Good Wednesday evening all. The middle of this week brings with it thunderstorms, heat, oppressive humidity and Cat's first bright red dress of the season (right?) Cat looks either overly tan or possibly sunburned or perhaps the lighting is just wreaking havoc with her dress and skin tone. Anyway, there's a lot to get done tonight, but that mostly means that it's time for the first cuts of the season. Two guys and two girls will be going home tonight and do you know how I know that they mean business? Adam Shankman is on the panel. So our judges, the deciders of fate for 4 soon-to-be-employment seeking dancer dreamers, are Nigel, Mary & Adam.
Before moving forward though, let's talk a bit about that opening number. Mostly about how Cyrus was all fancied up and the focal at the beginning and how I would have never attributed this level of creepiness to Napoleon and Tabitha. Danced to Marilyn Manson with a Tim Burton set background and red and black costumes, it's a fairly intense opener. It definitely left an impression and got me pretty pumped for tonight. It must be said, Daniel is just so blond that he's always easy to spot. The only criticism I have is that about 2/3 of the way through like six dancers dispensed to the side to look on as the core group of dancers clustered in the center of stage and worked as a unit.
Intro Song: The Beautiful People (District 78 remix-though I can't find this specific remix, here are some more that District 78 has done for SYTYCD
Also I'll quickly mention that the U.S. Postal Service is doing 4 stamps of choreographers to be released on National Dance Day (which is getting seriously close to becoming a real national holiday). You can learn more about it by clicking HERE
Alright, hopefully with a chunk of the chatter out of the way we can move on to the groovin' part of this show.
Couple #1: Lindsay & Cole
Choreographer: Christopher Scott
Style: Hip Hop
Theme: Sexy Dentist
Song Artist: Lady Gaga
Song Title: Teeth
Lindsay's a nightie-wearing dentist and Cole is a missing cast member of The Big Bang Theory. This routine is a ton of fun and Cole really gets into character even down to his posture. I think there are a few too many props going on, but the dance really kicks in when Cole flips himself off the chair. The only problem is that when he does that I think it points out that Lindsay isn't quite up to his snuff when it comes to hip hop. Nigel tells Lindsay she should have played less to the audience and more to Cole, Mary agrees that Lindsay should have acted more, and Adam tells her to bring more "Jennifer Aniston from Horrible Bosses". Cole gets off mostly (Christopher) Scott-free because A) he's still in character and B) yeah, he was the star of that routine.
Couple #2: Amelia & Will
Choreographer: Sonya Tayeh
Style: Contemporary
Theme: Souls searching for the light (that's far too existential for me this late in the day, but Sonya will pull it off)
Song Artist: Olafur Arnalds
Song Title: 3326
As a quick side note, it was really bothering me who Will looked like and it turns out that I was thinking of Australian comedian Hamish Blake, please, someone tell me I'm not crazy for thinking this. Also if you've never heard of Hamish and Andy and you like to laugh, you should check out more about them.
But this is no time for laughter. This is a serious piece and they dance it seriously well. With the stark music, there's really nothing else to feed off of besides each other, and since they're both in their style, it turns out to be something close to awesome. Will proves to be a much stronger partner than I would have given him credit for last week. I mean I always liked him because he seems like a good dude, but his talent has really shown through tonight.
Couple #3: Nick & Amber
Choreographer: Miarim & Leonardo
Style: Tango
Theme: Apparently it's just the tango, you know like Scent of a Woman, without the blindness
Song Artist: Sexteto Mayor
Song Title: Tanguera
Well, it's a tango and I don't know as much about that style as I could, but it wasn't my favorite routine of the evening so far. On that note, it seems fishy that Nick had 2 weeks of working in his style and Amber hasn't had any? Adam thinks it's "hot" and "spectacular". Nigel and Mary do too. Amber gets most of the praise while Nick is relegated to the barren wastelands of partnerdom, which sounds oxymoronic, I know. This suits me because Nick is one of my least favorite guys, but I do like Amber, and she did well in this, despite it being decidedly against her style.
