Hell's Kitchen Season Premiere Recap: The Return of Robert!

Hey all so I'm now going to start blogging a third show- Hell's Kitchen. I watched the end of season 3 and all of seasons 4 and 5, and while I used to love the show I have grown tired of the incompetent chefs on the show, especially since I have recently discovered Top Chef, where the contestants actually know how to cook. Luckily from what I've read this season starts out with a lot of disasters, but overall the talent level is higher than usual (according to Chef Ramsay himself). I also heard that Season 2 winner Heather will be a sous chef this season and that several contestants will confront Gordon and one will almost threaten him. It should be an interesting season to say the least.

After an intro I skip so that I won't be spoiled as to what happens this season, we cut to JP standing impatiently outside the restaurant waiting for the bus of contestants. He even speaks in French (that is French, right?). JP is tired of being yelled at by customers and Chef Ramsay, so he gives the contestants a little warning before they enter. And we get another shot of JP running into the glass door! Ha! So he decides to give them some tips- courtesy of past contestants on a screen inside the restaurant.

First up is Bonnie, season 3 runner-up, who I remember being very pretty and having a great palette. She reminds them to always keep the stove on! This is awesome! Supposedly someone makes that mistake tonight though, and I'm guessing it will be Tennille, who said in the confessional, "Who cooks with no heat?".

Next up is Colleen from last season. Uh, should she really be giving advice??? We see the clip of her giving Chef risotto with sugar instead of salt- I would totally do that by the way, and current contestant Amanda also jokes she would do something like that. I like her already. Anyway Coleen's tip is to taste food before you serve it. Joseph is already claiming he doesn't need the clips, saying this is like being taught to tie his shoes. Which of course means he will make these mistakes later on.

Next is Aaron from season 3, who I only know because he collapsed in the kitchen during the season and had to quit the show. He also cried in front of chef the first week, which causes current contestant Van to call him a sissy. Well I can already tell the guys are just as obnoxious as Chef Ramsay said they would be. Too bad he's a jerk though because he's really cute. Of course he tells the chefs that there is no crying in Hell's Kitchen. This actually is good advice.

Aw that's it for the clips- those were fun! And I wanted them to bring back Matt.. Oh well.

Chef Ramsay then shows up on the huge screen, then in person, right away for them to cook signature dishes.

I always loved the theme song on this show. This season the contestants are in a carnival-like atmosphere.This year's contestants are Sabrina, Melinda, Van (obnoxious cute one), Joseph (who claimed he doesn't need any help on this show), Ariel (who has an evil-sounding laugh), Lovely, Jim, Andy, Tek (who looks A LOT like Ji from last season), Tennille, Louie (who already looks like a hothead), Kevin, Amanda, and Tony (who is shown as a half man, half donkey- awesome!), Suzanne, and Dave. I especially love the part where Tek throws a ball at pictures of JP and sous chef Scott.

Sabrina wants to be the sexiest winner ever (and if she does win, she would be). Kevin already has won several awards as a chef. I'm pegging him as an early favorite.

Before tasting the dishes, Chef Ramsay announces this year's prize. The winner will get to be a head chef at Araxi Restaurant, in Whistler, British Columbia, including being there for the Winter 2010 Olympics.

For the first time ever these signature dishes will serve as the first challenge for the teams. As usual, it's the red women's team versus the blue men's team.

First up is Suzanne's risotto versus Dave's ostrich. Chef calls the risotto undercooked before tasting it. Why would you make a risotto on this show unless it is perfect? Then again it seems Suzanne thinks her risotto is perfect. But both Chef and Dave agree that the risotto is chalky, crunch, and undercooked. Dave greatly respects Chef Ramsay and Dave fears criticism from Gordon would mentally damage him. Chef loves the ostrich, but calls the brussells sprouts undercooked. Surprisingly neither gets a point for their team- I would have though the ostrich alone would have been enough for the men to get the point but I guess not.

Next is Tek's shrimp versus Louie's sausage gravy over biscuits. Tek has been cooking for 10 years but has no current job. Chef enjoys the dish, especially the prawns. Tek even pats herself on the back in the confessionals afterwards. She seems like one of the early favorites to win, and appears to be a nice, honest person as well. Louie is a diner owner who claims he sells five gallons of his gravy dish a week. Chef immediately spits it out, and says it tastes like gunk. Louie is not amused. I think he is the one who is supposed to threaten Chef later. Anyway the ladies obviously get the first point of the challenge.

The third round is Tennille's lamb chop versus former marine Joseph's veal chop and vegetables. Joseph also fails with his brussels sprouts, so much so that Chef asks Joseph to taste one. But Joseph refuses to eat it without a fork. Geez it's just one brussels sprout- I don't think it would kill him to eat one with his hands. He does start out calmly asking for a fork, but then gets defensive when he claims he's "not an animal". Overreacting much? Chef meanwhile enjoys Tennille's dish and gives the ladies the point. So it seems so far like the ladies are the dominant group this season. Tennille then says in the confessional that she'll take autographs later. So she's like this year's Jen I guess- good cook, bad attitude.

Next up is Amanda's French toast versus Tony's mussels . Amanda goes back to get a glass of tequila for each of them, saying it goes well with the dish. Chef Ramsay, however, is not amused, saying French toast only takes three minutes to cook so she should have done more with her 45 minutes of time. I do think he was a bit too hard on her without even tasting the dish but at the same time French toast isn't the type of dish you make when trying to create a good first impression. I do like her kooky attitude though. Tony admits he has never been to culinary school and that he only needs to cook from the heart to do well. Okay... Cooking from the heart is great and all (ask Carla from Top Chef), but culinary school helps too. The dish looks disgusting, though Chef says he has potential and gives the men the point. He probably won't win, but he'll be around a while since Chef usually likes people with little experience but great potential.

After this is Melinda's lobster versus Jim's ahi tuna. Melinda claims the dish is rich and succulent, but she forgets the lobster, which is kind of a key ingredient. Turns out she didn't forget it, but she ruined it while cooking. Chef immediately discards the dish. Chef asks Jim to take off his coat, and Jim admits in the confessional Chef does intimidate him. Chef calls the tuna delicious, and the score is tied at 2.

Next is Kevin's steak with coffee over it versus Ariel's duck. Chef dislikes the coffee on the steak and calls the duck undercooked, so neither get the point. So much for my theory of Kevin being an early favorite. Lovely and Andy are also shut out, though we don't see what either of their dishes are.

So of course it comes down to the last dishes- Sabrina for the women and Van for the men. Sabrina cooks a pork tenderloin that Chef immediately spits out for being too spicy. Sabrina claims in the confessional that the dish reflects her because she is too spicy. I don't even know what to say about that. Van is a muscular country boy from Texas with a great palette (so he claims) who cooks some foie gras that Chef calls intriguing. The men win the challenge, and Van is stoked.

Now of course this means nothing since last year a bunch of the signature dishes were good but overall the contestants stunk, but so far it seems the obnoxious ones can cook (with the exceptions of Joseph and Louie). I'm already rooting for Tek, which of course means she'll get hurt/eliminated early like my favorite Ji did last year.

The ladies must clean up the kitchens as a punishment. Louie says it is right up their ally since they are better at cleaning anyway. So he's cocky AND sexist, which of course means he'll be around for a while just for the drama. Meanwhile the men will get take out from one of Chef's restaurants.

As I mentioned before, Heather from season 2 is back this season as a sous chef. I'm not sure if that's a step up or down from her prior gig.

The men celebrate, the women clean and complain. For dinner they get bologna sandwiches, contrasted with the men's succulent meat dishes.

All the contestants are given recipe guides on their beds to study for the dinner service. The women see them after they are done cleaning and then hit the books immediately. The guys spend all night drinking and partying, not studying, but that seems unfair since they may not realize they have homework waiting for them upstairs. A few of them might have studied instead if they had known.

And of course the men are all hung over the next morning and a little slow getting ready for service, while the women are working like machines. So it seems like the reward for the men was also a curse, which again appears a bit unfair.

Immediately the women are off to a bad start, as Lovely cooked something in advance that is supposed to be made to order. Chef is not amused. I know little about cooking though I'm guessing most items on the menu are made to order, not in advance, and I'm guessing by Chef's reaction that this is common sense in the cooking world. Suzanne immediately takes charge in remedying the situation, though based on her signature dish she'll probably just make it worse.

The new dining room this season is gorgeous, and there are new dishes on the menu as well. The guys apparently have not watched this show before because Chef calls out and order to them and they are silent in response. That's a big no-no. Tony then can't remember the order- another big no-no.

Tek then surprisingly undercooks the scallops, which gets Lovely (whose name does not match her personality apparently) upset because now her pasta must be redone. I understand why that is frustrating though. Jim then only serves four scallops instead of six, and Chef makes him count to six out loud!

The customers are annoyed having to wait for food of course, though I always wonder why this is the case. If you come to Hell's Kitchen while the show is being filmed you have to expect the food to be late/subpar because of the untrained contestants in the kitchen. I know the diners supposedly get paid to come to the restaurant but still they should come there with low expectations.

But tonight there is a special diner coming to eat- Robert!!!!! He's the contestant from last season who had to quit because of his heart disease. I loved him in the beginning then found him annoying as the season went on, but I'm surprised how happy I am to see him on the other side of the restaurant. And it turns out he is not just coming back to eat, but also to get another chance to compete. I just hope he does the same thing with Ji too... Apparently the contestants do not yet know this though. Interesting....

The men's second attempt at appetizers, done by Jim and Kevin, go smoothly. The red team though is still struggling to do the first order, mainly because of Tek's poor scallops. So much for my theory of her being a favorite. The men have moved on to entrees. So I guess the men are strong this season as well. Louie though puts a lamb in the oven without seasoning or searing, which apparently is bad. Searing apparently locks in all the flavors of the meat, so not doing this is a big mistake. The rest of the team does rally to help him though, which is a good sign.

The women are still working on their FIRST order. This time Chef notices the pasta is undercooked, even though the women all seem to think it is okay. Melinda then takes that as permission to throw out the huge pan of pasta, even though all it needed was a few more minutes on the stove. As Sabrina points out, she has a very "deer in the headlights" look to her. Chef yells at her but she still keeps that goofy look on her face.

