really know what he means having never seen A Chorus Line. I know, I know. This is my own "I'm 19 years old, I've never seen a Gene Kelly film." moment except I have less of an excuse. I know the music, I've just never seen the show. ANYWAY, have we talked about how I'm suddenly in love with Paul? I didn't even pick him for my top 5 guys when the Top 20 was revealed and now he's my favorite! I swear, sometimes dancers on this show really surprise you.  

 
Amy and Fik-Shun - Viennese waltz by Jean-Marc Genereux, Music: “A Thousand Years, Pt. 2″ by Christina Perri feat. Steve Kazee.

Concept: A celebration of their great partnership. Nobody trips, so Malece is going home. Not only that but it's actually quite lovely. I'm interested to see how each of them do when they're split up. I feel like they'd reached the limit of what the choreographers were going to let them explore together and it will be nice to see them matched with All-Stars and taken in different directions. But I thought this had an elegant feel and a sweet joy about it. Mary thought there were some technical issues in the routine but fails to offer specifics. Instead she focuses on how moved she was by the performance. Kenny mentions they've had a "wonderful love story, week-to-week" which really has nothing to do with these two as partners or the routines they've been given. Nigel's notes how much Fik-Shun applies to his dancing from what he learns in rehearsal. You gotta admit this kid is hungry and does the work to improve. Nigel almost tells Amy she's in and Malece is out right here, but I guess he remembers the twitter outrage he received about cutting people before the end of the show and decides to only suggest that's absolutely what's going to happen.

 
Aaron and Jasmine - hip hop by Tabitha and Napoleon, Music: “Gold Rush” by Clinton Sparks feat. 2 Chainz, Macklemore & D.A.

Concept: Old West Bandits and Gold diggers! I'm a little concerned about the cheesy sepia-toned filter at the very very beginning, but once Aaron enters the saloon it's ON and it's amazing. The movements are fast and precise and hit at sharp angles, and Aaron and Jasmine totally kill it. Aaron noted in the rehearsal package that it's harder for them to get low and execute so many quick moves because of their height, but you won't see any deficiencies here. Aaron has just got that solid build where the movement looks great on him and the stank-face looks right. Jasmine as well is delivering EVERYTHING - attitude, precision, chemistry, hip thrusts galore. She's so good! When it's done we get another standing ovation! These two had such a great partnership. I think they've nailed every routine they've been given.There's a lot of talk on the panel about pelvic thrusting. We're moving on.

 
Top 6 Guys -  rope dance by Tabitha and Napoleon, Music: “It’s a Man’s Man’s Man’s World” by Joshua Ledet (American Idol performance).

By the time we get to rehearsing this for the cameras, Tucker has already been afflicted by his knee infection. So it's 5 guys and a rope representing relationship issues from the start. And the rope offers it's own issues, since it seems to be blistering their hands. It's a fun routine. They use the rope to create lots of fun angles. Aaron has a nice solo bit in the middle and Paul and Nico also stand out for me. In judging Nigel gives Paul praise, and knocks Alan for stiffness. If Alan thought he had any hope over Tucker, you can see in his face that Nigel just crushed it. Oof.

Top 6 Girls - fountain number by Stacey Tookey, Music: “Young And Beautiful (DH Orchestral Version)” by Lana Del Rey.

It's a lovely piece. There are some beautiful pictures and lifts. It's interesting how sometimes the girls are intentionally blocking each other from getting to the fountain and sometimes they are lifting each other up or supporting each other. Mary calls them the best Top 6 girls the show ever had. I submit to the men and women of the jury Exhibit A Season 3's Sabra-Lacey-Lauren-Sara-Jaimie-Anya in Season 3 as perhaps an even more varied group of excellent dancers, along with Season 4's Katee-Courtney-Chelsie-Comfort-Kherington-Jessica combo, but this is still a very strong group of six all these years later. Nigel tries to tell us that Amy is actually a jazz dancer and not contemporary, but the SYTYCD website says she's contempo and I'm sticking with that. I think Nigel just doesn't want it to be 5 contempo girls and one baller. But what can you do? Jenna gets a moment from Cat to talk about how much the girls bonded this week. And Jasmine thinks the lifting has left her stronger than ever! Girl Power!!

