America's Got Talent Recap: Season Premiere

Hey all so just so you know I am not just a fan of So You Think You Can Dance, I will be recapping other reality shows on this blog as well, starting with America's Got Talent. I've watched this show from the beginning and still can't believe Neal beat out Nuttin' But Stringz or my personal favorite Eli Mattson last year. Oh well.

Sorry for the lateness of this blog but I got in trouble for screaming at one of the acts (more on that later) which woke up my parents who made me turn the show off. Anyway on to the show...

I've already seen plenty of previews and can guarantee the chicken catcher who sings country music and the siblings who woke their mother up from a coma will both make the finals. The country guy is good, but not really my thing, and while I didn't like the siblings' voices at first they have started to grow on me as I saw their commercial more and more.

But first we have to get through the audition rounds. I wonder how many times they'll mention Susan Boyle in the intro (I bet they'll mention her much more than they mention Neal).

Well no specific mention of Susan, just clips from the various world versions of this show with a large shot of Susan at the end and Piers' reaction to her voice (because of course they can't show Simon's reaction since he's not a judge on this show...)

And the siblings who woke up their mom already appear in the intro as well, though at least they showed the young girl who in my view is the most talented of the three.

Quick comments from the judges- Piers wants a unique act to win (especially after two singers winning in the past three years I bet), Sharon loves how this show makes dreams come true, and David says the show is fun, especially with the wacky acts.

Why is Nick Cannon in front of the White House for the intro? That's kind of random... OMG he's going to dance with one of the acts! This I got to see.


I didn't watch most of the acts they showed in the intro because I wanted to be surprised when they came out but that young boy dancer looked really good.

Nick gets his photo AND name in the credits- Regis and Jerry never got that. Hmm...

So wait, there are no auditions in Washington DC?? Then why the hell is Nick there???

First up, NYC. I think we see those three siblings here since I know they are from upstate NY.

The judges get their traditional big intro and now it's time for the auditions. Nick certainly knows how to work a crowd.

First up is a cute teacher's aide named Ray Schwarz. He's a singer and dancer who hopes to touch people with his music. Please let him be good!!! Well his voice isn't horrible but his "dancing" consists of shaking and waving his arms back and forth. Too bad he seemed like a nice guy. The audience is hating it but the judges dig it for a bit. Oh wait there's David with the X,and Piers soon follows. And there goes Sharon. Ray says he needs improvement, and Piers wonders how bad he was before lessons! Ouch. At least the judges are nice in their rejections.

Montage of bad acts. Jay Brunelle plays guitar and sings badly while slipping on a unicycle. Andy Lopata ( a forty-year old white guy, mind you) does some "rap" that sounds like rhythmic poetry more than rap. Sky and Vlad Eros Fire (cool name) do a fire dance but Sky's hair catches on fire halfway through. They even needed fire extinguishers to put out the blaze! The judges are not impressed.

Now we have moved to Chicago. Oh yeah I forgot they are going to jump back and forth between cities like they did last year. I hated it then and I hate it now- too confusing. Ooh Johnny Depp lookalike.

Moses Lanham- A movie usher with a unique talent. Apparently he's the only living person who can do what he does, and it is dangerous. This could be really good or really bad. His act is turning his feet 180 degrees and then walking. That sounds really painful and cool, though I don't know how he could sustain this for a whole act in Vegas. Well he does it, and it is cool and weird, but like I said what will he do in the next round to top this? Haha love the look on Nick's face. Piers X's him when he gets grossed out enough, but the guy even has a tie on the back of his shirt and then puts his back to the audience but with the tie and his feet he looks like he is just facing forward with his head turned around! David agrees with me that it's not enough to sustain an act though, and even the audience is lukewarm. Sharon says no, and Piers says he got physically ill. I'm not surprised though at least he actually has talent, unlike the other rejects so far.

Nick turns his clothes and shoes around and imitates Moses as he walks off the stage! I think I'm going to like Nick as the host.

Ooh sad music starting- that means the next act will be good and have a sob story to boot.

They are a six-man group called FootworKINGz. They grew up in bad neighborhoods and want to inspire others to go for their goals. They have a motto but I can't really understand it- something about water I think. They are full of confidence, already predicting they can win the million. They start out running in a circle and I wonder where the dancing is but once they start they are really good. They are essentially a group that dances hip hop in unison. It got a little repetitive with the choreography but there's no doubt these guys have skills. The audience loves it as well. Piers and Sharon loved it, but David worries they won't be able to sustain the act for an hour show, which is a fair point. However they deservedly get through to Vegas.

We stay in Chicago after the break...

Shine- a four-person sibling act called Shine who sing uplifting, positive music. One of them names themselves the happiest group in America, and they certainly seem it. They start to sing and the audience turns on them right away. I don't think they are that bad but I'm getting a strong Brady Bunch vibe from them, and I don't think that's a good thing. They even have the corny group choreography down pat. The voices get even worse as the song goes on but Sharon lets them finish the act. They have never been booed by an audience before but still seem upbeat after the song. Three no's from the judges.

More "uplifting acts". Four men dressed in red and green jumpsuits look like tomatoes call themselves The Positive Brothers. They dance okay but seem out of sync, and the judges send them on their way. Laura Velgos strips and dances while her mother? Alicia plays accordian. They claim the act is original, but it's not original in a good way. Christy Marie sings Cher and I don't think she's that bad either but the audience and judges give her a quick no. Wow they are harsh tonight. Jay Jay comes out in a rocker-esque wig and plays something on a keyboard that just sounds weird and creepy. He too is sent packing.

Wow a half hour in and only one good act so far! Hopefully the action will pick up soon.

Still in Chicago- when are they going back to NY?

Next up is an impersonator, and I'm guessing by the patriotic music it's an Obama lookalike. Well better than all the Bush guys we got last year. Wow he really does look like the president. His real name is Peter Peterkin by the way. He's actually pretty funny in his standup routine, saying he always must say five "thank yous" when he is introduced. Then he puts on a wig and does a little James Brown, and hey his voice is pretty good as well. He claims to do 300 impressions and play 15 instruments. David thought it got lame at the end. Piers liked the uniqueness of the Obama impression but questions the singing. Really? I thought his voice was the best part. He does some spot on Little Richard as well. Sharon says yes, as do David and Piers! He didn't blow me away but he was entertaining for sure.

And out comes Nick in the James Brown wig!! Awesome!!!

Montage of good acts (finally). Black Fire Percussion is a group of youths who play drums while tossing sticks in the air too. I didn't love it but the judges did. Anointed S is a "vocal percussionist" aka beatboxer. Not my thing but he's good at what he does. Unexpected Step Team does some cool moves despite the weird cheerleading outfits.

After the break we meet Debbie Victor, who has worked on her act for fifty years. I have a feeling she's going to be bad, talking about how her act is unique. She does animal sounds as an act- these people have auditioned before and never gotten through, and I don't think that's going to change now. She starts out sounding like a sick dog, but her monkey is pretty good. She does a sheep and then another animal I don't recognize before getting X'd off the stage.

Animal acts!!! Tommy and Diane Long have a mini horse that supposedly plays golf but ends up just moving the club around in the air.

Next up is Rockin' Rory, an adorable dog whose owner Tony found him at a shelter. Ooh a frisbee act (I think). Tony throws Rory some frisbees and Rory grabs every one, dancing and jumping over Tony in the process. Rory even stands on Tony's feet at one point. I wasn't that impressed at first but then Rory bounces off Tony's chest to grab frisbees from the air. I have to admit that's kind of cool. Still not really my thing though. Piers says the dog looks like he flies, which he does. The judges all say yes, and the audience gives him a sitting (not standing) ovation.

Now we're off to Seattle. Wow NYC's getting the shaft in this episode. I remember the Idol auditions here were historically bad (and I think so were the SYTYCD ones) so my expectations aren't too high.

Brad Byers is a small-town guy hooked on show business. This is the act that got me screaming at the TV and waking up my parents by the way.When he was young he appeared in his grandmother's talent show and has been hooked to performing ever since. He is doing a fishing trip gone wrong with a hook and anchor. Okay..... Wow he literally sticks the hook through his nose and has it come out his mouth!!! Ew!!!! Then he attaches the anchor to the hook and swings his head back and forth like it is nothing! He even pulls the hook back out without any sign of blood! But he's not done yet. He then takes out a drill, turns it on, and sticks it through his nose! Wow! This is gross but kind of cool. And out comes the drill, with not a bit of blood on it. Even Nick is grossed out. Brad adds that he does lots of other similar things as well, including putting out a propane blowtorch on his tongue. I actually want to see that. The judges (minus Sharon) agree it was gross but entertaining, and he is sent through to Vegas.

Another montage of bad acts, this time Seattle style. EmpeROAR Fabulous dresses in silver and glitter and does a weird strip singing act. Louie Lichtenstein attaches a suitcase to a rope and flings it around the stage for a bit. Kerry Christensen does yodeling that sounds like a chicken. Cirkus Pandemonium balance on top of each other and do things with fire. Johnny Bagpipes plays bagpipes (shocker!) and plays them badly.

After the break we are still in Seattle and still have weird acts. Noel the Freak attaches hooks to his eyes and various objects to the other end of the hooks while his partners break those items one by one. That's like Brad's act but weirder. The judges say no, but I think that was just as impressive as Brad's act before and he got through.

Note to all reality show producers- NEVER go to Seattle for auditions again. That's three shows now that have had disastrous auditions there.

Next up are three girls -ages 15, 11, and 14-the EriAm Sisters. They write songs together and practice every day. Aw... They are really close and hope to be the next Destiny's Child. Nick is just happy to have found some normal people in Seattle. They come out with cool choreography and singing "I Want You Back". All three get solos at the mike and all have great voices, though the 11 year old (who got the bulk of the solos) is the best in my opinion. Even the background harmonies sound great, and the whole audience is up on their feet. This is my favorite act so far, and the judges love them too. They really do remind me of a young Destiny's Child. Piers is surprised the two older sisters can sing since the youngest one got most of the solos. He also gives them good advice on staying closer together when they sing. David says they are the most talented kids he's ever seen on the show (even better than Bianca Ryan????). Sharon loves them as well and they are sent straight through to Vegas! Yay they were awesome!

Finally another montage of good acts after the commercial. The Jesse White Tumbling Team (including a 74 year old- wow!) do lots of acrobatic air tricks. Though it looks like the 74 year old is just the conductor/leader and doesn't do any tumbling. That would have been really impressive. The Urban Nation Hip Hop Choir remind me of a gospel choir you hear at church (not necessarily a bad thing). Draconik breathe fire and do other fire tricks, like one guy putting fire on a hula hoop and putting it around his neck. It was kind of hard to see much of what their act was with the short segment but it seemed kind of cool.

David Johnson is a loan officer who has played guitar since high school. He first started to write a song in high school about his crush from Baywatch. He sort of implies the crush is Pamela Anderson but why do I get the feeling the song is about The Hoff. His guitar playing is not bad, and neither is the singing, but the song itself is kind of perverted. And yes the song is about David Hasselhoff!!! I totally called that! Apparently David (the contestant) bought Knight Rider on DVD and the Hoff's speedos from the internet. Wow. He really was pretty good though, and the song was actually kind of funny. Piers felt the emotion, David thought the song was very true. Of course David says yes, but he's sad the person who wrote a song about him was a man! Ha! Sharon says no, so it's down to Piers. Come on Piers, he actually has some talent! Sure enough he gets through to the next round! He won't last too long there but I want to see what else this guy can come up with.