Louie then moves over to cook the spinach even though he is on the meat station, not the garnish. As Chef points out, when he can't even cook a lamb he really shouldn't be helping out on other stations. Joseph offers to do the lamb, but Chef tells him to essentially shut up, that it is Chef's kitchen and they must follow his rules. I'm surprised Chef wasn't impressed by how Joseph wanted to take charge of the situation- I thought he liked that kind of thing.

In the red kitchen Lovely starts feeling sick and walks out of the kitchen. She starts sitting down and drinking water, determined to get back in the kitchen. It's hard to judge her without knowing how sick she is really feeling. Meanwhile her teammates continue to struggle, this time making a salmon that Chef calls a "bison's penis". Plus the salmon is frozen because Amanda accidentally put it in the freezer and not the refrigerator. Well it's not using sugar instead of salt but it's pretty close. She is kind of a ditz but I still like how reminds me of myself in the kitchen (then again, I'm not claiming to be a chef).

Lovely returns and the team gets back to work, as Louie again tries with the lamb. But this time it is ripped oddly. In fact he has a whole tray of lamb that looks like it has almost been ripped off the bone. I personally don't care if my meat looks like that as long as it tastes good but Chef clearly has higher standards. He kicks Louie out of the kitchen- hopefully for good, but I doubt it. Chef does tell him to pack his bags though, so he may be actually leaving. Which, of course, opens up a spot on the show for Robert. What a coincidence (not)! Louie has a few choice words for the camera on his way out the door of course.

Chef then decides he has finally had enough and tells both kitchens to shut down. Now he decides to talk to Robert about coming back. I guess Robert doesn't even know he is being invited on the show- either that or Robert is a good actor. Robert says yes in a heartbeat (sorry for the poor choice of words there). Aw his wife is crying too- she seems really sweet. I still don't get why he didn't bring Ji back though since she essentially had the same thing happen to her.

After service he calls out Amanda for freezing the salmon, and Melinda for overall being horrible. I think Amanda deserves another shot- she made one mistake, while Melinda and Lovely made more.

The women did in fact set a record for futility by not serving a single entree that night. They are clearly the losing team (especially because he already sent home one guy) and now must decide which three to put up for elimination. I'd say Melinda for sure, and then either Lovely for quitting or Amanda for the fish issue.

Suzanne accuses Melinda of not wanting to be here. I don't know if that's the case, I just think she can't cook. She is immediately nominated to be put on the chopping block. Lovely is the team's second choice, though Tek calls out Amanda for being a ditz. But she claims that was her only mistake, so she shouldn't go home, and I completely agree. The team then seems to stall on which two of those three to put up for elimination, but of course they eventually decide.

The first nominee is Melinda, not surprisingly. The second one (after a commercial break, of course) is Amanda. So of course the team does not listen to me. After throwing out all that pasta and overall doing horribly on appetizers Melinda by far deserves to go home over Amanda, but of course that means Chef will send home Amanda. Amanda says Lovely should be in the bottom two instead of her, but surprisingly Chef only asks Amanda and Melinda to step forward. I thought he would put Lovely in the bottom as well, though even she was not as bad as Melinda it seems.

Melinda claims she loves to cook- but of course that doesn't mean she can cook. Amanda says she never got a chance to show her potential. And the person going home is.... Melinda. Phew that was close. I'm already getting tired of seeing her puckerface every two seconds, and I agree Amanda has potential. Anyway Melinda invites Chef to taste a four course meal from her to see how good of a cook she is. Hopefully she'll remember all the ingredients this time!

Then in a final twist to end the first half of the premiere Chef decides to put Robert on the women's team. Aw I thought he was going to bring Ji back to fill the void but I guess not.

Chef calls Melinda "lost in space" and claims he sent her back to whatever planet she is from. Ha!

Supposedly this is the most shocking Hell's Kitchen ever- of course they say that every week.

As part two starts the men are upset to have lost Robert to the red team. He tells the women how to cook the dishes on the menu, and they call him a savior.

The next challenge involves attention to detail while cleaning shrimp. They must dehead the shrimp, remove the shell, and remove the private parts. Joseph of course calls this "entry-level" stuff. Chef picks Lovely to sit out the challenge to even the teams. The chefs have ten minutes to clean as many shrimp as possible. And boy do they have a lot of shrimp to work with. First Chef has a bin brought it, but then more shrimp starts dropping from the ceiling into the icebin. Well Chef certainly has a flare for dramatics.

Tennille has worked out a quick shrimp-cleaning system while Jim struggles working with shrimp that just had large "last suppers" so to speak. Lovely tries to cheer the red team on but is so half-assed that she is more of a distraction. Joseph sees the women/Robert looking lost on is confident the men have won, but Suzanne is just as confident the women/Robert will win.

Sabrina has seven shrimp cleaned to Chef's standards. Amanda adds an impressive nine to rebound from her near-elimination. Tex adds seven, and Ariel adds six to bring their total to 29. Tennille and her "system" though only had one out of eight shrimp correct, as she forgot to cut out the "sack" in most of them. Robert jokes in the confessional that she should have been able to see the private parts with her glasses. These are the kind of comments from him that annoyed me last year but for some reason this year they seem funny. Suzanne then adds ten shrimp to put the women on the right track. Robert though has only four shrimp to add to the total, chalking it up to his fingers that are as large as the shrimp. Ha! Still they finish with an impressive (I think) total of 44 shrimp.

Now it's time for the men. Andy has seven out of eight, and fish cook Van adds nine to bring the total to 16. Tony adds nine more to bring the total up to 25. Joseph only has five however, but the men still seem to be in good shape. Which, of course, means they will lose. Dave too has a poor showing with only four, but Kevin also has a nice rebound with nine out of nine shrimp. So the score is 44-43 with only Jim left for the guys. Why do I have a feeling he's going to blow it by not having any correctly cleaned shrimp? But right away he has one good shrimp, making it a tie score. His next two, however have sacks, so it is down to the final shrimp. After a commercial, we find out the last shrimp is acceptable, so the men win their second challenge in a row.

Chef calls out Tennille for her poor performance, and she cries in the confessional. What happened to "There's no crying in Hell's Kitchen". For their punishment the red team must prepare the shrimp and lemons for the shrimp cocktails to be served during dinner. The men meanwhile are going out for a seafood lunch in Newport Beach, including dessert on a yacht.

While the red teams prepares the lemons, Tek says she knows them better than people she's slept with. Ha. Ariel of course blames Tennille for the loss, though I'm surprised Robert isn't getting more of the blame. Then again he is supposed to be their "savior" so I guess they are cutting him some slack. Tennille then starts acting like a dictator to make up for her poor showing in the challenge, which of course earns her no friends on her team. She seems like this year's "contestant you love to hate".

At the reward Chef tells the contestants that being yelled at in the kitchen is the only way to get better. Joseph though is not buying what Chef is selling, claiming he came here to win, not to have lunch. Dave calls him "a little hotheaded" in confessional and I think that's being kind. I bet Joseph is the one who will call out Chef in the elimination at the end of this episode. Meanwhile the yacht arrives, with JP as the first mate in tight white pants and a striped scarf! On the yacht the men talk about how great it was talking with Chef about food. Except for Joseph of course, who just sits there shaking his head. Oh yeah he's definitely going to call out Chef later.

Back in the kitchen, Suzanne calls out Tennille once again for not knowing how to clean shrimp, and Tennille calls her "not a good person". This will be a rivalry to watch, though I doubt either of them will last too long on the show.

The men come back all cocky, which fires up Tek (and hopefully the rest of her team) to do well at the next service.

Robert steps up as a leader during the prep for dinner service. He helps them come together after their earlier fighting.

Meanwhile in the blue kitchen Tony is cutting grapefruit when Kevin comes over to show him how to do it properly. Chef then criticizes Tony's cutting, first for it not being done over a bowl, then for the shape the fruit was cut in. It's hard to tell if it was actually Kevin's way of cutting being criticized, though Tony seems to think it was. However Tony does not tell Chef it was Kevin's fault, instead taking the blame himself. I guess he believes in taking one for the team, which is a good attitude to have, but at the same time why take the blame for something someone else did?

Chef then announces that they will be serving scampi tableside during the service. He picks Van to do it for the men, with his charming good looks and big personality. I guess Chef hasn't seen the obnoxious side of him yet. Surprisingly he chooses Tennille to do it for the women so she can make up for her poor challenge performance. I thought he would choose Robert because of his personality but I guess he is needed more in the kitchen. Tennille though looks like she would rather have a cavity filled then serve tableside- this could get ugly.

Before the doors open we see Tony is still cutting grapefruit on the table rather than over a bowl, which gets Chef all riled up again. Now he is behind on the sauce, and Chef almost kicks him out of the kitchen, but surprisingly keeps his cool. I guess he remembers the potential Tony showed in his signature dish.

The tableside servers must coordinate with the contestants doing appetizers so that all the food arrives at the same time. For Van that means working with Tony and Jim, while Tennille must work with Robert and, of course, her new enemy Suzanne. This is going to end very badly.

Tennille tries to charm her customers by saying she is supposed to look like Whoopi Goldberg (which she does). Though she's not sure whether to put on a sex appeal act or not- I would steer clear of that if I were her.

In the blue kitchen Chef calls an order of scallops, and Tony is so excited to be cooking fish that he fires it up right away without communicating with the rest of the team. So the scallops are done but nothing else is ready. Whoops. Tony tries to think positive to deal with the situation.

Lovely then makes the mistake Bonnie warned of by not turning on the stove. She blames Tek for the mistake, but as Tek points out, you should be responsible for making sure your own stove is on.

In the blue kitchen Van starts the scampi but then Chef discovers Tony's scallops were no good. Tony has to break the news to Van, who needless to say is not happy. He even yells at Tony in front of the customers. That's probably not a good idea but he doesn't seem to get much flack for it.

Kevin helps Tony with the scallops, and the appetizers finally go out. Kevin does seem to talk smack a lot, but he seems less obnoxious than the others.

Meanwhile Robert strives for perfection in the red kitchen, but he ends up burning the food. He chalks it up to being overanxious on the big stage, like "trying to bust on the first night of the prom"- Ha! He also sets the stove on fire, and Chef is wondering why he brought Robert back.

JP tries to give Van advice for the tableside service, but Van just tells him to go away. The two must be put into a back room, where Chef tells them to keep their cool. Van still won't listen to JP's advice, and then proceeds to start cooking at a red team table. Well that's what you get for not listening to JP. JP tells Chef there is a language barrier between him and Van since Van is from Texas! I love JP.