Obvious Elimination Time! Nigel praises all four solos and claims that while he doesn't have much to do with the tour (is that true??) he will plead the case for the two dancers eliminated tonight to be tour alternates. Who else would they rather pick? Maybe Alexis or Mariah? Or... BluPrint? I feel like Alan and Malece are the best choices here. Especially since it is Alan and Malece who get cut. So many tears! Alan is a crier and he's doing his best to keep it together, but my GOD they're stuck standing there a long time aren't they? The safe dancers in the holding pit are no less teary-eyed. Gosh, Malece looks so heartbroken! I have to remember they're really just kids with dreams and this was their chance! In the end, the other dancers lift them up on their shoulders triumphantly rather than crying and hugging in a circle which is a nice way to celebrate them in that tough moment.

Rundown of routines in order of my preference:

Mackenzie and Paul's Contempo
Aaron and Jasmine's Hip Hop
Hayley and Nico's Broadway
Jenna and Alex's (Tucker) Paso Doble
Amy and Fik-shun's Viennese Waltz
Alan and Malece's Jazz

Bottom 4? I'm guessing Amy, Jenna, Tucker, and Nico. But WHO KNOWS?? I'm really excited for All-Stars. The gang's getting back together!! HOORAY! See you next week!!

It's quite simple. We thought Malece was good enough for our top 10 girls but not the top 5. You gave us the opportunity to cut her. We did!
— Nigel Lythgoe (@dizzyfeet) August 7, 2013

SYTYCD 10: 14 to 12 Recap - Pitch Perfect Performances

Welcome Back, DanceFans! Have you recovered from CRJ on the judging panel last week? I finally have. 14 dancers still remain! Man, the Top 10 and All-Stars still seems like a lifetime away but it's really only two weeks. 7 contempos, 3 tappa tappa tappas, 3 ballers and 1 hip hopper remain. Who will make the cut this week??

Opening number choreographed by Sonya Tayeh and Dmitry Chaplin Music: “Dimman Kryper Sakta In” by District 78

The opening group number is very dark. There's black leather. There's a swing.  It's all very dramatic but my DVR freaks the hell out and I'm sure I missed several totally magical moments. The group numbers still seem so large. I like the group numbers that are 10 dancers or less.

Anna Kendrick is the Guest Judge this week and I totally love her. She's an awesome chick with interesting, edgy and thoughtful things to say. She keeps makes great choices in her varied film career as well. And no matter what she goes on to do in the future, there will always be this for which to love her.



Cat asks if we noticed Curtis wasn't in the opening number. No? Of course not! As I said before, there are still one million people on stage and all the group numbers have people in matching outfits underneath a laser lights show and covered in dry ice smoke machines. It turns out he wasn't there because he's injured. ANOTHER injury! It's not career-ending or even career-threatening and he'd probably be fine next week, but he's not performing tonight... which means he's going home. He's obviously going to be in the Bottom 3 again and there's no way they're going to save him under these circumstances.

 
And as we now see, the bottom six are Alan, Curtis, Nico, Alexis, Mackenzie and... Jasmine?? JASMINE??? Oh SYTCYD voters are you even watching the show? Jasmine is THE BEST. Mackenzie is declared safe and that seals the fate of Alexis. Jasmine could take a nap on the stage during her routine and the judge's would be like, "Jasmine your legs during that nap looked AMAZING!" And rightfully so. But she and Alexis do solos and Alexis is fine but Jasmine is STUNNING. Wake up, voters! But before we get to these two obvious eliminations, let's do this week's routines, shall we?

