SYTYCD 9: Top 6 to Top 4 Recap!

Welcome Back, Dance Fans! ALL-STARS! Your Super Sexy Top Six! 2 ballerinos, 1 Baller. 1 Jazz Hands, 1 Tokyo Popper, and 1 Kung Fu Hustler.remain. ZERO Contempos. Still getting used to that. Who will make the finale?? We are ready to find out!

The pre-taped group number is pretty cool. We've got some Phantom-esque half masks going on. It's always fun to play "Guess The Choreographer" but this one feels distinctly Sonya Tayeh to me. They dance to "Scream" by Kelis, and the group is really working well together. Lots of great character, some fun changes in tempo and style mixed in. Hopefully a good sign of things to come!

Cat's dress tonight is insane. It's like orange patchwork which shouldn't work but then somehow becomes increasingly awesome the longer you stare at it, and stare at it you will! Cat tells us the finale performance episode will be on Tuesday next week instead of Wednesday. And then the following week is the actual finale. So there's no voting tonight and this week is just kind of a freebie? Cat's not making it totally clear. She asks us to set our DVR's which is troublesome if the show wants us to vote live.

This week the dancers are each doing three dances: one with an all-star, one solo, and one with another contestant. This week's results are entirely vote-dependent and will be from here on out. No more saving from the judges!  Christina Applegate is back as guest judge, and I like her style so we're cool. P.S. I'm not recapping the solos. You can rest assured that they all kicked, leaped, spun, shook and popped at their accustomed levels of excellence.

1) Tiffany and ALL-STAR: Benji Schwimmer, WINNER Season 2! dancing a Jean-Marc Genereaux jive to "What I Like about You" by Lillix. It's so nice to see Benji back on the show as a performer. Dude has been through a lot since his win 6 years ago. Haven't we all? If you're ever home sick from work and are stuck on the couch for several hours you should listen to his Mormon Talk interviews on Youtube, in which he talks about his experience on the show, Mormonism, coming out and life in general. It's really an interesting interview that goes on FOREVER.  Anyway, Benji is back with newly giant arms and a shirt I hate with checkered flag weirdness down the front. Much like with her success in the disco two weeks ago, Tiffany's seemingly unlimited energy supply is a tremendous benefit in this routine. They both come out guns blazing and feet flicking all over the place. They look like they're having the best time. They do an impressive triple-cartwheel move that I was nervous about mostly because Tiffany is TINY. Those things work better with same size partners. She did it though! Benji's a total pro in this genre but Tiffany more than holds her own. They get a standing o from the judges for their efforts. Well-deserved! Nigel congratulates Tiffany for holding her own with Benji, the show's best ever swing dancer. Mary loves Tiffany's jive kicks. Christina confesses she and Benji have taken dance class together in LA. She thinks Tiffany did an amazing job in the routine.Seriously, we can't vote for her this week?

2) Cole and ALL-STAR: Melanie Moore! Dancing a Sonya Tayeh jazz routine to "Too Close" by Alex Clare. Concept: Cole wants to be set free but Melanie isn't ready to let him go. Their is a bit of gender role reversal in this piece as Melanie seems to be lifting Cole more than he is lifting her. Melanie is a BEAST. I thought this was a very solid routine, that suffered a bit just from having followed a very WOW routine. Christina loved the androgyny of the routine and then says something that gets her censored. It had to do with foot position in the pirouette and her not caring about it. Nigel liked gender role reversal in the piece. He also says how says he's been so happy to have him here on the show. Nigelspeak for GOODBYE! Oh no!!

3) Eliana and ALL-STAR: Twitch! Dancing a Christopher Scott hip-hop routine to "Please Mr. Postman (District 78 Remix)" by The Marvelettes. Concept: Eliana has a crush on the mailman and is sending him a letter. Okay... I don't like this routine. It's kinda flimsy. Eliana is mugging way too much. Twitch is trying to sell it strictly on charm. There's a good 10-12 seconds where Eliana is just sitting on top of a mailbox. That's a lot considering the dance might be a 80 seconds long tops. I think this is Eliana's worst routine of the whole season, and if you recall, I wasn't a big fan of some of her early routines with Cyrus. Christina gingerly offers that Eliana won't be cast in a Jay-Z video anytime soon, but it still was fun. Nigel once again states Eliana is his favorite girl but didn't think there was enough dancing on display here. Mary says that she found it really... entertaining. She hated it. Maybe it IS a good thing we can't vote this week!

4) Chehon and ALL-STAR: Kathryn! Dancing a Tyce Diorio contemporary number to "Eli, Eli (A Walk to Caesarea) by Sophie Milma. Concept: A suitcase symbolizes tragic loss and how people move on and dance around it. It's a really pretty dance. It's also very sad. It has a bit of a holocaust vibe to it, but it might just be Kathryn's dress that makes me feel that way. The crowd gives them a standing o as well. Nigel thought is was beautiful and emotional and thanks Fox for supporting the show. Nigelspeak for "See you in Season 10"? I hope so. Mary is crying and feels she witnessed a magical moment in their dance careers. Mary really loves dance, y'all. I say that seriously. You can tell she really loves it. She's not just collecting a paycheck on a panel. Christina thought it was beautiful and notes that Tyce's contemporary choreo is much stronger than his Broadway. INDEED. This was a very good effort from Chehon. He's come a long way this season as a performer.

5) Witney and ALL-STAR Marko Germar from Season 8! Dancing a Ray Leeper lyrical jazz routine to "No Nothing" by Curtis Y Reinhold feat. Blaire. Concept: Witney wants to leave Marko at the Altar. Witney is very graceful and Marko is a great partner. They balance each other very well and have amazing movement. I don't really love the routine though. It's tough, man. With everyone in such good form now and with All-Stars bringing it, it really depends on the depth of the choreo as to who is really gonna impress. I don't know if this one really had the stuff. Mary thought they were lovely together but her praise kinda hangs there. She didn't like seeing Marko left at the end. Christina thought Witney's technique was beautiful and notes her natural hairography talents. Nigel reminds Witney that the judges have saved her several times now because they believe she is a star. Nigelspeak says "Goodbye, Witney! We can't deny the public vote no longer!"

