SYTYCD Season 10 Top 8 Recap + Partner Rankings

We were all surprised when the group number's choreographer was revealed. The number SCREAMED Sonya Tayeh, but surprisingly Mia Michaels came back and decided to make this part-burlesque, part-Rocky Horror Picture Show, part-gothic piece. It was definitely creative, but for some reason the guys seemed to do nothing more than swing off of the bars of the setpieces. Fik-Shun basically just swung on the bar on the setpiece for the last twenty seconds of the entire performance.

Bottom four this week; Jenna Johnson, Tucker Knox, Fik-Shun Stegall and Hayley Erbert. I found it surprising that Tucker was in the bottom instead of Paul, although if the bottom had included Paul and Fik-Shun it probably would have ended differently for Fik-Shun. We see all the solos, and Fik-Shun's was by far the most entertaining and interesting. Hayley's was standard contemporary (again, super reminiscent of Tiffany Maher), Jenna's was a strange ballroom concoction complete with a sparkly bustier and choker (although, to be fair, ballroom is super hard to dance solo), and Tucker's was, as impressive as all those tricks are and as much as I adore him, kind of a desperate last plea in my opinion.

Before I dive into the actual recap/review of all the performances, just a reminder that this week's pieces were choreographed by the respective All-Star which performed them. I still don't know how I feel about this, because in some cases it was nothing short of stunning, but in others unfortunately the choreography felt a little short.

1. Aaron and All-Star Chelsie Hightower
JIVE

I love watching a really good jive with a fun premise (best one off the top of my head in recent memory was Tiffany Maher's and Benji Schwimmer's; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AS_lrfPeTRw), and although this had a fantastic premise, Aaron sort of seemed to run out of energy halfway through or so. His jive kicks (I have no more ballroom-move-naming-expertise, sorry) were fantastic, in my opinion, and Chelsie is one of their great ballroom girls (incl. Lacey Schwimmer, Anya Garnis, Witney Carson...). Fun, but at this point in the competition, Aaron really needed to pull out the big guns and I'm not sure he did so. The judges seem to really still love him, though, as they kept mentioning his stunning contemporary piece last week with Kathryn McCormick in a last-ditch effort to remind voters of his talent. Again, I'm still super surprised at how well Aaron is succeeding. Actually, of the four guys left, outside of Tucker, they're all kind of a surprise.

2. Fik-Shun and All-Star Allison Holker
CONTEMPORARY

Love to see Allison choreograph something finally, as she has proved time after time that she is one of the best contemporary girls to ever grace their stage. The premise was gorgeous, and the lanterns were super effective. Their lovers-against-prejudice storyline was refreshing, and it just reminded me of how much I'm excited that tWitch and Allison are getting married. We just need a Lauren Froderman/D-Trix Sandoval engagement now, okay?

ANYWAYS, Fik-Shun fell short technically on this piece, but you can just feel how much passion he has for dance in every performance. As much as I love Cyrus Spencer (S9), I think Fik-Shun is way more versatile generally. He needs to work on his classical technique- toe pointing, leg straightening, etc. - but I still loved this piece.

3. Tucker and All-Star Courtney Galiano
JAZZ

Here's the thing about getting the All-Stars to choreograph. If they never have on the show before, if anything, they shouldn't be dancing their own very first choreographies, because then they lose half of their critiquing ability on the polishing of their performances because of having themselves in the performance (does that even make sense?) Anyways,  bit of background on Courtney Galiano - she was chosen as one of the All-Stars on the Season 7 tour, and after noticing numbness in parts of her body, she was actually diagnosed with MS (Multiple Sclerosis) and, as Nigel mentioned, lost vision in her left eye for a month. It is incredibly inspiring for Courtney to come back and dance nationally after such an experience. I can't imagine being diagnosed with such a disease if you're a professional dancer.

To be completely honest, as talented a dancer as Courtney is, she really needs to beef up her choreography. There was no creativity whatsoever in this piece, and the storyline we were given in the pre-performance package (a Romeo and Juliet love story), was all but absent within it. With that said, it was well danced, and Tucker did what he could. They're both fantastic dancers, I just wish we could see them in a routine with a different choreographer. Kind of forgettable.

4. Paul and All-Star Comfort Fedoké
HIP HOP

Really fun hip hop, and again, unsurprisingly, Paul absolutely kills it. I kind of hate myself for laughing out loud at the hoodies they were wearing ("HIP HOP LIVES"), but regardless, Comfort is an amazing choreographer. It showed off Paul's ability to become the chameleon he is and absolutely completely involve himself in every single genre he's been thrown... This guy has had his own style ONCE and he's never scraped the bottom in something like ten weeks. I'm just going to take a moment to appreciate how much of a surprise he's been to basically everybody - when he mentioned that he won SYTYCD Armenia in his audition, it was kind of impressive, but almost everybody immediately dismissed this fact. I actually originally found it to be kind of sketchy that he would be eligible to win in both. HOWEVER, I soon realized that not only are the two shows, although they share the same name, completely different audiences and competitions, but that absolutely everybody would soon fall head over heels in love with Paul. He's not flashy or obnoxious, yet he's been able to wow everyone with nothing but his seemingly limitless talent (his flawless physical features actually probably don't hurt, either).

5. Hayley and All-Star Dmitry Chaplin
RUMBA

Another successful routine because the All-Star is an amazing choreographer. Rumba's always been kind of a murky, undefined genre on the show for me (my confusion probably stems from Jordan Casanova and Jess LeProtto's barefoot rumba in season 8), but this was really, really beautiful. I think Hayley's found her niche - the classy-but-sexy. My two favourite routines from her this season have been this rumba and the Argentine Tango with Leonardo a couple weeks ago, and they both fill this character description. The "sexy" routines they do on this show fall into one of two categories for me; "classy", or "skanky". Hayley's done both (remember that terribly uncomfortable leather-clad Ray Leeper jazz routine she did with Curtis?), and the "classy" version she can pull off beautifully.

6. Jenna and All-Star Mark Kanemura
JAZZ

MARK!! Now, Mark's SYTYCD-famous for being Lady Gaga's favourite, and I'm so glad he came back to choreograph this fun piece. On the creativity spectrum, Courtney Galiano's routine is at one end and this one by Mark is at the other (sorry. sorry. sorry, I know I'll be hated for this). The eyes-and-mouth setpieces were the coolest, and Jenna could absolutely pull off the movement. One of my favourites of hers.


7. Jasmine and All-Star tWitch Boss
HIP HOP

I was originally beyond excited for this number because, well, tWitch. Who can go wrong with tWitch? Unfortunately, although his dancing was as above-par as it always is, the choreography kind of fell flat for me. The undercover-superhero premise, the dancers, the costumes, everything was lined up to go seamlessly, but somehow it didn't for me. I kept waiting for "the moment", when they would all of a sudden jump into perfectly synchronized tutting and creative movement or something, but it never really happened. Kind of anti-climactic, I guess.

