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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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