6) Cyrus and ALL-STAR Comfort from Season 4! Dancing a Christopher Scott dubstep routine to "Cinema (Skrillex Remix)" by Benny Benassi feat. Gary Go. Concept: Comfort is in a movie Cyrus is watching and then they are together and then they switch places. The choreo is tight and Cyrus really excels here. Comfort is great too. I wasn't a super fan of hers back in Season 4 but she is a great partner as an All-Star. Their routine ALSO gets a standing O from the judges. Christina loves it. Nigel also loves it and notes for the naysayers that they haven't even been saving Cyrus. He's never been in the bottom! Mary agrees and mentions that there's some Twitter kerfuffle over how Cyrus is still around. He's very likable! There were definitely weeks that he had one of the three weakest routines, and that's why Eliana found herself in the bottom 3, but his character lifted him when his technique didn't. He's really incredible at what he does. No one else in the competition can do what he does.

Now we'ver entered the old school portion of tonight's episode where contestants actually dance with each other! Witney and Chehon are doing a cha-cha by Jean-Marc Genereaux. Concept: Sexy Chemistry! They dance to "Where Have You Been" by Rihanna. It's bad. There's a lift that goes wrong right at the beginning and Chehon almost drops her. It's ROUGH. They bounce back and Witney is hot like always, but Chehon doesn't have the form and it's just off. Mary says it was better than his samba a few weeks back. FAINT PRAISE! Latin dancing is not a strength for Cheon and his response is basically a plaintive wail that he knows. Then Mary calls Witney "Lindsay"AGAIN and unlike last time a couple weeks ago, Cat and Chehon won't let it slide, and it flusters her. Lindsay and Witney are basically Mary's blonde ballroom twin daughters so you can see why their names are pretty interchangeable in her mind. Christina claims they were so sexy in the opening move she just doesn't remember anything after that. Nigel thinks Witney was hampered by the partnering since the style and technique were not there for Chehon. Man, he'd been on such a role! Hopefully people will forget this clunker of a routine by next week.

Cole and Eliana are dancing a Mia Michaels routine inspired by rams fighting. The song is "Adagio for Strings" by the BRNO Philharmonic Orchestra, There's a starting move where they literally ram into each other on all fours and look like they could maybe break both their necks. They survive and dance a beautiful dance. There are some impressive tricks between them. Lots of trust involved here. It ends with a silent scream for both. Guys, don't be frustrated! You did great! Nigel explains Mia was really inspired to by their own combative relationship and not rams. Mary loved the power and strength they brought throughout the routine. Christina, of course, is a HUGE Mia fan choreography and thought they shined.

Tiffany and Cyrus have the last dance of the night. They're dancing a Spencer Liff Broadway routine to "Treat Me Rough (Girl Crazy)" by Debbie Gravitte. Yay no Tyce! The concept: horny 50's teenagers alone at home for the evening. Cyrus can't get his jacket off at the beginning and it's stuck on his arm. We miss a butt grab of Tiffany that we saw a lot about in the rehearsal footage as a result. D'oh! The routine is fun. Spencer is great at infusing character in his choreo in a very fun way. It's not a total power house performance, but it's solid. Tiffany and Cyrus definitely came out on top this week. But again, no votes! The judges all loved it, for sure.

We have time for a guest performance, before the results so we get a routine from the AXIS Dance Company. I like this company a lot. It combines dancers with and without physical disabilities. They've been on the show before. the choreography is cool and the dancers very captivating to watch.
  
But they can't stall forever it's time to make some cuts! We get a recap of last week when all the girls brought it hard. Tiffany makes it into the finale first, followed by Eliana. That means Witney is done. That feels about right. I love Witney, but Tiffany has been coming on so strong and Eliana's technique is insane. Witney is amazing though. I hope she comes back as a ballroom all-star.

Now to the boys. Cat says Chehon is in and he almost collapses from shock. And the second one in is Cyrus. I mean, obviously. He wasn't gonna suddenly fall to the bottom for no reason.

Routines in Order of my Preference:

Tiffany and Benji's Jive
Cyrus and Comfort's Dubstep
Cole and Eliana's Contemporary
Chehon and Kathryn's Contemporary
Cole and Melanie's Jazz
Cyrus and Tiffany's Broadway
Witney and Marko's Jazz
Chehon and Witney's Cha Cha
Eliana and Twitch's Hip Hop

Next week the Final Four face off with JUST performances! And then the following week is the Finale/Results where we name America's Favorite Guy or Gull Dancer! See you there!

SYTYCD 9: Top 8 to Top 6 Recap!

Welcome Back, Dance Fans! ALL-STARS are in the house along with your Elite 8! So excited to see the routines tonight. A little nervous about who will wind up in the bottom 2 and who won't be saved. Very strong work last week from all. I can make no guesses as to how it all shook out. 1 contempo, 2 ballers, 2 ballerinos, 1 Jazz Hands, 1 Tokyo Popper, and 1 Kung Fu Hustler.remain.So few are left! They barely fill the stage anymore.

The pre-taped group number is to "Run Boy Run" by Woodkid. I can't immediately place who the choreographer is based on the style. It has sort of an asian theme to the costumes, and the music has a grand operatic feel. It's not a bad routine, but there are little moments from each of the dancers that makes them seem out of sync. A few wobbles, a few fumbled hand grabs. Just a little sloppy for a pre-taped dance, I think. When we get to the live intro, all eight of them flash the season 9 call sign, but Chehon almost forgets, and you can see in his eyes he remembers just in time. Heehee! Solidarity!

Cat - looking particularly ravishing in a lacy black dress and her hair flowing freely -  tells us that the group choreo was by a newcomer, Peter Chu, which is why I couldn't place him beforehand. Jesse Tyler Ferguson is the third judge on the panel which makes Cat very happy because they are totes BFF since his appearance last season. He is such an uber-fan of the show. I like having him there, even if he doesn't have much to say about the actual dancing he talks about performance and shows the kids so much love. Tonight, we're getting solos and backstories for the remaining dancers because now that there's only 3 weeks left, it's time to find out who these kids actually are! Packed show! Onward!

SOLO 1: TIFFANY. We learn that Tiffany was raised in Florida and when she's not in the dance studio, she is in a bathing suit and on a boat. She danced because her older sister danced and we see several unbelievably adorable video clips of them dancing together in recitals when they are small children. There is no present day interview with the sister which gets me nervous that they're about to tell us she died in a tragic car accident months before the show started, but apparently she is fine. She just didn't do an interview. I should've known that if there was a death storyline, the show wouldn't have sat on it for this long. Tiffany's solo is strong, if not super memorable. She does that kick-yourself-in-the-head-sideways move that we haven't seen a lot of in solos this season, so it doesn't seem overused here. Good work, T-Maher Star!

