Here we go, Dance Fans. It's the final cut before the Grand Finale! Last week, the judges debated back and forth about who was the couple to beat even though the contestants stopped competing as couples many seasons ago. Also, we said goodbye to Team BenAnna. It will be an uphill climb for Ezra and Madison tonight, but this show loves supporting an underdog on a journey as much as it does celebrating a front runner who has never faltered, so maybe the judges' minds aren't totally made up. Either way, we get two more hours of dancing. Here we go!
Cat shows up in a fantastic red sequin suit by Zara. She tells us we're getting couple duets, Top 6/all-star pair ups, solos and group numbers. introduces the judges and makes the unusual declaration that the judges already know who's in danger and they'll be making their final decision based on tonight's performances. Typically, the judges sit out this week and let the popular vote determine the Final 4. This change seems odd to me, but oh well! For the record, here's my ranking of the solos starting with my favorite: Bailey (arguably one of the best I've ever seen on the show), Gino, Mariah, Madison, Sophie and Ezra.
Bailey and All-Star Koine - Broadway choreographed by Al Blackstone to “Mambo Italiano” by Dean Martin.
Bailey is playing a waiter who falls for Koine. This scenario is not hard to believe since Koine is amazing. Al and Koine want Bailey to take a page from the OG Real World and stop being polite, and start getting real. The dancing and character-work here are strong. There is great chemistry between Bailey and Koine. He's giving the judges what they want, for sure. He's still my pick to win the season. Koine is so fantastic! Always great to see her on this stage. Standing ovation from the judges. D-Trix believed the performance and the technical ability from Bailey. Laurieann would buy a ticket to any Broadway show he’s cast in (me too! Come to NYC, Bailey!). Nigel thinks maybe Bailey has them fooled and he's really decades older and has been studying multiple fields of dance all his life. Mary rightly calls Bailey the entertainer of the show this season. Keep it up, dude!
Gino and All-Star Comfort - Hip Hop choreographed by Luther Brown to “Get Up” by Ciara featuring Chamillionaire.
FYI - Gino's brother Kevin is a dancer in “Mean Girls” on Broadway! Tonight, Gino's doing an Egyptian hip-hop routine. Bring it with the crazy, Luther! No matter what Gino does, we get to see Comfort dance and I'm always here for that. But it turns out Gino keeps up and delivers a great performance. He does a couple of really cool tricks that look physically impossible. But the storytelling is really there on top of the steps. Another standing ovation. Laurieann shouts at Gino to continue to stay out of his head. Nigel thought Gino was 100% better than his last hip-hop routine. (Last time wasn't a disaster or anything though.) Mary love's Gino's fight and thought it was amazing. D-Trix was really impressed by the old school breaking moves Gino was able to nail. He mentions he's been watching Comfort on the show since he was 9 years old. I get that Season 4 was a long time ago, but DAMN, GINO! Keep that to yourself!
FYI - Gino's brother Kevin is a dancer in “Mean Girls” on Broadway! Tonight, Gino's doing an Egyptian hip-hop routine. Bring it with the crazy, Luther! No matter what Gino does, we get to see Comfort dance and I'm always here for that. But it turns out Gino keeps up and delivers a great performance. He does a couple of really cool tricks that look physically impossible. But the storytelling is really there on top of the steps. Another standing ovation. Laurieann shouts at Gino to continue to stay out of his head. Nigel thought Gino was 100% better than his last hip-hop routine. (Last time wasn't a disaster or anything though.) Mary love's Gino's fight and thought it was amazing. D-Trix was really impressed by the old school breaking moves Gino was able to nail. He mentions he's been watching Comfort on the show since he was 9 years old. I get that Season 4 was a long time ago, but DAMN, GINO! Keep that to yourself!
Madison and All-Star Lex - Jazz choreographed by Mandy Moore to “Can’t Rely on You” by Paloma Faith.
Madison's squad is SYTYCD royalty this week. A Mandy Moore routine and dancing with Lex? Get yours, girl. I like these two together. I think their bodies compliment each other well. When they are moving in unison, the dance really fits on them the same way. I wish she would bring the funk a little bit more when she's doing her own moves in the routine, but there are several times her face lights up with a smile that feels so genuine. Nigel thought she got out of her head and let the emotion of the piece carry her. Mary loved the chemistry between them. D-Trix calls it Madison’s best performance yet. Laurieann rains on her parade by saying Madison needed to let go more. The other judges push back, but Laurieann holds firm in her feeling They keep it civil. Everyone's entitled to their opinion!
