Hey all it's time for another week of SYTYCD. After last week's stunning elimination of Max anything can happen so all the couples must bring their best. We'll also get our first taste of the new pairing Kayla and Kupono.
Kupono gets nice cheers in his opening solo. Caitlin looks like she is wearing a bird on her tiny shirt. Brandon does a cool flip in his solo. Ade's popularity seems to be growing. Evan looks so cute with his spins.
Tonight's guest judge is Toni Basil, aka the woman who sang "Hey Mickey" in the 80s. She seems to be dressed for a funeral though. Apparently she is receiving a "Living Legend of Hip Hop" award- really- she's a legend? I don't think she's been around long enough to be a legend but apparently she popularized street dance which I did not know. I'm guessing she'll be a big fan of Phillip and Kupono (and too bad Tony is gone because she would have liked him too). Mary says this group is better than ever and points out how some of the bottom groups from the first week did great in the second week- I'm guessing she means Jonathan and Karla and Vitolio and Asuka, though I still didn't like Jonathan and Karla's dance last week. Nigel says the judges shape the top 10 but it is hard to tell who will be there. I agree last year it was much more obvious who the top 10 would be. I think Evan, Phillip, and Brandon are locks, and their partners likely are as well. Kayla I think should make it too along with Melissa and Ade, though one bad dance and any of these people could go, as we found out last week.
Jonathan and Karla- They are doing hip hop with Dave Scott. I've never seen his choreography so I don't know what it is like. Tonight we find out what the contestants would do if they weren't dancing. Karla would be a journalist (like I hope to be too!!!). She minored in journalism at New York University, which is a really good school for you non-NYers. Jonathan wants to be an acrobat, which is a good job for him considering all the flipping he does. Right away in rehearsal they get black hats to do Scott's interpretation of a love story. Apparently it has a Bonnie and Clyde kind of feel to it. Karla is taking to the character of the dance well but Jonathan seems fake since he's trying too hard. Plus he's too cute to be a gangster! The song is "By My Side" by Jadakiss/Ne-Yo. The choreography is cool and they hit all the moves but they are not always together. I'm not sure if they are supposed to be or not but if they are Jonathan seemed a bit late at times. He also did not hit the moves as hard as Karla and, like Dave said in rehearsals, he's really not believable as a gangster. Karla though really did impress me with her movements and swagger. Nigel said the routine was too ironed out and not exciting- but that sounds like a criticism of the choreography, not the dancers. He also says they had no chemistry and points out the lack of unison, including on some head nods. I didn't acutally notice that part but I did notice other times they were not coordinated. Wow he calls it a "Sunday school picnic". Then he gets booed and yells back to the audience that he bets they will be in the bottom three. I agree with him (unless of course they get all the sympathy/judges' backlash votes now) but I never heard him say that out loud before. He's turning into Simon Cowell. Mary doesn't think they got in touch with their inner gangster. I thought Karla did, but not Jonathan. She says the best part was Jonathan's flips in the middle of the dance (which were really good- he should join the circus!). Toni agrees they didn't work well together and were not hard-hitting enough. So basically they agree with me, though I still thought they could have praised Karla a bit more. Anyway between their lack of popularity to begin with, their poor routine tonight, and them going first, I agree with Nigel about them being in the bottom three.
Asuka and Vitolio- I'm worried they are going so early in the show- it might make them easily forgettable. Asuka would be a jewelry maker if she didn't dance, and if she did make the ones she is sitting in front of then she has great taste. Vitolio would be a singer in a band, with an afro and purple leotard to boot. Let's just say he should stick to his day job. They are doing jazz with Mandy Moore. The routine is fast, and Asuka is out of her ballroom element. She gets frustrated in rehearsal and cries in Vitolio's arms. He comforts her like a good partner. Aww. They are so cute together. They dance to "Heartbreaker" by Pat Benatar- isn't that a rock song more than a jazz song? Anyway Asuka looks like a rockstar with her black outfit and makeup. The dance is very hard-hitting and they both are trying really hard to get at that, but I think Asuka falls a bit short. Like Jonathan in the previous routine she is outshone by her partner. Also I don't think they were that in sync either but it was hard to tell with the speed of the dance. I did like it better than the first dance though, and the lifts were great. Nigel saw the contrast between how sweet Vitolio was in the clip and how strong he was in the dance. He loved the routine. Wow I'm surprised I didn't think it was that good. He says the routine was simple but they did it well. Mary thinks it was really good but not as good as last week. I agree. She points out the lack of synchronization like I did. She also likes how they have improved their chemistry and partnership. Toni thinks they have potential to be great but warns them to focus more on emotion over technique. Odd since I think they need to work on technique more than emotion. Anyway I agree with Mary in that they were good, not great. Certainly better than the first group but they still may be in trouble with their lack of popularity and their early spot in the pecking order.