1) Witney with ALL-STAR: Twitch! Dancing a hip hop routine by newcomer Luther Brown to "My Homies Still" by Lil Wayne feat. Big Sean. Concept: East Coast hard hitting hip hop that includes something called ratcheting. Witney is rocking both the choreography and the hairography. She really does an amazing job. There's A LOT going on in the routine. It's not the same kind of movement. Sometimes it's sharp. Sometimes it's fluid. There's a lot of character and sass coming from Witney. Plus she's really keeping up with Twitch. Very very strong. Nigel keeps saying "rat shit" instead of ratchet. I mean, i think it's ratchet? Now I'm confused. Nigel is pleased they keep saving her despite her continually falling in the bottom because she's always awesome. Mary tips her metaphoric hat to Witney and it makes me want for her to wear an actual mini-top hat next week so she can literally be like "hats off to you!" next week. JTF shows us the card the producers gave with the dancers names as if he didn't know (some guest judges haven't!) and thought the whole thing was amazing.

SOLO 2: WILL. We learned that Will has always been a class clown and had a hard time channeling his energy in school until he found dance. He believes dance saved his life. It gave him an outlet and focus and he's still a crazyhead, obviously, but he's adorable and sweet and was homecoming king at his school. He does a very strong contemporary solo and I'm reminded how much I really like how he's able to move that giant frame of his with such grace and lightness. Go Will!

2) Cole with ALL-STAR: Allison Holker! Dancing a contemporary routine by Sonya Tayeh to "Possibly Maybe" (Instrumental) by Björk. Concept: An even scarier version of the Mia Michael's addiction dance. Oh GOD. Allison is LIVING up there tonight! Cole is strong in the piece, which is easily the creepiest piece I've ever seen on the show. Allison just looks so pitifully desperate wanting Cole to love her and Cole is cruel and uncaring in return. The shapes they make, along with the music, and their expressions is just chilling. There's one lift where it looks like Cole is just holding her straight up in the air with one arm. How did they do that?  JTF is so shaken by the intensity that he needs a cocktail. Mary raves about Allison, and then mentions Cole could probably be in the finale if he keeps dancing this way. Nigel also points out the creepiness of the routine but likes what they did. I don't know if the dance was too creepy to get the votes needed to keep Cole safe if he's around next week.

SOLO 3: LINDSAY. Her mom has a dance studio. Mark Ballas has worked at this studio! She is able to dance because of the support of her family. We don't really learn a lot here from the video package. She has to do ballroom in her solo without a partner, which can be difficult but it's very interesting. She is incredibly expressive and has a variety of movement. I really like this girl. I think it will be one of the Ballroom Girls going home tonight, so I worry for her. Hang in there, Lindsay!

3)  Eliana with ALL-STAR: Ryan DiLello from Season 6! Dancing a quickstep routine by Jonathan Roberts to "That Man" by Caro Emerald. Concept: Bored Housewife wants attention. Is there a season of SYTYCD when this concept didn't make an appearance at least once? This one is great though. Probably the best quickstep in the show's history. Ryan is a great partner here. So solid and charming with excellent technique. It's just the foundation Eliana needs to completely just lift off and shine. She looks amazing tonight and her spirit shines through. Her technique is as always very strong. Mary loved the routine. She has a few little quibbles about the frame, but they are very minor. She thinks Eliana really nailed it. JTF also loves her. He thinks she's so versatile and accessible. Nigel says it's like the show was almost created for her. He certainly wants her to win Favorite Girl three weeks from now. Fingers crossed!

SOLO 4: CHEHON. Chehon and his brothers grew up in Chicago until they were adopted and brought to Switzerland. What happened to his birth parents? Were they killed in a tragic car accident? It is never explained. From Switzerland, Chehon left as a teen to study ballet in London and does not get to see his adoptive parents very much which is difficult for him. His solo is beautiful and emotional as his mom is sitting in the audience for the first time tonight and Chehon is FEELING IT. He's in tears afterwards and Cat lovingly tells him to hold it together or she'll lose it too. Great solo from him. Werk, Chehon!

4)  Lindsay and ALL-STAR: Alex Wong! dancing a jazz routine by Sonya Tayeh to Somebody That I Used to Know" by Gotye feat. Kimbra. Concept: No story, but lots of sexual tension! The movement is strong but the chemistry is not there to push it over the top. Too bad! The girls are so strong, no one can really afford to have a routine that's just okay and this one is just okay. I really enjoy it, Sonya gave them a good routine and the components are sound. Alex always impresses and Lindsay 's execution is precise, but there's no sizzle. The judges give it three strikes for chemistry, but praise her technique. If Lindsay's in the bottom, I'd say she's out.

5) Will with ALL-STAR: Lauren Gottlieb! dancing a hip hop routine by Christopher Scott. to "Dance My Pain Away" (District 78 remix) by Wye Oak. Concept: Will's dancing his pain away while Lauren is his blind sub-concious mind that's always in control  The set is this giant grey sectional couch which I HATE. There's just too much furniture. And it's totally blah. I don't like lots of set pieces during these routines. Less is more in a one minute dance piece. You want to use a door, a bench, a bed, a table, a chait, a screen? Fine. Even a couch is fine! But the size of the sectional was too much for me. As for the dancing, I actually really like Will here. There's none of that face-pulling that sometimes distracts. He's really in it and moving well. I don't really understand Lauren's character though. Why is his mind a girl in a high pony tail and a pixie dress? I don't get it. And because of the storyline, he never really dances with her. He's not aware of her. But it's danced well. Mary really likes the seriousness Will brought to it. JTF gets very emotional about Will's video package from his solo. Nigel agrees with me that he didn't really get to dance with Lauren, but appaluds his efforts and tells him he won't be disappointed tonight. My Nigelspeak radar has a little blip right here, but I'm not sure what to make of it.

SOLO 5: WITNEY.- We learn she grew up in Utah and has a huge family. Her dad is not a super fan of her sexy ballroom nature. He is not a fan of the hot tamale train. Dad's are like that! Witney's solo is a more traditional example of ballroom girl dancing alone than Lindsay made hers, but there's something about the way she cha cha's across the stage and laser beams her eyes out to the audience that I think is just stellar. This girl has star quality. I don't think she'll win the whole thing, but I hope they bring her back as an additional ballroom All-Star in future seasons so that ANYA! doesn't have to carry the whole responsibility on her beautiful and capable shoulders.

SOLO 6: COLE - He grew up as a social outcast in Hawaii. His parents put him into martial arts as a child to build his confidence and he won a silver medal in junior Olympics at age 11. He found his way to dance because he wanted to be an actor and that's when he began to create his fusion style. His style is very much his own in the solo and is very watchable if have to completely define.