Hey Neal Boyd has a new CD out- including "God Bless the USA"- I love that song! Ooh and he's on tour with Britain's Got Talent winner Paul Potts- those who like that kind of music (which I don't) will love that show.

Woah one of the auditioners looks like a guy who auditioned for Idol a few years back- I forget his name but I know he was really bad.

Next up are Bruce and Simone, lovers clad in silver. They feel they are soulmates, especially singe Simone loves Bruce's feet and soft hair. Bruce thinks Simone is the most beautiful thing he's ever seen. Of course they are going to suck but at least they will suck together. Bruce however thinks they are going to win. They have a double hoop act, whatever that means. They are actually not as bad as I thought they would be. They do lots of sexual-looking acts in the hoop. At one point Bruce stands on Simone as the hoop rotates around in the air. It's kind of boring to me but the audience and judges seem to dig it. Nick wants a hoop for his bedroom haha- I can't picture him and Mariah doing that. Piers thinks they should keep the act in the bedroom but Sharon enjoyed it. David says no, Sharon says yes. Sharon tells Piers if he says yes the two of them can do that act later. I'd much rather see that then see these two lovebirds again but Piers does put them through. They do have some talent but I don't think they will last long in Vegas.

Woohoo they are back in NYC (finally!) There haven't been any good New York acts so far but hopefully that will change.

The NYC Gay Men's Chorus sing "Single Ladies"- yes that "Single Ladies". Their voices only sound okay but the mere awesomeness of them choosing that song puts them through.

Joseph Maracina is from Queens, and he does impressions. He claims he can do anyone's voice. Well his normal voice sounds like Robert Deniro a bit... He starts out with some Nicholson and I think it's pretty good but Piers X's him right away. Well the impression isn't bad but what he is saying isn't really funny. He then does Anthony Hopkins, which I can't judge since I don't know what he sounds like. This gets two more X's and boos from the crowd. The judges claim the actual impressions weren't that good, but I thought it was the routine itself that wasn't funny. Either way he gets three no's.

Next are Zoe and Dave. They are dancers who at first worked together and then fell in love. I think this is the act where little Zoe picks up large Dave with her bare hands. They call themselves Paradizo Dance and dance to "No Air". I'm getting SYTYCD flashbacks with the song choice. In fact Zoe picks up Dave three times in the dance, though to me there doesn't seem to be much dancing in the piece-just lots of lifts. He picks her up as well, and while she seems very graceful he does not. I like Zoe a lot as a dancer but Dave really takes away from the piece for me. The judges and audience seem to love it though. Apparently Dave weighs 240 lbs and Zoe is around 100 lbs. That part of the piece was cool but the rest was only okay. The judges send them through to the next round, though I hope they don't last much longer.

And last but not least are Voices with Glory aka the siblings from the previews who woke their mother up from a coma. Of course the producers save the best story for last to drum up popularity for these guys right away (as if the commercials they were in did not pump them up enough). Their ages are 16, 13, and 9. They haven't even mentioned their mother yet. But then of course Piers asks them about their inspiration and they get into the story. Their mother was in a head on collision in a car and they sang by her bedside to comfort while she was in a coma. They even sang to others in the hospital as well. And of course the mother is now alive and backstage, as the previews showed. Now for the singing. They are certainly talented, but they are not worth all the hype they are getting in my view. The young girl is really good but the two older boys are only okay. The girl does get the main part of the song while the boys sing background, but I don't even love their harmonies that much. I would much rather the girl group
from earlier (the three sisters) make it to the finals instead. Either that or the girl should just get a solo career and leave her brothers behind. Piers says they are the "pride of America", David says their mother is proud of them. Sharon is in tears and the audience demands the mother be brought out. She's in a wheelchair but other than that she looks good for having been in a coma for eight months. Sharon cries some more. Piers says we must judge them as performers but he thinks the singing was one of the best he's heard. Really?? I did not think they were that good at all but maybe it's just my taste. Of course they get right through to Vegas.

So that's it for tonight's show. The only act that really wowed me were the EriAm Sisters, though Rockin Rory and FootworKINGz also impressed me. I also want to see what Brad Byers does next, weird as his act may be.

So what are your thoughts on tonight's show? Were you as disappointed with Voices with Glory as I was? Who else are your early standouts? Post your comments below.

So You Think You Can Dance Recap: Top 18 Results

Hey all glad to see I actually have some followers on this blog. I really appreciate the fact that you like my blog enough to keep coming back. Anyway on to this week's results show. I'm glad to see from reading other blogs that I was not the only one who did not like Jonathan and Karla's routine, though I do seem to be the only one who did not like Melissa and Ade's. Still both of the duos doing Shane's routines, Ashley/Kupono and Jason/Caitlin, should be in the bottom. After that it's hard to tell.

Cat looks much better tonight in a stylish white button down blouse and pants.

There are rumors the highly anticipated Katie Holmes dance routine will be aired tonight. It was supposed to be for the 100th episode later this year but since the cat is out of the bag (yay Internet!) some think the producers might just show it tonight instead. I've never seen Katie sing or dance but I want to see what she can do.

The group routine is choreographed by Mia, as Nigel spoiled last night. The song is "Higher Ground" by Stevie Wonder and features all the dancers in black leather and face makeup that makes them look like animals. Lots of leaping across the stage, especially by the guys. A bunch of guys have a small group solo in the beginning and look fierce. I think that Ade in the front looking creepy yet powerful. Three girls follow but don't pack as much of a punch. Then they all dance in unison looking like a combo of Frankenstein's monster and Dracula. Mia's style isn't really my thing but there were moments (particularly the group male solo in the beginning) that were really cool.

First up is a montage of Lil C's comments from last night- aka his "Dictionary of Dance". Very appropriate seeing as a topic on the blogs today was Lil's odd rambling comments that often made not sense. The crowd and dancers seemed just as confused as we were doing the montage. Even choreographers Shane and Brian? (the guy who did the pop dance number) seem perplexed. But Lil C gets a hug from Nigel to cheer him up.

The first three couples are Melissa and Ade, Jason and Caitlin, and Phillip and Jeanine. Interesting. Melissa and Ade are clearly safe, but that means one or maybe both of the three worst couples last night is safe as well. Melissa and Ade are first, and sure enough they are safe. No surprise there. I still didn't love Melissa last night but Ade is starting to grow on me. I'd guess Jason and Caitlin are in the bottom and Phillip and Jeanine are safe but I hope both are in the bottom to be honest. Jason called their dance from last night a "hip not". Ha! Hopefully Cat will say now that at least one of them are in the bottom. Sure enough she says only one of them is safe. I like Phillip and Jeanine better overall though after watching replays of their dance last night I can see the poor technique the judges were talking about. And like I thought they are safe thanks to Phillip's popularity. Jason and Caitlin are in the bottom and in danger of going home. This is bad news for Asuka/Vitolio and Jonathan/Karla, one of whom will likely take the third spot in the bottom three now.

Mary is not surprised but is disappointed at how poorly they did after doing so well the week before. I still didn't think their Bollywood routine was that good though... She says they are great individually and will have to show that in their solos.

After the break the next three couples are out on stage: Brandon and Janette, Jonathan and Karla, and Kupono and Ashley. Dang that means Jonathan and Karla are likely safe and Kupono and Ashley are in the bottom. So Asuka and Vitolio are likely couple number three in the bottom even though they were one of my favorites last night. For some reason people don't like Asuka but she and Janette are the only two females I really like this year. Brandon and Janette are indeed safe (shocker!) and I love the excitement on their faces when they find out. Now I'm assuming Kupono and Ashley are in the bottom since their routine was worse and Kupono is not popular enough like Phillip to save the two of them despite a bad routine. Apparently their nickname is Ashono! Awesome! Though one or both of them may go tonight, which would defeat the point of the nickname. Funny though- their routine looks better in the clips we see tonight than it looked last night. But either way they are indeed in the bottom, and Jonathan looks so cute celebrating in delight. So both of Shane's numbers were not popular with viewers- but those were the obvious picks for the bottom three. The next duo should be the interesting one.

Lil C has a similar reaction to Mary before- they were great last week but bad this week. He adds it shows what happens when dancers go outside their comfort zone. Except Jonathan was outside his own style this week and the judges (though not me) loved him. The good think about this is I get to see Kupono's solo, which I loved in his first audition. I don't really care about Ashley but I hope he stays.

Now for the final three groups- but first a treat for Evan, who is on the far left with Randi and thus likely safe. A "familiar face" auditioned for season 6 of this show. Yay it's Ryan!!!!!!!!! We get a clip of his audition, and his tap routine (minus the whoopie cushion) is even better than his audition from this season. And he gets a ticket to Vegas!!!!!!!!!! I can't wait for the fall now!

Evan apparently didn't know about this and teared up as the clip ended. And there's big brother in the crowd holding up six fingers for season six. Hopefully Evan will be safe this week so they can be happy together.

Anyway on to the results. The other two duos in limbo are Asuka and Vitolio and Max and Kayla. Actually of the three Evan and Randi were my least favorite, but I love Evan overall. Max and Kayla were my least favorite of the three, and though I know some didn't like their routine I think they will be safe. I hope Asuka and Vitolio will be safe instead, but I doubt it. First up are Evan and Randi and sure enough they are safe, to the delight of Ryan. OMG ASUKA AND VITOLIO ARE SAFE!!! Happy dance!!! They look delighted, though some of the other dancers, namely Melissa and Randi, look as shocked as me.

This should be interesting now. No way the judges said Kayla home, and Max is probably safe too. But any combo of the other four could be out. I'd rather they send home Ashley and Caitlin but since they can't do that I hope Kupono stays since I have liked him from the beginning.

Nigel is partially shocked. He points out that the bottom three are completely different from last week, which shows how close a race this is. He thinks a lot of people did not understand choreographer Brian's work, which makes sense since I saw on the blogs many who did not like their dance because it was so "out there".

This week's special guest dancer is a Bollywood dancer whose name I can't spell or pronounce. It starts out really slow but then as the beat picks up she goes into a ridiculous amount of spins in a row. The rest of the dance is a lot of body shaking while the dancer stands in place. She did the dance well but I'm more of a fan of fun, faster Bollywood dances.

The solos:

Caitlin- The song is "Make You Feel My Love" by Adele. Hey this is the song Kris Allen did on Idol that made him my favorite. Anyway the dance is solid, though for me not amazing. She has some nice moves and then a cool flip thing at the end.

Jason- The song is "Superman" by Robin Thicke. Yay another current song, though this one I don't know. Now this dance made me say "Wow". He has great leaps and beautiful lines throughout. I think that may have just saved him, which is bad news for Kupono.

For what it's worth both of these two got huge cheers after their solos.

Ashley- The song is "By Your Side" by Coco Rosie, whoever that is. It was okay but she spent much of the solo dancing around the stairs and looking kind of like a strip dancer with her clothes on. Her bright red lipstick doesn't help her in this regard.

