TV Recap: So You Think You Can Dance - Top 12 Results

By Kelly West: 2009-07-09 20:44:24

Usually the bad news comes at the end of the elimination episode on So You Think You Can Dance but tonight, we got some of it pretty early on. Nigel announced that there would be no Michael Jackson tribute episode this season as they weren’t able to clear the rights for the music. That’s truly disappointing as I’m sure the choreographers all would’ve come up with something creative to honor the King of Pop, who offered almost as much to the history of dance as he did to music.

Before we get to the episode recap, I need to say that I hope last night’s performance episode is the last time we’re going to see Russian Folk dancing. I’m all for cultural diversity on this show but that was just painful. Phillip and Jeanine performed it admirably but if they do decide to bring the genre back, I hope whoever choreographs it decides to get creative with the style and maybe dress it up a bit or set it to a non-traditional song. Also, enough with the disco. It needs to be retired, along with the quickstep, and that’s all I’m saying on that subject.

The episode opened with a fantastic group performance. Instead of a filler dance performance, tonight we got an extended promo of the new fall season of So You Think You Can Dance. It looks like we’ll be in for a fresh, new crop of dancers and duds when the series returns this fall. But that’s enough of the in-show commercial. Let’s get to the results. Here’s how the pre-elimination results went down:

Caitlin Kinney and Jason Glover – Bottom 3
Brandon Bryant and Janette Manrara - Safe
Evan Kasprzak and Randi Evans – Safe
Jeanine Mason and Phillip Chbeeb – Bottom 3
Kupono Aweau and Kayla Radomski – Safe
Melissa Sandvig and Ade Obayomi – Bottom 3

I thought it was interesting that Nigel admitted that the judges learn the results before the show airs. I feel like they try to hide that fact on American Idol (I’m pretty sure the judges know what’s ahead on that show too). He also admitted that they have a pretty good idea of which dancers they want to keep and which ones they’re likely to eliminate.

Caitlin’s solo was great in terms of her technique but the dancing kind of reminded me of something a little girl would do during the talent portion of a beauty pageant. Jason’s solo was energetic and wow, the shirtless look really works for him. I like Jeanine a lot but I wasn’t blown away by her contemporary performance. She looked really good though in her shiny, gold dress. Phillip popped and locked around the stage and reminded us once again of just how good he is in his dance style. Melissa did her ballet solo to a sort of tribal-ish sounding song, which gave the dance an upbeat feel to it. Finally, Ade blew the other two guys away with his solo, not only out-dancing them but also throwing a few graceful tumbles into the mix.

Before we got to the results, David Guetta and Kelly Rowland performed their new single “When Love Takes Over.” Rowland’s got an amazing voice and I was pleased to see she brought some dancers with her to keep with the theme of the show.

Following that performance, Nigel told the bottom six contestants that they were unanimous in their decision. He went on to mention that while they think this season has the best top twenty on a technical level, they don’t believe all of the contestants have reached their potential in terms of star quality and they need to work on that.

I was surprised at how quick Nigel was to cut Caitlin loose. He didn’t take any time to explain their reasoning. It was basically just, you’re fantastic but you’re eliminated. I wasn’t impressed with her solo tonight and I definitely think Jeanine and Melissa have more to offer the show at this point.

Now for the guys. It was clear from the pout on Philip’s face that he knew he was a goner. Nigel called him forward and pulled the bandaid off quick. He did tell Philip that he talked to the producers and secured a place for him and Caitlin on the tour. They’re just not in the top ten and out of the running for the grand prize.

I’m sad to see Caitlin go and even moreso that Phillip’s gone but in all honesty, Nigel was right. While he’s fantastic in his dance style, he wasn’t nearly as strong in the other genres. I liked what he said at the end of the episode about having passion and creativity to do what you want, even if you don’t have money or access to a studio. It was clear he was very disappointed to be eliminated but nice to see him leave with a good attitude and a positive message about achieving your dreams. I doubt the dance world has seen the last of him.

Next week, the top ten dancers take the stage! I think we’re really going to see some of the dancers come into their own on this show now that they’re being split from their original partners. I have high hopes for a few of them, including Jeanine, Melissa and Ade.

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