Couple #4: Audrey & Matthew
Choreographer: Sonya Tayeh
Style: contemporary
Theme: Robotic Battle of the Sexes. Think Real Steel meets Alvin Ailey
Song Artist: Steed Lord (though it's the Dri, Lind & Lukka remix)
Song Title: Hear Me Now
I thought maybe last week was a fluke because Travis Wall can bring out the best in dancers, but these two have serious chemistry. Audrey's flexibility is out of control and as goofy as their rehearsal video looks, their performance, for lack of a better term, brings it. Again though, it's 2 weeks straight of contemporary, so we'll have to see if this continues in the weeks to come. The judges love the routine, with Adam going so far as to claim that this if "he keeps going on like this, it's (Matthew's) his to lose".
Couple #5: Dareian & Jannelle
Choreographer: Christopher Scott
Style: more like lyrical hip hop
Theme: It's a 60's Style proposal
Song Artist: The Temptations
Song Title: My Girl
ohhhh and it's our first onscreen kiss of the season. It's adorable (later Adam uses the same term, so again, vindication!), and though there are moments of slight sloppiness, I'm willing to forgive it for it's charm. That being said, it's not the most difficult performance of the evening, but I think Dareian and Jannelle do what they can with the choreography. Adam thinks that Jannelle could have given more character and Nigel kind of takes Christopher Scott to task for not making it more difficult.
Couple #6: Brandon & Janaya
Choreographer: Sean Cheesman
Style: Broadway
Theme: Janaya is on the PROWL and Brandon just walked in to her path
Song Artist: Linda Eder
Song Title: Bring on The Men (from Jekyll & Hyde)
I have listened to this soundtrack hundreds of times, and I have never heard this song. I thought I was going a little insane until I read that this song had been cut later in the Broadway production. Anyway, Jekyll & Hyde is actually a favorite of mine, and if you're able, you might get to see it since Broadway just decided to revive it starring Constantine Maroulis and Deborah Cox. You can read more HERE. Quickly though, you should listen to "Someone Like You" or "In His Eyes" (aka the song that I probably drove my parents crazy listening to and singing in my room when I wasn't singing Out Tonight from Rent) if you like what you heard.
I think these two are a highly underrated couple. And for all the talk about characterization this episode, I think they've done it perfectly here. Plus, you can get away with it a little more during Broadway. But seriously, the part where Janaya is standing in front of Brandon and puts her legs backward on his shoulder and he pulls her up, is awesome. Also their timing is amazing.
Couple #7: Cyrus & Eliana
Choreographer: Melanie Lapatin & Tony Meredith
Style: Jive
Theme: Just the Jive, which could prove more than the lesser-experienced Cyrus is ready for.
Song Artist: Jack White
Song Title: I'm Shakin'
I'm a bit worried that this could just simply be too much choreography for Cyrus, but I'm trying to keep the hope alive. The good news it's not as bad as I thought it might be; the bad news is that it definitely looked like work. It wasn't the best jive I've ever seen, and it wasn't really up to the timing of a normal routine. I think Tony and Melanie took it a little bit easier because of Cyrus' abilities. All of the judges love Eliana and pump up Cyrus, knowing that it wasn't the best. They're far easier on him than they were on Dareian and Jannelle's routine.
Couple #8: Alexa & Daniel
Choreographer: Dee Caspary
Style: Contemporary
Theme: I don't know, there's a tub and a Yanni song and we're supposed to believe that they're "connected"
Song Artist: Yanni
Song Title: So Long My Friend
I'm not the only one who rolls their eyes when they see the name "Yanni" am I? What is this 1993? I'm pretty sure this was just an excuse to get these guys into bathing suit-esque costumes. Also, can we all stop pretending that Alexa has had to overcome so much. She's clearly one of the stars of this season, and with Daniel as a partner how do you go wrong? This is all fine and performed admirably, but the bathtub prop is weird and I find it mostly boring. Adam calls it a little "chilly". Is this the equivalent of being "pitchy"?
Couple #9: Tiffany & George
Choreographer: Melani & Tony
Style: Foxtrot
Theme: Just the Foxtrot-Lookin' Classy and Gliding Across the Floor (I always think of Dirty Dancing though when I hear the name of this dance)
Song Artist: Sinead O'Connor
Song Title: I Wanna Be Loved By You
One of my favorite couples this season. George is incredibly talented and here he, and Tiffany, are really impressive, especially considering the other ballroom routines we've had tonight. This is by far my favorite of the genre. Mary confirms that they're indeed, all aboard the Hot Tamale train. Adam was MADLY in love with it.
oh no guys, Chehon has Bollywood this week. I'm more nervous about this routine than I was about Cyrus'.