8. Amy and All-Star Travis Wall
CONTEMPORARY

First of all, Amy Yakima, how do you get so lucky? Tonight's performance was the perfect storm; a CONTEMPORARY piece choreographed by EMMY-NOMINATED TRAVIS WALL partnered by EMMY-NOMINATED TRAVIS WALL danced to a song by none other than the most gorgeous voice on earth, JAMES VINCENT McMORROW. (Insert Arrested Development Gob "COme on!" here). It was beyond stunning. It reminded me of Melanie Moore and Neil Haskell's Total Eclipse of the Heart in season 8, except I loved this one more. Travis Wall is becoming one of the nation's premiere contemporary choreographers, and what I love even more is that he can dance the hell out of his own choreography. So beautiful, best one tonight by far. Expect to see this again at the finale.

Jenna and Tucker get eliminated. At this point in the competition, you can't complain getting this far, so they didn't look too crushed.

Top 8 Partner Rankings (all my own personal opinion :)
1. Amy and All-Star Travis
2. Paul and All-Star Comfort
3. Hayley and All-Star Dmitry
4. Jenna and All-Star Mark
5. Fik-Shun and All-Star Allison
6. Aaron and All-Star Chelsie
7. Jasmine and All-Star tWitch
8. Tucker and All-Star Courtney

Elimination predictions (remember, the guy and girl with the lowest amount of votes this week automatically go home, with no deliberation from either the producers, judges or choreographers);

GIRLS
Probably Jasmine based on tonight's performance, but overall, Hayley should probably go over Jasmine.
GUYS
Aaron

ANNOUNCEMENT - I was thinking of doing a reader-e-mail type segment every once in a while, especially as the show is heading into its final weeks. If you have any SYTYCD-related questions, comments, suggestions, etc., and if I get enough bi-weekly or so, I'll occasionally do a segment where I answer the e-mails. Sound good? This is basically because commenting on Blogger is such a pain in the ass, so let's make it easier, shall we? Questions, comments, etc. (SYTYCD-related please!!); sytycdfansblog@gmail.com 

all performance pictures from www.fox.com/dance/

SYTYCD Season 10 Top 10 Recap + Partner Rankings

AKA The Night of 1273829173 Standing Ovations

The opening number was a contemporary (??!!??) routine by Christopher Scott. It was an absolutely fabulous concept, which he excels in, but in my opinion he still needs to work out his contemporary muscle a bit to beef it up. Pretty, but not super exciting.

Bottom 4 this week; Makenzie Dustman, Jenna Johnson, Tucker Knox (because of his knee injury last week he was automatically bumped to the bottom for this week), and Nico Greetham. No solos, not sure why because there probably would have been plenty of airtime if they cut down the performance packages a bit.

Oh, and I thought an alternate title might be appropriate for this recap, because if you didn't tune in last night, I can't remember the last time I saw so many standing ovations. It actually got kind of annoying because I didn't think all of them deserved standing os, but whatever...

1. Amy and All-Star Brandon Bryant - Doriana Sanchez
DISCO

Besides the absolutely ATROCIOUS music choice (Whitney Houston music remixed to a terrible wanna-be fist-bumping rhythm?), this Disco was another high-energy Doriana Sanchez number. Disco is probably the most intensive genre of dance cardio-wise (second only to Bollywood), and Brandon Bryant seems to be the only All-Star they feel like putting through this. It was basically a carbon copy of last season's disco with Tiffany Maher and Brandon, and probably just as un-memorable. Amy danced the hell out of it, but it might land her in the bottom just because of the genre.

2. Aaron and All-Star Kathryn McCormick - Stacey Tookey
CONTEMPORARY

I love that Kathryn, now having starred in Hollywood blockbusters, is coming back to be an All-Star again this season. She is probably one of the best contemporary dancers to ever have graced that stage in LA (joined by such as Melanie Moore, Kherington Payne, Billy Bell, Travis Wall, Danny Tidwell), and I absolutely love her movement and pretty much all of her work. Needless to say, I kind of watched Kathryn more than I watched Aaron in this piece about unconditional love, but it was still so so stunning. The fluidity and strength that they both showed was gorgeous. I still can't get over how strong Aaron is, lifting Kathryn like she weighs nothing (even though she probably isn't shy of Malece Miller's 98 pounds or something). He's definitely proving to be a dark horse, and although I included him in my original Top 10 predictions, I never really expected him to succeed as much as he had. 

STANDING OVATION FROM JUDGES

3. Fik-Shun and All-Star Melanie Moore - Mandy Moore
JAZZ

Melanie Moore is probably the most universally-loved contestant of all time. Who doesn't like her? And plus, who doesn't like Fik-Shun? They are probably the most adorable couple that was paired tonight, but surprisingly, this jazz number was super hot and incredibly-well danced. Fik-Shun's biggest strength is his performance ability, and he was able to tap into it last night without being the tiresome goofy character they have had him play up again and again. Loved it. 

STANDING OVATION FROM JUDGES

4. Paul and All-Star Witney Carson - Jean-Marc Généreux
CHA CHA

FINALLY. Finally. Finally Paul gets his own genre for once, and the stakes were incredibly high. Besides Witney's outfit being at an all-time high for un-classiness, they obviously danced the hell out of it and Paul continues his winning streak. Not super memorable, but his leagues of female fans will probably keep him safe. If not, his versatility and all-around star quality will definitely keep him in.

STANDING OVATION FROM JUDGES

5. Hayley and All-Star tWitch Boss - Christopher Scott
HIP HOP

Meh. Is it me, or did Chris Scott water this Hip Hop down for Hayley a bit? Although I agree that she's incredibly talented, I just am not able to see what makes her unique from any other contemporary girl, and she hasn't really been able to solidify her personality on the show yet, nor has she been able to find her own niche to make her really stand out in the legacy on the show. She really reminds me of Tiffany Maher - someone who nails her routines enough to stay in the competition a long time, but never really really shines out from the competition. It was fun and fluffy and pulled off, but decidedly unmemorable in the scheme of things.

6. Jenna and All-Star Neil Haskell - Mandy Moore
CONTEMPORARY

A very pretty routine with everyone's favourite heartthrob (Neil Haskell) and again Jenna shows her all-around versatility and ability to pick up anything that gets thrown her way. Not much else to say, it was a pretty standard contemporary routine on this show, but it was nonetheless stunning and very flowy and it had impressive lifts. Must be really uninspiring for Jenna to keep ending up in the bottom, and I feel terrible that she has to go through the emotional rollercoaster of being in the Bottom 4/6 every week.