Jenna and Tucker - hip-hop choreographed by Luther Brown Music: “Slight Work” by Wale feat. Big Sean.

These two are supposed to be hitting it hard in the club during this routine, which would already be a tough sell for these two but the staging really doesn't help them at all. They dance on and around a bunch of speakers. It's not bad, but it's not a great fit. You can tell they're not totally into it. Nigel really dumps on them telling them he'll forget about this routine halfway through tonight's show. Mary seems surprised by how harsh Nigel was, even if she didn't really think it was the best. She at least felt like they both went after it. Anna seems thrown by Nigel's vitriol. She tells them she's happy they had a moment last week, and that the tone might not have been what Luther was going for, but they are still very lovable dancers.

 
Alexis and Nico - contemporary by Sonya Tayeh Music: “Ashes” by The Bengsons

It's that SYTYCD contempo standard concept where Nico is ending their relationship but Alexis won't literally nor figuratively let go. It's strong performances from both to them. Not enough to save Alexis but it might put Nico on better footing for next week. There's a lot of emotion coming through which has been lacking from them in the past, in my opinion. Nigel thought they acquitted themselves well and the fact that they're in the bottom speaks to the overall strength of the competition this year. Mary loved a stationary run that Alexis did and Anna is ready to start handing out sound bites. "You built tension with frantic movement. Then when you had to just sit and look at each other, I felt like I couldn't breathe."

 
Hayley and Leonardo (replacing Curtis) - tango by Miriam Larici and Leonardo Barrionuevo Music: “Este Es El Rey” by Juan D’Arienzo.

Well, Hayley definitely benefits from the partner upgrade of Curtis to Leonardo. So much strong movement and intensity as he guides her across the floor. And those ganchos!  Fantastic. Hayley just looks stunning throughout the piece. Mary of course eats this up with a spoon.  Anna wants Hayley's body for so many reasons. "Dude, if I could have your body for one day…I could do anything! I could solve world hunger!" She's a humanitarian! Nigel doesn't understand why the tango guys always look so angry when they're dancing with hottie's like Hayley. I don't either.

 
Mackenzeie and Paul - jazz by Sonya Tayeh Music: “You’ll Find a Way (Switch & Sinden Remix)” by Santigold

"We're gonna jump right in. Could you please take off your shirt for me?" Gotta love Sonja!I will take a Sonya Sexx Jazz routine over a Tyce Hobo Jazz routine any day of the week. These two are SO GOOD. I don't understand what Mackenzie has to do to get votes. She's head and shoulders above Malece at this point. Their connection between them is the best I've seen so far. Nigel suggests that female voters are jealous of Mackenzie getting to dance with Paul and not giving her proper support in votes. It's as good a theory as any.  Mary says Paul had a lot of depth to his dancing tonight, and Nigel thinks he's going a long way toward winning! Paul is kind of the dark horse in the competition, but we'd do well to remember he won the Armenian version of SYTYCD and he knows a thing or two already about making a deep run in the competition. I think he has a real shot at this too. Anna Kendrick Pearls of Wisdom! "Mackenzie, you were so powerful in this. In some of the other dances, you've been given the 'beautiful' character -- and you're SO pretty. But in this, the power wasn't coming from your beauty. It was coming from your ability." And Mackenzie is like "YES. Thank you! Finally someone noticed and said something!"

Aaron and Jasmine - contemporary by Justin Giles Music: “The District Sleeps Alone Tonight” by Birdy.

They are dancing The Giving Tree. Jasmine is the tree and Aaron wants her apple. There is a lot of prop work from the apple and even when they throw it in the air nobody drops and it doesn't roll away. Good work team! Once again, Aaron and Jasmine have amazing connection and trust in each other in the movement.  I don't think embodying a tree really shows off all of Jasmine's range, which is a shame since she already landed in the bottom 3 because of last week. Mary notes that props can be dangerous which is why most dances throw them away 30 seconds in, but they handled it masterfully. Nigel tells the entire story of The Giving Tree during judging. Anna to Jasmine: "I would be so happy to watch you eat a bowl of cereal," Anna to Aaron: "I'm gonna make you give me a piggyback ride later." Guys, I do think he'd give the best piggy back rides. That was a really good call.