Tennille serves a pregnant woman undercooked shrimp, while Van drops a pan full full of shrimp in front of customers. He runs back to get a pan and JP yells at him for running in the restaurant. Van continues to ignore him, so JP confronts him and the two get into a bit of an altercation. Chef takes the two aside before it gets too heated. JP says Van is not respecting the dining room. Chef tells them to work together and warns Van to listen to JP. The two walk back into the dining room, with JP letting "lady" Van go first. Finally someone to put Van in his place and see through that Southern charm!

Meanwhile Tennille is still backed up at the tables, which makes her team and Chef angry.

The men are working on entrees, but Andy has discovered his chicken is raw after cutting it. So he puts it back in the pan, but Chef yells at him for putting cut chicken on a stove like chicken nuggets. I don't see the big deal but then again I'm not a chef. Joseph points out Andy has a meat thermometer on his sleeve so he should have checked the chicken before cutting it. True, but I still don't see why cooking cut chicken is bad- it's still the same meat, just a different shape.

In the red kitchen Sabrina too has undercooked the chicken, slowing up the kitchen. Suzanne tries to take charge and tell everyone what is going on, but Sabrina yells back that she should stay in her own station. So I guess it's not just Tennille that hates Suzanne. I would have a bit more respect for Suzanne if she hadn't messed up the risotto in her signature dish. That makes her seem like all talk. Sabrina refuses to believe that Suzanne is right about the chicken and serves it to Chef anyway. Of course it is raw (even I could tell that), and he yells at Sabrina and throws it on the floor.

Tony is trying to impress with his fish, but falls behind with his halibut and then forgets to season it. Kevin takes initiative and starts cooking at the fish station. I'm surprised Tony lets him do that but it does seem like Kevin knows what he is doing.

Lovely then serves Chef some raw sea bass, but Lovely insists the fish is not raw. She even says in the confessional that he is old and must get his eyes checked! Wow. Then she gives it back to him and it is black.

In the blue kitchen Kevin serves raw fish, which causes everyone to try cooking in the fish station at once. This of course leads to chaos and no food coming out. In the red kitchen Sabrina has burnt the chicken and doesn't even realize it. So then Chef does something he's never done before. Aaand of course it goes to commercial before we find out what that is.

His idea is to serve just shrimp cocktails- since they aren't cooked, the contestants can't mess them up, right? That's his big plan he's never done before? Not that exciting in my opinion.

Both kitchens do well with the shrimp cocktails, but Chef thinks there is no point in cooking any food so he has the kitchens shut down.

Chef calls the night worse than the first night, which is probably true, though at least the red team got appetizers out this time. This night though had more people make mistakes than on the first night, when it was just a select few who were bad. He declares both teams losers and asks each to put up two people for elimination. I would definitely send up Tony for the men for his incompetence along with Van for his cockiness. For the red team I would choose Tennille for sure and then probably Sabrina for messing up the chicken or Lovely for messing up the fish.

Tennille claims she did a great job in the dining room, though as Robert points out, she served raw shrimp. Tony mans up and agrees to go up for elimination. The other men want to nominate Andy, who apparently made more mistakes with the chicken than just cooking it after it was cut. A lot of his food got sent back as well. But unlike Tony he refuses to admit his mistakes, claiming his is more qualified than the other contestants and thus should not be put up for elimination. The red team is debating putting up Lovely as well, though she claims her mistakes were not as bad as Tennille's, which is true. Yet I do think the fact the women was pregnant is not as big a deal as the rest of the team is making it out to be, as Tennille did not know the lady was pregnant until afterwards. She should not get that much extra criticism just because the women was pregnant. Of course she should get plenty of criticism just for serving raw shrimp to anyone.
The women also discuss sending up Sabrina, who calls out Suzanne for saying the chicken was raw. But as Suzanne points out, the chicken WAS raw. Suzanne is a know-it-all and takes charge when she shouldn't, but she was trying to help out her teammate by saying the chicken was not cooked. Sabrina was the one who didn't listen. The men consider putting Van up for elimination because of his attitude, and then, almost proving their point, he yells at them and threatens Jim, who made the suggestion. As Jim points out, Van is a powder keg who can't control his emotions. He even walks out on the deliberations. Well now if he's put up for elimination it's his own fault for not defending himself more.

Only five minutes left- is there time for an elimination?

The red team's nominees are Tennille and Lovely. I guess that makes sense since Lovely has a worse attitude than Sabrina and has made more mistakes overall. Chef asks Joseph to announce the blue team's nominees, but he says they can speak for themselves. Wow I've never seen someone who stands up to Chef as much as this guy does. Anyway their nominees are Tony and Andy. I'm actually surprised they didn't go with Van after what he did during deliberations. But the real drama is just starting, as Joseph just says their names without explaining why he nominated them. Chef asks him to say the names again, this time explaining why there were nominated. But Joseph refuses to do so, just repeating that they know why they are there. Wow. If I were Chef I might eliminate him right here. Instead he asks again to know who the nominees are and why, but Joseph just continues mouthing off, saying "I'm not no bitch" (which, surprisingly, does not get censored). The red team tries to tell him to show respect but he keeps cursing and mouthing off, even taking off his jacket, going face to face with Chef, and asking to see him outside. And then of course the episode ends.

Next week looks really good. Joseph calls Gordon a bitch, and then things really will get interesting. Plus there's a huge fire in the kitchen and someone goes to the hospital (it looks like a blue team member but I couldn't see who).

Anyway that's all for tonight's two hour spectacular. It's hard to pick favorites this early, but easy to pick those I'm not rooting for. I hope Joseph, Van, Tony, Lovely, Tennille, and Suzanne go soon, but based on tonight's show only Lovely and Tennille have really shown incompetence. I am rooting for Tek and Robert, and Jim is growing on me. I started out liking Kevin but it's hard to tell if his take-charge attitude in the kitchen is a sign of poor attitude or just a desire to win.

So thoughts on tonight's show? What do you think will happen with Joseph and Chef's standoff? Any early favorites (or non-favorites)? Post your comments below.

So You Think You Can Dance Recap: The Top 10 Results

Hey all sorry again for the last post but I kind of fell asleep last night and then was doing shopping much of the day today. Anyway after reading some other blogs from the performance show it seems I was the only one who though the paso doble was halfway decent. But an interesting note is dialidol.com is predicting Jason and Kayla to be going home, with only Evan and Randi being definitely safe. Evan being safe does not surprise me, though if this is true it proves Randi is popular in her own right. I know Kayla is unpopular so I wouldn't be shocked to see her go, though she was very good Wednesday night. Jason also was great on Wednesday but I would assume he got more votes after that Travis Wall routine (which I watched again and STILL found boring, but oh well).

Anyway tonight Cat is wearing a shiny blue dress- it's almost blinding to look at, and must be ever more so in person.

The group dance is to "So Much Betta" by Janet Jackson. Maybe it's a Michael tribute without his music. The guys come out in black with pyramid hats, and then an angel girl is passed around them. Two other girls are fierce in white, and two others are fiercer in red. The routine seemed shorter than usual but I enjoyed it. The sychronization of the dancers at the end was great as well. It was a Wade/Amanda Robson routine. Hey I didn't know Wade's wife choreographed also. They're like TabNap but not shown together as often.


Cat then announces the four Emmy nominations for choreography the show received. I'm surprised the show is not up for Best Reality Show and that Cat was shut out of Best Reality Show Host. Anyway the nominations are for Mia's routine to "Mercy" done by Twitch and Katee (one of my faves from last year), TabNap's "Bleeding Love" routine done by Mark and Chelsie (another of my favorites even though I wasn't rooting for Mark or Chelsie last year), Tyce's routine to "Silence" (which got noticeably fewer cheers than the last two routines), done by Jessica and Will (don't remember this dance at all even though I really liked Will), and "A Los Amigos", a tango choreographed by Dmitry Chaplin (who was also on DWTS last year), done by Josh and Chelsie (another routine I don't remember at all, though it looked cool in the short clip).
The show was also nominated for Best Makeup. Congrats to all!

Oddly Nigel is not at the results show, but he has a good reason. He is getting an honorary doctorate from a school in England. Awesome! And that means it's ladies' night on SYTYCD- even more awesome!

First up is a recap of Wednesday night's show. Despite what Mary says about the strong girls I still think Brandon is going to win. The girls' group dance was better but both were entertaining. The producers chose to show Mary's critique of Evan/Kayla that criticized Evan, though they also showed Debbie's praise. Ade and Janette all got positive reviews. Jason and Jeanine's routine got a nice applause when it was shown on the screen, and the standing ovation is also showed. Cat oddly describes the paso doble as "fiery"- I though the problem was that it was not fiery enough. Brandon and Melissa ended the night on a high note. The recap ends with brief glimpses of all the solos- despite what other bloggers say I still wasn't crazy about Jeanine's. Still love Brandon's, Evan's and Janette's though.

SO pumped for Hell's Kitchen next week. Look for my blog on that show as well.

All the ladies are onstage after the break. Cat will reveal the bottom two- I'd guess Randi (worst Wednesday night) and Kayla (least popular). Both will dance solos, though those will have no bearing on who goes home- aka they are filler. Janette is safe (yay!). Based on the order they are standing in I'm guessing Randi will be in the bottom, Jeaninie will be safe, and either Melissa or Kayla will be in the bottom. Indeed Randi is in the bottom, which already means dialidol was wrong- more bad news for Kupono. She seems to be unsurprised by the news. Jeanine is safe (again deserved based on her strong partner dance). So it's down to Kayla and Melissa. Both were great last night, but Kayla turns people off for some reason and thus will likely be in the bottom. Plus overall her waltz was worse than Melissa's Broadway dance (though that was mainly Evan's fault). Wow Melissa is in the bottom instead. Well congrats to Kayla, who was excellent in the waltz, but I guess she is more popular than I thought, and Melissa is less so. Some other bloggers thought America is tired of ballerinas, and I guess they were right. And dialidol was completely off, since they had Kayla going home.

Next up are the guys. It will likely be Kupono and someone else. It should be Kupono and Evan, but who knows how popular Jason, Brandon, and Ade are. I hope Brandon doesn't fall into the bottom like Melissa did.

But before that we get another Season 6 preview. I still don't like how they are already pimping dancers for next season. One girl in yellow shows great passion in her movements. Today's featured dancer is Molly, who at 18 is auditioning for the first time. She is very perky in a cute way. I hate the weird version of "Against All Odds" playing in the background but I enjoyed her solo much better than the one from last week. The judges love her energy and potential. They don't actually show her getting through, but I think it's pretty obvious she does.