STANDING OVATION FROM JUDGES

7. Jasmine and All-Star Marko Germar - Ray Leeper
JAZZ

Fun routine, although I wish Jasmine had been given something different to wear than the same suit Marko was given to perform this in. They are so different appearance-wise that these costumes, probably designed to give them a homogeneous look for the piece, didn't really work. In any case, all eyes were on Jasmine, and as much as we all love Marko, he really faded in the face of Jasmine's incredible stage presence, even though he was probably doing his job as an All-Star. If Michael Jackson and Janelle Monàe had a baby, this is what he or she would choreograph.

STANDING OVATION FROM JUDGES

8. Makenzie and All-Star Jakob Karr - Spencer Liff
BROADWAY

Amazingly well-danced and synchronized between the two. Basically a tour-de-force Broadway number showcasing two of the show's most technically perfect dancers. Everyone knows Jakob Karr is perfection in a human dancer's body, and Makenzie just showed that she belongs to this league of dancers. Hard to keep your eyes off Makenzie, because she was basically clothed in this enormous piece of gorgeous red chiffon. Not much chemistry, but I'm not sure it was needed.

STANDING OVATION FROM JUDGES

9. Nico and All-Star Comfort Fedoké - NappyTabs
HIP HOP

Creative idea for a Hip Hop number, and Comfort is just an absolute beast and definitely the best Hip Hop girl ever on the show. Not much to say on this one as well, besides the music was kind of annoying and their costumes were beyond bizarre. Nico definitely has improved his "swagger" since his first Hip Hop ish-fiasco with Alexis way back in Top 20, and it was nice to see him in a different light.


10. Tucker and All-Star Robert Roldan - Travis Wall
CONTEMPORARY

This routine was about two brothers - one who has hit rock bottom and has been given a second chance, and of the other brother who supports him back up. Bit of backstory- Tucker and Robert have both been in life-altering (and almost life-robbing) car accidents, and Travis's adoptive brother Danny Tidwell had a terrible home life for the first decade or so of his life (while living with his biological family), so all three have had second chances personally impact them. Stunning piece with such raw emotion and talent and passion, and probably one of the most memorable this season. I was a bit shocked to see Robert, who was one of my favourites back in Season 7, because the last time we had seen him in S7 he was confident-looking and young, and it seems as though after his accident he's aged a lot mentally. The synchronization was not always spot-on, especially in the aerial stuff, but who cares?

Makenzie and Nico are sent home. So, so, sad, because in my Top 4 Makenzie would definitely be there. However, her emotional maturity and perfect technique (not to mention being absolutely beautiful) at such a young age will guarantee her a very long and successful career, as will Nico if he continues to grow in his confidence while dancing and growing his versatility in the different genres.

Sigh. Oh well.

Top 10 Partner Rankings (all my personal opinion :)

1. Tucker and AS Robert Roldan
2. Aaron and AS Kathryn McCormick
3. Fik-Shun and AS Melanie Moore
4. Makenzie (ELIMINATED) and AS Jakob Karr
5. Jenna and AS Neil Haskell
6. Paul and AS Witney Carson
7. Jasmine and AS Marko Germar
8. Amy and AS Brandon Bryant
9. NICO (ELIMINATED) and AS Comfort Fedoké
10. Hayley and AS tWitch Boss

Don't hate me for the rankings, it was absolutely terrible this week to decide which was better.

Predictions for people in danger next week;
GIRLS
1. Hayley
2. Amy

GUYS
1. Paul
2. Aaron

SYTYCD Season 10 Top 12 Recap + Partner Rankings

We open with a 2-minute Bollywood group routine, which takes an insane amount of cardio. I was especially impressed with Nico, who managed to find enough energy to fit in a couple backflips towards the end, where he should be basically panting. Kenny Ortega is the guest judge- why do they keep getting this guy? He's knowledgeable, but no fun. I wonder if they have some sort of contract with him or something.

Dancers in danger are Malece Miller, Alan Bersten, Amy Yakima and Tucker Knox. Amy and Tucker definitely had the standout solos, although I would have liked to see Amy dance to something different than the song she auditioned to, because they're really the only two solos we've seen on her part besides whatever she did in Vegas. Tucker still has a while to find his niche, because he doesn't quite have the body type to be Billy Bell-esque (of whom he reminded me of in some of his moves tonight), but he has the amazing potential to become another "big name" in the legacy of the show. Malece's routine was kind of strangely put together, with super choppy transitions and kind of unimpressive technical aspects (i.e. pirouettes), but maybe it was just because it's compared to technical powerhouse Amy.

1. Hayley and Nico - Sean Cheesman
BROADWAY

Why does Sean Cheesman basically keep replicating his broadway numbers that he did on the Canadian version? Honestly, take a look;

Hayley and Nico

Danielle and Sebsatian (SYTYCD Canada)

He did it with the hobo dance last week as well, copying something from I believe season 1, with the Triplets of Belleville music. Whatever. But I'm surprised Nigel or anybody hasn't said anything. In any case, they were amazing, and it was one of the funnest broadway routines on the show in recent memory. I don't even understand the physics behind that split-lift they did. With different partners, Hayley and Nico are definitely standing out to me.

2. Malece and Alan - Mandy Moore
JAZZ

Meh. It was fun and airy, but there was no substance. Every once in a while Mandy Moore pulls a bland one, and I couldn't even keep myself entertained in this at all. If she hadn't mentioned the inspiration from "Old Hollywood," honestly, I wouldn't even guess that that was the objective of the routine. I actually even thought Alan brought more personality and energy to this piece, but maybe that's just because Malece was shaken after her dance for her life solo.

3. Jenna and Alex Wong - Jean-Marc Généreux
PASO DOBLE

I swear to God, Jean-Marc Généreux makes my night every time he's on the show. If anyone ever watched the Canadian version of the show, Jean-Marc was a judge and he was absolutely hilarious; basically the SYTYCDC equivalent of Bruno from DWTS. ANYWAYS, Tucker had to sit this one out for some reason, and Alex Wong was probably kicking around LA somewhere a couple days before the show, so they called him up and asked him to step in instead. It was a creative idea for a paso, but the choreography was not mind-blowing nor would it probably even be considered an actual "paso doble", but they had cool costumes and they pulled it off.

4. Makenzie and Paul - Mandy Moore
CONTEMPORARY

Still kinda mad that this couple never got some sort of Latin Ballroom, to give Paul a bigger reason to shine, and they've gotten Contemporary twice, but this one was even more breathtaking than the Lindsay Nelko one. Holy god, Paul is probably one of the most versatile and strong dancers they've ever had on the show, and Makenzie is just stunning. And have you ever seen a more attractive couple? I'm sorry Anna Kendrick, I disagree, I think Makenzie and Paul should make a baby... but in all seriousness, Paul is my pick to win right now, if he can beat Amy Yakima to the title.

