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Too tired and frankly kind of annoyed at So You Think You Can Dance to write my normal commentary. But I wanted to make sure I posted my predictions to see if I can get 2 out of 3 again…

Bottom 3
Randi/Evan – good Broadway choreography but lackluster performance
Caitlin/Jason – see above; I also think the general public won’t “get” it
Karla/Vitolio – surprisingly, really good! But they’ve been in the bottom the past 2 weeks and I don’t think a quickstep will keep them out out.

Rob and I voted for Karla/Vitolio for good measure. Fingers crossed!

After a promising start in the first week’s eliminations, I thought last week was a little bit of a letdown (although I did predict 2 out of the bottom 3 again). I didn’t think Ashley or Max should have gone home — I would have sent home Caitlin (her technique isn’t any different than Kayla’s, imo) and Kupono (based on his lackluster hip hop performance and solo).

On to this week! Toni Basil is the guest judge. Her comments about “street” make me want to throw something at the TV so I fast-forwarded every time she opened her mouth. It’s too bad — I admire her dance and choreography career but she goes on and on and on during her critiques and doesn’t even really say anything constructive or helpful.

LOVED
Melissa and Ade – They’ve been OMGSOGOOD these past 3 weeks. And this rumba was fantastic. They got the hip movements and emotions down… their angles were gorgeous, lifts steady… I think they’ve just become my favorite couple.
Janette and Brandon – I haven’t been overly impressed with them so far but they totally killed this hip hop routine. Especially Brandon. I was not expecting him to be so good! It was energetic and fun — definitely my favorite of the night. WOW.

LIKED
Kayla and Kupono – A solid Viennese waltz. Very “dreamy” and ethereal feeling. But is it just me or was that routine really short? It felt like there were more tricks and lifts than actual waltzing.
Randi and Evan – The concept of this contemporary routine is pretty ridiculous but it worked. They were cute and performed it well. No complaints here.
Jeanine and Philip – Jeanine really shined in this Broadway performance. Philip’s lucky that the routine relied heavily on personality because he definitely lacks technique. Overall, though, they sold it.

EHHH
Karla and Jonathan – This Dave Scott hip hop was SO. DISAPPOINTING. First. Jonathan was waaaayyy out of his league. He couldn’t get the steps, he wasn’t in sync with Karla, and he had absolutely no personality. He seems like such a nice guy but SERIOUSLY, he is dragging her down. Poor Karla. I think she’s an amazing dancer but she’s saddled with a below average partner. Second. I really like Dave Scott but I think part of the problem was the choreography. It’s like he put all the effort into Janette and Brandon’s routine and slapped this one together.
Asuka and Vitolio – I didn’t like this jazz routine at all. I normally like Mandy’s choreography but this one didn’t do anything for me at all. A lot of it didn’t seem to flow very well from one step to the other… or maybe it was the dancers, I’m not sure. I actually stopped watching in the middle because Vitolio was so obviously out-dancing Asuka that it made me feel uncomfortable for her. Just like Jonathan, I think she’s out of her element — she’s not a very versatile dancer (yet) and it’s definitely starting to show.
Caitlin and Jason – Even with the dramatic music, I was bored out of my mind with this paso doble. They lacked the power and chemistry needed to pull this off. And it didn’t help that I could see the effort and concentration in their faces.

Predictions for the Bottom 3: Definitely Karla/Jonathan (insert sad face here) and Asuka/Vitolio. I’m wavering back and forth on Caitlin/Jason and Kayla/Kupono for the third spot but I’ll guess Caitlin/Jason. Ideally, I’d like Jonathan and Asuka to go so that would make way for a new couple in Karla/Vitolio…

The So You Think You Can Dance judges totally got it right last week and sent Paris and Tony home. Wow! I was very surprised. And pleased. They were definitely the weakest performance of the Top 20.

Tonight’s episode was a little underwhelming compared to last week. BUT. Shane Sparks is back (darn ABDC for keeping him away) and he choreographed 2 awesome routines! Too bad the dancers who got hip hop were disappointing. UGH, what a waste. I think I got spoiled last season with all the great hip hop dancers (Joshua, Twitch, Comfort, Gev).