Kupono (please be good, please be good!!!)- The song is "Many Moons" by Janelle Monae. I love him but I'm not feeling this solo. A bit too fast and a bit too much running around and not enough dancing. I think both he and his partner are in trouble.

Both of them seemed to get less cheers than either Jason or Caitlin after their solos.

20 minutes left in the show- I guess the producers are saving the Katie Holmes dance for the 100th episode.

Kayla (no way she gets sent home unless she literally falls- and even then she might be safe)- The song is "Walking on Air" by Kerli- again never heard of the song or artist. It was actually a good song choice since she did look like she was trying to walk on air during the dance. It didn't blow me away but it was as good as Kaitlin's and better than Ashley's so she should be fine. Though even she did not as many cheers as Caitlin and Jason.

Max- OMG he's dancing to "Footloose"!!! He should get saved just for doing that. The dance is a jive, and the kick portions are just fabulous. The rest is solid but not spectacular, but like with Kayla I don't think the judges would have sent him home unless he was really bad.

My favorite of the six was Jason's. Caitlin and Kayla were a tie for first on the female side. Sadly I think this should be the end of Ashley and Kupono, as their routines paled in comparison to the others, in my opinion.

While the judges deliberate we have special guest Kristinia DeBarge, who admittedly I have never heard of. Apparently Katy Perry, One Republic, and Lady Gaga all made their first TV appearances on this show. And perhaps not coincidentally, all of them have also been on Idol in the past two seasons.

She sings her hit single "Goodbye". Oh I've heard this- it's the song that rips off that "Hey, Hey, Hey Goodbye" chant I always hear at sporting events. I didn't realize she sang this- that's what happens when your local radio station plays the same songs over and over yet rarely says what each song is called/who sings it before they play it. Kristinia is wearing VERY short shorts and has a cavalry of backup dancers. She even dances along with them and does pretty well. I don't love this song but there's a lot of songs I didn't like at first that started to grow on me over time ("Poker Face" and "Boom Boom Pow" among them). And the ripped off chorus is actually kind of catchy.

And now finally it's time for the results. First up are the girls. Hmm Nigel says they were not unanimous on either the guys or the girls. Odd, since I thought this week the solos were more clear cut than last week. Then again a lot goes into their decision besides the solos I'm sure. The judges loved Caitlin's quality of movement and control in her solo. They felt Ashley had great Hollywood glamor in her solo but it had no substance. They thought Kayla has been great in the past but had too much going on in her solo. I see where they are coming from but I'd rather have a solo with too much like hers than with too little like Ashley's. And the judges agree, sending Ashley home. I wonder who was the one who did not vote for her. I'm guessing whoever did voted for Kayla instead, though all three of them loved her last night.

I forgot this was the fourth time she had auditioned for the show. I feel bad that she got cut so soon but her solo really did have little dancing in it.

Now time for the guys. The judges loved Jason's solo- they called it the best on the series to date! Do they mean best this season or best ever? I don't know if it was best ever and I even think Vitolio's last week was a bit better than his though it was close. They don't even keep him waiting and send him to safety. Not surprising- his was the best solo of the night for sure. The judges felt that Kupono's solo had little substance, though they like the different characters that he takes on in a dance. They think Max works really hard and understand how difficulty it is for a ballroom dancer to do a solo. It sounds like they are setting up to cut him, which would surprise me but make me happy since I do like Kupono more than Max. And indeed they do cut Max. Wow that's a shocker. I didn't even think he would be in the bottom three, plus I thought they wanted more ballroom dancers since they don't have that many this year yet they have Phillip to do hip hop dancing like Kupono. While I do like Kupono more overall I do think the judges got it wrong based on the solos tonight. Plus I thought Max and Kayla were locks for the top 10. The best thing for Kupono is he is partnered with judges' favorite Kayla now so hopefully he won't be in the bottom three anymore.

Anyway that's all for tonight's show. What did you think of tonight's elimination? Did the judges make the right decision? Post your comments below.

So You Think You Can Dance Recap: The Top 18 Peform

Hey all so it's time for the next round of performances on SYTYCD. It will be hard for the contestants to live up to the greatness of last week. Also I think going in Asuka/Vitolio and Karla/Jonathan are in trouble because of their lack of fan bases.

Cat is wearing a red dress with a giant bow/ruffles on one side. It looks really weird and unflattering on her, as beautiful as she is.

Love Brandon's flip in his solo in the beginning. Vitolio does some cool hip hop moves to try to increase his fan base. Jonathan does a semi-cartwheel and looks very cute in a T-shirt and jeans- guess he's going for the tween vote. Asuka and Karla get by far the least amount of cheers. None of the solos really stood out to me except maybe Brandon's.

Tonight's guest is Lil C. He seems to be a good judge from what I've seen, though he of course is one of the judges who is lukewarm on Brandon. Hopefully Brandon can make Lil C change his mind. He thought last week was a very solid beginning, whatever that means. Cat and Mary make more jokes about her botox line from last week. Nigel tells the dancers to show off their strengths, not their weaknesses, especially those who will be doing solos tomorrow.

The theme of the pre-performance packages is the contestants revealing their partners' secrets to the audience.

Randi and Evan- Randi has a dog that she treats like a child, including calling him and putting him on speakerphone. Aw that's really cute. Evan loves cars- he even built his own from scratch. That's cool but not as interesting as Randi's secret. They got the jive, one of my favorite ballroom styles. Neither of them have done it before though. Louis Van Amstel teaches them to show their personality in their dance. The dance is also very "fun", so much so that it is said 14 times in their short package. The song is "Shake a Tail Feather" by Ray Charles. It definitely was "fun" and fast, and they were very in sync on their kicks. The only complaint is that Evan's arm was sometimes awkward while he was stretching it out and he looked a little bit off in parts. Still it was a great way to start the show.

Hey Ryan's in the crowd again! Lil C says Evan looked a little too smooth and subtle, so he needs to work on his approach a bit more, while Randi was a firecracker. I agree, she was great and showed why she was picked for the top 20. I actually thought she outshined Evan but Lil C thought they were equal. Mary says it was "fun" and the "fun" counter on the bottom of the screen goes nuts. She adds that jive should have been their best dance but it fell a bit short. I agree. She also agrees with me and states that Randi did better than Evan, particularly on the kicks where she says Evan was sloppy, but she still enjoyed it. Nigel gives props to Louis after he got none last week. He also was disappointed in Evan and says he didn't have enough bounce in his kicks. Weird since I thought his kicks were the best part but I agree it wasn't as good as last week but still solid and fun He thinks Randi did a better job tonight but loves them as a couple. Aka- don't forget to vote for them! They were good not great but they should be popular enough to get through to another week.

Melissa and Ade- Melissa is married, and her sister married her husband's brother. So does that means her husband is her brother-in-law? I always get confused with those kinds of things. Ade's real name is Adetokunbo Isaac Kayode Obayomi. No wonder he goes by Ade. Yet people still pronounce this shortened name wrong too! This week they have a jazz routine with Sonja, who gets a big cheer when she pops up on screen. The dance is about a girl playing hard to get and a guy who hates to lose. So a lot of back and forth between the two dancers I guess. I'm kind of torn on Sonja's routines- sometimes I like them, sometimes I don't. It looks cool in the package, though they are struggling through the pain. They dance to another song I don't know "24 Hours" by Terry Poison. I thought Ade was really good but Melissa seemed a bit too dainty and not powerful enough at times. Ade really shone with some lifts and a leapfrog jump over Melissa where he landed on his feet. Also I didn't really love the routine itself- it seemed more like jumping than dancing, but maybe that's just me. Lil C says it was "buck", his signature term. He predicts Ade could be a favorite to win, and if he dances the way he did in that last number he might be. Though early faves like Brandon, Phillip, and Evan will be tough to beat. He thinks Melissa tried to submerge into the character, though I don't know if she succeeded. Mary decides to give them some tough love- because it's tough to find anything not to love. Another fakeout by Mary. I still didn't think Melissa was that good but then again it was hard to focus on her with Ade being so good. Nigel thinks Melissa equaled Ade's strength, and I disagree, at least at some points in the dance. But Ade was so good and the comments were so positive they should be around for a while.

Caitlin and Jason- Jason used to be obsessed with Michael Jackson. And we get some awesome home video of a four-year-old Jason in Jackson garb and wig doing the moonwalk! Caitlin talks like a baby and a velociraptor (not at the same time). No cute home movies of her though... They are doing hip hop with Shane. I didn't like Shane's group routine last week but maybe I'll like this one. By the way, I didn't know Shane was black. He tries to emphasize chemistry and character, though Caitlin accidentally pulls down Jason's pants in rehearsal. Dang even the hip hop song I don't know- "Missin You" by Trey Songz. The song is slow and kind of boring which takes away from the routine, and the movements are slow to go along with it. Caitlin does have a great solo in the middle and then does a ground flip thing right after it. They also had great chemistry but I found the routine itself kind of dull and not memorable. Lil C did not love it- he did not understand the end of the number, and calls it a "nightmare". Ouch. He thinks it was corny because it was danced so sharply. I didn't think it was that bad- I just found it not memorable at all. Mary says it was like Michael Jackson and Britney Spears because they danced so differently so it wasn't in sync. I didn't notice that at all but the replay in slow motion does show how Caitlin was more flowing and Jason more sharp. She can't understand why they were so off when last week they were so good. I didn't think they were that good last week either and I found some other bloggers who agreed with me. Nigel says Shane did a different style of hip hop to make them look good, and he did that. I agree with what Nigel is implying here- the routine wasn't the greatest but the two of them danced it well. Still they may be in trouble this week, though I doubt the judges would send them home unless their solos were really bad.

Janette and Brandon- Janette had bad teeth when she was young. It was really just giant front teeth, though you can't tell now. Brandon has never worked out a day in his life, even with his great body. I'm sure he gets that body from dancing, but that is still pretty amazing that he got those muscles from dancing. They are doing dreaded disco with Doriana Sanchez. Usually disco routines are unpopular with viewers, though these dancers are so popular hopefully that won't happen. The routine is really fast and Janette has trouble with it at first, and she doesn't seem too confident they will get the routine. Usually when someone says that the routine turns out great. They dance to "Loving Is Really My Game" by Brainstorm, which may or may not be a current song. And it looks really good to me. I hate disco but this is my favorite routine so far. It is fast and fun like the earlier jive but I think they both dance it better than Evan and Randi did. Brandon was the standout with his flips and lifts, though I think Janette held her own with such a strong partner. The crowd doesn't seem too enthused though. Lil C starts talking about labor and then says he saw the birth of progression in both dancers. He thought it was amazing. Yeah the judges liked it too!!! (or at least one of them did). He points out a mishap at the end that I didn't notice but sure enough the replay shows she tripped at the end. I didn't notice at all though so she hid it well. Mary thinks the routine was on fast forward it was so fast. She's never seen a disco that fast but thinks they both nailed it. She jokes Janette needs to work on her flexibility (she did some splits) and that Brandon needs to work on his strength (he did several strong lifts). They embodied everything disco ever was. And we get the first Mary scream of the night. Nigel says he would scream too if he could and calls it one of the best disco routines ever on the show. That's probably true since all the past disco routines have sucked. Apparently the choreographer was in Dirty Dancing and Nigel adds that this routine had more in it than the big lift routine at the end of the movie. That's high praise indeed. It certainly was the best of the night so far and no doubt they are safe for another week. And the best part is Brandon got Lil C on his side!!