 
Amy and Fik-shun - hip-hop by Christopher Scott Music: “Let’s Get It On” by Marvin Gaye.

Fik-Shun is a restaurant patron, Amy is the waitress, and he wants to get her attention. This dance is too cutesy. They dance it well and they are still the dynamic dancers they've always been, but they don't seem to really be wanting to get it on. They should dance this to a song called Let's Smile and Flirt. Amy wipes out on a towel and knocks over her chair but she recovers. Nigel worries about the repetitive cuteness of the routines they're given, though he notes it's not their fault. They did have that paso a couple weeks ago, but I too wish they'd be asked to do more than smile through a smiley routine. Amy is Anna's favorite! Mary was upset it ended. She wanted it to go on forever and ever. First class tickets on the hot tamale train? Not really earned this week, but they've got them anyway.

 

Alan and Malece - salsa by season 5 contestant Jonathan Platero Music: “Pa’ Los Rumberos” by Tito Puente & His Orchestra.

I pride myself in my advanced degree in SYTYCD history, but I honestly couldn't place Jonathan at first as an alum. Thank goodness for Youtube. He danced a great contempo routine to Falling Slowly. Salsa is Joanthan's specialty, and he gives them a super-fast, super-lifty routine. They handle the difficulty level really well. Alan executes all the moves with ease. Malece did a great job too, but toward the end she's out of breath. Like she is literally gasping for air. Well, you can't say she didn't throw herself into it completely. The judges love Malece more than I do. I think Malece should go home next week, but I'm not sure who the bottom 3 would have to be for them to cut her. Amy and Jasmine maybe? Mary jokingly chides Jonathan for making the routine so tough. Anna wants Alan and Malece to have a baby. Both of them kinda hilariously tilt their heads to the side at this news like, "...wow. Okay." It's very cute. 

Mini group Broadway number by Spencer Liff Music: “Come Together” from the Across the Universe Soundtrack.

For the first group number, Spencer sends Alan, Malece, Hayley, Makenzie, Jenna, and Nico into a pool hall-set routine. Spencer fills in for the injured Curtis, and he's pretty awesome.The more I watch this routine the more I like it. And the group is small enough where I can see everyone! And Mackenzie's hair looks so different I almost don't believe it's her, even when I KNOW it's her. Anna gives a shout out to the steady-cam operators. Nigel thinks Spencer upstaged Alan and Nico which I don't think is true. I think both guys killed it. Weird moment: after judging, Cat says, "Let's hear it for them..." and the crowd waits to hear their names, but Cat isn't planning to name them all so there's a bit of dead air when everyone is confused. When the crowd catches on and cheers, Cat whispers to Nico, "That was [something] awkward." Cat is so rad. I love her.

Mini group contemporary by Bonnie Story, Music: “Tears of an Angel” by RyanDan.

Concept. Bullying is bad. It's an Issue Dance! Jasmine, Aaron, Alexis, and Paul are the bullies and Tucker, Fik-Shun, and Amy as the bullied. It's an emotive dance and I think everyone does a good job and once again I'm pleased my eyes have time to focus on everyone individually. Mary and Nigel note Fik-Shun's lack of technical skill. This was probably his weakest week since Meet the Top 20. I just don't think his routines really challenged him artistically. Nigel talks a lot about cyber-bullying. Anna thanks the dancers for dedicating so much of their talent and energy to an art form with not too many platforms but so much beauty.

Eliminations! Obviously Curtis and Alexis are cut. Two tappa tappa tappas down. We're going to have a very contempo heavy top 10 this year. Alexis and Curtis take it really well. During the credits Curtis lifts up Hayley in a hug and that's where they stay for as long as we can see. Maybe there was more to last week's sushi date than they let on.

