SYTYCD Top 20 Show + Top 18 Reveal

And so the actual competition starts. Sorry for the late recap, life's been nuts. Misty Copeland was the (AMAZING) guest judge. Some people found her too harsh for the show, but at the end of the day, this routine line-up was rather bleh, so Misty had a lot to critique.

Opening Group Number - New York, New York (On the Town 2014)

Fun choreography. Ricky, Rudy and Nick were showcased for the majority of the routine, probably because they have some of the biggest personalities and are great performers. 

Bottom 6 Reveal

GIRLS

1. Brooklyn

2. Jordan

3. Malene

GUYS

1. Casey

2. Nick

3. Serge

Hey, my predictions were half-right! My only question is why Jordan was in the bottom when her fellow ballerina and disastrous pas-de-deux partner was not... 

Tanisha and Rudy - JAZZ

Choreography by Sonya Tayeh - You Need 

Meh. I guess Sonya's decided that her jazz pieces will be electro-goth-ish pieces? Tanisha proved herself to be good outside of her latin ballroom genre, with some beautiful extensions and turns, but it felt like overkill when half the piece was her doing an extension. Rudy had the most unfortunate costume of the night, him sporting a Chippendale-like collar with a middle suspender riding down to his pants. The inclusion of the chairs was bizarre, especially since they were clunky-looking office chairs. The chairs almost felt like an afterthought, and turned out to be a disappointing prop when the most exciting parts of the piece were when Tanisha and Rudy actually danced together and had contact, without use of the chairs at all. 

Valerie and Ricky - CONTEMPORARY

Choreography by Travis Wall - Oh Darling

Ricky again proved his prowess, and Travis again proved how he could produce an easily-digestible yet unique contemporary piece with a drop of a hat. I personally think Valerie did better than the judges gave her credit for in this piece. This couple will sail through this week, but I worry about them receiving a latin ballroom down the road, as we haven't seen Ricky do anything other than his genre so far. We shall see.

Bridget and Emilio - HIP HOP

Choreography by Luther Brown - Work

I had a lot of problems with this piece. Let's run down all the errors, shall we?

1. Bridget, although this song is by the infamously big-bootied Iggy Azalea, Hip Hop is more than strutting your stuff around. 

2. Luther Brown, don't have Bridget be the showcase of the piece if she can't hit hard.

3. Also, Luther, WHY ARE ALL OF YOUR COSTUMES LEATHER? EVER? THEY'RE ALL BLACK LEATHER, AND WEIRD CUTS OF BLACK LEATHER. WHAT THE HELL

Emilio did awesome, although I would have liked to see some more hits and pops and stuff for him in the choreography, since we know he can do it. I also worry about this couple having to do ballroom.

Jessica and Nick - WEST COAST SWING

Choreography by Benji Schwimmer - Respect

I love Benji so so much, but this routine seemed ill-fated from the beginning with Jessica dislocating her shoulder. I think the biggest problem in the routine was the music choice - it usually didn't match with the choreography. Towards the beginning, Nick and Jessica were both high-energy and bouncing around, but with the amount of lifts and tricks in the routine, they soon lost steam and towards the end ended up falling out of synchronization. Everything looked laboured and confusing towards the end. However, this is partially Benji's fault, having choreographed them an insanely difficult routine. Although this is true, Nigel still has no right to call out the choreographer when critiquing the dancers. Let the audience know the routine was difficult, praise and/or (in this case or) critique the dancers, and have a chat with Benji afterwards. No harm done.

Carly and Serge - CONTEMPORARY

Choreography by Sonya Tayeh - Latch (Acoustic)

Hands-down best piece of the night. Beautiful chemistry and performance from a couple who could easily be overshadowed by bigger names in the competition. Serge was unexpectedly amazing at supporting Carly and understanding the nuances of contemporary dance. Very, very excited for this couple, who I can now see going very far in the competition.

Emily and Teddy - HIP HOP

Choreography by Dave Scott - Don't

Very entertaining - I love Dave Scott for his no-frills attitude when it comes to Hip Hop. Both Teddy and Emily were good at the routine, but while Teddy was trying VERY hard to evoke some chemistry, Emily seemed more concerned with performing to the audience. Completely agree with the critiquing here. Very fun piece.

Malene and Stanley - BROADWAY

Choreography by Spencer Liff - I've Got Your Number

I truly didn't think this number was as bad as the judges said it was. Stanley was more concentrated on pulling off a solo performance than a duet, and Malene, seemingly introverted, had trouble performing to the audience on her own, so the entire thing collapsed a little bit. The phone idea was brilliant, but by the end of the piece proved that there was a limited amount of moves Spencer could get the dancers to do by being tied to the phones. For an uneducated (dance-wise) audience, this would have been a fun routine, but when on SYTYCD it has to be kicked up a couple notches. Still didn't give Nigel the right to bash Spencer Liff's ideas though.

Jourdan and Marcquet - JAZZ

Choreography by Sean Cheesman - Work Work

Not much to say here. When Jourdan and Marcquet were dancing individually is when they really shone - the partner work was a little sloppy. Also, I could have done with way less crotch shots from Jourdan. This couple may be in danger next week.

Brooklyn and Casey - ARGENTINE TANGO

Choreography by Miriam Larici and Leonardo Barrionuevo - Gallo Ciego

Jesus, this is the point in the show where I wonder how many more routines we have to go. Anyways, I love a good Argentine Tango, and although it wasn't my favourite ever done in the show, I think they pulled it off. I still think Brooklyn's biggest issue is nerves, as she seemed a little unnerved at the beginning of the routine, but they had some beautiful lines and great chemistry. This should keep them both safe. (By the way, my favourite Arg Tango to be done on the show is Caitlynn and Pasha's Malajunta . Classic and stunning).

Jacque and Zack - AFRICAN JAZZ
Choreography by Sean Cheesman - Dibiza

I thought they looked more like Dr. Seuss characters than creatures out of an African jungle or whatever, but it was really fun. Jacque and Zack managed to retain some chemistry and beautiful partnering while dancing such a performance-based and exhausting dance style. Kudos. 

Who gets sent home?

Nick and Malene get sent home. And it's Nigel's third strike in my books when he cites Malene's beauty as part of the reason she got on the show in the first place. Completely inappropriate. What a way to put Malene's talent down, eh? I can barely take him anymore. 

PARTNER RANKINGS - TOP 20 WEEK

All my personal opinions:)

1. Carly and Serge

2. Jacque and Zack

3. Valerie and Ricky

4. Brooklyn and Casey

5. Emily and Teddy

6. Jourdan and Marcquet

7. Tanisha and Rudy

8. Bridget and Emilio

9. Jessica and Nick

10. Malene and Stanley

BOTTOM 6 PREDICTIONS FOR NEXT WEEK

GUYS

1. Stanley

2. Marcquet

3. Emilio

GIRLS
1. Jessica

2. Bridget

3. Emily or Jourdan

Rather a mediocre-week, routine-wise. The next show, the Top 18, will also include special guests A Great Big World, known for their tearjerker "Say Something". They actually shot to fame when Robert Roldan and Amy Yakima danced a contemporary piece to that song last season, so here's another chance for SYTYCD to prove they need to stay on the air by showcasing some other artistic talent they've helped reach the top. I actually think it's a brilliant idea. Remember they did that with Christina Perri and "Jar of Hearts" a couple seasons back?

Till next recap! xo