Ooh Mia is doing the group dance tomorrow. So Brandon is dealing with his two nemeses in the second week!

Asuka and Vitolio- I hope they do well since I like them but they are unpopular for some reason. Vitolio is obsessed with motorcycles and wants to be a rockstar. Asuka makes spitballs, and Vitolio barely knows what they are- ha! They promise to be better this week. They hope to show personality but that will be hard with a waltz that they will do with Louis. Tough break that the two personality-less people get a slow boring dance. They have trouble getting romantic with each other so Louis makes it a dance on Vitolio's tough journey and upbringing. That's a good strategy I think. The song is "Dream Are More Precious" by Enya. Well at least I've heard of the artist, though not the song. The dance is beautiful, especially the lifts at the beginning and end. I usually don't like waltzes but found this one captivating, and the two of them danced it really well also. I especially loved the emotion on their faces during the dance. Too bad Asuka is really not popular because I think this routine could keep them out of the bottom this week. Mary is speechless- is that good or bad? She's crying, so I guess that's good. She calls it painfully beautiful and says Vitolio danced as honest as she's ever seen him. She points out a few flaws but overall thinks there were more amazing things than bad. Asuka also gets props for her emotion on her face, which really was believable. Lil C points out the choppy steps but says that was canceled out by the sincere emotion. He adds Asuka has dominant submission, which apparently is a good thing. Nigel says anyone not touched by that routine is heartless. He feels like they are a different couple this week- maybe because they actually had a good routine this week! And Louis deservedly gets more props from Nigel. They should be safe based on how they danced but I fear their unpopularity may cause them to be in the bottom if no one else stinks up the joint.

Max and Kayla- Max is the "house dad" in his apartment, as he does all the cooking. Guys who can cook are great, especially for me since I can't cook to save my life. Kayla texts a lot, like every other person in their teens and 20s nowadays. Mostly she texts her mom to say she's okay. Aww. She texts 100 words per minute- that's impressive. They are working with Brian Frideman, who has not been on the show in a few years so I've never seen his work. Apparently it is a pop/jazz style, which sounds cool. Kayla is a princess and Max wants to steal her throne by seducing her. The routine is strenuous on the body, and the dancers are getting battered and bruised. Another song I don't know, this one "Hot Like Wow" by Nadia Oh. This routine is great too. Kayla starts out on the couch while Max shows off for her and then they get up and dance with power and precision. The night started off a bit rough but the last three dances have been really great. At the end Max "kills" Kayla and gets her throne. Lil C says dancing is a language and dancers have to pick up choreographer's vernacular, which both of them did. He can't even critique Kayla because she was so good, and he gives Max props as well. I actually thought there was a short part where Kayla lost her energy a bit but otherwise she was great, as was Max. And Kayla's grandparents are back to cheer her on. Mary was pleasantly surprised by Max but he could not overtake Kayla. I'm not a big Kayla fan but she was great in this routine (mostly). Nigel thinks Kayla is a frontrunner. She probably is a frontrunner for the girls in particular since there are not too many standout girls this year. He adds Max has the problem of keeping up with Kayla but with his character he did tonight. Between their strong dance last week and their perhaps better one tonight they should be safe for another week, and likely a lot longer.

Jonathan and Karla- With Asuka and Vitolio's strong routine earlier these two are likely in the bottom three for sure with their limited fan bases. Karla is a great hip hop dancer even though she specializes in contemporary. She even belongs to a famous hip hop group that I've never heard of. Jonathan loves to sing, but he's not very good, according to Karla, and I concur. They don't want to be in the bottom again. They are dancing contemporary, so they better be good in Karla's specialty. They have a new teacher Stacey Tookey, and they will learn a dance about strangers having an accidental meeting and feeling chemistry. Jonathan is having trouble learning a new style; he particularly struggles with the lifts. They dance to "Falling Slowly"- woohoo a song I know! I don't know this version- only the one Kris Allen did on Idol, but close enough. They seemed to dance it pretty well and the lifts were beautiful but I felt something lacking- perhaps the chemistry. Mary says Jonathan did that style better than he did his own specialty of ballroom the week before. I agree, mainly because he really did not impress me with ballroom last week. She correctly points out that they are underdogs, (aka they have had zero prior screen time) but still thought they were amazing. She loved Kayla's lines and Jonathan's feet. Nigel loved Jonathan's center of gravity and says they came back from being in the bottom last week to have a great routine this week. Lil C thought it was in balance and again calls a dance "buck". I didn't like it as much as they did, and I thought the same thing last week when they were in the bottom three. With other strong dances tonight they too may be in trouble with their small fanbase.

Jeanine and Phillip- Phillip is a big nerd, as he is an engineering physics major. Love stories about nerds putting aside their school smarts to become dancers! He even has a collection of reptiles in his room. Jeanine has a teddy bear named Spanky, whom she calls the perfect boyfriend. Okay.... They are doing a tango, but neither of them have ballroom training, so this could be really good or really bad. Phillip accidentally groped Jeanine in rehearsals! Then she kicked him in his privates! Tony Meredith says "I'm nervous" to the camera and Jeanine and Phillip hear him! Like I said with Brandon and Janette's dance whenever it seems really bad in rehearsal it comes out great. The song is "Violento" by Bailango!, which sounds like a great tango song. Tango is not one of my favorite dances but they did it pretty well. Jeanine in particular was good though Phillip lost his posture a bit early on and stomped around a bit too much. Also like some of the early routines tonight it wasn't memorable for me. Mary gives Phillip an A+ in attitude but a C- in technique. Phillip seems to agree with this assessment. Jeanine's technique was better though and she did great. Cat accidentally calls Jeanine Janette- don't feel bad Cat I get them confused too! Lil C says Phillip had no confidence in the routine and it showed. I didn't notice that but I did notice the poor technique the second time around. Lil C says Phillip's knees were too bent, but Mary counters they are supposed to be. Cat goes to Tony Meredith to break the tie, and he sides with Mary. Lil C takes his defeat with grace. Nigel loved Phillip's bent knees. Ha! He points out Phillip's huge fanbase and that the tango is a technical dance. He points out that Phillip showed strain when lifting Jeanette, which I did not notice until the replay. He says it was not good technically but was entertaining, which is probably why I liked it. He also points out that this show is a learning process and Phillip should be allowed to grow more on the show and learn technical dances. They should be in the bottom based on their performance but with Phillip's popularity they likely won't be.

Ashley and Kupono- Kupono has weird OCD- everything must be straight, and he organizes his closet in a weird color-coded way. Ashley vomited on her entire class in first grade. That sucks for her but the story is awesome! They are doing hip hop with Shane, which should be good for Kupono. Plus it can't be much worse than Shane's first routine tonight. Ashley is Kupono's shadow in the dancing. Kupono has a hard time with the slow walks, and Ashley with the fast movement. Kupono breaks out his to-do list again (that thing is adorable) and it says "Find Your Inner Shane Sparks". I love him! (Kupono that is, not Shane). The dance is to "Imma Be" by Black Eyed Peas, another artist I've heard of but not the song. I thought the dance was okay but not amazing. I tried watching to see if they were in unison and it looked like they were though it was hard to tell. Mary says it was okay- she didn't hate it but she didn't love it. She adds it wasn't memorable. I agree on both counts. Lil C says there was no synchronization because Kupono was struggling so much. He thinks Ashley did what she could and saved the routine. I didn't think Kupono was bad, I just didn't love the routine. Nigel says it stopped right when he started to like it. He was underwhelmed, and so was I, even though I liked Kupono in his first audition. Nigel points out how great it is to have Shane back even though both his routines tonight sucked (that last part was my views, not Nigel's). He doesn't think the dancers who did Shane's routines brought out the best in them, and I have to agree.

So the middle of the show was good but the rest was only okay. My favorites were Brandon and Janette, Asuka and Vitolio, and Max and Kayla, in that order. The bottom three should be Jason and Caitlin, Kupono and Ashley, and Phillip and Jeanine, though Phillip's fanbase might save their duo from the bottom. In that case I guess either Asuka/Vitolio or Jonathan/Karla might be in the bottom instead.

What are your thoughts on tonight's show? Who do you think will be in the bottom three? And who should be? Post your comments below.

So You Think You Can Dance Recap: First Two Finalists Eliminated

Hey all it's results show time on So You Think You Can Dance. From reading other blogs today it seems the consensus is Tony and Paris and Vitolio and Asuka will be in the bottom three couples, with the other duo either being Jonathan and Karla (hopefully) or Ashley and Kupono. Either way I think the two going home will be from one of the first two couples I mentioned, unless someone else' s solo is really bad...

Cat starts out reminding us how great the show was last night and how tough this first cut will be.

The group dance is to "Boom Boom Pow" from the Black Eyed Peas. At first I hated this song but ever since I heard it on AI it started to grow on me a bit. The theme is a bunch of the dancers being poor, with one holding a sign saying "Save the dancers, save the world". Ha love the Heroes parody! Others then come in as heroes in leather outfits. The guys in the leather are amazing, though I can't tell who all of them are. I think I see Brandon and Ade and Vitolio, and the others look like Jason and Jonathan, but I'm not sure. One of the blonde girls comes out with the wind blowing in her hair and heavy eye makeup so she looks really creepy. Then the "poor" dancers strip off their clothes and reveal their leather outfits underneath. At this point they are just running around the stage and it seems a bit too messy for me, though Phillip gets a great popping solo. The guys do a weird cape thing, and the girls get a group solo that is less impressive than the guys' one earlier in the number. Overall not a bad group number, but not on of my favorites either.

We meet the judges again, with Nigel looking dapper in a blue shirt.

First filler piece: Interviews about the contestants' first week working with partners. Jeanine is happy to have a great partner in Phillip (especially since he has the built-in fan base that will let them last a while, I bet). Ashley loves Kupono, and Max loves working with hot blonde Kayla.
And now we get Cat's rules to a good partnership:
1) Respect Boundaries- Paris gets mad at Tony for spanking her butt. Evan is upset that Randi is married so he can't be as flirtatious with her.
2) Communication- Brandon can't understand Janette, especially when she speaks in Spanish! Jason says "pretty far" instead of "so far" and gets flack from Caitlin.
3) Feel Comfortable- Melissa always burps in front of Ade (TMI!)
4)Shared Interests- Kupono likes the chicken sound Ashley makes, and he counters with a monkey sound. The producers play both at the same time and it sounds like a real jungle.
5) Hard Work- Phillip and Jonathan sweat a lot, according to their partners. Asuka is scared of Vitolio's sweat. Why is it that only the guys sweat on this show?

First round of results: On the floor are Phillip and Jeanette, Kayla and Max, and Evan and Randi. I don't know how these shows usually work but I guess all three of them are safe- might as well get some of the obvious ones out of the way first. If any of them are in the bottom I would guess Kayla and Max, but either way none of these nine are going home tonight. Kayla and Max are safe, as are Randi and Evan. Phillip and Jeanine must have thought they were in the bottom after that was announced, but sure enough they are safe as well, causing Jeanine to let out a piercing scream that caused Cat to drop the results card!