Just as a tally though - Kenzie/Paul had jazz 2x, contemp 2x, viennese waltz, and hip hop... would have been nice to have had a salsa or something thrown in there.

5. Amy and Fik-Shun - Jean-Marc Généreux
VIENNESE WALTZ

I really loved that these two were able to portray something other than their usual goofy characters. It was stunning, and Fik-Shun was especially surprising, although I shouldn't even be surprised anymore. Gorgeous. Not much else to say. Again, would have been nice to see this couple do a Latin Ballroom piece for a real challenge.

6. Jasmine and Aaron - NappyTabs
HIP HOP

Not my favourite NappyTabs piece ever, but there were some fun props thrown in there and the costumes were fun too, they just barely toed the kitschy line for me. NappyTabs were probably trying to replicate the "My Chick Bad" routine w/ Lauren Froderman and tWitch (S7) to some extent, but there was something missing in this one... Maybe Jasmine didn't have enough confidence or something? Aaron definitely out-hip-hopped her, but she wasn't terrible. Good hip hop, but overall not completely memorable in the whole scheme of things.

Top 6 (minus Tucker) Boys Routine - NappyTabs
HIP HOP

Fun, super athletic routine that showcased all the guys's strengths. Paul and Nico were definitely the anchors in this for me... Paul's shenaes (sp? I've been doing them for like over twelve years and still can't spell them) at the beginning were so incredible, especially when back-lit like that. Kind of neat for such an "emotional" storyline to be paired with a hard-hitting Hip Hop - the basic idea was that the rope in the routine was the metaphor for the struggle men have to deal with in relationships. We even got a somewhat unneccesary relationship advice gem from Alan; "I think men are afraid to be committed because they don't want to get hurt". I don't even know what to make of that. But hey, look at that, Nico even got to wear a beanie and Paul absolutely rocks plaid shirts, so not too shabby of a performance. Oh, and the reason Tucker had to sit two of his three performances out was because of a knee infection. Not sure why they made such a mystery of that at the beginning of the show.

Top 6 Girls Routine - Stacey Tookey
CONTEMPORARY

Holy moly, there's a reason why they chose this routine as last. Stacey Tookey is nothing short of a dance goddess, and this was a beautiful idea for choreography. Lana Del Rey's "Young and Beautiful" soundtrack from the Great Gatsby was absolute perfection for this piece. These six are so strong.

Malece and Alan are voted off. Sad, but necessary, and I think given the bottom this week they chose well. I'm really surprised that Malece didn't make Top 10 given her enormous fanbase, but unfortunately it was probably time for Alan to go, because he was never really able to connect to the audience and voters, although he's an incredible chameleon and tackled everything he was given.

Partner Rankings This Week; (all my own personal opinion :)

1. Makenzie and Paul
2. Hayley and Nico
3. Amy and Fik-Shun
4. Jasmine and Aaron
5. Jenna and Alex Wong
6. Malece (ELIMINATED) and Alan (ELIMINATED)

Next week is where the real fun begins - who do you think will be an All-Star next week? And here's to hoping that Paul Karmiryan will finally get something within his own genre. 

SYTYCD Season 10 Top 14 Recap + Partner Rankings

Here we are again. The thing about having only one episode a week is that by this point in the competition, you feel like you should know the dancers pretty well, whereas now they're mostly still just defined by their routines unless people know them personally. In any case, I'm looking forward to Top 10 and beyond so we can get to know these dancers better and better.

I wasn't too crazy about the opening group number by Sonya Tayeh and Dmitry Chaplin, but I guess it was a cool pairing to have a sort of hipster-goth contemporary/jazz choreographer and a ballroom choreographer collab on a group number. It mostly seemed like just Sonya choreo though.

We learn our bottom six; Curtis, Alan, Nico, Jasmine, Alexis, and MAKENZIE. Seriously. What is with people? This is basically the only time when I'm sad to be from Canada, because I'm not able to vote whatsoever. Makenzie has been pretty much flawless in all of her performances so far, she's gorgeous and seems very likable. What's not to like? The bottom is getting kind of tiring so far, because for half of the dancers this is at least their 3rd time at the bottom of the totem pole. Makenzie's saved right away, and the guys are told they don't have to dance because they "know how they dance their individual routines already". This is either because Curtis was injured this week and couldn't perform (get this; he injured his shoulder) and they wanted to make the playing field even, or the more likely possibility that they just didn't have the time in the programming for 5 solos. So we see Jasmine's and Alexis's.

1. Jenna and Tucker - Luther Brown
HIP HOP

Another Luther Brown number. This man seems to think that tight, black leather is the only possible material for his costume numbers. They looked pretty ridiculous in all that leather, not to mention I can't imagine how difficult it would be to dance with LITERALLY a second, thick skin on underneath the stage lights and beneath stage makeup. It was a pretty forgettable routine, mostly because it was nothing we haven't seen before from Luther. Jenna and Tucker did the best they could. And what was with those enormous black speakers or amps or whatever some poor stage crew members had to haul on and off??

2. Alexis and Nico - Sonya Tayeh
CONTEMPORARY

This is actually one of my favourite Sonya pieces ever, along with the Tiffany/George Jr. and Cole/Allison Holker routines from last season. It was gorgeous, creative movement we haven't seen from Sonya before, and it was the first time that Alexis really stood out for me. Really stunning, although I wish Sonya would dip her toes in something with lighter material again for a change. It's been a while since we've seen a gorgeous contemp piece from anybody with a happy mood or story.

3. Hayley and Curtis (INJURED) - Miriam Larici and Leonardo Barrionuevo
ARGENTINE TANGO

Because Curtis is injured, Leonardo stepped in with his enormous suit to partner Hayley instead. Again, one of my top all-time Argentine Tangos. (Others include Caitlynn/Pasha in S8 and Chehon/Anya in S9...). Hayley is just absolutely stunning, and for the first time I actually start to see her as a real contender. I always knew she was gorgeous in her own style, but she hit everything tonight with deliberation and sharpness and passion. Leonardo probably helped her a bit too, which I think is probably necessary in something as passionate as an Argentine Tango, to have at least one of the partners be a pro at it. The dress was stunning, the music was perfect, the lines were beautiful. And I'm no Argentine Tango expert, but this seemed like it had a lot of more traditional and technical steps to it, not just the fancy lifts that get votes. Guest judge Anna Kendrick basically nailed it when she noticed that Hayley was, thank heavens, not being portrayed as a vixen-sexy-dangerous character in another routine. SO beautiful.