Now for the results. I am trying not to look at the order they are in so I won't be spoiled on the results like I was for the girls (I try that for Idol too but it usually never works- I can't keep my head away for that long!). First up is Jason- he should be safe based on how he did but who knows how popular he is. He is safe as well, so again dialidol was totally off. I did unfortunately glance a quick peek at the order, and Evan and Kupono are next. So Evan is safe, Kupono in the bottom, and either Brandon or Ade (hopefully Ade) in the bottom. BTW what is with Kupono's outfit??? Evan got fewer cheers than I thought he would. But indeed he is safe, which is bad news for Kupono, who is up next. Kupono got less cheers than Evan did. Indeed he is in the bottom- I partially want him to be safe because I want to see another shocked reaction from him. So it's down to Ade and Brandon- Brandon is more popular but I think people might not have liked Brandon's Hair routine because Tyce choreographed it. Plus his partner Melissa is already in the bottom. Yay Brandon is safe!!! That doesn't really surprise me (though it did seem to surprise Brandon). Evan and Brandon are more popular and Jason was great last night. So that means if Jason is great next week Ade could be the next guy to go.

I like both guys in the bottom but don't care for either girl. I hope Randi goes simply because she was worse last night and her solo was one of my least favorites as well. Ade has grown on me in recent weeks so I'll be sad either way with the guys but Kupono is so fun I hope he sticks around to redeem himself.

Next week Mia will be on the judging panel, and Ellen Degeneres will be on the show also! Cool. Then Thursday is the 100th episode, with dancers from prior seasons performing Emmy-winning routines, which will be great for me since I didn't watch any of those seasons. And of course the Katie Holmes routine we've all heard about will be next week as well.

Now we get the solos, which don't really matter so I won't comment on them in too much detail. Randi was much better than she was on Wednesday- very graceful. Mary calls her a "heavenly little creature", and she thinks Randi has been great every week but needs to take more chances. Really I think she is not memorable and benefited from Evan's popularity. Debbie though her solo last night was powerful (I disagree), but thinks she is in the bottom because of her paso last night (well duh).

Kupono does his animal solo from Wednesday night, which I like even better tonight. Mary says he has been a great asset to the show but had a poor night on Wednesday. She tells him to show more passion if he is not eliminated, and that the solo was not strong enough as well. Well it was better than his prior ones, though is still a bit weak on choreography.

I think they are all doing their solos from performance night. Melissa' solo didn't wow me then and still doesn't, though I am impressed with how long she stayed en pointe. Debbie thinks America is used to her legs and technique but needs more of a wow factor in her solo (and I agree).

I also like Ade's solo more than I did last night, though I still think the music selection was horrible. Love the flips! Mary says he's a star, and neither her nor Debbie seem to think he should be in the bottom.

And now as more filler we get the Black Eyed Peas, who apparently allowed the show to play their music during the first season of the show. I guess that move paid off! And they are doing their current hit, "I Got A Feeling", which I like much better than their last one, "Boom, Boom, Pow". Though my local radio station plays "I Got a Feeling" at least once a day yet I never knew who sang it until I saw the credit a few days ago on ESPN. Just shows how the radio station never says who sings the songs they play. Okay mini-rant over.

Hey they have the green lasers from their Idol finale performance! Man this song is so catchy- at least the chorus. The rest of the song I don't really know yet. A dancer comes in partway through and takes off her shirt to reveal a dress underneath, then walks off the stage after smiling at Fergie. That was random. There are actually more dancers in the back but you can't see them since the focus is on the Peas. And another random guy jumps on stage, which cues a mass spraying of confetti. Yet the dancers keep going without a slip. Still don't like the verses but the chorus gets stuck in my head whenever I hear the song. They are going on tour with U2, so that is exciting (and explains why they are on the show of course- to plug the tour!)

And now finally we have results. The girls are first. Like I said I don't really love either but Randi was worse last night. Indeed Randi is out, which for me completely invalidates dialidol. Melissa looks a bit surprised, though Randi does not (and for good reason). This is bad for Kupono though, because if no one voted for Randi they likely didn't vote for him either. BTW Randi looks so short next to Cat, who of course mentions Randi's butt during the intro to the recap. Of course her paso last night gets only a brief clip.

So it's down to Kupono and Ade. I know Ade has a better shot to win than Kupono, but like I said I want to see Kupono safe just so he can look all shocked again. But indeed Kupono is out, and like Randi he seemed prepared for the news. Well I'm disappointed but I figured it was coming so I've had two days to prepare. Plus I knew he had no shot of winning anyway. I'll miss his goofy personality though. And now I get to see a clip of his addiction dance from last week. I forgot about the crash test dummies dance! But only two seconds of the addiction dance- boo.


Both seem happy with the experience and are taking in the cheers at the end. Kupono almost seems satisfied to be leaving- he probably didn't expect to get this far.

So thoughts on the results? Were you surprised at Melissa and Ade being in the bottom (since I'm sure you weren't surprised about who went home)? Will you miss Kupono's personality too? Post your comments below.

America's Got Talent Recap: Our New Susan Boyle- I Think Not

Hey all so far I've been kind of disappointed in the talent on AGT this year, and there are only three more audition shows for me to change my mind. I heard tonight's show has a Susan Boyle-type performer so hopefully at least she will be worthy of a million dollars.

Also tonight is the debut of Mariah Carey's new music video. Wonder if her husband hosting the show has anything to do with that?

Tonight's auditions bring us back to Seattle, which like I said in an earlier post is usually where reality shows go only to realize there is little talent. Maybe tonight will be better.

Another short judges intro. At least the producers are getting the hint about how much audiences hate that.

First up is Keg, aka the Lonely Ranger of Rock. who dreams to be a great rocker. He's been playing guitar since he was about four years old, and he thinks this is his true passion. He wants to follow it the footsteps of legendary Seattle rockers like Jimi Hendrix. He is a dental sales representative, but hopes to quit that and join the entertainment business. He starts out on drums, then does a midair split while going over to his guitar. He plays it while jumping around on stage. It's basically a one-man rock band. I actually don't think he is that bad but the crowd turns on him quickly. Piers X's him but the other two let him go to his big finish, a split in front of the microphone. Piers says he's the Lonely Ranger because no one wants to play with him. Keg claims the audience wants to see one-man rock bands but the crowd boos in response. Maybe it sounded worse in person because while he seemed loud he did have a good voice and guitar playing skills. He get three quick no's and is sent on his way.

Bad act montage: Silvia Brasil has a sexy outfit but can't sing or dance. Madmat, the Indestructible Man knocks an apple off a ladder with his foot, and that's all we see of him before he's X'd. There's even a pink gorilla called the Shanghai Pearl who just takes off her outfit and shakes her body a bit.

Kari Callin is up next, and I bet this is the Susan Boyle act since she does not look like a singer at all but claims that she wants to be one. She is a radiologist by trade who has been singing since she was three (she's in her forties now). She has a cleft lip, a deformity of the face that has prevented her from ever having a boyfriend. She never had the courage to fulfill her dream of singing until now. She once auditioned for a cruise ship but got turned away before singing because of her looks. She has a big, sultry voice that isn't as good as Susan's (or as Kelli Glover's for that matter), but still very strong. It sounds a bit offkey at the big notes towards the end but the judges and crowd cheer the most at that point. Considering her backstory I'm stunned she wasn't the "pimp" act of the night. The judges give her a standing ovation- I'm a bit surprised since I didn't think she was THAT good. Certainly good enough to move forward but she did go offkey at the end. David thinks she should charge that cruise ship guy to hear her sing. Sharon got goosebumps. Piers pulls out the "don't judge a book by it's cover" line he said when he first heard Susan. She of course gets through to Vegas. And hey another Mariah song- "When You Believe" is playing in the background.

Now Nick is back in NYC- I guess that means Seattle's talent did stink this year.

Good act montage: Simon Chaban does a cool fire acrobatics act. I wish we could have seen more of him. He does flips and twirls with a fire-lit baton. Awesome. Keith Johnson is like Eli Mattson but not quite as good. Piers apparently X'd him but the other two liked him. Pixie Mystere is a kid gymnastics act who are good, but would be better if they ditched those clown costumes.

Next up is a group of students called Reality. They are five college-age best friends who are like family to each other. They sing "Sit Down, You're Rocking the Boat" and I think they sound excellent but the crowd turns on them quickly. They are basically like their own little mini-musical right there on the stage. Nick comments backstage their dancing is off but I was too busy admiring the singing to pay attention. Anyway the judges eventually X them. Piers says it was too old-fashioned and uncool, while Sharon and David says they should perform in retirement homes. Wow I'm shocked I liked them better than Kari. They get three no's and are sent off, but I think they'd be a big hit on Broadway.

After the break we meet Destined 2 Be , a group of dancers from Indiana who have faced rejection lots of times before. They have a robotic, electronic style that I'm not really a fan of but they are very good at what they do. David loves the choreography and thinks they were entertaining. Sharon agrees and loves their heart as well. They get three yes's and are off to Vegas.

Next up is Rashida Jolley, who sings and plays harp. Well that's a unique combo. Her father passed away a few years ago and now she's continuing the family tradition by being a musician. He was the one who taught her how to play and sing. Aw. She starts to play and blows me away as soon as she opens her mouth. The arrangement of the song is a bit slow for me but her harp playing is pretty good and her singing is great. Her big voice tails off a bit after the first verse but is still pretty. The act is kind of boring though- I started tuning out pretty quickly once her big voice died down. I don't know if I could listen to this kind of music for an hour but she is talented for sure. David says the singing blew him away but then she started beating on the harp (she almost sounded like she was playing a drum). Sharon says she doesn't know if the harp and singing worked, and I kind of agree. Piers says her harp playing was sexy and not what he was expecting. David surprisingly says yes, as do Sharon and Piers, and she is off to Vegas.

After the break we meet friends Matt and Anthony, who have a song and dance act. They are old college roommates who didn't speak to each other for a few months but then discovered a mutual passion in music. I have a feeling they are going to be bad. They don't even have a group name! One guy sings and plays guitar, while the other tap dances. The tap dancer is amazing, while the singer is good, but nothing special. At first it seems weird to see a tapper and singer on the same stage but the act got better later on, especially as the tapper really began doing some cool tricks. David says it was the best tap dancing he's ever seen. Sharon thinks it was fantastic. Piers thought they would be hopeless at first but found it unique and entertaining. They get through to Vegas, and they have potential to do really well on this show.