6) Cyrus with ALL-STAR: Melanie Moore, WINNER from Season 8! dancing a jazz routine by Mandy Moore to "Badder Badder Schwing"—Freddy Fresh feat. Fatboy Slim. Concept: Two cool people strutting their way through town. This is a good partnership. Melanie is the coolest chic on the dance planet. If you had perhaps forgotten why she won last season, it takes about .5 seconds to be reminded. She's got such incredible technique and personality. Cyrus can match her for personality and I really think he hits this jazz routine out of the park. It's not your usual open jazz hand, high kicking routine, there are these interesting punches and lifts and zipping across the stage moves. I really liked it. JTF thinks Cyrus will always be associated with the show for his uniqueness and personality. Nigel notes that he has never been voted to the bottom of the pack, and tells him to verse himself in dance history because it will only help him grow as an artist to know what's come before in America's history of dance. Mary references that Melanie is still The Beast she was from last year and makes the argument that every genre they give him is out of his element and that they could never do the animation style that he does as a partner dance on the show because it's just too difficult. I have been hard on Cyrus some weeks, mostly because I thought his early partnership with Eliana was limiting her in terms of showcasing the extent of her technical skill. Then he would be voted safe and she would be in danger which seemed unfair. But now that they are all on their own with All-Stars it bothers me less, and I also think Cyrus has been getting better .So good on him.

SOLO 7: ELIANA. Eliana's parents divorced and she lives with her mother while her siblings went with their father. Eliana then moved to NYC on her own as a teenager to go to dance school. I find the city challenging as a full grown adult so I don't know how a teenager you maneuver that successfully. Anyway, she does the solo and it's amazing. She's just such a gifted performer. Such skill. Love it! Cat tells her she is going to inspire so many little girls who are watching the show to be ballet dancers. Right on!

7) Chehon with ALL-STAR: Anya Garnis! dancing an Argentine Tango by Miriam Larici and Leonardo Barrionuevo to "Breaking Below Surface" by Jesse Cook. Concept: Tango! It's really different in tone than most tangos. It has a softer, more loving quality to the movement. It's so quiet in the audience for most of it. People seem transfixed. They do this one move where Anya is basically flying around in the air kicking her legs all around Chehon that finally gets a vocal response from them. It ends and everyone goes wild. The judges leap to their feet. The choreographers are in tears in the audience. Mary thought it was phenomenal and she got chills. Chehon gave the performance they've been asking for all season. JTF can't deal with how amazing the routines are tonight and doesn't know how they are going to choose to send someone home tonight. Nigel praises the connection Chehon had with ANYA and felt like his technique and expanse was phenomenal. What a great night for Chehon. He impressed with both his solo AND his routine. If he's bottom 2 this week, I can't imagine he's going home.

SOLO 8: CYRUS. Cyrus grew up with his Mom and Dad but then they separated and then his Dad passed away when Cyrus was ten. They show an old picture of his dad and Cyrus looks exactly like him! Cyrus's mom was there for him and gave him all the support he could ask for. Cyrus's solo is off the hook. He hasn't done a solo in weeks because he hasn't had to dance for his life. What he does seems almost physically impossible. You think it should be a trick of editing or something. It's crazy. Everyone rightly goes nuts for it.

8) Tiffany with ALL-STAR: Ade Obayami from Season 5! dancing a contemporary routine by Mandy Moore  to "The Power of Love" by Celine Dion. Concept: Lifts galore with power ballad POWER! Has no one ever used this song on this show before? That seems crazy! They LOVE Celine! Ade is just a mountain of strength and form and he picks up little Tiffany and she just SOARS across the stage. It's really a beautiful piece. Tiffany has such great control throughout, her emotional connection and chemistry with Ade is striking. It's just super good. The judges go nuts again. Mary says it's Tiffany's best of the season, JTF tries to flee the building instead of having to choose someone to go home and Nigel compliments her humble off-stage attitude and work ethic. This is certainly going to be a tough decision to see who goes home!

Cat calls everyone back out on stage for a very quick bottom 4 reveal. She has Witney and Lindsay step forward and they are in danger. She has Chehon and Cyrus step forward and they are safe. Cole and Will hug Witney and Lindsay and await their fates from Nigel. Will is SO much taller than the others. Cole barely comes up to Will's shoulder. Wow.

Nigel compliments the two ballroom girls for getting this far. This moment mirrors their Green Mile judging when they were pretending to choose between them for Top 20, but took both of them. Now it can be only one. And the one going through is Witney. She is in shock, and I'm sure she's relieved, but also feels badly for her friend Lindsay. Lindsay takes it with a ton of class. I will miss her! Hopefully she and Cole get to do their paso doble in the finale!

Then it's the boys. Nigel notes how different these two are as dancers but ultimately they keep Cole. And with that, all the contemporary dancers have left the competition two weeks before the finale! I would never have thought that at the beginning of the season. Has there ever not been a contemporary dance in the finale? I think not. Will is adorable in his exit package and hugging Cat at the end. He was a lot of fun. I hope he and Amelia get an encore slot in the finale. Alley Cats, maybe?

Tonight's Routines in Order of My Preference (but really 3-6 could be a tie).

1) Chehon and ANYA!'s Argentine Tango
2) Tiffany and Ade's Contemporary
3) Eliana and Ryan's Quickstep
4) Cyrus and Melanie's Jazz
5) Witney and Twitch's Hip Hop
6) Cole and Allison's Contemporary
7) Lindsay and Alex's Jazz (unsaved)
8) Will and Lauren's Hip Hop (unsaved)

So we are down to six, Dance Fans. It would seem like in two weeks we'll be seeing an Tiffany-vs-Eliana and Chehon-vs-Cyrus face-off, but Witney and Cole had solid routines this week, so who knows how close the voting margins will be? I'm looking forward to some great routines next week. Can we get Debbie Allen back to the judging panel once more? Will Mia Michaels return for another original routine? Will we see any new All-Stars (Katee, please!) resurface? Only a few more days til we find out all these answers and more!

SYTYCD 9: Top 10 to 8 Recap - Now With ALL-STARS!

Welcome Back, Dance Fans! Two episodes in a row! Is this a season record? I'm so excited for this installment. FINALLY we get our amazing ALL-STARS back on stage! I've been wondering who will return all week and can't believe there wasn't an official announcement ahead of time. Why must you torture me with anticipation, show?

2 contempos, 2 ballers, 2 ballerinos, 2 Jazz Hands, 1 Tokyo Popper, and 1 Kung Fu Hustler.remain. Can you believe there are only 2 contempos left?? And NO contempo girls! Very unusual for this show at this point. The field is usually comprised by half of contempo dancers . It has been a much stronger season for outside genres - as long as those genres are not hip hop or tappa tappa tappa!

