Elimination Format Changes + Nigel's Twitter

First of all, due to the general huge outcry from fans last week re: the elimination format, Nigel apparently had a get-together with his producer buddies and they decided to go with the Season 9 format of eliminating people at the end of the show. I know I have a super unpopular take on the entire situation, but I actually liked that they cut people right away, because it makes way way more sense at the end of the show when they dole out numbers for voting and stuff. Obviously, the ideal situation would be to have an entire elimination show, but I guess FOX isn't having it.

Here's the tweet from Nigel that stated this;

There you have it... And apparently they'll only be a Bottom 4 this coming Tuesday, unless he tripped and pressed the 4 instead of the 6 or something. I just feel bad for Brittany and Carlos, who had to be the guinea pigs for the new format before it was absolutely skewered by the fans.

The guest judge is apparently some big surprise...

How is "He/She has a birthday some time this year?" any kind of a clue at all? Unless he was trying to be funny. According to The Futon Critic, Tuesday's guest judge will be Erin Andrews (http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news/2013/07/02/so-you-think-you-can-dance-voting-results-for-july-2-91100/20130702fox03/), who I had no idea who she was until I googled her. Apparently she's hosting FOX College Football for FOX sports, which would make a ton of sense for her to land a guest judging position, but she doesn't really line up with Nigel's cryptic tweet (especially because "Erin" doesn't start with a consonant). Erin Andrews re-tweeted this though, so it's not like it's some huge surprise anymore;

Not super happy about their choice of guest judge, but I suppose that it wasn't really their choice if she hosts some show for FOX. 

Today's last tweet comes from Dmitry after Nigel's murdering of his choreography last week;

I won't even go to how annoying it is that Dmitry said "2" instead of "too" (I suppose he could have been surpassing his 140 characters, but still). He was probably obligated to type out this tweet to save his buns if he wants to get another choreo gig with the show. I just feel so bad for Dmitry because it was so, so embarassing to have basically your boss call you out on national live TV like that. Whatevs. 

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

Season Format + Top 10 Early Predictions

Alrighty, so I'm still not 100% positive about the season format, but with Nigel saying gems like this...

"We don't need to [change]. The dancers bring the changes," he says. "The dancers are the ones that create the magic for this series, not the format. It's the talent. And again, this season, Season 10, the talent is magnificent."

... I think it's pretty safe to assume that they're going for a one-episode-per-week format for Season 10. That, coupled with the 2-hour Top 20 show they've scheduled for this Tuesday (FOX 8/7c), pretty much solidifies this fact for me. This makes me SO SO SAD for a multitude of reasons, but mainly because Season 9 felt like a bit of a dud because we weren't able to connect with the dancers on an personal a level as with seasons before. We know so much more about the dancers in seasons 1-8 than we did in 9 that it's almost ridiculous. The only person who really comes to mind who was able to bring their personality forward in a huge way last season was Will Thomas; we got some backstory on Chehon and Eliana's training and Cyrus' lack thereof, but honestly, that's about it.

In any case, the Season 10 Top 20 dancers seem extremely personable and (generally) seem to have very extroverted personalities. So I'm able to compile a list of early Top 10 predictions before even seeing their partner work; obviously after a couple weeks of partnering I'll update my predictions, but here's what I have for now based on fanbase, talent, versatility and overall personality and image;

1. Nico (Contemporary)
2. Amy (Jazz or Contemporary or whatever- they seem to be billing her as different genres at multiple different intervals)
3. Makenzie (Contemporary)
4. Jade (Animation)
5. Malece (Contemporary)
6. Aaron (Tap)
7. Jenna (Ballroom)
8. Tucker (Contemporary)
9. TOSS UP; Paul (Ballroom) or BluPrint (Animation)
10. TOSS UP; Hayley (Contemporary), Alexis (Tap) or Mariah (Hip Hop)

Obviously the contemp group seem to be pulling the largest fanbase right now (which usually happens, so no surprise there), and they usually do pretty well versatility-wise. I'm struggling with the ballrooms, because they never seem to get very far at all, especially men (Witney Carson and Lindsay Arnold were surprising exceptions last season), but if anyone will make the Top 10 out of all of them, it's Jenna. I can't see both animators lasting past the Top 10, and I'm not really sure who will do best out of the two, but I'm giving Jade the slight edge right now because of personality. And it's a complete toss-up for last spot for the girls; I have absolutely zero idea out of those three who could pull the biggest numbers. It's all a matter of time.