Couple #10: Chehon & Whitney
Choreographer: Nakul Dev Mahajan
Style: Bollywood
Theme: Jazz Hands..or Bollywood Hands I should say
Song Artist: Aatish Kapadia
Song Title: Tandav Music
Whitney is awesome. Her precision is intense and despite Chehon's shirtless physique my eyes go to her during the routine. It's an exhausting routine. Still, I'd love to take some classes in this. It always looks amazing when done right. The judges love it.
Finally, it's time to find out who's in danger and who's safe and there are some shocks, I have to say.
ALEXA, WHITNEY, JANAYA
and
NICK, DANIEL, CHEHON
are the bottom 6. I didn't see Alexa and Daniel being in the mix. I have a feeling they're the ones staying. Nick and Chehon aren't surprises to me. I think Whitney just got mixed up in the Chehon flap, and Janaya just hasn't had the chance to show much personality.
Before we find out who's going home, it's time to pimp out "Step Up: Revolution" which I have no problem with. I kind of wanted to see it anyway when I saw the preview a while ago and realized that Kathryn (Season 6) was in it. Her and Legacy will always be one of my favorite couples, I don't know why. Anyway, enjoy these 2 flashbacks:
Also, watching this Step Up performance I have one question: Is there anyone cooler in the world than Twitch when he's on stage?! Oh my gosh, is that Phillip from Season 5, standing next to Nigel, in the red & white striped shirt?! I'm pretty sure it is! I still love this routine:
Ok, business time, people, business time. The big question: WHO'S GOING HOME?
Nigel goes on an overly-long tangent about how they're not voting anyone off, they're saving dancers. Fine Nigel, I'll play by your rules, tonight they're saving:
For the girls: Holy crap, they've decided to save Whitney!
I'm totally shocked that Alexa is going home. I guess her talent wasn't enough.
For the boys: Oh my god, they're saving Chehon!
I have no idea what's going on!! Daniel should have stayed. No doubt in my mind.
So I guess next week Brandon and Amber will partner up, which could be a good change. I guess it's so long and goodbye to Nick, Janaya, Alexa and Daniel.
I'm a bit stunned right now, so I'm going to make my quick editing changes and head to bed before my brain explodes from those results. If you feel like weighing in, by all means leave a comment, they're always welcome.
Before moving forward though, let's talk a bit about that opening number. Mostly about how Cyrus was all fancied up and the focal at the beginning and how I would have never attributed this level of creepiness to Napoleon and Tabitha. Danced to Marilyn Manson with a Tim Burton set background and red and black costumes, it's a fairly intense opener. It definitely left an impression and got me pretty pumped for tonight. It must be said, Daniel is just so blond that he's always easy to spot. The only criticism I have is that about 2/3 of the way through like six dancers dispensed to the side to look on as the core group of dancers clustered in the center of stage and worked as a unit.
Intro Song: The Beautiful People (District 78 remix-though I can't find this specific remix, here are some more that District 78 has done for SYTYCD
Also I'll quickly mention that the U.S. Postal Service is doing 4 stamps of choreographers to be released on National Dance Day (which is getting seriously close to becoming a real national holiday). You can learn more about it by clicking HERE
Alright, hopefully with a chunk of the chatter out of the way we can move on to the groovin' part of this show.
Couple #1: Lindsay & Cole
Choreographer: Christopher Scott
Style: Hip Hop
Theme: Sexy Dentist
Song Artist: Lady Gaga
Song Title: Teeth
Lindsay's a nightie-wearing dentist and Cole is a missing cast member of The Big Bang Theory. This routine is a ton of fun and Cole really gets into character even down to his posture. I think there are a few too many props going on, but the dance really kicks in when Cole flips himself off the chair. The only problem is that when he does that I think it points out that Lindsay isn't quite up to his snuff when it comes to hip hop. Nigel tells Lindsay she should have played less to the audience and more to Cole, Mary agrees that Lindsay should have acted more, and Adam tells her to bring more "Jennifer Aniston from Horrible Bosses". Cole gets off mostly (Christopher) Scott-free because A) he's still in character and B) yeah, he was the star of that routine.