4. Makenzie and Paul - Sonya Tayeh
JAZZ

Second jazz piece this couple have received, so far, and so far, it's 2 for 2. It was technically sharp and all-around entertaining and hot, and it shows that this couple are super super powerful. Unfortunately, the lack of storyline in this piece will probably make it more forgettable than their other ones to date, which makes me super nervous again next week for Makenzie, because I don't think the judges will be able to justify saving her again if she goes for a fourth round in the bottom. They already had to feed the audience a reason to save her again (WHICH MAKES NO SENSE BECAUSE WHAT REASON DO YOU NEED PEOPLE SHE'S PERFECT), saying that they had to save Eliana and Chehon numerous times and look, they won! Whatever.


5. Jasmine and Aaron - Justin Giles
CONTEMPORARY

This piece was based on the book "The Giving Tree" by Shel Silverstein, which apparently warranted an entire recap by Nigel before he could actually start critiquing. This was such a creative premise for the routine, and everything visual from the costumes to the lightning to the apple prop were perfect. Nice to see these two have something in one of their own genres for a change. Stunning piece, and just showing how much more of a surprise contender Jasmine Harper has been for me this season. Honestly, and terribly, I kind of pegged her as someone who would leave in the first couple of weeks because of her terrible playing-up of the Cyrus's-ex story, which was probably pegged on her by the producers. I am pleasantly surprised at her success though, and I just hope she can continue this winning streak. Aaron is fantastic, I just find his faces are pulled sometimes just a little too much, and exaggerated a little to be entirely sincere or believable. Stunning piece though.

6. Amy and Fik-Shun - Christopher Scott
HIP HOP

I love that Chris Scott is returning to his cutes-y, sort of retro pieces, at least for this routine. Dunno why they decided real water in the pitcher prop was necessary, because Amy's chair slipped and fell and the "SYTYCD Café"menus were dripping with water. They were adorable in this routine though, where Amy played the waitress, and Fik-Shun played the customer with a crush on the waitress, and they definitely pulled it off again. Two things though; they always play the same goofy characters in almost every routine they've been given (exc. Sonya's contemporary and the Paso), and they haven't gotten anything super hard yet, like a Salsa or a Cha Cha or Quickstep or anything ballroom-challenging.

7. Malece and Alan - Season 5 Alumni Jonathan Flatero 
SALSA

Loved this salsa. It was actually the first salsa in recent memory that has had a ballroom pro as one of the two partners. Alan was super confident in this routine and it showed, where this is probably the first routine where Malece stumbled even a bit. Granted, she's gone through the wringer with all the styles she's been given, and she's been basically killing everything.

MINI GROUP NUMBERS

I thought this was a good idea to get rid of the awkward space in air-time between not having enough time for each couple to do 2 pieces, but too much time with every couple doing just 1 (Basically Top 14/Top 12, because they can fill the rest with promos etc. on weeks before). So seven of the Top 14 were in each number...

Broadway - Spencer Liff
Fun Broadway piece by my favourite Broadway choreographer. And I love when the choreographers step into their own routines, whether it be by necessity (i.e. tonight, in Curtis's place) or by intention (i.e. Chris Scott in the insane animation number he did with Comfort, tWitch and Cyrus last season). Not much else to say, although it was next to cruel to have Alan and Malece do that insane, high-octane salsa, then pop backstage, quick-change, and pop back out for this high-octane Broadway. Probably because they wanted to keep the emotional routine for last, though...

Contemporary - Bonnie Story
Moving piece about bullying and anti-bullying, and although I'm not sure about how effective it will be to "stop bullying", it's good to keep the message out there and kicking, especially during the summertime when all schools are out, as it's probably where 95% of all bullying starts (not exact statistics but whatever...). Beautiful piece, and I mostly kept my eyes on Jasmine, Nico and Amy, as it's their domain.

At the end, to no one's surprise, Curtis and Alexis are cut. Sucks to lose two tappers at once, but it was really time for both of them. Before they cut to the last commercial break, they had Alan, Curtis, and probably a couple other of the Bottom 6 on that mini-step they have to showcase who's coming up next etc., and Alan looked absolutely terrified, while Curtis was completely relaxed. Curtis probably put two and two together and probably just decided his own fate when he first got injured. Injured, and has had solid critiquing for at least the past three weeks.

Anna Kendrick was hilarious. Hopefully she'll be another "regular" guest judge, à la Christina Applegate or Jesse Tyler Ferguson, and come back some other time, instead of having Paula Abdul for three weeks into the Top 8, 6, and 4.

Partner Rankings; this was super hard this week so don't hate me.

1. Hayley / Curtis (ELIMINATED) *Replaced by Leonardo
2. Jasmine / Aaron
3. Alexis (ELIMINATED) / Nico
4. Makenzie / Paul
5. Malece / Alan
6. Amy / Fik-Shun (just because she fell- I hate myself as much as you do right now).
7. Jenna / Tucker - by a long shot.

People in danger next week;

GUYS
1. Tucker
2. Alan

GIRLS
1. Jenna
2. Malece

SYTYCD Top 16 Recap + Partner Rankings

Anyone else follow the official page on twitter? They actually re-tweet every identical single tweet twice for both the east and west coasts... Kind of unnecessary... And super annoying hashtags. But I guess they're informative so whatever...

We first learn the bottom 6 - Jenna, Mariah, Makenzie, Curtis, BluPrint and Alan. Everyone basically predicted the men because it was so blatant last week, but Makenzie again? Seriously? It'll look bad if she falls to the bottom again and they save her again, but honestly, she's one of the two or three top talented girls in this competition and this is getting super ridiculous. They all dance for their lives after a lengthy declaration from Nigel. Alan's was dramatically impressive, but not sure how much actual ballroom technique was in that. He just basically whipped around that silky cape for the last ten seconds, and Curtis's tap routine was nothing special. BluPrint actually had the best solo, I think. Jenna's immediately saved and does not have to dance for her life.

1. Alexis and Nico - Tony Meredith & Melanie LaPatin

JIVE

Why do they keep placing ballroom numbers as the openers? Forget about the quickstep being the kiss of death, it's pulling a ballroom that's not a paso or an argentine tango as the show opener. Despite everything, this is the first performance that I was actually super impressed with on Nico's part, who's showing himself to be a really versatile dancer. Alexis kept up, but even in her grey shimmery dress she couldn't outshine Nico.

2. Jenna and Tucker - Travis Wall

CONTEMPORARY

Travis is really pulling out the big guns this season with creative numbers, and this was no exception. Tucker has a way of making everything look so flawless and effortless, and Jenna was incredible as her puppet-y character. Both will probably go super far. A couple prop issues with the puppet elastics, but they are obviously very polished performers and just kept dancing it beautifully. 