Cat kicks things off straight into a pre-taped group number by choreographed by Tyce Diorio to "The Cool World Stomp (Reprise)" by Mark Isham. It's a Gene Kelly tribute, as the dance legend would've turned 100 this week. This tribute features absolutely zero tappa tappa tappa. Hmm. There are costumes evoking Singin' In The Rain, On The Town and An American in Paris. The routine is fine, I guess. It's Tyce, so it's kinda scattered and cheesy, but I'm mostly distracted by the fact that Tyce is actually dancing in it... which means one of the guys was injured when they filmed it! NO! Is someone sitting out tonight? I want the number to end just so they can explain the situation. I frantically try to figure out which guy is missing and it's Cole! Oh dear. He comes out at the end and climbs up a ladder for the final pose, so we know his legs still work. There's hope. Tyce, in truth,  looked good doing his choreography with the group.

Cat, wearing a dress possibly made out of chain mail and bubblewrap, introduces Patricia Kelly in the audience as Gene Kelly's widow. I think Cat must be confused, because this woman doesn't look a day over 50 and Kelly would've turned 100! I was so perplexed by this, I actually looked it up and yeah, when they married she was 47 years his junior, so that makes her 50-ish. Wowzers. With that out of  the way, Cat tells us Cole is fine to perform tonight, he was just slightly injured when they filmed the group performance. Fine with me!

Joining Nigel and Mary at the judge's table this week is Mr. Natalie Portman and Black Swan choreographer Benjamin Millepied, prononce Mill-pee-ay. I like to call him The Millipede as a bastardization of his last name. He seems both very mellow and very amused to be on the show tonight. Let's hope he doesn't call Twitch "Titch." 10 routines tonight! A lot to get through so let's get to it!

1) Tiffany & ALL-STAR: Brandon Bryant from Season 5! Dancing a Doriana Sanchez Disco to "You Make Me Feel..." (Disco Fries remix) by Cobra Starship feat. Sabi. Concept: It's DISCO, bitches! Doriana Sanchez is a crazy woman and she LOVES tricks in her dances. This routine has eleven of them and they count them off in rehearsal to drive the point home. Luckily Brandon is a great disco partner as he and Janelle in Season 5 performed one of the show's best ever Doriana numbers. This one is equally as impressive. After a slightly wobbly initial spin move, Tiffany recovers and delivers one hell of a performance. They both have amazing energy throughout the routine. The tricks come fast and furious but never seem labored. Tiffany does two variations of mid-air split moves, one which then launches her up over Brandon's head. It's insane. And then they spin around for like ten minutes with her perched on on his shoulder. She really hit this routine hard and gave tons of personality and had a great connection to Brandon. Really well done and a great start to the show. The judges all love her.Well played, T-Maher Star.

2) Witney & ALL-STAR: Nick Lazzarini, Winner of Season 1! Dancing a Travis Wall Jazz Routine to "Sing It Back" by Moloko. Concept: Jazz Ghosts in a theater. Nick's got too much dead make up on. Witney looks hot as hell. Witney's great at being sexy in a really powerful way. She has a bit of that Anya force-of-nature quality about her that of course I really respond to. There's a really lovely assisted collapse to the floor at the end where she very lightly lies down on top of Nick that's really great. Obviously Nick and Travis working together was gonna produce a really polished routine and I thought this was a great piece for Witney. The judges all love her. Nigel even thinks she looks sexy when she's just breathing. Is that because her chest is heaving, Nigel? All-Stars always brings his Dirty Old Man antics out even worse than usual.

3) Cole & ALL-STAR: ANYA! Garnis from Season 3! Dancing a Dmitry Chaplin Cha-Cha Routine to "Glad You Came" by The Wanted. ANYA! Oh, how I love her. If there is a dance equivalent of the planet Krypton, ANYA! is the Supergirl who has come to Earth to protect us from bad ballroom. If there is one downside to ANYA!, it is only that she can chew up and spit out lesser dance partners without even trying to. Pasha is really her greatest partner and she's had good routines with other guys, but as her powers have only grown since she was a contestant six seasons ago, it has become harder and harder for non-all-stars to keep up. This is kinda what happens to Cole. He's desperately after a ticket on the Hot Tamale Train, but Mary won't give it to him, citing too many flaws in the footwork and connection, but she assures him he's on the platform, ticket pending. Nigel loves Anya's haircut better than he does the connection between them, and The Millipede enjoyed Cole's effort. This routine was pretty good, but we've still got so many to go and I don't think it will stack up that highly against what else must be coming.

4) Lindsay & ALL-STAR: Jakob Karr from Season 6! Dancing a Spencer Liff Broadway Routine to "Dancin' Dan" (Me and My Shadow) from Fosse. FINALLY! I've been hoping for Jakob to come back as an All-Star for years! His season 6 had its issues, but that was mostly because they did back to back summer/fall seasons and the production side was noticeably burnt out by the end. Jakob's amazing technique was a stand out though. The Concept: A girl and her male shadow. They are separated by a screen they can't see through for parts of the dance, so they can't rely on eye contact to stay together. It actually is a very nice routine. There's one jazzy little climactic step that is shown in a close up so you can't see Lindsay or Jakob's feet which is a poorly timed and somewhat ridiculous editing choice. The judges LOVE Lindsay. Mary pushes Cole out of the way on the platform and gives her his ticket on the Hot Tamale Train! This seemed a little excessive to me. I like Lindsay a lot, but this routine wasn't about being a hot tamale. Hot routines = hot tamales.Nigel's comments seem to indicate that she is wonderful and progressing and since I have an advanced degree in Nigelspeak, I feel quite confident that she is not in danger again this week. He also gets Jakob to point his leg for us again so we can see how his extension goes on for days. He really in incredible. I hope he's been having a fantastic dance career away from the show.

5) Will & ALL-STAR: Kathryn McCormick from Season 6! Dancing a Nakul Dev Mahajan Bollywood Routine to "Ooh La La" from The Dirty Picture. Concept: Will is a snake charmer and Kathryn is a snake. This is not the best Bollywood I've seen on the show, but it's definitely fun. Will is pulling faces left and right, though. I wish the judges were a little more stern with him about it because, I mean, his mouth is WIDE OPEN for half the routine. It's crazy!  He's certainly likable and fun and doesn't pull that shit in his home-genre of contemporary, so I guess they are letting it slide for now. Kathryn is gorgeous and a lovely partner as always. The judges all compliment her movie success and thank her for not forgetting where she came from by coming back as an All-Star. Nigel gives the vaguest of hints to Will that he needs to stop pulling his face so much, (thank you!) but he does it in a way that almost doesn't sound like criticism, so I hope that Will also has a degree in Nigelspeak so that he knows he has to cool it.