Couple #2: Amelia & Will
Choreographer: Sonya Tayeh
Style: Contemporary
Theme: Souls searching for the light (that's far too existential for me this late in the day, but Sonya will pull it off)
Song Artist: Olafur Arnalds
Song Title: 3326
As a quick side note, it was really bothering me who Will looked like and it turns out that I was thinking of Australian comedian Hamish Blake, please, someone tell me I'm not crazy for thinking this. Also if you've never heard of Hamish and Andy and you like to laugh, you should check out more about them.
But this is no time for laughter. This is a serious piece and they dance it seriously well. With the stark music, there's really nothing else to feed off of besides each other, and since they're both in their style, it turns out to be something close to awesome. Will proves to be a much stronger partner than I would have given him credit for last week. I mean I always liked him because he seems like a good dude, but his talent has really shown through tonight.
Couple #3: Nick & Amber
Choreographer: Miarim & Leonardo
Style: Tango
Theme: Apparently it's just the tango, you know like Scent of a Woman, without the blindness
Song Artist: Sexteto Mayor
Song Title: Tanguera
Well, it's a tango and I don't know as much about that style as I could, but it wasn't my favorite routine of the evening so far. On that note, it seems fishy that Nick had 2 weeks of working in his style and Amber hasn't had any? Adam thinks it's "hot" and "spectacular". Nigel and Mary do too. Amber gets most of the praise while Nick is relegated to the barren wastelands of partnerdom, which sounds oxymoronic, I know. This suits me because Nick is one of my least favorite guys, but I do like Amber, and she did well in this, despite it being decidedly against her style.
Couple #4: Audrey & Matthew
Choreographer: Sonya Tayeh
Style: contemporary
Theme: Robotic Battle of the Sexes. Think Real Steel meets Alvin Ailey
Song Artist: Steed Lord (though it's the Dri, Lind & Lukka remix)
Song Title: Hear Me Now
I thought maybe last week was a fluke because Travis Wall can bring out the best in dancers, but these two have serious chemistry. Audrey's flexibility is out of control and as goofy as their rehearsal video looks, their performance, for lack of a better term, brings it. Again though, it's 2 weeks straight of contemporary, so we'll have to see if this continues in the weeks to come. The judges love the routine, with Adam going so far as to claim that this if "he keeps going on like this, it's (Matthew's) his to lose".
Couple #5: Dareian & Jannelle
Choreographer: Christopher Scott
Style: more like lyrical hip hop
Theme: It's a 60's Style proposal
Song Artist: The Temptations
Song Title: My Girl
ohhhh and it's our first onscreen kiss of the season. It's adorable (later Adam uses the same term, so again, vindication!), and though there are moments of slight sloppiness, I'm willing to forgive it for it's charm. That being said, it's not the most difficult performance of the evening, but I think Dareian and Jannelle do what they can with the choreography. Adam thinks that Jannelle could have given more character and Nigel kind of takes Christopher Scott to task for not making it more difficult.
Couple #6: Brandon & Janaya
Choreographer: Sean Cheesman
Style: Broadway
Theme: Janaya is on the PROWL and Brandon just walked in to her path
Song Artist: Linda Eder
Song Title: Bring on The Men (from Jekyll & Hyde)
I have listened to this soundtrack hundreds of times, and I have never heard this song. I thought I was going a little insane until I read that this song had been cut later in the Broadway production. Anyway, Jekyll & Hyde is actually a favorite of mine, and if you're able, you might get to see it since Broadway just decided to revive it starring Constantine Maroulis and Deborah Cox. You can read more HERE. Quickly though, you should listen to "Someone Like You" or "In His Eyes" (aka the song that I probably drove my parents crazy listening to and singing in my room when I wasn't singing Out Tonight from Rent) if you like what you heard.
I think these two are a highly underrated couple. And for all the talk about characterization this episode, I think they've done it perfectly here. Plus, you can get away with it a little more during Broadway. But seriously, the part where Janaya is standing in front of Brandon and puts her legs backward on his shoulder and he pulls her up, is awesome. Also their timing is amazing.
Couple #7: Cyrus & Eliana
Choreographer: Melanie Lapatin & Tony Meredith
Style: Jive
Theme: Just the Jive, which could prove more than the lesser-experienced Cyrus is ready for.