The next four out are Tony and Paris, Kupono and Ashley, Ade and Melissa, and Jason and Caitlin. Ade and Melissa and Jason and Caitlin should be safe. Tony and Paris should be in the bottom. Since there are three left after this group, either the last grouping will have two couples in the bottom (namely Asuka and Vitolio and Jonathan and Karla since Brandon and Janette aren't going anywhere) or this group will have two in the bottom with Kupono and Ashley joining Tony and Paris, though I hope this isn't the case. I did actually see some who agreed with me and didn't like the Bollywood routine as much as the judges did but Jason's popularity should save him and Caitlin. And indeed they are safe for another week. By the way I love how excited the contestants get when they find out they are safe. Melissa and Ade are also predictably safe. Cat now says one of the two remaining couples is safe and one is in the bottom. Please let Ashley and Kupono be safe! Yeah they are! They don't seem too excited though... That means Tony and Paris are in the bottom. Tony's lack of technique in his solo might hurt him but his entertainment factor will help him. Adam Shankman says many on twitter were defending these two last night, but he thinks that was because they are charming, not because they danced well. Ouch! I actually liked their routine last night but I think that's just because I like hip hop in general.

That leaves Brandon and Janette, Jonathan and Karla, and Asuka and Vitolio, with only one being safe from the bottom three. If Brandon and Janette are not safe I will be shocked, though I'm sure the judges would save either of them anyway. Asuka and Vitolio are first, and indeed they are in the bottom three. No surprises so far. Already Brandon and Janette are getting more cheers than the other two. Sure enough Karla and Jonathan are in the bottom in a mild surprise, though one that makes me happy since I didn't love their routine last night as much as others did. Plus Brandon is safe for another week!

This season SYTYCD has decided to feature dancers from around the world during the results shows. This week they have two dancers doing a tango from somewhere in South America or Spain, I guess. The tango isn't my favorite dance but these two definitely have the drama and intensity down. And the steps look really good as well from my untrained point of view. Really cool lift at the end!

Now it's time for solos. Paris's solo has good spins and jumps but seems to lack some passion and intensity. Tony's is fast and fun, and showed more actual dancing than his solo from Vegas week. It's obviously hard for Asuka to do a ballroom solo without a partner but her fast kicks in the jive are very impressive. Vitolio has the great jumps and lines of Paris's routines with the passion her routine lacked. He may have just saved himself with that solo.

Cat just called Sean Kingston a "teen pop sensation"- uh since when does rap= teen pop???

Two solos left: Karla wobbled a bit at one point but overall also had more intensity than Paris did. Jonathan starts out strong with a great flip and has a lot of tricks but the overall dancing is only okay.

It's going to be a tough call for the judges. I always seem to disagree with them on the solos, but I would send Paris home for sure. None of the girls' solos really impressed me but I thought hers was the worst. Vitolio's solo was my favorite of the six, so I hope he stays. It's close for me between Tony and Jonathan going home but I like Tony's style better so I hope he stays, though I think he'll go home because of a lack of technique. Plus they thought Tony was worse on performance night even though I liked him better than Jonathan Wednesday too.

The judges head off to deliberate, and Nigel jokes they are going to tweet instead! That'd be really funny if they did.

Sean Kingston does his hit "Fire Burning", but I like "Beautiful Girls" better. Sean's not really a great dancer but the girls behind him are really good!

Back from the break and now it's time for the eliminations. The girls are up first. Nigel says they are unanimous in this result. Karla steps forward, and Nigel says the solo was very good but she must work on personality. However they think she did well enough to stay for another week, and I agree, especially since she was very good Wednesday night as well. Nigel says their decision is based on everything they know about the dancers and about what other styles of dancers they have in the show. That's good news for Asuka, since she is the only female ballroom dancer, while Paris is one of several contemporary dancers on the show. He tells Asuka it is hard to do a jive as a solo number but she really showed her personality in the dance. I agree- she did so much more than Paris. Nigel thinks Paris didn't bring everything she could, and that plus the abundance of contemporary dancers in the show means Paris is out. Woot I'm one for one! Her solo was in my opinion the worst of the six so I was hoping this would be the case. Of course we get the montage of her experience, mostly from her audition and Vegas week. We also get another glimpse of the routine from Wednesday that got her sent home.

Now comes the guys, which is the harder decision in my view. But the judges were unanimous. Hmm.. Nigel didn't like any of the solos, which is odd because I liked all three of them. He says Vitolio didn't show personality in his routines. But his name is being called first which makes me think he is safe. And he is!! Now I don't really care who goes home- I'm hoping it's Jonathan but I don't think it will be. Nigel says both disappointed in their own genres on Wednesday night, but Jonathan was a bit better. Will that be the deciding factor? Nigel adds that Tony's locking was not great. Wow I didn't notice that at all but if that's the case then he's probably gone. He adds Jonathan's dancing wasn't good but the tricks were, which I totally agree with. Those tricks might have saved him. Sure enough, Jonathan is staying and Tony is out. Not very surprising- they had one of the worse routines last night according to the judges, but from what I've read he does have a lack of technique. Plus he's not popular since people think Evan's brother should have made it instead so he wasn't going to last long anyway. Tony looks really bummed but we get to see his Nigel-photo solo again! He even says he will be dancing in his grave- that's a good attitude.

So what are your thoughts on tonight's elimination? Did the right pair go home? Post your comments below.

So You Think You Can Dance Recap: The Top 20 Perform

Hey all so now the top 20 have been finalized and America will get their first chance to vote for their favorites. Going in there are plenty of people we haven't seen yet, and I think all of them are in trouble tonight. Also apparently Tony is pretty unpopular for his lack of technique, though I thought his Nigel photo dance was very creative. He is the one guy who has gotten screentime who may be in trouble.

Cat says it was a "Vegas Week like no other"- why is that? Because so many got cut? But lots of people get cut every year...

Now we get our first glimpse at the top 20 in alphabetical order. Ashley seems kind of blah right away, but I love Ade's spin. Brandon already has a very loud cheering section- and he does a split!. Caitlin is wearing very little clothing. Evan also gets loud applause, though not as much as Brandon, and I didn't like his solo as much. Jason gets loud cheers as well for someone with little airtime. He too has great spin moves. Jonathan gets few cheers but does a cool flip to get extra attention. Kupono and Kayla got fewer cheers than I thought they would, as does Max. Melissa does her whole "naughty ballerina" biting her nail thing. Hmm Brandon even got more cheers than Phillip- I guess Brandon is the early favorite to win. Tony does a weird shaking thing for his solo, and also gets a lot of cheers.

That whole thing where the audience yells out "judges" before they are introduced gets a bit annoying after a while.

Tonight's guest judges is Adam Shankman- yey I like him!

Nigel tells the contestants to feed off the great audience, and admits the judges are nervous too. Somehow I think the contestants are a tad more nervous. Mary tells Cat it is so hard to cut two people each week. Adam states he is a part of the dance community, and is also working on three films, including Step Up 3D, with Twitch, Katee, and Joshua. Wow I might watch that movie even though I didn't see the first two just to see the top 3 from last year!

Same format as last season- 1o couples each randomly pick a style. Bottom three couples dance solos tomorrow, and judges pick one guy and girl to cut. They don't have to be from the same pairing. Format remains like this until the top 10, with all couples staying the same until then unless eliminations break them up. In that case the dancers whose partners were cut will form a new team. Got it? Hopefully I did since I had to look up blogs from last season just to remember how this season works (last year was my first time watching the show).

First we get a montage of auditions and Vegas week, set to "You Found Me". We even see Mary crying at Brandon's audition and saying he had to make the top 20 or she would die. Good thing he made it then! They're not showing Kupono's to-do list from last week- that was the best part! We do have to see Evan's brother get cut again though :(.

First two pairings are Phillip and Jeanine and Asuka and Vitolio. That was good of the show to pair early favorites with those who got little screentime. If they put all those with no air time together then those groups won't last too long. Janine will last a while now that she's with Phillip.

Jeanine and Phillip- We see a short clip of Jeanine's first audition. It was okay but didn't blow me away. Apparently she used to be really bad at dancing but stuck with it because she loves it. Phillip is a self-taught popper. The two are doing hip hop with Tabatha and Napoleon- hip hop is good for Phillip, not sure about Jeanine. The routine is about a couple that can't fall asleep until they work out their issues. Jeanine is really bad at hip hop, according to her. Phillip is outshining her in rehearsals based on my observations. She does better in the live routine though, set to "Mad" by Ne-Yo. I still find myself drawn to Phillip, but Jeanine is certainly holding her own. She seems a bit dainty at times with the movements, but overall she is pretty good. Adam calls it "un-freakin-real" and agrees that Jeanine held her own despite having no hip hop training. He says no one will ever dance like Phillip. Mary acts like she will disagree with Adam, but of course she doesn't. She says Jeanine held her own and Phillip taught them a chemistry lesson. Nigel concurs Jeanine kept up with Phillip and has made a good first impression on the audience. I still think Phillip outshined her a bit but they were so good together they should be safe for sure.

Asuka and Vitolio- Asuka took dance classes in ballet and jazz at first and then moved on to ballroom/Latin in college. Vitolio's mother died, so he grew up in an orphanage, as we heard about last week. They are doing Broadway with Tyce, a tough first dance for ballroom and contemporary experts. The routine involves Vitolio directing silent movie actress Asuka. They look really good in rehearsals, though both must learn how to lock for the first time. It will be hard to top that last number though. They dance to "Hot Honey Rag" from Chicago. They do an okay job but I didn't get the wow factor that I got with the first number. Also the choreography (which I know was not their fault) didn't really match the music for me. All I could think of was Velma and Roxie dancing their hearts out in Chicago, this whole silent movie thing just didn't work for me. But the dancing itself was decent. Adam says it must be hard to follow the previous number, and that the character nature of the dance felt artificial after the prior emotional number. That's totally true. But he says they danced well. Also true. Mary feels a bit disappointed and thought it was too safe. In other words, it had no wow factor, like I said. Nigel says the lines were great but it lacked personality. I can see that as well. I fear these two may be in trouble this week even though Asuka was one of my early favorites.

Karla and Jonathan- Uh oh, two new faces paired together. That puts these two behind already, though Jonathan will get the "cute guy" vote. Karla was in two Broadway shows, including the tour of Wicked, but she wanted to challenge her self with new styles. Jonathan is a salsa dancer who started dancing when he saw the first season of the show. Well they have good backstories, I'll give them that. Their first dance is a cha cha, with Tony Meredith. Jonathan must flirt with Karla in the dance, though he is so young-looking that it may be hard for him. He wants to do so well that Mary will scream. Aw he's so cute! They're doing a cha cha to "Poker Face"- really? I mean it's a good song and all, but for a cha cha? They are better than the last number but still missing a little something for me. Karla was impressive with her hip shaking but I felt something lacking from Jonathan- maybe it was that sex appeal. The judges must disagree though, as they are all clapping. Adam points out a few flaws, particularly with Jonathan, but overall was happy for them and said Jonathan was dancing more like a man. Mary gives Jonathan his desired scream, and calls it "a whole lotta rough and a whole lot of fun". Nigel says no one knows who they are, until tonight. That routine should keep them safe for another week at least, though I still didn't like it as much as the judges did.