6) Cyrus & ALL-STAR: Jamie Goodwin from Season 5! Dancing a Travis Wall contemporary routine to "Outro" by M83. Concept: They are the last people on Earth, which is sad, but also there really is no reason for them not to Do It. Travis choreographed two strong routines tonight. I haven't been hot on Cyrus for a couple weeks now, and there are moments where his lack of contempo training noticeably let him down, but none of it is in the partnering. His energy and emotion are in the right place and he's totally there for Jamie as she tears it up out there. Love her! Millipede and the other judges are all about Cyrus being Raw Energy and how he HAS to dance and how the naysayers against him are just haters who don't understand what dance is. It's not just movement and technique it's about passion and personality. My counterargument would be that for the winner of SYTYCD, or for a great professional dancer in general, it need not be an either/or scenario. Why can't I have both, Nigel? Why can't I have both?

7) Chehon & ALL STAR: Lauren Gottlieb from Season 3! Dancing a Dave Scott hip-hop routine to "Pretty Wings" by Maxwell.  Concept: Best Friends as a support system! This hip hop is VERY lyrical and not very hard hitting. Very very loose. Chehon interestingly looks really... happy. The routine is not super dynamic. It's not big and flashy and exciting. There are no giant tricks. I appreciate his effort, even though I don't think this will be a routine people pick up the phone and vote for. I will once again translate Nigelspeak into English. "I'm so glad we saw you loosen up and enjoy yourself tonight because that's how you let the audience in. Listen, you're bottom 2 this week, but we're keeping you. Keep smiling and lightening up and when you're bottom 2 next week, maybe we'll save you again!" Mary likes the "slinky groove hop" of the number, but felt he was in and out of it. Millipede thought he did a very good job forgetting his ballet training and giving a very spontaneous performance. I thought that Chehon was as far out of his comfort zone as Cyrus, and while I enjoyed both their efforts, I think Cyrus actually came out looking better.

8) George & ALL-STAR: Allison Hollker from Season 2! Dancing a Tyce Diorio jazz routine to "Bahamut" by Hazmat Modine.  Concept: Missing a train in Paris for a raunchy rendezvous I think this routine suffered from the rehearsal footage, because it does not deliver on what they said was going to happen. There is zero raunch. There is certainly flirtiness to the routine, and it's danced to perfection by two amazing technicians, but it's not really what it was made out to be. Also there is this walking stick baton thing that they are using that doesn't really make any sense to be there story-wise. In judgins Mary reacts like she just a friend perform in a play she hated. "Wow, George! You were just on stage with Allison! Isn't that great. Tyce definitely choreographed that routine! Dancing is fun. You're a great technician! Anyone else want to jump in here?" The Millipede tells George he did a good job, but then Nigel is like, "No raunch! FAIL! You go home now!" Cat for once isn't sure how to turn that into a positive. The audience is dead silent until Mary instructs them to boo and Cat finds a way back to being supportive. George is definitely going home tonight, guys.

9) Eliana & ALL-STAR: Alex Wong from Season 7! Dancing a Stacey Tookey contemporary routine to "Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)" by Nancy Sinatra. Concept: A love you know is no good, but you enjoy it anyway. It's great to see Alex Wong back at SYTYCD with no snapped achilles tendons. It's been so many years, guys! I think the technique and the vibe of this piece are great. It's creepy and emotional. Alex and Eliana are a great partnership. These two have so much passion and facility. Excellent! Nigel calls her his favorite dancer, Mary calls her a perfect tiramisu and The Millipede thought she was fantastic. Eliana is pretty much beaming all over, hugging and giggling with Cat. She's a delight.

10) Audrey & ALL-STAR Twitch from Season 4! Dancing a Dave Scott hip-hop routine to "Sincerely, Jane" by Janelle Monáe. Concept: Undead Married Couple bitches and nags for an eternity. Audrey's challenge here is to get the focus off of Twitch and on to her which is no easy feat considering that Twitch is first out of his coffin, last to be seen on stage and in between Audrey seems okay playing second fiddle. She dances the hip hop very well. She just doesn't grab the spotlight here. She's a little too cute. A bit more stank face would've gone a long way to selling her role here. She's so close here! It just doesn't quite hit the right tone The Millipede thought she was great, but could've found ways to be more outrageous within the movement. Agreed. Mary tells Audrey she was watching her instead of Twitch. Hmm, really? Nigel thinks she could've gone more Helena Bonham Carter withing the role. He also declares we'll see this routine in the finale. REALLY? Well, I'd rather see this over the Rugrats one from a couple weeks ago.

Overall, I'm very pleased by the infusion of the All-Stars into the competition. There were a couple growing pains, but I found the level of dance throughout the show a step up from last week and very exciting. I also think they did a good job representing a wide variety of former contestants, having at least one All-Star from the first seven seasons of the show on hand. I hope they continue switching it up throughout the next few weeks because there are so many great dancers I want to see again - especially Katee!!

Now it's time for Cat to announce the bottom four. Everyone is quickly hauled back out onto the stage.  Witney, Audrey, Chehon, and George are in danger. Damn. I though Witney and Chehon were one of the stronger couples last week. I'm not really surprised to see Audrey there since her Dad Dance didn't give her a lot to do, and the audience has never really taken to George. It reminds me a little of how much the show loved Billy (Elliot/Jamie) Boyd back in Seasons 6 & 7, but the audience kept putting him in the bottom. Did the audience not hear Debbie Allen decree re: George, "This child is fierce!"? That should've been enough to get him to the finale.

Solo time. Since there are no more contempo girls, no one is trying to kick themselves in the head to prove how far their line extensions go. Instead, the girls are great showing nice variety of movement and emotion, while the boys are incredibly athletic and controlled. Nigel saves Chehon and Whitney. Not very surprising.

Rundown of tonight's performances in order of my preference:

1. Tiffany and Brandon's Disco
2. Eliana and Alex's Contemporary
3. Witney and Nick's Jazz
4. Lindsay and Jakob's Broadway
5. Will and Kathryn's Bollywood
6. Audrey and Twitch's Hip Hop (unsaved)
7. George and Allison's Jazz (unsaved)
8. Cyrus and Jamie's Contemporary
9. Cole and Anya's Cha Cha
10. Chehon and Lauren's Hip Hop

I think the girls overall definitely had a better night, so it will be interesting to see next week who winds up in the Top 2 and Bottom 2. We are getting down to it, America. I wonder how the finale will work? Tonight's dances determine the top 6, next week's vote will determine the top 4 and then the week after that is just straight up finale? I wish the top 4 had an extra week to perform on their own. I really wish Fox would pick them up next season with a half hour results show. It would be easier to keep track of these things.