Song Artist: Jack White
Song Title: I'm Shakin'
I'm a bit worried that this could just simply be too much choreography for Cyrus, but I'm trying to keep the hope alive. The good news it's not as bad as I thought it might be; the bad news is that it definitely looked like work. It wasn't the best jive I've ever seen, and it wasn't really up to the timing of a normal routine. I think Tony and Melanie took it a little bit easier because of Cyrus' abilities. All of the judges love Eliana and pump up Cyrus, knowing that it wasn't the best. They're far easier on him than they were on Dareian and Jannelle's routine.
Couple #8: Alexa & Daniel
Choreographer: Dee Caspary
Style: Contemporary
Theme: I don't know, there's a tub and a Yanni song and we're supposed to believe that they're "connected"
Song Artist: Yanni
Song Title: So Long My Friend
I'm not the only one who rolls their eyes when they see the name "Yanni" am I? What is this 1993? I'm pretty sure this was just an excuse to get these guys into bathing suit-esque costumes. Also, can we all stop pretending that Alexa has had to overcome so much. She's clearly one of the stars of this season, and with Daniel as a partner how do you go wrong? This is all fine and performed admirably, but the bathtub prop is weird and I find it mostly boring. Adam calls it a little "chilly". Is this the equivalent of being "pitchy"?
Couple #9: Tiffany & George
Choreographer: Melani & Tony
Style: Foxtrot
Theme: Just the Foxtrot-Lookin' Classy and Gliding Across the Floor (I always think of Dirty Dancing though when I hear the name of this dance)
Song Artist: Sinead O'Connor
Song Title: I Wanna Be Loved By You
One of my favorite couples this season. George is incredibly talented and here he, and Tiffany, are really impressive, especially considering the other ballroom routines we've had tonight. This is by far my favorite of the genre. Mary confirms that they're indeed, all aboard the Hot Tamale train. Adam was MADLY in love with it.
oh no guys, Chehon has Bollywood this week. I'm more nervous about this routine than I was about Cyrus'.
Couple #10: Chehon & Whitney
Choreographer: Nakul Dev Mahajan
Style: Bollywood
Theme: Jazz Hands..or Bollywood Hands I should say
Song Artist: Aatish Kapadia
Song Title: Tandav Music
Whitney is awesome. Her precision is intense and despite Chehon's shirtless physique my eyes go to her during the routine. It's an exhausting routine. Still, I'd love to take some classes in this. It always looks amazing when done right. The judges love it.
Finally, it's time to find out who's in danger and who's safe and there are some shocks, I have to say.
ALEXA, WHITNEY, JANAYA
and
NICK, DANIEL, CHEHON
are the bottom 6. I didn't see Alexa and Daniel being in the mix. I have a feeling they're the ones staying. Nick and Chehon aren't surprises to me. I think Whitney just got mixed up in the Chehon flap, and Janaya just hasn't had the chance to show much personality.
Before we find out who's going home, it's time to pimp out "Step Up: Revolution" which I have no problem with. I kind of wanted to see it anyway when I saw the preview a while ago and realized that Kathryn (Season 6) was in it. Her and Legacy will always be one of my favorite couples, I don't know why. Anyway, enjoy these 2 flashbacks:
Also, watching this Step Up performance I have one question: Is there anyone cooler in the world than Twitch when he's on stage?! Oh my gosh, is that Phillip from Season 5, standing next to Nigel, in the red & white striped shirt?! I'm pretty sure it is! I still love this routine:
Ok, business time, people, business time. The big question: WHO'S GOING HOME?
Nigel goes on an overly-long tangent about how they're not voting anyone off, they're saving dancers. Fine Nigel, I'll play by your rules, tonight they're saving:
For the girls: Holy crap, they've decided to save Whitney!
I'm totally shocked that Alexa is going home. I guess her talent wasn't enough.
For the boys: Oh my god, they're saving Chehon!
I have no idea what's going on!! Daniel should have stayed. No doubt in my mind.
So I guess next week Brandon and Amber will partner up, which could be a good change. I guess it's so long and goodbye to Nick, Janaya, Alexa and Daniel.
I'm a bit stunned right now, so I'm going to make my quick editing changes and head to bed before my brain explodes from those results. If you feel like weighing in, by all means leave a comment, they're always welcome.
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