This week's routines in order of my preference:

Makenzie and Paul's Jazz
Hayley and Leonardo's (Curtis) Argentine Tango 
Alexis and Nico's Contemporary
Alan and Malece's Salsa
Aaron and Jasmine's Contemporary  
Jenna and Tucker's Hip-Hop
Amy and Fik-Shun's Hip-Hop

Next week: Top Half/Bottom Half Results. The reveal of the Top 10! I'm guessing Bottom 6 will be Nico, Alan, Tucker, Jenna, Malece and Mackenzie. But I don't know! Nico actually had a strong week, so I'm not sure who of the other three would fall below him. Who's gonna make the Season 10 tour?? Tune in and find out!

SYTYCD 10: 16 to 14 Recap - Before You Danced Into My Life I Missed You So Bad

We're back, Dance Fans! I hope you enjoyed the All-Star Break. Isn't two weeks such an awfully long time to wait for more of our favorite show?? Hopefully all our dancers come back well rested and full of energy and injury FREE! We have 7 Contempos, 3 ballers, 3 tappa tappa tappas, 2 hip hoppers, 1 animazing still in the mix. Can you believe we still have THREE tappa tappa tappa's? Incredible. Let's get to it!

When the show starts, Cat is speaking but I can't hear nothin'. I try to adjust my TV, but it's not me it's them. My DVR always freaks out right at the beginning of SYTYCD making me miss the first few seconds of the group dance before it settles down, but this was on a new level of dysfunction. They had sound issues two weeks ago as well. C'mon Emmy nominated, Show. Get it together.

Opening number choreographed by Stacey Tookey and Peter Chu. Music: “New World” by The Irrepressibles.

We get lots of Jasmine Harper special moments as she's lifted into the air by the boys. Very red costumes get ripped off in favor of beige costumes. Fik-shun stands out here as well. It's a fun opening number. Maybe I expected a little more after two weeks away. I do love the group shot posted above though!

SYTYCD 10: 18 to 16 Recap - Dance Like There's No Tomorrow!

Welcome Back, Dance Fans! Remember how fun it was last week when they changed the format and everyone watching the show freaked out and forced them to change it back? Wasn't that FUN? What kind of changes in the show might fan outrage spark this week? Only time will tell! 7 Contempos, 3 ballers, 3 tappa tappa tappas, 2 hip hoppers, 2 animazings and 1 Jazz hands remain. Let's get to it!

  
Opening number choreographed by Sonya Tayeh and Christopher Scott Music: “Pretty Face (Nathan Lanier Remix)” by Soley

Dual choreographers! Everyone's dancing in ethereal white costumes and there's this funeral pyre made of light and they all keep jumping off into the white flames in highly dramatic poses as if they are taking part in Pippin's Grand Finale. I like what Sonya and Christopher are cooking up together. When it's done, Cat comes out looking more gorgeous and radiant than ever (Fourth of July Weekend OBVIOUSLY agreed with her) and asks us if we noticed that there were 17 dancers on stage instead of 18. We all shake out heads, "No..." because 17 people is still a lot of bodies to account for on a stage that size and with lighting that dramatic. But it was Jade who was missing. Jade aggravated an old knee injury and it's going to require surgery and he can no longer continue in the competition. That's a shame! I don't wish injury on any of them. But I had figured this was probably his last week anyway so I don't think it drastically cut short his time on the show.  Cat also acknowledges the fan outrage from last week in the sweetest way possible and then introduces the judges of which there are so many tonight. Joining Nigel and Mary this week are Erin Andrews (Dancing With The Stars vet and Fox MLB All-Star Game representative) and the incomparable Paula Abdul. I cannot believe it's taken 10 effing seasons for Paula to show up on this show, especially given her professional connections to Nigel, her love of all things dance, her judging of every other reality competition show on Fox and her actually multiple Emmy awards for choreography. What took so long? And why is she sharing the spotlight on this night with Erin Andrews? I'm surprised it's not Paula Abdul Tribute Night where they all have to dance to Paula's hits from the 80's. THAT's how you show proper respect. I can't believe I'm missing a Sonya number to Cold Hearted Snake! NappyTabs doing Opposites Attract! Mandy Moore doing Forever Your Girl! Top 18 doing Vibeology! Oh man, Nigel. You totally missed the boat on this one. TOTALLY.