I hear Melanie is coming back as an All-Star next week! You don't want to miss it, folks. See you then, Dance Fans! up next season with a half hour results show. 

SYTYCD 9: 14 to 10 Recap - Mia Michaels, Then and Now

(This is her night!)

And so we're back together, Dance Fans! It's been forever. The Olympics happened! Now we're back with a Top 14 that will be cut to TEN tonight! Gulp! Nobody told us that ahead of time! I thought it as just the regular two who would go. They should've mentioned that when people were voting last time. This means the audience vote from, like, three weeks ago will determine who's going on tour. I hope you did a good job back in July, America!

Tonight, everything old is new again as the show has taken the odd approach of making this a tribute to the Mia Michaels dance catalog. I love Mia Michaels, but as soon as I heard about this, I questioned the logic. Firstly, the dancers had so much time over the break to practice new routines. I was looking forward to seeing a much wider variety of styles - and challenging routines within those styles. Secondly, so many of Mia's dances have become iconic routines throughout the history of the show. How can these kids compete with the memory of seeing these gems for the first time? I feel like we're predisposed to favor the originals. Even sometimes the encore performances in the season finale don't match up to the energy and surprise of seeing the dance the first time through - and that's with the same dancers performing them! I feel like this is just too high a bar for the dancers to clear and the overall effect will be underwhelming. If the viewing audience is an informed audience, we know what to expect from these routines which leaves little room for surprise and a lot of room for dissatisfaction.

Nothing we can do about any of that now though! As I said before, tonight we're down to 14. 5 contempos, 2 ballers, 2 ballerinos, 2 Jazz Hands, 1 Tokyo Popper, 1 Kung Fu Hustler, and 1 Shake Shake Shakira. Good luck, kids! Those contestants from season's past are gonna cast long shadows tonight.

Joining Nigel and Mary at the judge's table tonight are Michael Nunn and Billy Trevitt - they both come from the London Royal Ballet and are the creators of the BalletBoyz Dance Company. They are also filming a new TV show with Nigel about building an entirely new dance company from nationwide auditions. These two seem like pleasant blokes, but to say they are not super-fans of SYTYCD is the understatement of the summer. They've never seen the original versions of the routines being performed tonight. This seems crazy to me. If they knew Nigel professionally, don't you think they would've sampled his other dance tv show before starting their own with him?  Considering how personally connected Mary and Nigel are to the original versions of the dances, it's actually not bad to have people on the judging panel who don't have that baggage... except these two also haven't watched this season at all and don't have any idea who the dancers are. How is that helpful for the contestants midway through the season? I don't get it. Their comments have zero context, other than first impressions after 90 seconds of dance. So while as professional dancers i'm sure they'll have a lot to say about performance and technique, don't expect to hear a lot about contestant growth from these two.

National Dance Day happened 104 US Olympic medals ago. I hope you got your groove on! If not this show has a montage you'll like to see. But I kinda skipped it.

Before we get to the solos, there is a new Mia Michaels group number for the top 14. There are ropes from the ceiling, and roses in hand and formal wear and upside-down spiderman open-mouth kisses. Then in the end maybe everyone dies? Or just collapses from exhaustion? I didn't really dig this group number the first time through, but I played it back and liked it better. Not my favorite group number from Mia, but it's solid. my favorite group number of hers wasn't even on the US version of the show.


Now on to the routines!

THEN

NOW

Cyrus and Eliana - The Door Routine - Originally performed by Twitch and Katee in Season 4. Danced to "Mercy" By Duffy. Man, I wouldn't want to be any of the girls following Katee in this. She was so fierce and balls out and crazy and Twitch was solid enough of a wall to take all the shit she was throwing at him and then send some of it back at her. Eliana seems to know it's a no-win for her to try to be Katee and will instead focus on bringing herself to it. In the routine Cyrus and Eliana both seem game and have energy, but it feels kinda sloppy. It doesn't have the precision nor the fluidity of the original dance. Meh. If this is a harbinger of things to come, we're in for a rough night. Mary and Nigel are like "huh... maybe this wasn't the great idea we thought it would be." They swear Eliana killed it, and that Cyrus brought his energy to it, but they sound like they're trying to convince themselves of that fact. Nunn-Trevitt thought it was great, but it's also the first couple dance they've ever seen on the show. Cat throws out the numbers but I wonder if people will be that inspired to vote tonight, as the choreography is really the star this week.

THEN:

NOW:

George and Tiffany - Hometown Glory Routine - Originally performed by by Katee and Joshua in Season 4. Danced to pre-Global Megastardom Adele's "Hometown Glory." OOF. Here's another routine I wouldn't want to touch. This one is famous for Katee's assisted run, but also for the amazing connection between Katee and Joshua and their undeniabile ferocity and commitment to the routine.God these kids have so much to live up to tonight. It really seems unfair. In performance, this is better than the Door Routine, but Tiffany is trying a bit too hard. The assisted run didn't really have the drama we know it potentially could have, as Tiffany almost left George behind there. George is really great though. I'm not sure why he's not a big vote-getter. It's not that his technique is lacking, that's for sure. The judges like it just fine. They love George. They love Tiffany. They too thought the assisted run wasn't really executed as a super-wow moment, but they like what these two did. 

THEN:

 NOW:

Amelia and Will - The Butt Dance - Originally performed by Randi and Evan in Season 5. Performed to "Koop Island Blues"—Koop feat. Ane Brun. This new rendition is okay, but I didn't really think the original was much to write home about in the first place. Sorry, Mia fans! It doesn't grab me the way some of her more dramatic pieces do. I know she won an Emmy for it, but still, it's VERY much designed specifically for Evan and Randi and even moreso for Randi's butt and other butts simply need not apply for the job. Also, Will starts off doing this very shaky head thing that I assume is his attempt to make the routine his own through mugging. Amelia's character never really comes through. Will is lacking subtlety. It's weird. It's like the movement doesn't fit on them right. They explored similar character work in the Alley Cats routine from earlier in this season with much better results. The judges are all "Meh... we miss Randi's butt. Bring back THE BUTT!" Will Randi be an All-Star? Tune in next week to find out!