Good duos montage: Louis Bar and Laura Cantu do a sexy Argentine tango, though I think the dancers on So You Think You Can Dance are better. The Kalinins are a father-son act where the son balances on the father's head and legs. That's cool but can get kind of dull after a few minutes. Christopher and Laura Camp have a variety act where Christopher whips and cuts things in Laura's hands. Again I don't think that could sustain a Vegas show but they are talented.

Our last act of the night is 16-year-old Mia Boostrom, who got cut in Vegas last year. I don't even remember her but she sounds good in the clip they showed of her. I can't find any clips of her audition but she does have a bunch of songs on Youtube already. She sings "Georgia on my Mind" and plays keyboard. She has a pure, beautiful voices that really shines on the high notes. Her clips on Youtube are not as good as this performance is. She is not the best singer in this competition but is certainly very good. Sharon says she showed much more personality this year. Piers thinks her range as improved but doesn't know if she can win. David thinks it wasn't perfect but was sung beautifully. She gets three yes's and is off to Vegas, but with so many strong singers this year she will probably not make it too far.

And of course the show wouldn't be complete without Mariah Carey's new video. Nick introduces her as another "top talent". That's sweet I guess. And this is what DVR is for. Yay fast forwarding!

So that's it for tonight's show. Another night of good but not great talent. My favorites were Matt and Anthony, mainly because of the tapping. Mia and Rashida have potential as well but didn't blow me away quite yet. I also want to see more of Simon the fire acrobat.

What are your thoughts? Do you think Kari was overrated? Did you think Reality deserved another chance? What about the other acts on tonight's show? Post your comments below.

So You Think You Can Dance Recap: The Top 10 Perform

Hey all I can't believe we are only a few weeks away from crowning America's Favorite Dancer. Tonight the dancers are given new partners and for the first time will be eliminated solely based on audience votes. That means Ade, Evan, and Brandon should be safe for the guys and Melissa and Janette safe for the girls. Anyone else going home would not surprise me, though I think Jason and Randi have the most to worry about. Jason has been subpar for weeks, and Randi may have been relying on Evan's popularity to get to the top 10.

Speaking of Evan, I wonder what will happen if he gets paired with Melissa? She's at least six inches taller than him. His height may also hurt him in the long run, but it seems his popularity is so great he can overcome anything.

Loving Cat's green dress tonight. It looks stunning on her and reminds us to save the planet at the same time!

Ade's solo has lots of cool spins. Brandon's is just a lot of spastic movements- has he been watching Kupono too much? Jason's was very cool as well. And hey Kupono makes a phone with his fingers at the start of his! Great idea- he needs all the votes he can get!!!

Tonight's guest judge is Debbie Allen. I didn't see much of her last year since she couldn't judge with Will on the show but she seems to know a lot about dancing and is well respected by contestants.

Nigel says he is somewhat pleased to lose control over the votes because the show is about "America's Favorite Dancer". Mary says any type of change for the dancers will be hard, especially having to deal with height disparities and trust of new partners. Debbie admits she threw her ice cream at the TV a few times this season after judges' comments but says her top 3 girls and top 3 guys are still in it. I'm guessing those are Brandon, Evan, Ade, Melissa, Kayla, and Janette, though I could be wrong. She adds that whoever leads a lasting impression on the audience should win.

Nigel reminds us we are now voting for individual dancers, not partners. Then the bottom guy and bottom girl will be eliminated tomorrow night.

Tonight each contestant will have two dances- a solo plus a paired dance with a new partner.

But before we see who the new partners are (of course the producers want to drag it out as long as possible), we get group numbers. First the top five girls do a Bollywood routine by Nakul Dev Mahajan. Hopefully it's better than Jason and Caitlin's Bollywood routine earlier this season. The dance incorporates folk elements from India and includes a cool looking prop that I missed the name of. Kayla points out that attention to details is key. Jeanine adds that it's a group effort so nobody can go in trying to shine individually. Nakul gives them the nickname "Bollywood Bombshells", and it seems to stick. Kayla is excited because the dance is really girly.

The song is "Dholna" from the Pyar Ke Geet soundtrack, and right off the bat I love the costumes. The start out slow and then immediately move into the fast part of the dance, with Melissa really seeming to hit the hardest. They then turn around and dance with mustached masks on the backs of their heads. The only bad thing is now I can't tell who is who. They eventually turn back around and do more insanely fast dancing, at which Kayla (who is in the front) really shines. But there really were no weak links in this dance. Everyone was great, and they all seemed in sync with each other. A fun way to start the night

Nigel says Nakul was cool and then thinks these girls are some of the most beautiful ever on the show. He then says there really was no one that stood out since everyone danced well with great personality. While I did single out Melissa and Kayla, that's mainly because they were in the front of the dance at the time- but like I said all five were terrific. He also loves the costumes. Mary calls it "Bollywow" and loves how fresh Nakur made Bollywood for the crowd. She could see anyone of them in the final. I think it will come down to Melissa and Janette in the finals, but that's more based on popularity than talent. Debbie agrees this is a close race and loves how much they articulated the Indian culture in the dance. She then adds this is the best top 5 ladies ever, which I can't argue since I didn't watch the first three seasons.

Now we finally get the first couples routine of the night. So is there a guys' routine also later in the show? I'm guessing so or that really wouldn't be fair to the ladies, having them learn two routines while the guys only learn one. Anyway tonight's first couple is...

Kayla and Evan- It will be interesting to see how the votes go with these two since Evan is so popular while Kayla is not. I know the votes are individual but you figure one partner's votes could influence another's.

Kayla loves having a unique partner. Evan is worried since Kayla is apparently the tallest girl though to me she really doesn't look that tall at all. I thought Melissa was taller but I guess not. This could especially be a problem in ballroom dance, according to Evan, since girls dance in heels. And of course they get ballroom- a Viennese Waltz with Tony and Melanie.

Okay in rehearsals (with Kayla wearing heels) the height difference is much more noticeable. Already these two got a bad break being paired together and then getting a somewhat boring dance. Evan is trying to dance tall, but Kayla is looking for smaller heels. At one point the two switch shoes! The heights are more even now (Evan is in fact taller) but Evan can barely walk in the heels. He has gained a newfound respect for girls who dance in those all time. I'm a girl and I don't even think I could do that- I can barely walk in heels. Kayla even jokes she will bend her knees a lot during the dance so Evan looks taller. This should be interesting.

The song is "Kiss from a Rose" by Seal. Hey I've actually heard of this song! Well they must have given Kayla smaller shoes since the height difference was not that noticeable. Evan looks dashing in his vest and combed back hair, and he's actually dancing better than he has in a while. He is being outshined by Kayla with her beautiful twirls and lift poses, but overall Evan held his own in a tough genre. He did looks a bit choppy at times though. Aw he gives her a rose at the end (albeit a squished one).

Nigel agrees with me that they look the same height, and it turns out Kayla is dancing with flats and Evan with slight heels. Nigel though thought it looked more like a fast waltz than a Viennese Waltz, but that's more choreography than it is the dancers, isn't it? Yet he thinks the lifts were beautiful, Evan was a strong partner, and Kayla had great lines. Mary picks Evan apart for his turns and lack of power and says he didn't glide enough on the floor, which is probably the choppiness that I saw. Still I didn't think it was as bad as she said. She does compliment him on the lifts. She adds Kayla had better movement and quality along with great lines, and that she grows every week. I still don't get the smugness that others see in Kayla, or why people think the judges are pimping her too much when they have praised others just as much. Debbie thinks Evan handled his "big woman" well and that she greatly enjoyed it. She loved Kayla aka "White Lightening" from the first time she saw her, yet she feared audiences wouldn't accept Evan aka "Gene Kelly" (who apparently is hearing this nickname for the first time and is so touched he is crying). But clearly, (as she admits) she was wrong about him.

Overall it was a solid way to start the evening, though perhaps unmemorable with them being the first act of the night.

The partner dances and solos are going to alternate throughout the night. First up is Brandon, whose solo we are seeing for the first time. The song is "In Your Eyes" by Jeffrey Gaines. As usual he is great. His arm and leg movements are super fast, and you can really feel the passion, which apparently is something the judges have critiqued him on in the past. Apparently though the judges don't comment on the solos, as Cat segues right into Brandon's phone number.

The next new couple is Janette and Ade. Two of the favorites get paired together- good for them, bad for everyone else.

Ade is happy to have a little firecracker for a partner, though again these two have height issues. Ade is the tallest guy, and Janette the shortest girl, though this difference is more noticeable than Evan and Kayla's. Janette though loves Ade's fun personality. They are doing at TabNap hip hop number, which is good since the height difference won't be as noticeable. In the dance Janette thinks she has no funk, so Ade will hypnotize her so she has more funk. Janette actually struggles with the funk in rehearsal, which surprises me since I think she is the best female dancer. Tabita says she must step it up or they will "funk up" the routine. Ha! She seems to do better towards the end of the clip though.

The song is "Love Sex Magic" by Ciara feat. Justin Timberlake, a song I have heard of but never actually heard. Ade starts out with a great solo and then uses his patented hair pick to hypnotize Janette. She seems a bit robotic and stiff in her moves, though that may be part of the routine. In the rest of the dance she does a pretty good job but Ade is so amazing that I couldn't really keep my eyes off of him. It was still very enjoyable.

Nigel says they were both great and loves how TabNap used the height difference to their advantage by having Janette go between Ade's legs. Yet he does this all with two pencils in his head (his version of Ade's pick), which makes it hard to take him seriously. He then promises to use the pick to take Mary out of her clothes later.... Mary says the dance was funky and pure entertainment, which it was. She thought they were well synchronized as well. Debbie says they were mesmerizing together. I didn't like it quite as much as the judges did but it certainly was very good. BTW the height difference is much more noticeable when the two stand next to each other- Janette's head is up to Ade's shoulder!

I went back and watched this dance again and found it much more enjoyable the second time around, particularly the second half when Janette is getting her funk on and not being as robotic.

Next up to do her solo is Randi, another one we haven't seen yet. Her song is "Dream " by Priscilla Ahn. Technically it is very good but I don't quite get the emotion out of it that I got out of Brandon's solo. Though her spins are excellent, I found it a bit boring.