3. Mariah and BluPrint - Brian Friedman

JAZZ

What a totally strange routine. The premise was sort of interesting, but Brian Friedman must have totally ran out of choreography ideas about halfway through. The first half was energizing with the music, and the two hit the moves correctly, but then I wondered if the two like last-minute decided to do the next half of the routine at half-time. Why would you choreograph such slow moves to such fast music with no transition in between? And poor Mariah probably couldn't even see with the 7 pounds of fake eyelashes they glued on her.

4. Malece and Alan - Dave Scott

HIP HOP

First of all, let's talk about what a strange pairing this is. Alan probably literally weighs like two and a half times Malece's weight. Just the physics of their partnering doesn't match, because Malece has already done half the choreography because she can basically fly she's so light and weightless, while Alan has to put in like three times the effort just to keep up with her. I know this was just a pairing made out of convenience after last week's eliminations, but I just feel bad for the both of them. The choreography was refreshing and I generally really liked this routine. Okay, sorry, one last snarky observation - I think they spent like 98% of the costume budget on Malece's outfit and then hobbled together Alan's out of bits and pieces from the back of the costume department. Honestly, Alan's top looked like it was sewed out of the sort of felt kids use for crafts, and they probably just hauled those dumb harlem pants out from some other routine. 

5. Hayley and Curtis - Dee Caspary

CONTEMPORARY

I absolutely adore Dee's work - his lightbulb piece for Melanie and Marko in season 8 was pure magic. Unfortunately, he didn't get as magical a couple this time. Hayley was gorgeous in this piece, as to be expected because of her background, but I just cannot even understand what Curtis is still doing there. He's exceptionally talented, but when you get mixed in with 15 other world-class dancers it's hard to stand out. His feet were garishly flexed (unless it was a part of the choreo, which could be), his shoulders were absolutely raised too high, and he just doesn't have the confidence or the charisma to pull off a strong partnering stunt. The sushi date thing was adorable, though. 

6. Amy and Fik-Shun - Tyce Diorio

JAZZ

One of my hands-down favourite Tyce pieces, along with his wall piece with Sasha Mallory and Kent Boyd. Amy and FikShun proved once again they can basically pull anything off, and that they're well on their way to the Top 4. Not much else to say. One of my favourites of the night. 

Oh, LOL, just an insert to Nigel's Most Irrelevant Remark of the Night; "Fik-Shun, I wouldn't be surprised if Will and Kate named their baby after you!" 

7. Makenzie and Paul - Dave Scott

HIP HOP

Holy ahsdjasldlashshdajdhj. Paul Karmiryan, your hips are absolute magic. I'm just please waiting for some godly person to make a GIF of some of those hip moves he did. I know everybody loves Amy and Fik-Shun, and I love them too, I promise, but Makenzie and Paul just have that extra dose of chemistry. For heaven's sake, it was flawless and tight from start to finish and the only thing that ruined this perfect moment was Nigel's dumb comment about how this was really 20s and not 30s, but who cares? This couple can basically do anything, and are fantastic at making each other look good while playing themselves up as well. Hands down best of the night. 

8. Jasmine and Aaron - Tony Meredith & Melanie LaPatin

QUICKSTEP

WILL THEY STOP WITH THE "KISS OF DEATH QUICKSTEP" GIG ALREADY? Honestly, we have all heard 1780347830243940 times how hard quickstep is, just show us the routine... Anyways, Jasmine and Aaron are definitely the most charismatic on the show, and although their routine was not technically perfect, they just looked like they were having a lot of fun, and voters love that. 

Oh, I should probably talk about Carly Rae Jepsen guest judging, but honestly, there's not much to say. I love Carly Rae because she was my favourite on Canadian Idol when she placed 3rd (her cover of "Georgia On My Mind" is so stunning), but they really have no place putting Carly Rae in charge of judging something she has no experience in (as far as we know). I suppose there's the aspect that these sort of media-stars (Erin Andrews etc.) can judge the entertainment factor and speak for the rest of the non-dancing audience, but there's only so much they can say when they don't have the background to properly critique the routines. 

I completely disagreed with their sending home of BluPrint - I think he has had way way more growth on the program than Curtis - but I suppose his time was coming in Nigel et al's eyes anyways. Mariah gets sent home to no one's surprise after Makenzie's routine tonight. 

My partner rankings tonight;

1. Makenzie and Paul (NO MORE COMMENT ALTHOUGH I REALLY WANT TO TALK ABOUT THIS ONE MORE HOLY ASHDJSDJLJIP)

2. Amy and Fik-Shun

3. Jenna and Tucker

4. Jasmine and Aaron

5. Malece and Alan

6. Hayley and Curtis 

7. Mariah and BluPrint (BOTH ELIMINATED)

8. Alexis and Nico

Bottom predictions; I really hope they start with doing the Bottom 4 next week... But I added a third guy and girl just in case they don't...

GUYS

1. Curtis

2. Alan

POSSIBLE 3. Nico, if his fanbase doesn't hold strong enough for him through his jive tonight.

GIRLS

1. Alexis

2. Hayley

POSSIBLE 3. Jasmine 

Alright, I'm going to go watch the Paul/Makenzie routine again. 

SYTYCD Top 17 Performance + Partner Rankings

Erin Andrews and Paula Abdul were the guest judges, and they were both knowledgeable enough to hold their own. Of course, Paula has veteran experience as a judge of any kind, so she did really well and gave some super fantastic advice and points. The group routine was choreographed by Chris Scott and Sonya Tayeh, who are pretty much magical together, although I saw more of Sonya's influence in this choreo than Chris'. And what was up with that enormous set piece that looked like a couple dozen 2x4s slapped together? In any case, it was beautiful and was a good opening to the show.

We have an entire package to explain Jade's injury and exit from the competition. It's a bit of a blessing in diguise for Curtis and BluPrint, who have both been heavily criticised for their lack of technique and personality in their routines, as they were both in the bottom along with Jade. I have no idea who would have been sent home between the three, if Jade wasn't injured - they've saved Jade probably one too many times, BluPrint has gotten constant intense criticism for his lack of personality, and Curtis has lately been extremely immature in his dancing. Jasmine M., Jenna and Alexis were in the bottom for the girls, and were all three asked to dance for their lives. Alexis had a fantastic solo, Jenna's was just simply great Latin Ballroom, and Jasmine's was pretty standard contemporary moves.

1. Amy and Fik-Shun - Jean-Marc Généreux
PASO DOBLE

Amy and Fik-Shun again proved they could do no wrong, and again added to their finale war chest, paving their way to the Top 4 once again. Fik-Shun's shoulders were obviously too high for a while in the routine, but it really didn't matter overall.