I have to wake up really early tomorrow so I’ll try to write up some quick comments…

LOVED
Melissa and Ade – I haven’t been a fan of Sonya’s jazz choreography in the past but I *really* loved this. And these two were so great. Everything looked so effortless and they were totally in character. I have to agree with the judges that in watching this routine you wouldn’t know Melissa is a ballerina. Ballet requires “lifted” posture and elegant port de bras (arms), which is pretty much the complete opposite of what this jazz piece required.
Karla and Jonathan – This contemporary routine was my favorite of the night. All the lifts and partner work! So beautiful. But Karla really carried the performance — Jonathan is good (not great) and I’m worried he’s going to hold her back.
Kayla and Max – Yay, Brian Friedman’s back! I’ve loved him since he choreographed for Britney and NSync back in the day. I have to admit that I watched Kayla for most of this pop jazz routine. Max just isn’t as charismatic on stage. Kayla is a beautiful dancer with fantastic technique and I thought she really pulled off this dance.

LIKED
Janette and Brandon – This disco routine was HARD. Damn, Doriana. But I thought they did really, really well. And that spread eagle lift! WHOA. They did have a couple of slip ups so that’s why it’s not in the “love” column for me.
Asuka and Vitolio – Beautiful waltz but for me, kinda forgettable. Which is too bad because I really like Vitolio.

OK
Randi and Evan – I had high hopes for them but their technique just wasn’t there. Their leg flicks made me sad. But their personalities and high energy saved this jive for me.

EHHH
Caitlin and Jason – This routine reminded me of Shane’s hip hop routine in s3 for Dominic and Sabra, which I LOVED. I can’t even think about this one because Caitlin and Jason didn’t do it justice. They weren’t even synchronized most of the time.
Jeanine and Philip – I cringed through most of this tango. Jeanine was FAR better than Philip but the whole thing was really sloppy.
Ashley and Kupono – There were parts of this hip hop that were promising but overall it was disappointing. Kupono didn’t have any flair at all and poor Ashley being the “shadow” couldn’t carry the routine on her own. This routine should have been so good.

Predictions for the Bottom 3: Caitlin/Jason, Jeanine/Philip, and Ashley/Kupono. I got 2 out of 3 last week… tomorrow will be interesting!

I know one of the girls in the Top 20 of So You Think You Can Dance — Melissa Sandvig (well, when I knew her she was Melissa Watson). We used to dance together at Long Beach Ballet and were in the same class from when we were about 5 or 6 all the way until high school when I stopped serious training. I must have seen her at least 3 times a week for years — even more during times when we were touring and performing. It’s really such a small world. CRAZY.

SO. It’s finally Top 20 time!!! WOOT. Tonight was the first performance show and it was probably the best of all 5 seasons so far. I don’t think I’ve loved this many routines ever.

LOVED
Jeanine and Phillip – I have to admit that I really enjoy Tabitha and Napoleon’s (lyrical) hip hop routines. And Jeanine and Phillip danced the heck out of this one.
Randi and Evan – I’m not a huge fan of Tyce’s choreography (plus he has serious bitchface all the time) but GUH. This jazz routine was smoking. I didn’t realize how technically gifted Evan is until this performance.
Karla and Jonathan – Solid cha cha routine. Plus, Karla’s pinay!
Melissa and Ade – I adored this. The LIFTS! Their LINES! GORGEOUS.
Kayla and Max – Fun fun fun samba routine. I can’t believe Kayla has never danced ballroom before. WOW.

OK
Janette and Brandon – Their foxtrot was good but there was no “oomph.”
Caitlin and Jason – Damn, that Bollywood routine was HARD… all those plies and intricate hand movements. But I’m not sure why the judges were gushing. They weren’t quite in sync in a few parts and as cute as they are, I just didn’t think it was that spectacular.
Ashley and Kupono – I didn’t like the whole crash test dummies storyline (sorry Wade) and honestly, I just couldn’t get past that to care about their dancing.

YAWN
Asuka and Vitolio – Disappointing. This was sooo boring. Tyce’s choreography wasn’t particularly memorable but they made it worse by phoning it in. No spark, nothing.
Paris and Tony – UGH. This hip hop was the worst of the night for me. The routine itself was ok but they failed to BRING IT. Not to mention I kind of have irrational dislike for Paris. I can’t help it.

I can never predict the couples in the bottom but I’m going to guess Asuka/Vitolio (really, the routine was terrible), Karla/Jonathan, or Melissa/Ade (the last two couples because they haven’t been “featured” enough so far and that’s going to hurt them). I definitely think Paris/Tony should be in the bottom but his teen girl fanbase will totally save him. GRRR.