After the break we see Kupono's solo, which hopefully is like the solo he did in the beginning of the show and not like the ones he's done on results shows so far. The song is "Marina Gasolina" by Bonde Do Role. Well it was better than ones he's done in the past but still didn't blow me away. He basically acted like an animal and did some crouched dancing. It did seem to go by faster than Randi's dance, which I think means for me it was more entertaining, though still nowhere near as good as Brandon's.

The next new partners are Jeanine and Jason. The two are excited to work together since they are such good friends but both could be in trouble with their weak fanbases. They do both think they have similar dance styles, and Jeanine looks forward to seeing Jason's naked chest all day!
Ironic that the two who lost partners last week are paired together, seeing as they would have been partnered together anyway if the duos were not split up.

They are doing a contemporary dance choreographed by former contestant Travis Wall, who is choreographing for the first time despite being a huge fan favorite based on the cheers. Lucky for them two of the weaker dancers get their own style this week. The story is two best friends hooking up for the first time. Travis though is putting in all these flips and lifts that the two of them haven't done before, leading to lots of spills in practice. The chemistry is key for the dance to work, especially since Jason's poor chemistry with Caitlin doomed her last week.

The song is "If It Kills Me" by Jason Mraz. Great singer, though I don't know this particular song. The routine starts out with Jason giving Jeanine a locket and her stretching her leg up straight in the air like it's nothing. The routine has lots of great lifts and Jason does some high jumps but it's kind of boring for me, though danced very well. At the end Jason puts the locket on Jeanine and they make out on the floor! They definitely have more chemistry than Jason and Caitlin did.

The audience (including Travis) is on their feet, along with the judges. Uh oh- that's bad news for Kupono and Randi, and maybe even Evan and Kayla. Nigel says the choreography was great and only made better by the two dancers. He correctly points out that Jeanine finally has a partner who can keep up with her technically and that Jason was great as well. He adds that they have both become stars tonight. Mary is at a loss for words, so Nigel wants them to do the same routine every week so she can shut up! When she speaks she says that they are both stars and breaks down in tears describing how great it is for Travis to come back. She adds Jason has great strength and power, brought out by Travis, and that Jeanine has grown every week as well. And they even get a spot on the hot tamale train, yet she does a silent scream instead (finally, a silent scream!!). Debbie says she's known Travis since he was young and tonight demonstrates how the show is connecting dancers around the world. She thinks this was a magical pairing, and she can't wait to see it on the tour. Watching this dance again, I do like it better the second time around, though I wasn't as blown away as the judges were. Still it was certainly good enough to keep them here another week, which like I said before is bad news for the dancers on the bubble this week.

Next to do her solo is Melissa, set to "Gabriel" by Lamb. The rock music doesn't seem to fit the ballet dancing, but she does dance it well, especially en pointe. Solid, but not spectacular..

Cat then introduces Evan's solo, the first time the Broadway dancer had done one this season. The song is "Zing! Went the Strings of my Heart" by Rufus Wainwright. Why are the Broadway songs on this show never ones I have heard of? His solo is actually one of the most entertaining of the night, complete with tap dancing, splits, and a flip at the end. Plus the facial expressions were adorable!

Another solo! Well might as well do a bunch now since there are only two partner dances left. Kayla's song is "Rock Your Soul" by Elisa. Her solo seems much less hectic than her previous ones, and she shows great lines and flips, though like Randi's routine it was a bit dull.

Only two couples left to be revealed. Hopefully Kupono is paired with Melissa or he could be in real trouble since Randi is also on the chopping block. The next new couple is:

Randi and Kupono: So it kind of worked out that the favorites got paired up and the non-favorites didn't. Evan and Randi disappointed a bit earlier, but after Jason and Jeanine's great routine (and subpar solos from both of them) these two are going to have to hit it out of the park to stick around.

Kupono loves Randi's cuteness, and Randi loves Kupono's presence but fears they won't be able to get chemistry in such a short amount of time.

They are doing a paso doble with Tony and Melanie. Randi is terrified- all she knows is that she is the cape and Kupono is the matador, and Kupono is scared as well. I have a bad feeling about this. They struggle in rehearsals and go into panic mode. Tony thinks they have to work on the passion of the dance.

The song is "Dies Irae" by Karl Jenkins. When I hear "Dies Irae" all I think is the backing vocals in the beginning of "La Vie Boheme" in "Rent". They actually do better than I thought they would considering the pre-performance clip, though that's not saying much since I thought it would be a train wreck. The dancing itself is good but I've seen paso dobles hit much harder than this. They have the intensity in their faces but not so much in their bodies. It's kind of like a paso-light. And even the facial intensity goes away after a while. And Kupono does show his lack of strength when he really struggles to lift Randi off the ground. Overall it was still a decent routine technically but it didn't blow me away. The cheers aren't loud from the crowd, which really isn't good.

Nigel says the choreography was good but the dancing didn't match. He doesn't think Kupono was strong enough for the routine, and also calls it light like I did. He also thinks they had a lack of chemistry and passion and that the routine felt inauthentic. Ouch I didn't think it was that bad but it certainly wasn't great either. Mary says they didn't rise to the challenge of new partnerships and that it was not strong or authentic. She thinks Randi was there more than Kupono was but mediocre is not good enough. She thinks the song was more intense than the dance. Debbie thinks there were moments of awkwardness but thinks they needed more time to grow as partners. I think they should have gotten a bit more praise for their technique but I agree the emotion was not there, especially when watching the routine back a few times. These two are locks for the bottom three and are most likely going home, unless by some miracle Evan's fans suddenly turn on him.

The next solo is Ade. He is dancing to "Unchained Melody" by the Righteous Brothers. Finally a pop song! And extra bonus points for going shirtless! He has a great flip along with nice lines, though the dancing doesn't quite match the music in my opinion. Still it was a solid routine, though not as good as his solo from last week. Cat mentions that Ade did something during his solo, though I'm not sure what it is.

After the break we see Jeanine's solo, set to "Violento (Up Mix)" by Bailongo! Wasn't another dance on this show set to the same number? The dance is cute and sexy but doesn't quite match the intensity of the music. Still pretty good though.

Our final male solo is Jason, dancing to "Train Fare Home" by Muddy Waters. His solo isn't as intense as I would like it but with his strong partner dance he should be safe.

Now it's time for our last couple, Melissa and Brandon. So two of the strongest dancers are paired together. The dancers feel the same way that I do, though Melissa worries about her height difference with Brandon. Even with that these two should shine together.

Their first dance is a Tyce Broadway routine. OMG they are dancing to "Hair". I'm excited now- a show I've actually heard of!! Too bad everyone one the other blogs I read hates Tyce's numbers- maybe these two strong dancers will change their minds. For those who don't know the show takes place in the 1960s and is all about hippie culture. They had some interesting poses, and Melissa's chin hit Brandon's behind right away, so they bonded quickly.

The song is "Aquarius". Yay one of the songs I know too! I'm loving Melissa's outfit- she looks like she could be in the show. The routine is kind of boring at the start, though it does get much more enjoyable once the lyrics start. The two are dancing it very well, and really embodying the spirit of the era. I especially enjoy the crazy flips and poses they do throughout the dance almost more than the dancing itself. Awesome smoke effect in the end, though you can't really see Melissa behind the fog. Overall it wasn't their best but still a good enough job to keep them in for another week.

Nigel talks about how big a deal it was at the time for black and white dancers to be dancing together like they were in the show. But, he notes, they had more hair than Brandon does. He loves how Melissa's ballet and Brandon's gymnastics were worked into the routine. Mary says it was unbelievable and groovy and they were stars of the show. Debbie says they are both powerful and technical and worked well together despite their differences.

The last solo of the evening is Janette's, who dances to "This is Miami" by Sander Kleinenberg. She is hot and sexy, especially with those hips. Man is she shaking those things! It's hard to do a salsa dance solo, but this was actually my favorite female solo of the night.

All that's left is the top 5 guys who are doing an African dance by Jeffrey Page. I've never seen African dance on this show so this should be interesting. Jeffrey wants the dance to be about men showing off to women in the crowd. Kupono will likely struggle with the masculinity, and pale-white Evan is also struggling. The dance is quick and hard, according to Brandon. The dance is all rhythm, not counting, which is tripping up the dancers. Jeffrey tells them to rely on pure movement and not on what they learned in class. But it has to be rhythmic or it will be bad.

The song is "Balant Funk" by Ayanda Clarke and Shawn Kelly. And thank you to Jeffrey for having them ALL dance shirtless! Evan has the worst body of the bunch so he even points to his sticking-out belly during the routine. The dance is crazy fast with lots of flips and tricks. It's so fast I can't even keep track of who's doing what, though at first glance it seems they all were doing well. Evan seems to struggle the most but he still does an admirable job. The dance was a bit repetitive at the end, so I liked the girls' routine better, though that's more a matter of taste.

Jeffrey gives them a standing ovation from the crowd. Nigel loves African dance and says that routine was one of the toughest ever on the show. He says nobody stood out as a sore thumb, just like with the girls, and I agree. Mary loves the costume and energy and thinks Evan held his own in a tough genre. She also mentions his pointing to his chubby stomach. She also thinks it was entertaining. Debbie says this dance is the origin of other styles on the show and is impressed with their stamina during that tough routine. Nigel calls it much better than Russian folk! I feel bad for whoever choreographed that routine last week.

Tomorrow night two dancers go home and the Black Eyed Peas perform.

My favorite partner dance was Ade and Janette's, though I actually thought of them were good (yes, even Kupono and Randi's). Brandon, Janette, and Evan had my favorite solos, though none of them stuck out as being terrible. Kupono's was one of the weakest but even this was stronger than his previous ones.

As for the results show, I think Kupono and Randi are locks for the bottom three and are likely to go home, though the rest of the bottom three should be interesting. Jason and Jeanine might be there because of their lack of popularity, though they don't deserve to be. Evan does deserve it but likely will be safe after his solo and because of his overall popularity. Ade and Kayla could also be in the bottom because of smaller fanbases, but it likely won't matter as Kupono and Randi were the only dancers who got poor critques tonight. Well other than Evan but if he's survived the past two weeks he should survive tonight which was actually one of his better nights of late.

So thoughts on tonight's show? What did you think of the group numbers? Did you think the judges were a bit too harsh on Evan, Kupono, and Randi like I did? Any chance Kupono and Randi don't go home tomorrow night? Post your comments below.