Randi and Evan- another favorite versus newbie pairing. Randi made it to the top 20 in her third year auditioning, and is a typical country girl. Evan of course auditioned with his brother and hopes to do him proud. He too is overwhelmed being in LA. They are doing jazz with Tyce, a style that is good for Evan's Broadway specialty. It's a love story routine, yet Randi is married, which is a bit awkward. Evan apologizes to the husband in advance- awesome! They dance to "I Only Have Eyes for You" by Jamie Cullen, who I don't know. The dancing, however, is really good. My second favorite routine of the night after the opener. I'm not sure if I totally believe the chemistry throughout the whole dance, but the dancing itself was amazing. Randi's husband is not in the house, so Evan won't get beat up after the show. And hey Ryan is in the house! Along with their geekier-looking other brother. He even has a shirt that says "The Other Brother". Their family is awesome! Adam points out how short they are, but their lines were so long it seemed like they were eight feet tall. He thinks Evan can conquer every style. He even adds it was the best routine Tyce has ever done. I actually didn't love the choreography but that's just a taste thing. Mary says the two of them were at the bottom of her pack before this routine but now they have risen up. She thinks they will be around a while. Nigel calls it fantastic, and he thinks people will talk about the pairing for a while. They would have been safe even with a so-so routine because of Evan's popularity but now they will be near the top of the pack votes-wise.

Paris and Tony- Both got a bit of screentime before this, though Tony got more. Paris has danced her whole life but was recently in a car crash, so one of her legs is numb from the knee down. Tony started out doing sports and dance, even getting a scholarship to play lacrosse but he turned it down to dance. They are doing hip hop with Tabitha and Napoleon also. That should be good for Tony- if he's bad in his own style he is screwed. But Tony is struggling with the fast choreography, more so than Paris. They dance to a Black Eyed Peas Song I don't know called "Let the Beat Rock". This definitely is heavier hip hop than the earlier hip hop number, but this one is just as entertaining. I think Tony loses it a bit at the end but they both still did a great job. Neither one of them stole the spotlight- I was glued to both of them the whole time. Adam thought it was really good, but he hated the costumes. He also tells them to attack the beat more. He doesn't want Tony to get by as the cute guy on the show, but I thought that was Jonathan's role. Mary doesn't think it will be memorable, but I disagree. She says Paris was just good, and Tony didn't hit it hard enough. Nigel also liked Paris but thought their "stank" stank and didn't feel believable. I actually loved their routine, though I do understand how they don't think it was hit hard enough. Between Tony's unpopularity and the fact the routine is in his own style I think they will be in the bottom, and his poor technique might not help him in his solo.

Caitlin and Jason- They should be early favorites considering Jason's sudden popularity and Caitlin's considerable face time. Caitlin had to survive losing her sister earlier in Vegas week and dancing for her life. She used to be a gymnast before moving to dance. Jason was another athlete who moved to dance later in life. They are doing Bollywood- cool! It's a tough routine, and Caitlin is struggling with the finger movements. The choreographer (don't know his name) thinks he might be giving them too much for week one, but thinks they will pull it out. OMG they are dancing to "Jai Ho" from Slumdog Millionaire- I love this song! They are doing the movements well and are really in sync even in such a fast dance. My only complaint is I don't get any personality from them. Jason stood out more towards the end but Caitlin was by no means bad. Ooh they kiss at the end- and he has lipstick all over his face! Adam says they were awesome and thinks Jason made it look effortless. He also thinks Caitlin did well, better than he thought. Mary is glad Bollywood came to Hollywood, and was impressed by Caitlin's handstand early on. She says Jason has charisma, and I agree- he's becoming one of my favorites. Nigel says it was fantastic, and says "Jai Ho" to them back! I think they will be around for a while because of their inherent fan bases but they certainly should be safe after that.

Janette and Brandon- Yeah two of my favorites are paired up! Janette is Cuban and learned salsa at home. Brandon of course auditioned when he was 14 and again last year, and he made Mary cry at his audition. They are doing a foxtrot with Louis Van Amstel from Dancing with the Stars. Well DWTS can take SYTYCD finalists as pros, so why can't SYTYCD take DWTS pros as choreographers! Luckily for Brandon he's not working with Mia or Lil C, his two detractors, this week. At first it was easy for them, but as they got more into the routine they found trouble. They dance to "Come Fly with Me" by Michael Buble and they look dashing in their costumes. Foxtrot is not one of my favorite styles of dance but the pair do it really well. I can't take my eyes off Brandon, but Janette seems to be holding her own. And what a great lift at the end! Adam says America must be sad to see Brandon dance in clothes, but it works. He says it was lovely even thought it came after such a high energy number. He also praises Brandon's character in his performance, which totally did come out in this number. Cat asks Mary to give her an eyebrow, and Mary says she can't because of her Botox- that gets a big laugh from the crowd but to me that was really random. Anyway she says Janette was elegant Ginger Rogers and proved she can do slower numbers. She adds Brandon is a powerhouse with those lifts, and says those who can't see his talent are crazy. Nigel thought Janette's grace was beautiful, and compliments Brandon's frame, thought criticizes his small feet- just a minor critique to get Brandon to improve. They too are likely safe for a while with Brandon's popularity, but after that number they should get plenty of votes.

Ashley and Kapono- Ashley made it to the top 20 after her fourth time auditioning. Kupono is the Hawaiian dancer who did crappy jobs for his father to pay the bills. They are doing jazz with Wade Robson. The number is about crash test dummies blown up and put back together- a crash test dummy love story! That's kind of weird... So they are doing the robot a lot? The music is a song called "Felt Mountain by Goldfrapp, and wow they really do look like crash test dummies in those outfits. That was really weird but I liked it. They even added a crashing sound effect for the ending. The crowd doesn't sound too impressed though. Adam says this routine was really diverse, but it was hard to watch the dancing because of the weird concept. He adds their technique was great, but Wade is one sick puppy! Mary bought the concept 100%, and gives props to a motor dog I didn't even notice. She says it was entertaining, which it certainly was. Nigel says Wade is a genius, and he knows the routine will be memorable. He adds the dancers adhered to the characters given to them, and the dancing was secondary to the story. That is totally true, but the dancing was still good enough that they should last another week.

Melissa and Ade- Ade really impressed me with his brief solo in the beginning so hopefully he will do well with Melissa. Melissa is strictly a naughty ballerina, but is also very muscular. She is also the oldest dancer at 29. Ade is a contemporary dance from Chapman University. He hopes to be a sound engineer if he doesn't become a dancer. They are doing contemporary with Mandy Moore, which is right up Ade's alley. Melissa promises they will keep it clean for the show. Ade's pick in his hair gives him powers, as he only does well when it is on (according to Mandy). They dance to a version of "Right Here Waiting", another one of my favorite songs. Ade's shirt is open!!! Anyway he starts out a bit heavy in his movements but they pick it up at the end, and it turns out really beautiful. And their lifts were really great as well. Adam starts crying and says the routine was "special". He says Melissa is just getting better with age, and Ade has great power yet is quiet. Mary screams for the thousandth time tonight and loves the power of the movements. She thinks Ade is a gentle giant and Melissa was great as well. Nigel says how great a top 20 this is. That's true- only one really subpar dance tonight. He compliments Ade's power lifts and how America has more to look forward to with the two of them.

Kayla and Max- Kayla was raised partly by her grandparents, who screamed when she got through to Vegas. Max is a ballroom dancer originally from Russia. His younger brother died in a car crash five years ago- sympathy votes! They are doing a samba with Louis, and apparently Louis knows Max from way back when. He should do fine, but it will come down to how well Kayla does. She has never done ballroom before, but she is getting double the training from Louis and Max. They dance to a song called "Jum Bah Day" that I don't know. The dance is fast and sexy, the way a samba should be. I think Max is doing better but Kayla is holding her own with the ballroom dancer. Adam is in tears again as to how good it was. He says Max is lucky for getting ballroom first and for getting Kayla. He admits he could not take his eyes off Kayla. Mary says they are on her hot tamale train and stands up and screams some more. Nigel even has earphones so he can withstand her this year! She is losing her voice from yelling so much. Nigel adds it was sensational and mentions how Kayla has been at the top of the judges' list in every round. He makes sure to mention how great Max was as well, though he mentions he was not as sharp as he has been in the past.

My favorites of the night were Jeanine and Phillip, followed by Evan and Randi. Honestly I liked all the numbers except Asuka and Vitolio's, who should be in the bottom for sure. Tony and Paris will also likely be in the bottom even though I liked their routine. It's hard to tell who the third couple will be, but I will get Kupono and Ashley just because their dance was of the "love it or hate it" variety. If I had my way Karla and Jonathan would be in the bottom instead of those two but I don't think that will happen.

Check back in tomorrow for my results show blog! And feel free to post your comments below!

SYTYCD Recap: The Top 20 Revealed

Hey everyone it's the moment we've all been waiting for- the announcement of this year's top 20 on So You Think You Can Dance. I'm hoping for Brandon, brothers Evan and Ryan, and ballroom dancers Asuka and Ricky (and yes I know I spelled Asuka's name wrong in my blog last night) to make the group. But we start off with salsa dancer Janette, who looked impressive in her brief solo for the judges.

I just realized how much she looks like Cheryl Burke. She also just got into a car crash and broke up with her boyfriend a few weeks before Vegas. Hopefully her luck will change this time around. Nigel loved her first audition and thinks she works very hard. This sounds like it will be good news. And it is! Janette is the first person to make the top 20 this season. We didn't see much of her doing the other styles but she has the energy and skill to go pretty far.

Next up is Diana , complete with a stuffed monkey to give her luck. I don't remember her from the first auditions but she seems pretty good in the clips we see. She can't believe she has gone this far. Debbie starts out sounding like she will give good news, saying how much potential Diana has, before pulling the rug out from under her and saying Diana is being cut. Well I figured as much since we didn't see much of her throughout Vegas week. Lil C urges her to keep going, and Nigel says she has improved since she came to Vegas, and tells her to come back next season. Diana though is devastated by the news.

Next up is the lively Vitolio from Miami. He grew up in Haiti and was raised by his grandmother. But she did not have a job so he was put in an orphanage and eventually had to dance for money. I don't remember him from the early rounds either but he has a great body. That sob story will be sure to get him votes if he gets through. Lil C says some dancers take a while to show up in Vegas, and Vitolio didn't come out until their group number. Then he tells him he is in the Top 20, and gets a warning from Nigel to bring out his personality in his dancing. He will especially have to do that with such little screen time in the early rounds.

The next half hour was a bunch of cuts. An Asian guy I don't recognize is cut for not exceeding expectations. Another guy I don't know is cut for lack of experience/training (apparently his name is Henry). A cute contemporary female dancer is also cut, and she promises to come back again.

Next is Kayla Radomski, the girl who got loud cheers from her grandparents when she got through in her first audition. I wasn't a big fan of hers in her audition but since they showed her early on she probably is getting through. Kayla is really nervous facing the judges. Mia goes on about how much she loves male dancers, but then says how Kayla has moved all of them from the beginning. Yep she's going to get in the top 20. Mia makes it official, and Kayla is somewhat calm about it.