Melissa and Ade- Melissa would continue to be a pilates teacher and get her own studio. Ade would be a sound engineer on TV shows, but when he tries holding the giant microphone for Melissa he hits her in the head! Again, stick to your day job. They are doing a rumba with Tony Meredith. It's a love dance that requires sensuality and emotion along with technique. They really struggled at first, and Melissa claims they are overwhelmed. The song is "Emotion" by Destiny's Child. Yay I like this song. Rumba is one of my least favorite ballroom dances because it always seems boring to me. This one isn't that exciting but they do dance it very well technically. They are probably the best so far, but that's not saying much. Ooh they messed up a bit in the middle when Ade started turning Melissa the wrong way. Also the chemistry was not always believable though it picked up towards the end in that regard. Nigel says Melissa was sexy in her skimpy shiny dress (which she was) and then jokes "what a different Ade makes". Yay puns! He thinks Ade was there for Melissa in the dance and they danced it well. Mary is buying the emotion they sold and she totally believed it. I didn't always believe it but at times it was really good. She adds how Ade was not too stiff and had great technique, which he did. I'm surprised they haven't mentioned the mistake yet, but maybe it just looked like one but was actually part of the routine. Toni says it was beautifully done and then takes time to compliment Tony's choreography. I still was not a huge fan of this dance but like I said I think it's just because I don't like that style. I do agree it was well-danced though, which should keep them safe for another week.
Janette and Brandon- Brandon would be a lighting designer of sets. Janette would be a loan processor. Apparently she is a finance major and enjoys working with numbers. Okay that part I get, seeing as I'm a math major (yes, I study math and journalism- odd combo I know) but even for me a job as a loan processor does not sound exciting. Brandon agrees with me. This week they are doing hip hop with Dave Scott again. Hopefully they'll do better with his routine then Jonathan and Karla. Janette is a rock star and Brandon is a hip hop dancer who wants to be a rock star, so the routine is a mix of rock and hip hop styles. Brandon and Dave got into dancing matches during rehearsal. Apparently he has skills as a popper too. Who knew? The song is "What a World" by Common. Wow Janette does look like a rock star with her black leather leotard and tall black boots. Janette starts out doing rocker poses in a chair while Brandon shows off some fast hip hop steps. Wow is there anything he can't do? Then they get up and do some unison moves that seem more like rock than hip hop but either way they are both nailing it. I think I liked their dance last week better but this was still great and the best dance so far. Brandon even does some break dancing on the floor. Nigel thinks it was like 50 Cent and Cher- is that good or bad? He adds Brandon impressed him with the hip hop, which he really did, and that Janette was a great rocker despite being a salsa dancer, which she was. Mary thinks they really hit it and again compliments how well they did out of their elements. Toni thought the juxtaposition of hip hop and rock was a great strategy and thinks they really nailed it. These two have become my favorite couple and while I didn't love the choreography the dancing itself was amazing and should definitely help them stick around for a while.
Kupono and Kayla- I love Kupono but he hasn't impressed me thus far with his dancing in the live shows. Hopefully that will change this week with a new partner. Kayla loves modeling, and has done some for dancewear. She wants to get into more high fashion modeling as well. Hey she should go on America's Next Top Model too! She especially loves getting made up. Kupono loves costume designing. He basically mismatches different things together, but at least he is staying true to his unique (though odd) style. They hated being in the bottom three last week, and Kayla was shocked to be there (as was I). They are doing a Viennese Waltz, a very technical dance, so Kupono might be in trouble. They also might have trouble doing such a romantic dance after only being partners for a week. They struggled in rehearsals, as Kupono doesn't have the upper body strength for the lifts. More bad news for him. They just want to pull the audience in emotionally. The song is "Sweet Dreams for You" by Jewel. Wow Kupono is actually really graceful- he looks so pretty doing the arm swoops (sorry for the lack of technical terms). I actually spend most of the time watching him but Kayla looked pretty good as well. Plus the routine seemed to go by really quickly for me which means I enjoyed watching it. They seemed to do all the lifts pretty well though I think I saw a slight stumble in one of them. But otherwise the only other flaw was a lack of chemistry but I think that will grow over time. Nigel points out how a waltz is a hard routine to wow people with but says this was a beautiful routine, which it was. And I totally agree that a waltz is not a dance that gets people on their feet. But even so I still enjoyed it. He also liked the flow of the dance but adds that it won't get people to stand up and cheer for it. In response some audience members do just that- awesome! Mary says it was elegant and flowing and believable. I don't totally agree on the believability but I agree on the elegance and flow. She also points out how great it was that two contemporary dancers pulled this off. She does recommend Kupono work on heel leads but still seemed to like his effort.There is also some Kayla praise, though not as much as last week. She even puts them on the hot tamale train, which gets Kupono and Kayla excited. They do deserve it though with the elegance of that dance. Toni really liked the routine but points out to choreographer Jean Marc that it is pushing the envelope to have dancers to a waltz with no shoes (which Kupono did). This reminds me of that shoe controversy with Lance Bass on Dancing with the Stars, when his partner Lacey Schwimmer (a former SYTYCDer) choreographed a routine with neither of them wearing shoes and they got points taken off for it by one of the judges. But Toni still loved it, especially how Kayla was in the moment on stage and how well they did as new partners. This was my second favorite of the night so far and hopefully they should be safe for another week.