So we were able to get the eliminations back at the end of the show, but not the reveal of the bottom six and not the dance for your life solos. Mob protests only gets you so much. Cat rips the band aid off quick and lets us know the bottom dwellers are BluPrint, Curtis, Jade, Alexis, Jenna and... Jasmine Mason? Huhbuhwha? That's crazy! Jasmine is AMAZING. Her tango last week was a total stand out. What's going on? Obviously with Jade in the bottom three AND injured he's the eliminated guy this week and Curtis and BluPrint are safe. Meanwhile, the girls will all be asked to perform solos to fill some time in tonight's schedule.

As the girls stand together, I notice a curious bandage wrapped around Jasmine's arm. Is she injured? Nobody says so, but it's around her whole bicep. I've seen enough tennis players play with practically their whole bodies wrapped to prevent injury to know this could just be done as a precuation, but I'm worried nonetheless. Season 8 had people dropping seemingly every week from injury. Remember that bullshit? Now there might be a second dancer who's injured? I wonder if they won't just dump Jasmine now to avoid a possible withdrawal next week. Is that's what's going on here, Nigel? We'll have to see how #BandageGate unfolds. The solos are all fine. They're better than last week and Alexis in particular here is pretty cool, but no one whips out a hidden straight razor and slashes their wrists in desperation, so Nigel probably wasn't that impressed overall for another week running. On to the routines!  

Amy and Fik-Shun - Paso Doble by Jean-Marc Genereux, Music: “Tactical Dominance (Orch Hybrid Version)” by Jack Trammell
It's a Paso War! Amy vs. Fik-Shun! This routine is very reminiscent of Jeanine and Brandon's classic Matrix-inspired paso routine down to the black leather costumes. It's a very solid execution of the paso. Fik-Shun's shoulders are too tense, and it draws my attention to how short both dancers are. His shoulders need to be broader and more expansive. Still the emotion is right. They're very connected. Mary is already dialed up to 11 screaming "PASO WAR! PASO WAR!" And Cat is like "wow, this is where we're starting from tonight? Where are we gonna end up?" Erin then yells at them that they're awesome and that they are at the top and have targets on their back. I don't know a lot about Erin but she is intense and she seems to like the show A LOT, so I'll just move along. Paula wishes that Amy was around back when she was choreographing because she's have put her front and center. Paula also clues us in that Fik-shun was actually on Paula's short-lived show from a few years ago called "Live to Dance." So SYTYCD can't claim him as a completely untrained dancer. Nigel gives proper time to the Fik-shun shoulder situation, but it's clear to everyone these guys are as safe as anyone can be in the competition. Even if they somehow fell into the bottom 3 at this point, there is ZERO chance they'd get eliminated.

Aaron and Jasmine Harper - Broadway by Spencer Liff, Music: “They Just Keep Moving The Line” by the Smash cast feat. Megan Hilty 
Aaron is an investigator at a crime scene where Jasmine's ghost comes to... dance with him? Don't worry about the weird story. The routine here is great. Jasmine's always on fire and Aaron just keeps getting better for me. He's built for lifts, but he's bringing so much more. And seriously no other guy in the competition could allow Jasmine the height and extension to show off what she can do with her legs. This routine is fantastic. At judging there are people with giant Aaron heads in the audience and everyone thinks that's a little uncomfortable to see your facial features supersized. The judges are all basically like "LEGS! LEGS! LEGS!" And who can blame them, because Jasmine's legs really are a THING. They give Aaron due praise too, so it's not like they just focus on Jasmine. Again, I can't imagine these two going anywhere right now.