Partnering should leak in a couple of days, so stay tuned. I only hope they'll match them fairly and not put Amy/Nico or Malece/Nico or something together - I adore Melanie/Marko as much as the next person, but Season 8 was completely useless basically from the get-go because it was pretty obvious Melanie would win it all. So here's who I would match, if I were the SYTYCD-Producer-God.

1. Mariah (Hip Hop)/ Tucker (Contemporary)
2. Jenna (Ballroom)/ Nico (Contemporary)
3. Amy (Jazz)/ Aaron (Tap)
4. Malece (Contemporary)/ Fik-Shun (Hip Hop)
5. Brittany (Ballroom)/  Carlos (Contemporary)
6. Makenzie (Contemporary)/ BluPrint (Animation)
7. Alexis (Tap)/ Jade (Animation)
8. Hayley (Contemporary)/ Paul (Ballroom)
9. Jasmine H. (Contemporary)/ Alan (Ballroom)
10. Jasmine M. (Jazz)/ Curtis (Tap)

I struggled a bit with the Jasmine H./Alan pairing, but hey, what can you do. So stay tuned for the actual pairings...

Apologies + SYTYCD Top 20 Reveal

First of all, so, so sorry for the complete lack of posts... Oh my good god, life has been insane and I decided to stop recapping the audition episodes because honestly, they're not terribly fun to write and only seven or eight of the people they give promos to during the auditions actually make it through to either the Green Mile or the Top 20 itself... But from now on in I promise to recap every episode!

Before I dive into the reveal, this season looks absolutely amazing just from this episode, and I'm not just saying that to say it every year. I know I'm going to get a ton of hate, but I thought Season 9 was a bit of a dud... Needless to say I wasn't as hopeful this time last year as I am now. My favourite season so far has been Season 7, and none have made it up to the bar set by that season in my opinion (perhaps because of Billy Bell, let's be honest here), but 10 looks fantastic so far. Nigel and the rest of the producers probably really decided to pull up their socks for this season if they're looking for a renewal when FOX doles them out for next summer.

OKAY ACTUALLY RECAPPING NOW. First genre to be revealed is Hip-Hop, which, to no one's surprise, included Fik-Shun, who has grown a fan base already and is probably the most adorable person on the show. They told him he needed to work on his technique a bit, but really, personality is what really gets you through on this show. The judges also included Phillip Chbeeb's roommate Emilio Dosal, who I pretty much fell head over heels for in the first few minutes of his audition, but because of an undisclosed "injury", he had to pull out (*sobbing*) - more on that and the repercussions later. Third (or I guess, kind of second) to join the Hip-Hoppers is FEMALE HIP-HOPPER Mariah Spears, who the producers never spent much time on but apparently shot through everything. This is especially exciting because the only Hip-Hop girl that has really made an impression in the past five years or so is Comfort. The routine they're given is a Luther Brown routine (wasn't a fan of Luther's during his SYTYCD Canada days, and unfortunately I'm still not) that seems the same old, same old to me. Same sensuality and leather pants that seem to be in all of Luther's routines. Mariah can really kill the sensual-gritty thing, but unfortunately Fik-Shun just couldn't pull it off without pulling an adorable ear-splitting smile every once in a while. I have to admit, they danced it well.

Next we're given the first round of contemporary dancers, which are at a surprisingly and refreshingly lower number this year. First to join is Makenzie Dustman, who was actually one of my favourite auditions this season. The producers hadn't spent much Vegas time on her, but she stood out to the judges from the beginning as well, apparently. Jasmine Harper is the next one through. Okay, I have a bit of a problem with what story they're pulling for Jasmine H. She dated Cyrus, cool. I can only imagine the cross-dating that goes on behind the scenes on this show, and honestly, I just really don't care (except for Allison and tWitch. Always except Allison and tWitch). They better not try to fabricate some sort of on-screen romantic thing between Cyrus and Jasmine H. because I will actually punch my television. This just has no place on the show. I can't remember exactly what round it was, but I remember for one round in Vegas she danced a pretty emotional routine and admitted it to being about Cyrus. I can only imagine Cyrus' reaction while he watched the Vegas round. Oh, good god. I know she's trying to make a name for herself but at this point everyone only knows her as Cyrus' ex, which is a shame because I think she's extremely talented.