2. Jasmine H. and Aaron - Spencer Liff
BROADWAY

Again proving for me that Spencer Liff's broadway pieces way out-shine Tyce Diorio's. It was a creative idea for the routine, and Jasmine and Aaron complement each other fantastically. Jasmine's dress was especially gorgeous - it was made out of a silky-type material and it just floated over her mile-long legs gorgeously. No complaints, it was really fun and Aaron is again proving himself worthy of being on the show in Emilio's place. Just worried whether the routine was memorable enough and whether their placing in the show will hinder their vote count.

3. Makenzie and Paul - Lindsay Nelko
CONTEMPORARY

As much as I adore Mia Michaels, Stacey Tookey, Dee Caspary, Sonya Tayeh, etc., it's really nice to see some new blood in here for the contemporary pieces. I felt like Lindsay Nelko went really safe costume-wise here - put the girl in a floaty white dress, put the guy in a white shirt and simple pants - and I think that was probably a really smart decision for her debut. She's obviously super talented, and she used Makenzie's contemporary potential to the fullest. Makenzie and Paul are one of my favourite couples in the competition right now (the other being Amy and Fik-Shun), because they have incredible chemistry and this is the third routine in a row they've knocked out of the ballpark. Kind of surprising how well Paul is doing, not gonna lie, but I'm enjoying every bit of it.

4. Jasmine M. and Alan - Sean Cheesman
JAZZ

Fun concept, and I think Jasmine's personality really shone through here. Unfortunately, Alan's not made much of an impression personality-wise, but he's been able to keep himself standing because of his partnering work and strength. The beginning was especially neat, when they were drinking their tea and doing that kind of tutting-arm-locking thing with the cups, but it kind of got lost in the middle.

5. Jenna and Tucker - Keoni and Mari Madrid
HIP HOP? JAZZ? HIP-JAZZ?

Neat tribute to Michael Jackson by another pair of newbies. It was really creative choreography and nothing we've ever really seen before on the show, which I think kind of took Mary/Nigel aback in how to judge the routine. Tucker is probably the most adorable thing I've ever seen, and Jenna is a total femme-fatale-y type. When matched together, it's easy for Jenna to overshadow Tucker simply because of what seems to be her more extroverted personality, (last week's Cha Cha was all Jenna), but they were super evenly-matched and had no problem with hitting all the beats.

6. Malece and All-Star Marko Germar - Sonya Tayeh
CONTEMPORARY

Holy god. Honestly, this is the Malece moment we've been waiting for. Plus, it just showed me how I miss Marko so so much. He has the perfect amount of strength and fragility, and he's able to both showcase his own talent and make his partner look good simultaneously. Easily the best routine of the night, and Malece is padding her already very comfortable route to the Top 10 with this number. Malece has the extraordinary gift of having such a unique look and personality that it draws you to her and makes her stand out in the competition, and this just sealed the deal. Probably one of my favourite Sonya numbers. The timing with the couple's extensions were just gorgeous -  there was one part where Malece extended her leg as Marko froze in a position with both legs and an arm above the ground - stunning.

7. Haley and Curtis - Jean-Marc Généreux
SAMBA

Ouch. Yikes. Curtis. It was just awkward. And personally, I think Hayley's an extremely talented dancer, but I just don't get the same "vixen" vibe the judges do from her. I don't think she's a vixen at all, I think she's just good at playing the parts the choreographers ask her to. Maybe if she had a different partner she would stand out more in my mind, and with such weekly praise, she'll probably make it to the point where we do see her with a different partner. Actually, since I would find it extremely surprising if Curtis stays past next week, we might see her with a different partner earlier than we think. Honestly, I don't see how Curtis was originally picked over Aaron as a tapper. He's very talented but he doesn't have the extra wow-factor to make it far on a TV reality show. I do feel kind of bad for him with the skewering of this routine tonight by the judges, though.

8. Alexis and Nico - Spencer Liff
BROADWAY

Alexis actually surprised me on this one. I haven't held her in extroardinarily high regard, but she really held her own with Nico in their Broadway piece this week. Her jumps and pirouettes were exactly on point with Nico's. Fun routine, well danced. Not much else to say.

9. Mariah and BluPrint - Luther Brown
HIP HOP

What were with these costumes? Besides wearing the strangest white garments I've ever seen, I actually enjoyed this routine better than most of Luther's choreography. It basically just showcased Mariah's dominance in any routine she's given. The synchronization was not perfect, but as a whole, they pulled it off. The judges again criticized BluPrint's lack of emotion and face-pulling in his performances, and it looks like they're really getting fed up with his lack of growth performance-wise. If he makes it to the bottom again, which seems likely at this point, I'm not sure if Nigel et al will be too keen on keeping him.

We then learn that Jasmine Mason is eliminated, after Jenna's immediate trip to the Top 16. Between Alexis and Jasmine M., I knew Jasmine was kind of condemned after Alexis's high praise for her hypnotic routine. It's too bad, because Jasmine was one of my favourite girls this season, and the "look-back to her journey" package they put together really showed her as a fun person. But in all honesty, when you're faced with your one fantastic ballroom girl, your one fantastic tapper girl, and your one fantastic out of three or four contemporary girls, I suppose the choice isn't too hard to make.

Tonight's performance rankings (all my opinion, of course :)

1. Malece and All-Star, Lovely, Perfect Marko
2. Makenzie and Paul
3. Amy and Fik-Shun
4. Jenna and Tucker
5. Jasmine H. and Aaron
6. Alexis and Nico
7. Jasmine M. (ELIMINATED) and Alan
8. Mariah and BluPrint
9. Hayley and Curtis

Bottom 6 predictions... I'm assuming they'll still have a bottom six next week, although the numbers are getting a little ridiculous because the odds are getting better and better to land yourself a spot in the bottom...

GUYS
1. Curtis
2. BluPrint
3. Alan

GIRLS
1. Hayley
2. Alexis
3. Jasmine H.

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...)

Partner Reveal, Top 20 Recap + Partner Rankings

Alright, so the partners never leaked after all... So sorry about that. And none of my matches came through. So sorry about that too. (But partial marks for matching a Jasmine (regardless of which one...) with Alan... right?)

So, chronologically, here is the partner reveal and top 20 recap;

1. Mariah/Carlos - Jason Gilkison
JIVE

Poor Mariah and Carlos had super rotten luck this week. They pulled a ballroom number and pulled the show opener... Ouch. Regardless, their jive was not terrible, it was super-high energy and their costumes were fun, and jive is sort of a lesser evil when it comes to ballroom on this show. In any case, I wouldn't be surprised if they ended up in the bottom next week because of their chronological placing on the show and the critiquing from the judges. If worst comes to worst, I think they'll save Mariah, because she's showed to be super impressive so far and they haven't had a really good girl Hip-Hop/Krumper since Comfort.