Sophie and All-Star Kiki - Samba choreographed by Pasha Kovalev to “Shape of You” by Ed Sheeran.
PASHA! Y'all, he's so good. I can't believe his season was TWELVE YEARS AGO. That seems insane. I'm glad he's back here doing choreo. Even in the brief rehearsal clips, you can see how strong his technique is. And why stop at one SYTYCD alum you can have two? Kiki is her partner and he's fantastic too. Sophie has already danced with him in her Final Cut routine (that I didn't think was her finest moment.) She does a very good job here. I would've liked to see a bit more FIRE in the eyes. I didn't think it was brimming with personality from her. Standing ovation from the judges. Mary thought Sophie looked like a professional, except for the technique on the samba rolls. D-Trix loves her growth throughout the season but also mentions she started singing along to the song, which is totally what I would do in this situation. Laurieann really liked her timing and poise. Nigel went in worried she'd be in her head about the technique, but he felt she avoided that nicely. This was not my favorite ever Sophie routine, but it was solid.
Mariah and All-Star Fik-Shun - Hip-Hop choreographed by Misha Gabriel to “We Gonna Win” by Miri Ben-Ari & Styles P.
Dancing Magicians! Troublesome hats! Mariah is a fantastic dancer, but I don't love this routine and I don't get the sense she's really feeling it. She loses her top hat early on and the routine never really kicks into high gear. I don't think the music really fit with the movement either. D-Trix calls Mariah one of his favorite hip-hop dancers of the season, even though it's not her signature style. Laurieann gives us an unusual amount of word salad before recovering and saying it was in the pocket. Nigel was like me and wasn’t feeling it this time despite her showing previously how strong she can be in hip hop. Mary disagrees with him. She likes Mariah's brand of magic. I'm interested to see what happens when she's back with Bailey in her next routine.
Ezra and All-Star Gaby - Contemporary choreographed by Robert Roldan to “Ne me quitte pas” by Jacques Brel.
More alumni choreographers! Excited to see Robert back in this new role. The concept is standard for contempo pieces on this show: a relationship has become a burden. Ezra needs an emotional breakthrough moment to make this work. He has one! And the dance is very good! Definitely Ezra's best work on the show. Gaby of course is phenomenal here as well. I got choked up a bit rewatching it! The judges can't deny them another standing ovation from the judges. Laurieann thinks Ezra is special and he needs to believe that special thing will always carry him through. Nigel basically tells him it was so great and he's going home. He does! Mary says this is Ezra's [last] night and love is pouring out of him. D-Trix tells him perseverance is what makes a winner not a title [and he's going home.] Look there's no way they are gonna drop Bailey or Gino over Ezra, folks. They are celebrating him for a job extremely well done, but it's also clear tonight is the end of the road for him.
Gino and Sophie - Broadway choreographed by Warren Carlyle to “Down With Love” by Holly Palmer & Michael Bublé.
Dance concept: these two don’t want to be in love but they can't help it! This routine is a lot of fun. They both shine. Gino is really putting all his technique to good use on spins and flips but not at the expense of character. Sophie is sharp and strong and also telling the story in her face. They are just flying across the stage throughout and share a kiss at the end of the routine. Nigel thought it was terrific. Mary likens Gino to Gene Kelly. D-Trix is ready to put the routine aside and just wants to know what's behind the kiss. Cat knows how to cultivate lasting couples on this show and doesn't want Dom messing up all her subtle moves to get these kids together. Laurieann again calls them the couple to beat. Paging Mariah and Bailey...
Mariah and Bailey - Jazz choreographed by Ray Leeper to “Need You Tonight” by INXS.
Sexy and smooth is the order of the day and these two are ready to deliver. This one's SO GOOD. It's sexy as hell. They are both so good individually but they are perfectly matched. They always have such a great, "we're in this together" vibe. Everyone's really having a great night tonight. What's one more Standing O from the judges gonna hurt? Mary says they set the stage on fire and casts her vote for them as, "the couple to beat.” D-Trix calls Bailey the Filipino Magic Mike. Laurieann simply says, “I stand corrected” in terms of who is really the couple to beat. Nigel agrees: they are the most sensational couple. Again, we don't vote for couples, but if we did they would win!