Rant over. Two contemporary guys, Tucker Knox and Nico Greetham, get through next. Nico has an ENORMOUS fan base already, probably partly because he's extremely good-looking, but he's also extraordinarily talented and I expect him to go super far. The first four contemporaries get a Stacey Tookey routine, which, although I adore Stacey to the moon and back, just was nothing new. It was stunning, of course, but it just looked really similar to a ton of contemp routines on this show before. Regardless, all four danced it very well.

OH MY GOD TAP. My favourite thing about this season is probably the huge dose of tap we've gotten after an immense dry spell. Alexis Juliano and Curtis Holland both made it through the top 20 immediately, and after Hip-Hopper Emilio dropped out, Aaron Turner was apparently 21st in line and nabbed the last spot. The group routine they do is choreographed by a newcomer choreographer, Anthony Moriegerato, to a song by Jason Mraz. There were so many things I loved about this, but putting a tap routine to the scatting genius that is Jason Mraz was absolutely brilliant. The three were amazingly synchronized, and we'll see how far they get in the competition. So far, Aaron seems to be pulling the biggest fan base and has the most likable personality. But again, time will tell.

Okay, break just to acknowledge how happy I am to have Adam Shankman back on the panel. I LOVE YOU SO MUCH ADAM. We needed you back.

Next are the animators. I think it's so so cool that Cyrus has pioneered this genre in the show, and although I have no idea for certain, it's probably opened up a brand-new demographic beyond the chassé/jeté crowd (and hey, I'm part of the chassé/jeté crowd, and I absolutely love the animators) that the producers have enjoyed. Plus, it's neat that they've been able to give Chris Scott this new niche to play with. Anyways, the judges give both Jade Zuberi and BluPrint a spot in the competition, and the Chris Scott group routine they get given is nothing short of amazing. I just really hope they don't play up some Jade vs. BluPrint angle that seems pretty non-existent to me, to be honest.

Second contemporary group. Carlos Garland makes it through, who, out of the 3 contemp guys, seems the least strong, but we'll see how far he gets. Hayley Erbert, and, to absolutely zero surprise, so does Malece Miller, who has able to make a name, image and fanbase for herself within weeks. The second group routine was choreographed by Mia Michaels, and to be honest I much preferred this contemporary one. The story wasn't my favourite ever, but how many storylines can you think up with two girls and a guy? Plus, one of the dancers could have easily become the third wheel or the awkward third one but it never happened. So kudos to Mia for that one. Another bonus for Season 10 - the Mia Michaels comeback.

Next are the ballroom dancers. I know next to nothing about ballroom dance, to be honest, but all four this year - Brittany Cherry, Jenna Johnson, Paul Karmiryan, and Alan Bersten - all seem very strong. The routine seemed like more of the same to me, but hey, what do I know? Prediction; Jenna will last the longest of the four. She seems the most versatile. Paul's already won the Armenian version of SYTYCD, which hopefully he won't drive home for too long on the show because voters will get sick of it and want to give other people a chance.

Last, but not least, is the Jazz group, which only counts two dancers this year; Amy Yakima and Jasmine Mason. Amy Yakima has probably had the most airtime of anybody, and has seemed to blow through everything easily and effortlessly. It's almost tipping to the point of unfairness how much airtime she's been getting, when someone like Mariah Spears has gotten next to none, but hey, there's always somebody. In any case, I do agree that she is gorgeous and talented and I predict that she will go super super far. I absolutely adore Jasmine M., too, and I hope that she'll also last at least until the top 10.

Finally, we get a top 10 guys routine and top 10 girls routine, and a full cast top 20 routine. Chris Scott blows everyone out of the water, again. His sand routine was hands-down the best routine of the night, because it was gorgeous, creative, and highlighted every single style without doing it blatantly. The top 10 girls routine was choreographed by Ray Leeper to "Let's Have a Kiki". When I saw the song title I instantly groaned because I've hated it ever since the Glee version of it with Sarah Jessica Parker's character and Rachel and Kurt. So I couldn't really look past the annoying song, to be honest. The top 20 routine was also another amazing Sonya Tayeh routine, which, if it wasn't for Chris Scott, would take top honours for the night in my book.

So I leave you with the sand routine.