Randi and Evan- Like Kupono, Evan was an early favorite of mine but he has not impressed me the past few weeks. Kupono did so tonight, and hopefully Randi will do the same. Randi wants to be an elementary school teacher, specifically special education. Evan wants to own a custom car shop on the heels of us finding out last week he is a gear head. They are doing a Mia Michaels routine. Randi's behind is the center of the dance, which is kind of odd, though I'd expect nothing less from Mia. It is supposed to be a cat-and-mouse love story with a Mia Michaels spin. I am very hit or miss on Mia routines so let's see how this goes. Mia fears it seems cliche in rehearsals. The song is "Koop Island Blues" by Koop featuring Ane Brun. The song title sounds like it should be in a Mario video game. The routine was just... odd. They both danced it very well, and Evan looked better than he has in weeks but I just didn't get the story at all. It just all seemed weird for me, though I blame Mia for that, not the dancers, who were both very good with what they were given. Nigel says the routine was simple but beautifully danced. I agree on both counts. He adds there wasn't a great idea behind it but you could interpret it many different ways. It also was memorable, which is definitely was. Mary says they were terrific, which they were. She loved how they kept the character going throughout the dance. And Evan gets props for finally being a leading man. Toni says she would love to work with Mia if she was a dancer on the show and states they lived up to the great choreography. I hated the choreography but really liked the actual dancing. I don't know if everyone will like that routine but Evan's popularity should ensure they stick around.
Jason and Caitlin- Let's see if they can bounce back from their bad routine last week. Caitlin wants to be a broadcast journalist. She does a little teaser as a news anchor and is actually pretty good. Jason would be playing soccer, which is apparently is his second love (after dance of course!). They are doing a paso doble with Jean Marc and France. It's a very exciting routine, unless the waltz we saw earlier in the night. The two have to pretend to hate each other in the dance. Jean Marc ripped off Jason's sneakers and Caitlin's skirt before they started dancing. Why would you come to dance rehearsal in sneakers anyway? The song is called "O'Fortuna" by some orchestra with a long name. Ooh Jason has his shirt off. And Caitlin balances on one leg and one knee while in Jason's lap. This routine is really intense, in a good way. I can't keep my eyes off Jason with that evil look in his eyes. He looks so fierce in that outfit. Caitlin seemed to be overshadowed by him a bit but I think she did a good enough job. This was another of my favorites of the nice, mainly because of the great passion in the dance. Nigel thought Jason performed too much to the audience a bit, which I guess I get since he looked at the camera a lot. But he thought many other things were exceptionally good, namely Caitlin's lines and flow. Mary thinks it was a strong performance but warns Jason lost his posture and character a bit at times. Toni enjoyed the performance of the characters even though they at times struggled with their technique. I didn't notice the poor technique as much but that could hurt them despite the strong performance.
Phillip and Jeanine- Phillip wants to be an inventor. So both of his careers are not very lucrative haha. Jeanine wants to be an actress. Apparently she did some commercials and independent films as well. They were both shocked to not be in the bottom three, but I wasn't because of Phillip's popularity. They are doing a Broadway routine (yay!) with Tyce. Hopefully it is better than Tyce's routine for Asuka and Vitolio early in the season. Phillip has to jump over a couch in the routine but is too scared to do it. Wow he really looks like he is flying when he does it in rehearsal. The song is "Moses" from "Singin in the Rain". Boo I don't like old Broadway- I like more current stuff. Love them reading a SYTYCD book while on the couch together. It's a cute, fun number. Kind of reminds me of "I Love Lucy" a bit. They even get to throw pillow feathers all over the stage. And yes, Phillip does safely jump the couch. Not my absolute favorite of the night but certainly good enough to get them through to next week. Haha Phillip ripped his pants in the routine (but we can't see anything too risque). We do see a bit of his butt hanging out. They should have done that for Randi in her routine with Evan. Nigel says they needed to bring lots of personality, and while he thinks Jeanine did Phillip did not as much. I did find myself drawn to Jeanine most of the dance, and that's probably why. Mary is allergic to down feathers but not to that routine. She too notes Phillip's lack of technique and how great Jeanine was. Toni thought it was adorable but didn't live up to the Gene Kelly standard. She says they can't let the feathers upstage them, whatever that means. And they were better this week than they were last week of course. If they could stay out of the bottom three after their poor performance last week they should sail through to the top 10.
My favorites were Brandon/Janette, Kupono/Kayla, and Jason/Caitlin. I liked all the other dances though the first two were my least favorite.
So that's it for tonight's show. The bottom three are getting tougher and tougher to predict. I think Jonathan and Karla and Asuka and Vitolio will be there almost certainly, and deservedly so. I don't know who else I would put in the bottom. Brandon/Janette, Evan/Randi, Melissa/Ade and Phillip/Jeanine are really popular so I think it will come down to Kupono/Kayla and Jason/Caitlin for the final spot in the bottom three. I thought both were great but the former wasn't the most exciting dance and the latter lacked in technique according to the judges.
So who do you think is going home tomorrow night? Post your comments below.
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