SYTYCD Top 18 Performance + Partner Rankings

Well, all our answers about the elimination process were answered last night... Personally, I prefer this elimination process better than last season's, because it's clearer who's already made it into the Top 18 without the entire Top 20 performing again... if that makes sense...

The fact that Makenzie Dustman was in the Bottom 6 is like not even possible. I think she's probably one of the most talented girls, definitely in the Top 4 girls AT LEAST, and I thought she had enough of a fanbase to keep her in. Anyways, Brittany and Carlos ended up getting sent home. I personally would have kept Brittany over Mariah, because Brittany seems to be able to do anything, and seems super super sweet, but I agree with the decision over Carlos. His solo seemed frantic and kind of all over the place, trying to pull out all the stops with his flipping and jumps and stuff. I actually liked Jade's solo the most, because it was refreshing to see some animation to some music other than dubstep. Mariah's solo was definitely the weakest in my opinion.

On to the recap/review of the performances now...

1. Hayley/Curtis - Ray Leeper
JAZZ

Ray Leeper was obviously going for dangerous and sexy in this routine, but the entire premise was kind of uncomfortable for me. There were way too many ass-grabs, and Hayley's outfit was so not family-friendly (the leather collar? The thigh-high, skin-tight, leather boots?) The premise was, to me, over-used and just super uncomfortable. Despite this, they danced it well, and it'll probably be able to keep them out of the bottom again next week.

2. Jasmine H./Aaron - NappyTabs
LYRICAL HIP HOP

Loved this routine. Jasmine especially is really shining on the program so far, and last night was no exception. All the popping and tutting was really well done, and the chemistry between the two was obvious. At this point in the competition, I feel like Jasmine is really blowing everyone's expectations out of the water.

3. Malece/Jade - Nakul Dev Mahajan
BOLLYWOOD

Bollywood is usually a tough sell to voters, and I hope that this week's routine will be enough for the two to stay out of the bottom. Malece especiallly pulled it off, and Jade tried his best. You could see them lose steam about halfway throughout and get tired, but really, unless you're Iron Man or some untiring superhuman, you're going to get exhausted doing Bollywood. Malece's costume was gorgeous, too - the costume department really hit it out of the park with this one.

4. Alexis/Nico - Stacey Tookey
CONTEMPORARY

Meh. I loved Stacey's ideal of a sequel to the stunning Kathryn McCormick/Robert Roldan piece she choreographed, but I think it was just too big of a legacy leap for Nico and Alexis to pull off. The entire time I was just comparing them to Kathryn and Robert, which was kind of unfair because Kathryn is probably one of the most talented contemp girls they've ever had, and Alexis is, of course, a tapper. Nico was definitely the shining star in this piece - he obviously does super well when it's in his genre. I just didn't feel the emotion from the two for this one. Nico will definitely be safe next week, but not sure with Alexis.

5. Brittany/BluPrint - Spencer Liff
BROADWAY

By the way, I'm really loving the variety of the routines that were performed last night... Anyways, Brittany was the first to be booted to have to perform again with BluPrint, and she definitely didn't back down from performing her last routine of the season. This routine was so, so, fun, and it solidified how much more I enjoy Spencer's choreography to Tyce's when it comes to Broadway. The library premise was fun, and Brittany and BluPrint pulled it off. BluPrint still has to work on his lines, but he seems to be growing more and more each week.

6. Jasmine M./Alan - Miriam Larici and Leonardo Barrionuevo
ARGENTINE TANGO

Argentine Tango is definitely my favourite ballroom genre. The passion and the intensity are just stunning, and Jasmine and Alan definitely didn't disappoint. I think Jasmine's my favourite girl of the season, and if Alan can pick up more of a fanbase, I think he has the possibility to be the Dark Horse of the season and make it into at least the Top 10. This actually may be the first season with two ballroom guys in the Top 10, as Paul seems to be taking everything in strides as well. My only wish for this routine was that they let Jasmine's gorgeous hair down, and not pin it into an awkward puffy bun thing. In any case, hands down one of my favourite couples.

7. Makenzie/Paul - Sean Cheesman
JAZZ

Okay, favourite routine of the night. This is the second basically flawless performance for the pair, and they're, again, one of my favourite couples. Paul and Makenzie are both super strong and talented, and they both know how to work the camera to pull off a performance. Paul's side-corkscrew-through-the-air stunt was like, physically impossible, and he seems to have an adorable personality that voters seem to be really responding to. I hope that this week's Bottom 6 scare for Makenzie smartened up her fans to vote for her more, because she is knocking absolutely everything out of the ballpark so far. Awesome routine.

8. Mariah/Carlos - Stacey Tookey
CONTEMPORARY

This was a stunning piece of choreography by Stacey, and it by far surpassed the first contemp number of the night for me. Based on her solo, I would have sent Mariah home, but this routine really showed her versatility, so much so that I wonder what her dance background really is. Carlos was a wonderful partner in this, but Mariah really shone. It'll keep her safe for sure.

9. Amy/Fik-Shun - NappyTabs
HIP HOP

I found it kind of unfair how Amy and Fik-Shun got the last routine last week, and the before-last routine this week, but they'd be memorable even if they were first. This was such a fun routine, and they danced it perfectly. Expect to see them in the Top 10, at least. Fik-Shun definitely seems to have the ability to win it all - adorable personality, incredible versatility, and tons of talent. He just has to beat Amy to the title first.



10. Jenna/Tucker - Dmitry Chaplin
CHA CHA

I'm glad that Tucker got to show off a bit more of his personality this week, because I think he's so so cute and has a personality that voters seem to really respond to; "If I even went to a nightclub, I'd probably be the one who tripped on the doorframe in the way in". I thought that considering he's a contemporary guy, he really pulled this off. This was obviously right up Jenna's alley, but she comes off as a bit narcissistic to me. Maybe it's because it was just the character she was told to play... In any case, Nigel's skewering of Dmitry's choreography was totally not their fault, and I found Nigel's comments super low. If he has a bone to pick with Dmitry about this choreography, he should have gone to tell him off after the show, and not publicly embarrass him like that on national live TV. Whatevs. I wouldn't be surprised if we didn't see Dmitry choreo anything for a couple weeks or more...

Here's my rankings of tonight's performance... I included the eliminated dancers with their partners.

1. Makenzie/Paul - Jazz
2. Amy/Fik-Shun - Hip Hop
3. Mariah/Carlos - Contemporary
4. Jasmine M./Alan - Argentine Tango
5. Jasmine H./Aaron - Lyrical Hip Hop
6. Malece/Jade - Bollywood
7. Brittany/BluPrint - Broadway
8. Hayley/Curtis - Jazz
9. Tucker/Jenna - Cha Cha
10. Alexis/Nico - Contemporary (as much as it pains me to put them at the bottom again this week, unfortunately all the other performances tonight were incredibly strong...)