THEN:

NOW:

Dareian and Janelle - The Bed Dance - Originally performed by Kherington and Twitch in Season 4. Performed to Dreaming with a Broken Heart by John Mayer. (If you are keeping score. Season 4 had some badass Mia routines.) Someone online mentioned that this would've been a better fit physically for Chehon and Witney and I agree, Twitch and Chehon are not exactly stand-ins for one another. Dareian does look great shirtless though! Beyond physique, I actually think he has one of his best performances on the show tonight. There is emotion and character and technique all working for him. Janelle is not doing as well, getting kinda lost in the background. Her hair keeps getting flung in her face too. She seems kinda out of it. Her rehearsal package mentioned that she was going through a romantic break up of her own presently, and maybe she's just too close to it. This isn't a bad version of the routine, but if this was the first time seeing it, you wouldn't think it warranted being brought back in a "best of" night. Mary and Nigel again are like "Eh... okay...?" Nunn points out Dareian's feet as if it's the first we've heard of it, but I guess this means the problem hasn't really improved much since the beginning of the season. Nunn calls them "the young man" and "the young lady"  because he doesn't know their names. Trevitt mentions "Titch" and Cat's beautiful eyes grow wide and slightly panicked as she corrects him "Twitch! Twitch!" Somehow Teitch happens not be in the audience tonight, so the awkwardness is mitigated. But seriously, these two dudes have NEVER seen the show before if they don't know their Titch from Twitch.

THEN:

NOW:

Audrey and Matthew - The My Dad is Dead Dance - Originally performed by Neil and Lacey in Season 3. Performed to "Time" by Billy Porter. This dance has always been 90% character and 10% steps and was originally danced by two contestants who had a much stronger connection to Mia as she was going through this, than Audrey and Matthew have now. They obviously want to do the dance justice since it is so personal to her, but Matthew falls out of it in places. Audrey had a better go of it. The routine also feels very short. It goes by so fast. I don't really know what else to say about it. The judges are like "The music is still nice. The memory of the awesome original dance carries it for a distance, but you guys missed the point." They are especially harsh on Matthew which is not good for him since his last routine pre-Olympics was weak and he's probably in danger tonight. Nigel really hounds them about whether or not they know who Mia's dad was, and that seems a little unfair. I'm sure they know whatever Mia felt comfortable sharing with them. A lesson now on who he was isn't going to help their routine. Poor Matthew seems crushed by the critique. Aww!

THEN:

NOW:

Chehon and Witney - The Bench Routine - Originally performed by Travis and Heidi in Season 2. Performed to "Calling You" by Celine Dion. The iconic routine that started them all, really! Again, it's so hard to hear this music or see the bench and not picture Travis and Heidi. Chehon is so much bigger than Travis. It's a little weird seeing him do the same movements, but I have to say they brought a slightly different emotional interpretation to it that worked for them. The hands pressing up agains the steal bench move didn't really have the emotional heft that Travis and Heidi had, but what can you do? I think Chehon and Witney have been the most successful thus far in terms of getting the storytelling down as well as the steps. The judges really dig it. Nigel tells the backstory of this dance re: Mia fell in love with a gay man and he couldn't accept her love and stepped away from it for fear of really hurting her. I don't know if it was necessary to explain it, but he certainly stated it well (much better than I just recapped it). Nunn-Trevitt know a talented Ballet Boy when they see one and want Chehon in their company. Heehee!

THEN:

NOW:

Cole and Lindsay - Addiction Dance - Originally performed by Kayla and Kopono in Season 5. Performed to "Gravity" by Sarah Bareilles. Oh, this is probably one of my top 5 routines ever. Maybe top 3. I think these two can actually do it justice. Kayla was so fantastically wrecked-looking in the original though and starting out Lindsay looks a little too composed. Her technique is great and her facial expressions are spot on, but she doesn't look so strung out as she might. And maybe that's not really required for a reinterpretation, but the original made such a strong impact it's hard to step back with a clean perspective. Cole is super creepy as the Addiction, and he's not quite in the same vein of evil as Kopono was. There's a sharpness to his movement and brutal coldness to his expression that is very striking. Kopono creepily relished being the Addiction, while Cole has no human consideration factoring in at all. It really works for me. The judges are like "FINALLY! One that totally worked!" They all agree that Lindsay and Cole are by far the best of the night. Nigel admits that the night as a whole was underwhelming, but opines that dancers need to be able to go in to dances that were not designed specifically for them, and perform them as if they were. Fair enough. This just wasn't a good idea. The show is always eager to try new things and sometimes they flop (i.e. going to contestant's homes to tell them in front of their families that they are not gonna be in the Top 20) but at least they try. If one good thing comes out this, it will be that they now for sure will not attempt a "Best of Tyce Diorio" night. Silver lining indeed!

Bottom 3 Guys and Girls? George, Dareian and Matthew, Amelia, Janelle and Lindsay. Well, I don't think they will send Lindsay home 30 seconds after saying she was the best of the night. The boys I'm not so sure of. Everyone's dancing solos though! They still have a fighting chance!

The solos are all fine. They don't provide a lot of clarification as to who you think should go home, but I betting it's George and Lindsay who stay. And I'm right! Amelia seems pretty crushed. The others are sad, but try to take it in stride. Dareian cries! Oh, Dareian!
.

The show runs short by like 4 minutes. Cat is trying to stretch out the goodbyes as long as humanly possible. Are they going to reveal next week's All-Stars? They are not. Boo-urns! We do wind up getting about two minutes of Credits-Dance where everyone is hugging and crying. I love when we get to see this at the end, so the extended cut of it makes up a bit for the fact that the routines themselves were kind of underwhelming.Even the judges get on stage for hugs and consolation. Mia gives Dareian one million kisses. Nigel consoles Amelia non-lecherously. Mary slings an arm around Lindsay's shoulder as her ballroom girl survives another elimination. It's all adorable.

Tonight Routines in order of my Preference:
Cole & Lindsay's Addiction Dance
Chehon and Witney's Bench Dance
George and Tiffany's Hometown Glory Routine
Audrey and Matthew's Dad Dance (Matthew unsaved)
Dareian and Janelle's Bed Dance (both unsaved)
Amelia and Will's Butt Dance  (Amelia unsaved)
Cyrus and Eliana's Door Dance

Next week. New Routines! All-Stars! Thank goodness.Eliana is FREE! Spread your wings and fly, girl! 10 dances next week. Can't wait to see who is coming back. I once again have my fingers crossed for Katee and Jakob. Maybe this will finally be the year my All-Star wish will be granted! Until next time, Dance Fans!