America's Got Talent Recap: More Auditions, Yay?

Hey all I can't believe we are STILL on audition shows for America's Got Talent. When does Vegas week start already? The only good thing is none of the "pimped" talents being shown at the end of each episode have impressed me yet but now there is still time for one to do so.


Tonight we are back for more NYC auditions. Hey maybe I'll see someone I know....

Glad to see the quick judges' introduction this week.

First up is government contractor Jeffrey Widom. He has a serious job but feels good inside when he sings and even hums at work. His "singing" however consists mostly of yelling and awkwardly bopping to the music. Too bad he seems like a nice guy but he gets X'd right away. Jeffrey then takes that as a cue to start singing some Sinatra, and it's slightly better but that's not saying much. He gets booed off the stage.

Bad act montage: Alex Feldman makes weird faces, plays a recorder with his nose (Ew!) and pulls a bra out of his shirt. Dorothy Bishop looks like Janice Dickinson and probably sings like her too. Chris Evans takes off his shirt and does some double-jointed stuff. At least he actually has talent unlike the other acts so far. David Glass does a horrible Elvis impersonation and apparently doesn't know the word "stop". Nick literally has to push him off the stage.

Hey another cute kid! He is nine-year-old Tallan Noble Latz and he plays guitar. He does even have musical background in his family, and he loves coming home from school so he can practice playing. He adds that if he wins the million he will want his mom to quit work so he can spend time with her. Aw... Not very realistic, but still adorable. Sharon asks him what style of music he likes and he says rock/blues. He even got his father into blues! He names a bunch of his influences, and I'm embarrassed to admit I've never heard of any of them except Jimi Hendrix. Anyway he starts playing and the kid is amazing! If I closed my eyes I would have thought it was a professional. Though I'm not sure how many people can listen to just guitar playing for an hour-long show. He even has stage presence, rocking his head with the music. David says he has a great career ahead of him, and he loves Tallan's attitude. Piers has a nine-year-old son who can barely play "Three Blind Mice", so he is amazed at how well Tallan played. Sharon says he has the soul and charisma as well. He of course gets through to Vegas, along with a standing ovation from the crowd.

After the break we get a brief glimpse of a sexy dancing duo who get through to Vegas. They looked really good in the short clip but we don't get to see much of them. Boo.

Next up is 74-year-old Tony Ferrante. Based on his outfit I'm guessing he's an Elvis impersonator. He is a retired barber who always dreamed to be onstage. Well he'll either be like the Sinatra impersonator last year or he'll be a disaster. I'm guessing the latter. And of course I'm wrong on both fronts. He's a disco dancer, not an Elvis impersonator, and he is pretty good. There is a weird leg stretch thing that doesn't look like dancing, but the rest of the routine was quite entertaining. Not quite as good as the 62-year-old dancer from a few episodes ago, but that's understandable since he's 12 years her senior. Considering my father was impressed with the 62-year-old I'm sure he'll be in awe of this too. Piers oddly X's him, but the crowd and other judges are loving it. He doesn't even look out of break at the end! Sharon says he is entertaining and has lots of rhythm. Piers though doesn't think Tony's act is worth a million dollars. That's probably true but I still think he's good enough to go to Vegas- the judges can weed out all the lesser acts later, but as long as they have some potential they should go to the next round. David says the act made him feel like dancing. Piers of course says no, but David and Sharon (after a dramatic pause of course) say yes, so Tony is off to Vegas! The crowd demands an encore, so he comes back on stage one more time, much to Piers' chagrin.

Now about halfway through the show we find out that there are two more weeks of auditions (still???) before the Vegas round. Then like last year the acts will perform again for the judges, with the top 40 facing the audience vote in the semifinals. In the montage of acts through so far are some of my faves, namely Kevin Skinner and the Eriam Sisters, along with some other early favorites like the ballroom dancing kids, the siblings who brought their mother out of a coma by singing, and the yodeling dominatrix. But why are they putting this in the middle of the show? Why not wait until the end so that audiences don't accidentally fast forward through it?

Good act montage: Arthur Gulkarov looks like a belly dancer and starts out putting his arms and hands behind his head on opposite sides. That doesn't seem too impressive, but then he does a bunch of quick spins in a row. That's all we see of him but I hope he does more spinning because the beginning of the dance was just weird. Nathan Burton is a magician who puts a woman on a chair on one half of the stage, puts a sheet over it, and then has her reappear on a platform on the other side of the stage! That was really cool. I've liked a lot of the magicians so far this season but I'm afraid only one or two will make the semifinals. African High Fliers do lots of acrobats and tumbling, and even make a human pyramid. They were good, but I've seen that kind of thing a lot before on this show.

Next up is Kelli Glover, a singer who auditioned for AI Season 1. And unlike last week, where several reality show rejects auditioned for AGT and it was never brought up, we actually see the clip of Kelly not getting through to the top 10. Hey a Brian Dunkleman sighting!!! Jim Verraros got to the top 10 instead of her, and I remember that Jim getting through was a big surprise. After doing some Youtube research it seems she originally sang a Whitney Houston song in the semis where she sounded decent but not amazing, and the judges called her out for sounding too much like Whitney. They brought her back for the wildcard and she did better, though still not blowing me or the judges away. Here is the clip of her wildcard performance: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pYYCq2dEtMc
That also was eight years ago so maybe she's gotten better. She gave up on her dreams but now is making a comeback on AGT. She looks completely different now- I like that she ditched the afro. She is singing "Listen" from Dreamgirls (bonus points for no Whitney) and after watching that clip I think she sounds ten times better now than she did back then. It starts out great and then she shines on the big notes at the end. She does sound very much like Beyonce, but I think that's a good thing. She's one of my favorites so far this year. David says this is a lesson not to give up and it was a great job. Piers though know if she can win. What is it with Piers tonight? Did he wake up on on the wrong side of the bed? But surprisingly he says yes along with David and Sharon and she moves on to the next round.

Hey there's an Elphaba wannabe in the crowd!!!

Next up are the Badd Girls, a pop group not to be confused with the Spice Girls (whose music is of course playing in the background). They claim to have the whole package and are born to perform. Well the guys certainly will.... They want to be international pop stars as big as the Spice Girls. The dancing isn't bad but the singing is painful- it's more like shouting than anything. They are quickly X'd. Piers says they have as much chance to be as famous as the Spice Girls as he has to be US president (which of course is zero, since Piers is a foreigner). David and Sharon think they sounded like cats (I agree!!!). The three walk off before learning of their fates, but not surprisingly all three judges say no anyway. And also not surprisingly the Badd Girls still think they are talented.

After this we meet the Platt Brothers, who grew up in the countryside. They had no television, so they would hang out outside all the time growing up. Their parents have driven them to theater, dance, and gymnastics classes over the years, and the brothers hope to turn their passion into a career. For today's audition they stick with dancing. First they do a little synchronized electronic dancing that reminds me of Diversity from Britain's Got Talent. Then they act out a scene where one brother slams a (fake) door in the other brothers' faces, goes to the bathroom (I think), then throws a pretend cup at another brother, knocking him down. They finish with some more flips, including two of the brothers tumbling between each others legs while the third does a handstand. They are very energetic and good at what they do, though I don't know if they could sustain an hour show either. I kind of found myself getting bored halfway through. David loves their act and their hair. Piers says they have the tools plus the sex appeal, and now they just need to add more to it. Sharon likes the interpretation of the music. They also get three definite yes's, and seem up to Piers' challenge.

The final act/pimp act of the day is a group of Post Office workers who have been singing together for 10 years. Two of them happened to hear each other singing in the mail room one day and decided to join together. Now they have expanded to seven members, including a 21-year-old and a 76-year-old. They call themselves the Spiritual Harmonizers. They start singing, and they are basically an a capella group, as one soloist comes forward while the others do backing vocals. The soloist is pretty good, and the harmonies are even better, though I think Kelli should have been in the pimp spot instead of these guys. They are very good, but she is better. Piers says the lead singer is like a young Stevie Wonder (wow I didn't think he was that good), and that is what made the act not boring. Sharon loves the show because it gives everyday people like them to show their talent. David is proud of them. They of course get through to Vegas and start jumping for joy backstage.

So that's it for tonight's show. I was very impressed with the talent, especially Tallen, Tony, and Kelli Glover. Even Spiritual Harmonizers surprised me, though I still think they did not deserve to be in the pimp spot.

Thoughts on tonight's show? Did you love Kelli as much as I did? And who were your other standouts? Post your comments below.

So You Think You Can Dance Recap: The Top 10 Revealed

Hey all I can't believe we are already up to announcing the top 10! This season is flying by. Next week the partners will split up and we will see who really shines and who has been riding their partners coattails. But first we must lose two more contestants. I think Brandon/Janette and Melissa/Ade should be safe, but everyone else could be in jeopardy. As I said last night I would put Evan/Randi, Phillip/Jeanine, and Jason/Caitlin in the bottom three but Kayla/Kupono could end up there as well despite their amazing first routine. As for who will go home, I think if Caitlin is in the bottom she will be out, as there is no way the judges will cut Kayla or Jeanine and Randi was strong last night. Phillip and Evan are also likely safe unless they blow their solos so it will likely be either Jason or Kupono leaving for the guys. I hope it is Jason since I really like Kupono but if he does another bad solo it may be three strikes and you're out for the Hawaiian.

Cat is wearing a blue dress with a giant gold piece on her chest. Not your best look Cat. The dress is pretty but the gold thing is just distracting- too many colored jewels on it.

The group dance is to a song called "Seven Nation Army" by the White Stripes. Kupono, Phillip, and Jason start out looking masculine and tough in uniform-type outfits. Two girls follow looking just as tough. The others join in but most of the dance looks more like marching than actual dancing. They line up in two rows and Phillip walks down the row doing something with his fingers I can't quite recognize. They then start dancing in unison, which I like much more than I liked the group parts earlier. The men get their own section, with Brandon leading the way at the front of the pack. Janette then plays a bit to the camera, though she just looks like she is going mad. The routine ends with the dancers laying on the floor and on this wall of suitcases with Jason standing on top. Parts of that were good, namely the guys' section and the unison parts, but it was kind of boring to me and I didn't really understand what was going on. It was a TabNap routine, which is odd since I usually like their dances. And why was a rock song used for hip hop dancing?

