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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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