Oh no! Doriana is going to kill them! Is this how the judges avoid eliminating any one tonight? They send in Doriana to challenge them with disco lifts and tricks that no human could survive? This is a fun routine and Ezra and Madison seem to be riding the positive energy building all night. Not all the lifts and spins look effortless. You can almost see them getting dizzy from it. But they survive! You'll have to do your own dirty work, judges! No Standing O this time. D-Trix thinks Ezra did well keeping his energy up throughout. He knows for himself how hard disco lifts on this show can be. Laurieann declares SYTYCD the best dance show EVER and thinks Madison finally let go! Nigel saw the sparkle in this routine and praised their energy. Mary thought they both looked great doing the routine. It's clear these two are the ones going home. But they should leave with no regrets. This was a fantastic night for them.
PVC umbrella hats and black body suits? Sign me up! This trio dances so well together. The movement is almost insect-like. Sharp and powerful and a great compliment to the music. Laurieann thought all three of them killed it. Nigel hopes they all feel they learned something being on the show because they are leaving the show stronger. It’ll be tough to have to say goodbye to one of them [but it's Madison]. Mary through it was the coolest thing ever. D-Trix says it's been an honor to watch them, and looks forward to watching their future careers.
Bailey, Gino, and Ezra - Group Routine choreographed by Talia Favia to "Amen (LCV Choir)" by Amber Run.
Oooh. This one is tense and emotional and the staging is incredible. Good work, everyone! Nigel says he prays every week that the show comes together. He thought all aspects about this came together to create something sensational. He thinks it's going to be so hard to decide who's going home [Nigel, come on. It's Ezra.] Mary thought all three had a “flow” experience in this number and it's so rare and she's so happy for them. Dom thinks that the key to winning the competition is in the fulfillment of the path each dancer has been on, and the way to achieve that is to be in the moment, and tonight they've all been in the moment. Laurieann says a lot about dance but my favorite is the power of dance is, "to speak without opening your mouth." She thinks they were all fantastic.
Bailey, Gino, and Ezra - Group Routine choreographed by Talia Favia to "Amen (LCV Choir)" by Amber Run.
Oooh. This one is tense and emotional and the staging is incredible. Good work, everyone! Nigel says he prays every week that the show comes together. He thought all aspects about this came together to create something sensational. He thinks it's going to be so hard to decide who's going home [Nigel, come on. It's Ezra.] Mary thought all three had a “flow” experience in this number and it's so rare and she's so happy for them. Dom thinks that the key to winning the competition is in the fulfillment of the path each dancer has been on, and the way to achieve that is to be in the moment, and tonight they've all been in the moment. Laurieann says a lot about dance but my favorite is the power of dance is, "to speak without opening your mouth." She thinks they were all fantastic.
RESULTS! The judges know the audience votes and they are sticking with the votes because they agree with them. the show's voters are like, "Thanks? Isn't that supposed to be how it always goes?" Gino is the first guy to get through to the finale. Mariah is the first girl to make it through. Does this make them... the new couple to beat?
Bailey is also going through. As is Sophie. So Madison and Ezra are eliminated. Again, this was clear from the beginning of tonight's show, but it didn't take away from a night of phenomenal routines. Madison and Ezra are extremely grateful for the experience and are just the most charming and gracious people. Congrats, and see you in two weeks for the Encores Finale!
Bailey is also going through. As is Sophie. So Madison and Ezra are eliminated. Again, this was clear from the beginning of tonight's show, but it didn't take away from a night of phenomenal routines. Madison and Ezra are extremely grateful for the experience and are just the most charming and gracious people. Congrats, and see you in two weeks for the Encores Finale!
So here we go again, America. This week's votes will get combined with next week's Performance Finale votes from and they will decide the ultimate winner of Season 16. I really think it's between Bailey and Gino, but I wouldn't be upset if Mariah reigned supreme! I'd be surprised if Sophie was the top vote-getter overall, but she's done an incredible job throughout the live shows to make it to the end of the season. 1 hip hopper, and 3 contempos remain. May America's Favorite Dancer win!
My rankings for this week's routines:
Bailey and Mariah's Jazz
Gino and Comfort's Hip Hop
Ezra and Gabby's Contemporary
Gino and Sophie's Broadway
Bailey and Koine's Broadway
Madison and Lex's Contemporary
Ezra and Madison's Disco
Mariah and Fik-Shun's Hip Hop
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