2. Jasmine M./Alan - Travis Wall
CONTEMPORARY


I'll be the first to admit that Alan hadn't left an enormous positive impression on me during Vegas week; however in the group round Nigel said the same thing and that he was pleasantly surprised at his showing in the group routine. Dark horse this season? Maybe. This Travis Wall routine was absolutely stunning; it was my favourite of the night for sure. Jasmine's quality of movement in this piece was absolutely breathtaking- especially the first couple eight counts or so were just especially beautiful. The music, the premise, the added obstacle of the blindfolds were all brilliant. The couple have incredible chemistry and this piece has done them extraordinary favours in the competition already - if they had been chronologically placed where Amy and Fik-Shun were, a.k.a the end, they would have gotten a standing ovation. The song it was choreographed to by Ingrid Michaelson almost makes me cry on its own; if you're interested, it's Can't Help Falling In Love (Live at Daytrotter). Just beautiful.

One teensy critique for this piece- the kiss. Ok, I'm all for a kiss if it fits well emotionally, but this early on in the competition seems sketchy. It did fit well emotionally in this case, and the couple has the right amount of chemistry to pull it off, we just simply don't know the dancers well enough yet or generally don't have enough personal connection with them to make it really hard-hitting. The only perfect kiss for me so far on the show has been the Kent/Lauren one in their Collide piece by Travis Wall in Season 7 - but maybe that's because everybody secretly shipped them the entire competition anyways.


3. Malece/Jade - Travis Wall
JAZZ

First of all, since when has Travis choreographed Jazz? Whatever. The premise was a little strange for me; I usually prefer routines that have less specific stories to them, but it worked. This one was that Malece and Jade were both 20s-era-ish movie stars, who starred in the same movie, and Malece got a better review than Jade had gotten. Malece could easily pull off the Daisy Buchanan-20s siren look, and Jade was a good support and partner to her. Jade comes off as a little cocky to me right now, but regardless he's a good partner. Not sure how memorable it was, but it certainly didn't hurt the couple.

4. Jenna/Tucker - Tyce Diorio
BROADWAY

Tyce's Broadway numbers all kind of blend together for me, and honestly, not sure if this one will stick out. Tucker and Jenna are both incredibly talented, and this was definitely a smart pairing. Their characterization was believable (especially Tucker's nerdy character) and the Broadway exaggeration and dancing style was spot-on, but just not sure how people will vote for this routine in the grand scheme of tonight's show.

5. Brittany/BluPrint - Sean Cheesman
AFRO JAZZ

Is African Jazz the only thing Sean Cheesman choreographs for SYTYCD nowadays? Not sure how culturally accurate these routines are, but Brittany and BluPrint definitely pulled it off. BluPrint especially was just really getting into this routine. Holy god, if he can continue dancing so well in other styles, he might make it as far as Cyrus got. The pair were perfectly synchronized and kept the same amount of energy throughout. Hopefully it's enough to keep them safe another week.

Okay, bit of a rant here - what the actual %^&# was Nigel talking about when he was critiquing BluPrint? Rambling something about how his ethnicity doesn't make this any easier for him or something - guess what, Nigel, we don't all think that way. "People should know you weren't born in a jungle, hah!" (or something to that effect...) WHAT?! By trying to show how anti-racist he could be, that remark basically just came off as racism.

6. Alexis/Nico - Chris Scott
HIP HOP

Okay, just right off the bat going to say that this choreography did not do either Alexis nor Nico any favours. I love Chris Scott to death, and his choreo usually leaves me in awe, but I had no idea what happened with this one. He tried to do that thing where he inserts parts of the dancers' own genres to give them a sense of expertise, but where he excelled to do this in the sand routine last week he fell flat with this one. Gah, I dunno. It's like if they stretch Chris too far and book him too many routines he pulls out a couple dud ones.

In any case, Alexis and Nico definitely did not perform this well at all. They were completely out of synch almost throughout the entire thing. Where Alexis could kind of have "swag", Nico just completely fell flat. However, I wouldn't be surprised if they both were kept out of the bottom next week. When Nico declared he was bilingual, if you listened quietly enough, you could hear the shrieking of thousands of teenage girls across the continent when he uttered those couple sentences in Spanish.

7. Makenzie/Paul - Jason Gilkison
VIENNESE WALTZ

I know absolutely next to nothing about ballroom, so like pretty much everyone else, I just assumed Paul would know how to do this immediately because Latin Ballroom = Standard Ballroom, right? Wrong. Anyways, Makenzie and Paul both made this look effortlessly beautiful. I did pick up on Makenzie's flexed feet, but it was really good of Mary to point out how stiff her shoes were - I had no idea that was even a thing so it was nice that Mary picked up on that to avoid her getting heck for it.

8. Jasmine H./Aaron - Sonya Tayeh
JAZZ

This had Sonya Tayeh written all over it. It was very well choreographed, well performed, well designed. All good, and memorable enough to keep them out of the bottom next week. Happy how Jasmine H. is coming out beyond her Cyrus'-ex-name-maker, because she is incredibly talented and does have the longest, most beautiful extensions ever. Aaron is knocking this all out of the park so far, so time will tell how long he will last in the competition as the perpetual "21st-choice". Whatever. He deserves to be there, and he is definitely showing it. By the way, I adored Sonya's music choice for this one; again, if you're interested, it's Bottom of the River by Delta Rae.

9. Hayley/Curtis - Chris Scott
HIP HOP

Not much to say for this one- it was a better piece of choreography than Chris Scott's other routine with Alexis and Nico, but it was still low of Nigel to call out Alexis and Nico like that in front of Hayley and Curtis, who were obviously uncomfortable. Hayley and Curtis could both "swag", obviously, but Curtis especially stood out to me. Will probably keep them both out of the bottom.

10. Amy/Fik-Shun - Sonya Tayeh
CONTEMPORARY

Amy has gotten an incredible amount of airtime and very flattering praise, and this routine at the end of the night will just keep racking her popularity points. Not sure why Fik-Shun was so surprising, when he basically blew all the rounds out of the water in Vegas, but whatever. In any case, it was an extraordinary routine and had a lot of breathtaking moments. Amy and Fik-Shun are both obviously talented, and they're drawing pretty large fanbases, so expect them to go VERY far. Like Top 4. Even if it was really unfair of Nigel to say that so early in the competition.

To wrap it up, I'll rank the routines of the night (all my personal opinion, of course)

1. Jasmine M. / Alan
2. Amy / Fik-Shun
3. Jasmine H. / Aaron
4. Makenzie / Paul
5. Brittany / BluPrint
6. Malece / Jade
7. Hayley / Curtis
8. Jenna / Tucker
9. Mariah / Carlos
10. Alexis / Nico