Tyce gets the least cheers among the judges, and Nigel gets the most. And apparently it is Nigel's 60th (!!!) birthday today. Wow I'm surprised he's that old. Then again he's my father's age and my father doesn't really look 60 either. But I thought Nigel was in his early 50s. Anyway he then jokes he went to get botox but Mary had used it all up before he got there! Anyone else getting tired of the botox joke?


Nigel then addresses the rumors about a Michael Jackson tribute dance. Apparently they were going to do a tribute with all different styles of dance and a bunch of Michael's songs but Sony/the family wouldn't clear the music. Boo for Sony- that tribute would have been really cool. Considering how often I've seen Michael's videos on TV these past few weeks I'm surprised they didn't clear it. So I guess that mean the rumored-Paula Abdul choreographed routine is a bust too.

Cat asks Mary about the judges losing control over the results next week. She says she likes that the judges have some control (as do I), but the job is not easy and now audiences can fix results they don't like. I've always been a fan of audiences picking the bottom three and judges picking who goes home based on that bottom three. It prevents non-fan favorites from winning and also prevents shocking eliminations. I personally think all reality shows should adopt this format but they never will since surprising eliminations are part of what makes these shows entertaining.
Cat asks Tyce how tough it is to do two dances in a week, and Tyce says they didn't sign up for a vacation so they have to be warriors and get through it. Even though that is true the way he says it just rubs me the wrong way. I'm starting to see why people don't like this guy (though I still don't this his choreography is that bad- yet).

The first two couples onstage are Jason/Caitlin and Brandon/Janette. Since there are six duos left there will likely be three groups of two duos each with one duo being safe and one in the bottom three. So unless there's a huge shocker here that means Jason and Caitlin are in the bottom. I bet even Jason and Caitlin at this point must know they are in trouble being grouped with the top couple on the show. They are even clapping for Brandon and Janette as their package is being shown. And sure enough Jason and Caitlin are in the bottom, and they don't look too surprised. I think Caitlin will be out unless someone else really bombs their solo and Jason is on the bubble as well. Mary says they haven't had magic since their Bollywood number (which I didn't even think was that good) and they have to leave it all out on the floor in their solos.

The next two out are Evan and Randi and Philip and Jeanine. Boo. That means Kayla and Kupono are going to be in the bottom unless they somehow beat out Melissa and Ade. As for these two I think Evan is more popular than Phillip plus Evan was better last night so I think Phillip and Jeanine will be in the bottom. And I'm two for two, as Phillip and Jeanine are indeed in the bottom for the second time in as many weeks. This just shows that Phillip is really losing his popularity quickly, at least moreso than Evan. Evan has now had two somewhat subpar weeks yet has been saved both times, which means he is likely going to last a while on this show no matter how well or poorly he dances. As for Phillip and Jeanine, I don't think either of them will get sent home. The judges said last night they didn't want to send home Jeanine and I'm sure Nigel wants to keep Phillip for the tour. Nigel says the Russian dance probably hurt them with the voters. Then he clarifies how the judges decide who goes home. Apparently they find out in the morning who is in the bottom three and then decide from that who they think should go. The solos can change their minds, but they do take into account prior performances. I figured they took into account other factors besides the solos but I didn't realize they knew who was in the bottom three before the audience did. It almost makes it seem like their minds are already made up and only a really good or really bad solo can change their minds. I guess that's why Kupono survived two weeks of subpar solos- the judges had already decided they wanted to keep him for his uniqueness and didn't let the solo change their mind. But the solo almost seems pointless then. I'm not saying they should get rid of the solos, I just think they should carry a bit more weight than they do currently. Also Nigel mentions that the dancers cut tonight will likely be swing dancers on the tour. Hmmm I wonder if he's saying that because he's going to cut Phillip and wants to ensure fans he'll still be on the tour. Very interesting.

Anyway now it's down to Melissa/Ade and Kayla/Kupono. I read some blogs that had lukewarm reviews of Melissa/Ade's performance so maybe they'll surprise me and end up in the bottom. I think either way Caitlin is a goner since there's no way the judges will cut Kayla, Melissa, or Jeanine. But Jason could be saved if one of the other guys has a bad solo. Kayla/Kupono had the best dance of the night last night so hopefully they are safe but their second routine may have cost them. WOW!!! Melissa and Ade are in the bottom!!!! Kupono and Kayla look just as shocked as I am. I love when the contestants are shocked to be safe- it's so cute. Anyway I guess Melissa and Ade aren't that popular either, which makes sense since neither had much screentime beforehand. I was so sure they were good enough last night to be safe with two solid, though perhaps forgettable, routines. But YAY for Kupono and Kayla- they deserve it after that fantastic contemporary number. Anyway like I said before there's no way Melissa is sent home so Caitlin is likely out. But the male eliminee is more up in the air- Jason is the more obvious choice to leave but you never know.

I've already gone back and watched the clip of Kupono and Kayla being safe, mostly because I've loved Kupono from the beginning but feared his poor solos might do him in tonight. Now I don't have to worry!!!!! I almost don't even care who goes home now as long as Kupono and Kayla (esp. Kupono) are safe.

Tyce thinks Ade's lack of energy in the routines cost them votes. I agree he is the weaker of the two, though overall he has been better than both Jason and Phillip. But since the judges did not like him last night that much a poor solo could (but likely won't) send him home.

While we wait for the soloists to warm up we get footage of auditions for the fall season, which are happening right now at a city (hopefully) near you. Apparently these clips will be shown every week- what happened to the pro dancers they bring in to perform? Are they still going to come too? I don't know if they can fit in musical guests, solos, audition clips, AND professional dancers into an hour show. The clips will apparently focus on a standout dancer from each city. So basically the judges are picking favorites for the audience before the season even starts.

Tonight we see the Boston auditions, where we meet a guy named Teddy who comes in sporting a bowtie and plaid pants and claims to have a dance style to match his quirkiness. The dance certainly is quirky, with some spastic movements and others that look like he is going in slow motion. He is certainly talented but a bit too weird for my liking. Nigel says a lot of people will vote for him (though I won't...).

Now it's time for solos:

Caitlin- The song is "Stand By Me" by Playing for Change. The solo is fun but it doesn't really show off her dancing skill as much as her past solos. It is more a showcase of her personality. It does get going towards the end but that might be too little, too late.

Jason- The song is "Calm Touching by Evaline. He comes out shirtless, which will certainly help him get Mary's vote. The dancing is fast and powerful- I'm getting tired just watching it! He also showed some great jumps and spins while having some personality as well. That dance might have saved him from elimination, which makes me even more relieved Kupono is not dancing for his life (if he had been he likely would have been eliminated since Jason had such a strong solo).

Jeanine- The song is "Baby's Romance" by Chris Garneau. Her solo is solid. It did not blow me away like Jason's did but it was certainly better than Caitlin's. It had more material for one, and the spins and jumps were really graceful.

Phillip- The song is "The Diva Dance" from the Fifth Element Soundtrack. I didn't even know that film had a soundtrack. Anyway I don't like popping so I'm probably not going to like this solo no matter what. Indeed the routine does nothing for me but he does seem to be popping well. However after Jason's solo he could be in trouble since he has struggled outside his own style throughout the competition.

Melissa- The song is "Kashira" by Kodo. This show really reveals to me how much music there is out there that I have never heard of. I'm surprised she chose a fast song to dance to since she seems to do best with slower, prettier routines. This one too did not blow me away but did show off her pointe skills as well as her jumps and turns. Not amazing but should be good enough to save her for another week.

Ade- The song is "Windowdipper" by Jib Kipper. Hey that rhymes! The song starts out with a bunch of noises a computer makes, which distracted me because it made me think I had pressed a wrong button on my laptop. But once I realized I was mistaken the dance was quite good. Not quite as good as Jason's but pretty close. The highlights were the split jump in the beginning and the cartwheel/flip at the end but the rest of the dance was excellent as well.

Jeanine's solo was my favorite among the girls, though none of them were amazing imo. But Caitlin's lacked the material the other two dances had which is why I still think she's a goner. The men are more interesting since all their solos were very good. Jason's was my favorite of the night followed by Ade's, but the main reason I didn't like Phillip's is because I don't like popping, not because the routine itself was bad. Ade should be safe based on prior performances plus his solo (which got a standing ovation from the crowd) and Jason could be safe based on his solo, so it might be the end of the road for Phillip (as it should be, if there is any justice).

This week's musical guest is Kelly Rowland with DJ David Guetta. They are performing their new hit single, "When Love Takes Over". Oh I have heard this song before- I actually heard it on the radio this morning and wondered who sang it. Anyway it sounds better on the radio because here Kelly is shouting way too much. The background dancers, however, are excellent. One even does a bit of break dancing at the end of the song.

Now all that's left is the results. The girls are up first. The judges are unanimous in their decision with the females. Nigel reminds the bottom six that they are all excellent dancers who have plenty of fans out there, but they need to keep those who are stars. Those who have not reached their full potential as stars will be going home. Caitlin steps forward first and is eliminated immediately. Wow that was quick. I guess they wanted to do it fast since it was obvious who was going home- like what Idol did when Lil Rounds went home this past season. Everyone knew she would be out so there was no need to draw it out.

Caitlin's family is in the crowd cheering her on, including sister Megan, who we saw back in Vegas. She is crying but seems to be taking the defeat well.

Now for the guys. This is where it will get interesting. Again they are unanimous. That's surprising for me since I thought this was a tough decision. They tell Phillip to step forward. Nigel says he is great at what he does but struggles with other styles. But they are not taking into account that Russian dance since it was so ridiculous. I'm sure the choreographers of that dance are happy to hear their routine had no bearing on who goes home tonight. With all these negative comments, could he be going home? Yes he is!!! Wow I'm surprised, though the writing was on the wall throughout the show that he would be out, especially when Nigel said that those who go home could still be on the tour. The crowd does seem shocked as well though. Indeed Nigel announces that Phillip will indeed be on the tour along with Caitlin. That's makes sense then, since I thought the only reason they would keep him around was for the tour.


Phillip says he will miss the growth as a dancer he experienced, especially since most self-taught poppers do not get the chance he did. He also hopes he inspired other dancers to realize they do not need money or a fancy studio to dance- all they need is passion and creativity. A great message and a classy exit from the popper.

So we have our top 10? Did the judges get it right? Based on tonight's solos I think they did. Jason was good but not great throughout the season, but his solo saved him imo, and like I said last night I knew Caitlin was doomed from the start. Did you see Phillip's elimination coming like I did? Post your comments below.