After the break we see that one of my early favorites, Hawaiian Kuponohi'ipoi Aweau (and yes, I had to go to my last blog to see how to spell his name), has made it this far and is facing the judges. He even cut his hair to have a more "dancer" image. Before going up against the judges he shows us his list of things to accomplish today, the last of which says "Make the top 20". I really hope he makes it- I loved his solo in Seattle. I love that "breathe" and "smile" are also on his list. Adam says his hair was distracting in Seattle, and Mary adds that his dancing was too feminine in Seattle. Adam said he was much better in Vegas and then says producers will have to learn how to put his name on the screen because he is in the top 20!!!! Yeyyyyyyy!!!! Aw he even shows the judges his to-do list from earlier. He is so cute, especially with that new haircut- I hope he does well in the live shows.

Montage of dancers getting through- Paris Torres (remember the name, not the dancing), Jeannie? Mason (don't remember her at all), a black guy I don't recognize, Carla Garcia (again, don't remember her at all), and a baby-faced guy named Jonathan I also don't recognize. Hey maybe one of them will turn into the next Kris Allen and win the show despite no screen time before the live episodes.

Next up is Brandon. I really hope he makes it after trying for so many years, and after Mary basically guaranteed he would be there (then again, Nigel said the same about Natalie, and look how that turned out). A reminder of how Lil C and Mia are still not impressed with him for some reason. Mia says he annoys her and that he seems to "fake smile" when he dances. She still does not see the talent the others do, but then Debbie stands up for him, saying that she doesn't care about his personality when he dances. Lil C also says he has not been impressed, but then Mary interrupts him and says he is not cocky at all. Only four judges voted him into the top 20 (gee wonder which two said no...), but that is enough to get him through. He is popular with the public so I think he will go far on this show. He promises he will show Lil C and Mia his true skills when he works with them later. The other contestants seem truly happy for him as well.

Tony Bellisimo is next to hear his fate. He's the guy who put Nigel's photo in his briefcase for his funny solo, and impressed the judges in the later rounds too. Turns out his brother is in Afghanistan right now... yey more sympathy votes! I hope this guy gets through as well. Nigel says his technique isn't as good as it should be, but he is a charismatic guy. But... he's going to the top 20 anyway! Wow Nigel had me for a second, and Tony looks shocked as well. Good for him though- the guys' competition is going to be really tough this year. That's ten people through so far- halfway there! Nigel warns him that essentially he is the worst dancer they are letting through technical-wise.

More yeses- ballroom dancer Maksim (yey! I liked him in the audition rounds too!), Kaitlin Kinney (not one of my faves, but I figured she'd get in), a girl named Melissa I don't recognize, and Jason Glover, whose audition was not on TV but who got some screentime in Vegas week, where he did well in every round.

Next is Ashley, who has auditioned four times for this show. though I don't remember her at all. Mary says they have seen improvement in her and fakes her out a bit before saying she made the top 20. Good for her for sticking with her dreams for so long.

Another girl we haven't seen before- Randi Evans, who literally ran away with Nigel when she got through in Denver. Mia says she is a bit uncertain and not strong, but notes her commitment to her unitards- a way to break the tension in the room. Then Mia says America will love her since Randi has made the top 20. What's with all the people we haven't seen making the top 20? There's only a few spots left and still no Evan and Ryan, or Phillip Chbeeb, or Asuka and Ricky (unless they were the ones cut before that I didn't recognize).

Wow only three spots are left- that means at least a few of my favorites are getting cut.

Next to hear his fate is Alex Wong. I heard a rumor he might have to drop out of the show because the ballet company he works for won't let him compete. He was impressive in Vegas, though I'd rather he get cut and Evan and Ryan both get in. I think he's going to make it though- the judges love him too much. Nigel says he is one of their favorites, but he is under contract with the Miami Ballet, and so they can't let him go through. Well that stinks for him but maybe now both Evan and Ryan will get through- though I'm thinking Phillip Chbeeb will along with only one of the brothers (likely Evan). Alex says he likes ballet but he wanted to do other forms of dance. Nigel does say he can come back to the show when his contract expires. All the judges tell him to keep looking up, and Nigel reminds him he is working for a great ballet dancer at the Miami Ballet.

Four more dancers are cut- including Ricky Sun. Too bad I liked him but with so many good males left I figured he wasn't going to make it.

I think the last three to get in with be Phillip, Evan, and Asuka.

Five people left for three spots- Phillip, Evan, Ryan, Asuka, and a blonde girl. Phillip is called up next, which means he likely is getting in, leaving the two brothers to fight for the last male spot.

Phillip apparently taught himself to dance in his bedroom. He comes in limping a bit, and the judges ask if he is hurt. He says only emotionally. Then he adds how much he learned during Vegas week. Adam says he has improved during the week, and that he loves dance as a whole. Sure enough, he is in, which sadly means Evan or Ryan is out. He even walks out popping his arms for the judges.

So it all comes down to two girls and two guys for two spots- one male and one female. As Ryan says, it's either bowtie or straight tie for the male spot. For the girls it is contemporary dancer Deanna (who I don't remember), and one of my only female favorites, Asuka. I hope the fact that we haven't seen Deanna means Asuka will get in.

The girls are up first- might as well save the dramatic brother elimination for last. According to Debbie, one was exciting to watch, while the other didn't take enough risks. Then she says Deanna is out, which means Asuka is in! Wow that means my only real favorites who are getting cut tonight are Ricky and one of the brothers. I know Asuka is popular as well, and as one of the only females who got through who has gotten much screen time, I think she will do well.

Now it's down to the brothers, who are already in tears, promising to support each other no matter what. Maybe they'll pull an Idol and have a Top 21- here's hoping! Though I don't know how that will work for the partners.

Ryan realized during this week that his own fear was all that was keeping him from auditioning in the past. He has always been told he was too fat, short, and bald to be a good dancer, but now he realizes that is not the case. Nigel says they both are so similar that there was only room for one this season. I disagree- one is more Broadway/jazz and one is more tap, so that's different enough for me. Nigel says Ryan should be proud- wow did they really pick him over Evan??? Nope- he continues that Ryan's choreography got Evan through to the top 20. I do think Evan is the better dancer, even though I like Ryan's style better. Nigel tells Ryan he should not worry about his unconventional looks, and even says he should wear a hat less often and show off his baldness. Nigel seems to tell Ryan to come back next year, and I hope he will.

So the top 20 consists of Ade (the African guy I didn't know before), Ashley (girl who auditioned four times), Asuka (last girl in and one of my favorites), Brandon (Mia and Lil C's disappointment, another of my favorites), Caitlin (blonde whose sister Megan was cut last night), Evan (last guy in, one of my favorite guys), Janette (sexy salsa dancer who may become my favorite if she continues to impress me), Jason (lots of screentime during Vegas week), Jeanine (this show's Kris Allen?), Jonathan (David Archuleta look-alike), Karla (no clue who she is), Kayla (cute grandparents), Kupono (Hawaiian guy who made to-do-list- loved his first audition, early favorite of mine), Max (aka Maksim- another of my favorite guys), Melissa (a ballet dancer I'm assuming, based on her tutu), Paris (impressed the judges in first audition, me, not so much), Phillip (popper who I'm sure is one of the early favorites to win, though popping is not my thing), Randi (will get cute blonde vote), Tony (humorous choreography, now needs to add more technique), and Vitolio (homeless Haitian guy).

I think this is a guys' season for sure, with Phillip, Evan, and Brandon being early favorites, and I think locks to make the top 10. The girls' are more wide open, though I'm sure Kaitlin and Asuka will get lots of votes.

Thoughts on tonight's show? Do you agree with the top 20? Who do you think got snubbed? Post your comments below.

SYTYCD Recap: Vegas Callbacks

Hey all I'm back (and my TV is thankfully fixed!!) and ready to blog the callbacks of So You Think You Can Dance. I was happy to hear the Hawaiian guy got through last week. Here's hoping more of my early faves on this show last until the live shows. This year a bunch of my early favorites on Idol got cut before the top 36 (David Osmond, Joanna Pacitti, and Ashley Anderson aka the girl who sang "Footprints in the Sand" for her audition and sang the wrong words- she was amazing!!!).

172 dancers will perform for Mia, Lil C, Adam, and Debbie Allen. Yeah for no evil Tyce this round!

First up the dancers repeat their solos for the judges....

Alex Wong: I vaguely remember him from the early rounds. He auditioned in Miami and got great praise from Nigel. Immediately Mia is impressed, so much so that she curses in delight as she sees him dance. I can understand why, as his lines are amazing, especially how he stretches his leg so it is perpendicular to the ground! He is insanely good, though I didn't love his choice of music. He gets a standing ovation from the other contestants, and it is well deserved. No feedback from the judges (that must be nerve wracking for the contestants).

Tony Bellissimo: He needs help opening up a briefcase with a screwdriver. I'm guessing that's part of his act. His routine itself doesn't have much dancing, though when it does he is pretty good. The best part is that he plays a man who is haunted by constant photos of Nigel everywhere during his daily life- including in the briefcase.

Montage of good dancers. The only one I recognize is Phillip Chbeeb. Now the judges deliberate and invite the dancers up on stage.

I thought all the solos looked good, but Nigel was not impressed, announcing he was disappointed and that there would be some cuts now. But if any one judge voted to save a contestant, they would stay. In other words, a vote to eliminate a contestant must be unanimous.

Contestants named Taylor and Erica are cut. I don't really remember them from the early rounds.

Tony Bellisimo is told to stand up next, and they tell him he needs more dancing but then say he is safe. Good for him he was creative in his choreography so he deserves another shot.

45 dancers are cut in this round, including Travis the football coach's son (aw I was rooting for him), Talia "Danny Gokey" Rickards, (wasn't a big fan of hers) and the NY hip hopper whose name I can't spell but who reminded me of Twitch last year (another one I thought had potential to be really good).

Next is the choreography round- a hip hop routine to "Boom Boom Pow". Ugh I hate this song. Napoleon and Tabitha's choreography does look cool though. Gabi Rojas, who I remember the judges loving in NYC even though I didn't love her as much, is nervous about the choreography. Nigel even said back then he thought she would make the top 20. I have a feeling she'll do fine in this round. But no she does in fact mess up several times, as Mary points out (though honestly I wouldn't have noticed if Mary hadn't said so). When she does the moves right she doesn't go all in with them, and she is totally outshined by her partner. I wonder if the judges will cut her for this? No they give her another chance, mainly because her solo was so unique. Or because Nigel will look like a fool if his early favorite is cut in the first choreography round. A girl named Sara who I don't recognize is cut.

37 dancers were cut in this round, leaving 97 left. I don't recognize any of the ones who were cut, so I guess none of them were early standouts.

The next day the dancers start the ballroom round of choreography. They learn a waltz from Jean-Marc and his wife. Many seem to struggle with the moves.

We meet up with Phillip Chbeeb and Arielle Coker, who now must dance with different partners. I think Phillip does an admirable job with the choreography for being a popper, though Adam notes he keep popping while doing his extensions. I did not notice this at first, though it makes sense. The judges said it was rough but give him another chance because of his energy. So the judges do seem to take earlier rounds into account when deciding who stays and who goes. These rounds seem to be more for the borderline dancers than for the favorites. Arielle is next, and she does much better than Phillip of course, since she is a partner dancer by trade. The judges comment on the dancers but it is unclear which ones they are talking about. Arielle did seem to lose some of her spark from the first round, and the judges agree, cutting her. I still thought she was better than Phillip, but I guess she did not stand out enough in the first auditions for them to keep her.