 
Mackenzie and Paul - Contemporary by Lindsay Nelko, Music: “No Day But Today (Live From Soundstage)” by Idina Menzel
New choreographer! She looks like she's 14, but I assume she's old enough to purchase alcohol. In this dance Mackenzie has a terminal illness and Paul has a hard time letting her go. Idina is killing it on the vocal. I think Paul really nails the emotional arc here. There's a wind machine off in the corner somewhere that's giving Mackenzie's skirt a lovely ethereal lift. The choreo is quite lovely. Their connection is great. Execution is great. The judges love it. Paula actually talks about working with Wish Kids that's pretty lovely. The judges think this was really a moment for both of them and I agree. I feel like it came at a great moment in the competition for them as well. It should keep them out of the bottom at a critical moment.

Alan and Jasmine Mason - Jazz by Sean Cheesman, Music: “Veins” by Charlotte Martin
Concept - King and Queen having quirky tea. It's very stylized and intentionally stiff and restrained. I really like the precision and the character work and their connection. The judges are kinda like, "huh..." and I'm like "uh oh." That's not good for Jasmine. They didn't think there was enough quirk. I immediately rewind and watch again. I get what they're saying. I think they were doing what they were told and they maintain a restrained character throughout. But I see where there are times when you could've seen an inner-quirk struggling to get free and that was basically absent from the character work. They were both a little too comfortable in their restraint. But I really liked it. They have more praise for Alan than Jasmine. Jasmine is in trouble. And she's still wearing that bandage on her arm under her costume. #BandageGate

Jenna and Tucker - Hip Hop by Keone and Mari Madrid, Music: “Dangerous (Immortal Version)” by Michael Jackson
More new choreographers! I'm not really super-jazzed about this routine. Jenna and Tucker have definitely gotten the short end of the stick in terms of actual routines this year. They had that lame tyce Broadway routine to start, then had that non-cha cha from Dmitri, Nigel hated. This one is supposed to be about a femme fatale, but I don't get that story AT ALL. Perhaps it's the white pin-stripe pants Jenna is wearing? I think they are hitting it hard and it's good, but I just don't get the story sold to me in the rehearsal package. I really like these two together. Mary thought it was a little too jazzy for hip hop, but the others don't really care about that. Paula actually gives the most astute critique and talks about how MJ borrowed a lot from Jazz so it fit well with is music without copying what he did. Nigel actually thought it was one of his favorites of the night. I really think Jenna and Tucker have been rising above some mid-level choreo that hasn't allowed them a Moment yet. These two are due for a really stellar contempo number next time.

Malece and All-Star Marko (in place of injured Jade) - Contemporary by Sonya Tayeh Music: “In the Embers” by Sleeping At Last
Okay, this one hardly seems fair. Marko is one of the best male partners on the show ever. If jade was dancing this with Malece it would be totally different. Malece does well here, but Marko's dance skill and star power really take this to a different level. To Malece's credit she steps up and delivers. It's definitely her strongest work thus far. I don't know why I'm so down on her. Maybe I just wrote her out of my top 5 girls and now I might have to find a place for her. lol If she keeps up this kind of emotive dancing each week, I won't be complaining. We'll see what happens when she goes back to a regular contestant partner next time. Erin has a SWF crush on Sonya and lets her freak flag fly. Everyone adores Malece. They think she is maturing which is the shows favorite character arc to support. Everyone wishes Jade a speedy recovery and they all send him kind words which feel very sincere and that's nice to see. Jade in the audience is taking it with a lot of humility and gratitude. Despite losing her partner early, this was really a strong week for Malece.