Some of my early ballroom faves had no problem in this round, including Maksim and Asians Oska and Ricky. Non ballroom dancers Kayla and Priscilla also impressed. I don't remember Kayla and I remember Priscilla but I'm still not a big fan of hers.

Next we see the Japanese dancer from NYC, I remember liking him after his solo. He's actually not bad at ballroom, better than Phillip for sure. The judges agree, especially with how he took on the character of the dance. Everyone in his group is safe, causing the guy (sorry don't remember his name) to cry of happiness. He even thanks his teachers for helping them.

Only 16 dancers were cut in this round, so most of them must have been pretty good.

Wow we're only a half hour in... what else happens in this episode??

Next up is the jazz round with Sonja. This should be good for that Gene Kelly guy. Some dancers are getting hurt, but returnees Natalie and Brandon are still going strong. I still don't get the love of Natalie though (I do really like Brandon however....). Sonja even has them do the routine in rehearsal for the rest of the dancers, and Natalie even impresses me this time around. But something seems off during the actual performance for the judges. I'm sure they won't cut her because her solo was so good. WOW. They actually do cut her. I'm not too disappointed since I never liked her that much anyway, though I worry Brandon may suffer the same fate.

The other dancers are in shock, and understandably so. Only Brandon getting cut would have been more surprising. She does get goodbye hugs from Sonja and Nigel.

Now Brandon must dance after losing his best friend, and of course he does a great job. Lil C and Mia though are not impressed, mainly because they heard how impressive he was and he was not living up to the hype during the Vegas round. Well I think it would be hard to live up to all the hype he's gotten. Nigel defends him though, saying he's one of the best they've ever had, but tells him he needs more confidence. But after this brief scare Brandon gets through, but he is still devastated to see Natalie go. I hope he doesn't let this affect his concentration on the show.

The last jazz group includes Gabi, who is more confident going into this round of choreography. I thought she looked pretty good but the judges can barely watch as another of their favorites fails to impress. Though watching it back I compared her to the others doing the same steps she was and I could tell she was not as sharp on the beat as the others. Plus she messed up her foot extension at the end (which I didn't realize was a messup until I saw the other routines) They seem like they have to cut her but will be crushed doing so. I honestly didn't think she was bad at all (shows what I know about dancing) but if she really has had two bad rounds I don 't know how they can keep her. Instead they tell her she must dance for her life for them. Well that is unfair because she'll get through for sure on her unique choreography even though she apparently can't pick up other routines to save her life- which is the whole point of the show. But the judges will take her poor previous routines into account when they decide. The judges of course love her solo, but it still isn't doing it for me- a little too much walking and not enough dancing for me. She does do a cool spin move at the end though. The crowd seems to want her to go through. Mia though still says no, but says she has a great future. Lil C calls it buck and says yes, as do Mary, Adam, and Debbie, and Nigel. So she gets to stay, but with a warning from Nigel. I still didn't think her solo was that good but what do I know.

But 7 others were cut on their jazz routine, including Sammy Ramirez, the red-headed popper. Aww I liked him too. They should have kept him and cut Gabi.

Now the dancers are ready to go to bed, but they are in for a "shock", according to Cat. It's essentially the SYTYCD equivalent of group week- dancers pick groups, pick a CD, and choreograph their own routine. This will show how well the contestants can work with others and how well they can choreograph other routines besides their solo, but I hope there isn't as much focus on the behind the scenes fights as there were during Idol's group week this year.

We pick up the next morning, so I guess there won't be much shots of the nighttime fighting. Nope in fact we get right to the dancing. Why can't Idol be like this. Scratch that- we do get a flashback to Eric "Silky" Moore (one of my faves from Miami) disagreeing with his group members, who all have different styles of dance. Then why did they pair together if they are so different? He should have paired up with other tap dancers or at least hip hop dancers. His group decides to call it a night and practice early the next morning, but Eric is already prepping his "dance for your life" solo. I thought the dancing itself was decent but the choreography was all messy and out of sync. Nigel says they stunk, and Debbie couldn't believe the lack of rhythm. I didn't notice that at all, just the lack of cohesion- they all seemed to be doing their own thing and not working together. I wouldn't be surprised if all five were cut right there, especially after Mia chides them for giving up by going to sleep instead of working hard the night before. I understand them going to bed as long as they worked hard the next morning, but it doesn't seem like they did. A girl named Megan is cut, along with a girl named Erin. Eric though gets to dance for his life! Yey he is still alive. The last girl, Paulie, who cried when Mia yelled at her for going to bed, gets to go right through to the next round.

Another group dances to "My Life Would Suck Without You" and they just look like chickens with their hands on their hips half the time. Adam calls it "Convention 101". Another does basic ballroom moves while one guy dances on his own since they only have five people. I thought the dancing itself wasn't bad but Mia disagreed. A fourth, including the Japanese guy, look like bad backup dancers, and the Japanese guy looks exhausted in his solo towards the end. Nigel calls it the worst routine so far. Ouch!

Brandon is up next and confident in his group. They start out weird in a circle but once they break away into duos they are pretty good. The judges are still not impressed with Brandon though. Nigel says no one stood out as bad, which is true. And, that is good considering the bad groups so far. The whole group gets through, which starts a trend of cool routines. I especially liked one where two guys laid on the floor and jumped over each other.

The last group is Nerdography, led by the whoopie cushion dancer Ryan Kasprzak. He is the brother of Gene Kelly dancer Evan. The beginning is a bit odd with the guys acting all spastic, but they really get together in unison for the rest of the dance. One girl I don't recognize even does a flip and a one-handed handstand. It was very entertaining, and the judges agree. Adam even said it made him miss dancing, causing Nigel to fake cry. The whole group gets through to the next round. 68 dancers move on, so only a few cuts on this day.

Silky Moore must now impress with his solo. He does a good tap routine, though not as impressive as his first audition. Mia says no (she is harsh today). So do Nigel and Debbie. He now must get the next three votes or he is out. Lil C says no, so Silky is out. I liked him, but I agree he lost his fire in his final solo.

It's now time for Mia's tough choreography- especially after the dancers have baked beans for lunch! Tony the comedian showed his versatility throughout the week, but he's nervous for Mia's choreography. He starts out a bit stiff but seems to recover more towards the end. But Mary doesn't agree, telling him to dance for his life. But he will be doing Mia's choreography again. Why didn't they do that for Gabi? A girl named Amanda is cut despite being a judges' favorite. That might be Amanda Kerby, whose dad has MS. I wasn't a big fan of hers anyway, but she promises to be back. Unfortunately one of my favorites, the Japanese guy from NYC, is also shown the door. He also promises to be back.

The Kinney sisters are still around- I liked Megan better even though we only saw glimpses of her audition. Her group is up first, and she starts out shaky but comes back strong towards the end (I think- again I'm a bad judge at these things). She gets through, but is worried about Kaitlin. You can see her ribs when she dances- that's kind of gross. She starts out okay but seems to tire out/forget the choreography at the end. Kaitlin is asked to dance for her life... after the break.

She seems shaken by the news but puts it together enough to do some good spins in her routine, along with a move where she lays on the ground and lifts her feet over her head and then stands back up (it looked cooler than it sounds, I swear). I did hate the fact that she chose "To Make You Feel My Love" not done by Kris Allen as her song- someone else danced to the non-Kris version last week and it annoyed me then too. Song aside, I'm not sure if that routine was enough to get her through. Nigel says she was old-fashioned, and that she needs to update her style to deal with Mia's choreography. He still says yes, as does Debbie, but Mia says no, as do Lil C and Adam. It comes down to Mary, who sees potential in her and says yes, to the delight of her sister.

Now we catch up with Evan and Ryan, another pair of siblings looking to get to the next round. I like Ryan's style better. He seems to be trying in the contemporary routine and it is a bit stiff but still pretty. The judges love it and send him through to the next round. Evan is next and I think he is better than Ryan was at this routine but the judges don't say a word. That could be good or bad. Mia has him do flea hops of the stage before telling him he is safe. Evan is starting to grow on me- I don't like his style but he is great at the other styles too.

This guy Jason is getting a lot of screen time all of a sudden- I bet he makes the top 20.

Tony is back now to try Mia's routine again. He does better this time around, though not as good as Evan before him. He bursts into tears as he faces the judges. Debbie loves his character, and drags out the news before saying he got enough votes to move on. Cat gets a kick out of seeing a grown man cry.

13 dancers were cut in this round, leaving only 54 for the final day.

Yeah those two Asian ballroom dancers are still in the running!! The dancers don't know what's next, but Ryan figures out that it is likely ballroom since he saw Tyce in the elevator. Love those "great deducting skills" as he calls it.

Nigel says there will be one routine for the girls, and one for the guys. And indeed it is a Broadway number, to the delight of Evan and Ryan. Ooh and they are doing West Side Story. The movie is a bit overrated in my opinion, though the dancing will be a great challenge for them.

The girls get right to rehearsal, while the boys relax and do the "lounging lizard" as Ryan puts it. I love him! Plus we get to see the male dancers' great bodies!

The girls are practicing "America". Debbie Allen even played Anita in the show. Wow some pressure for them. Tapper Bianca Revels doesn't seem nervous at all, though she did go through this last year.

She certainly has the sass for the dance, though the dancing doesn't blow me away. Megan and Caitlin seem to struggle a bit, though Oska does well. Priscilla falls at the end of her routine but still keeps a fierce pointed toe.

Now all that's left is the deliberations. Bianca is surprisingly cut, as is Alexie, another early favorite of mine. Boy they are dropping like flies tonight, though not as many of my Idol favorites. Bianca says she will not come back next year, though maybe she'll change her mind.

More brutal cuts: Gabi Rojas, Priscilla, and Megan Kinney are all sent home. Sad to lose Megan, but don't mind losing the other two.

The remaining girls are in the top 16 females, including Caitlin Kinney and Oska, and a bunch of others I don't recognize.

Now it's the boys' turn to learn their routine to "Cool". Evan and Ryan, the "Broadway Brothers" as they call themselves, are in the first group. Both groups looked great- I don't know how the judges will choose who to cut.

First to the stage is a group of names I don't recognize. all of whom are cut. So both Evan and Ryan, along with Ricky the Asian ballroom dancer, and Brandon, are all in the top 16, along with Phillip Chbeeb.

They now must prep their final solos with the girls. Tony is also still in the running, with his Nigel photos and all. We only get a brief glimpse of the solos, but they almost all seem really good to me.

First to face the judges is Janette a salsa dancer who impressed me in the Miami auditions and with the brief glimpse we got of her solo. But since there are two minutes left I'm guessing the episode will end before we find out if she made it or not.

Sure enough, tomorrow night we will find out the results. It looks like Evan and Ryan will be onstage together- is only one of them going to make the finals? That would stink since both are talented. Anyway we'll find out tomorrow night.

Any thoughts on tonight's show? Post your comments below.