 

Hayley and Curtis - Samba by Jean-Marc Genereux, Music: “Straight to Memphis” by Club des Belugas
I don't like this one. It's not terrible, and honestly 3 weeks in there really hasn't been one routine I thought was awful (the worst one so far was that limp hip hop Alexis and Nico did the first week) which I think is a credit to the quality of this year's top 20. Curtis looks really young here though. They don't have the sexual chemistry needed to really sell the samba. Hayley's sexy in the movement, but it's not really enough. Her movement is not forcing me to keep my eyes on her. I'm a little bored. The judges are kind but they spell it out pretty clearly to Curtis what his execution problems were, Mary gives the longest explanation of what was wrong with his feet. I like listening to her on these points because she's very good at leading us through how one incorrect placement or movement sets the dancer up for further problems as the dance goes on. I don't know if Hayley will be safe this time, but I think next week Curtis won't be able to skip that Dance for his Life at the start of the show again.

Alexis and Nico - Jazz by Spencer Liff, Music: “I Put a Spell on You” by Nina Simone
Concept: Alexis is hypnotizing and seducing Nico. There's nothing wrong with this one. They do some really strong synchronized spins. Alexis does some strong character work. I don't know why I'm not more interested in them as a couple. Am I still holding that hip hop against them? All the judges think it's CRAZY that Alexis was in the bottom 3 (by that logic, they must not know WHAT they themselves are thinking when they later put her in the bottom 2) but these across the board endorsements make me think Jasmine's fate is sealed. (#BandageGate.) At one point Paula attacks Nigel and maybe punches him in the balls. I have no idea what's going on. Nigel says he's having a 3rd heart attack. Erin tells them all to shut the hell up and it's not funny. This girl's got spunk. I like her!

BluPrint and Mariah - Hip Hop by Luther Brown, Music: “Bring The Noize” by M.I.A.
These two finally get hip hop. Much like during Meet the Top 20, Mariah just blows her partner away. She's got so much skill and so much attitude. BluPrint hits the moves as remarkably as you'd imagine, but there's nothing going on in his face. Even in the rehearsal package Luther Brown is like "dude, never changes his face. that's not gonna work." But Mariah is super strong. She dances with such joy. The judges get pretty down on BluPrint about not letting his personality out on stage. And he does have to give more if he wants to stick around. The judges all love Mariah. Her personality just explodes on stage.

That's all the routines! So now we get down to eliminations. Nigel says the choreographers think Jasmine has a lot of self-doubt that shows in her work (???) and that Alexis has to be given the same notes over and over again. So Jasmine is going home. WHAAAAT. I really thought it was going to be a Jasmine H. vs.  Jasmine M. season. Alexis should've gone first for sure, based on their work thus far. But maybe Nigel is just sticking it to the viewing public this week? We forced him to change the format, but we couldn't force him to cut his tappa tappa tappa girl.  Or maybe #BandageGate is a real thing and wanting to avoid more dancers leaving due to injury, they decided to cut Jasmine before her arm became a problem. Either way, you win some, you lose some America! You live to fight and complain another day. Please vote my favorites into safety!

Tonight's routines ranked in order of my personal preference:

Aaron and Jasmine's Broadway
Mackenzie and Paul's Contempo
Malece and ALL STAR! Marko's Contempo 
Alexis and Nico's Jazz
Jenna and Tucker's Hip Hop
Alan and Jasmine's Jazz 
Amy and Fikshun's Paso WAR!
Mariah and BluPrint's Hip Hop 
Curtis and Hayley's Samba

Bottom 6 Predictions: Alan, BluPrint, Curtis, Hayley, Alexis and Jenna. (I would choose Malece to replace Jenna, but she got such a spotlight this week it seems impossible she'll be in the bottom. And I love Alan, but he's been bottom 3 before and they just axed his partner and their routine got little love from the judges. We'll see!)

The show seems to be taking a break next week for that MLB All-Star Game they were plugging at the beginning of the show. See you in two weeks where hopefully 16 healthy well-rested dancers will be battling it out for your hearts and your votes! She is Cat Deely! Goodnight!