TV Recap: So You Think You Can Dance - Top 18 Perform

By Kelly West: 2008-06-18 23:56:36

Tonight’s episode of So You Think You Can Dance was insane. Or to use a word from Mia Michaels’ vocabulary, it was totally “banoodles.” Cat seemed more bubbly than usual, throwing out extra comments and even stopping to fix Chelsie’s shoe for her. Meanwhile can we talk about Mary’s get-up for a minute? The hair, the make-up, the mega-cleavage bulging out of her leopard-print dress. Seriously, what happened there?

Mia Michaels was on hand tonight as the guest judge. There seemed to be a certain formula to her critiquing. First, make sure to point out that the choreography was great. It’s nice to show some respect for their hard work and I’m guessing this ensures that whatever negative comments she has aren’t taken the wrong way by her colleagues. Next, be bluntly honest about her opinions. Now, I’m not saying this is totally a bad thing. Simon Cowell pulls it off season after season on Idol. I guess that act just isn’t as charming on her, no matter how good she is as a choreographer. Maybe it’s the way she delivers her criticisms that bugs me more than the actual opinions themselves. I’m probably overthinking this.

Finally, for the filler material we got to hear what the dancers liked and disliked about their partners. If nothing else, these segments allowed us to get to know some of the less familiar (meaning less hyped by the producers) dancers a bit better.

And with that, let’s get on with the performances.

Chelsea and Thayne
Dance: Jazz
Song: “Untouched” - The Veronicas

When Chelsea and Thayne took the stage wearing weird clownish, royal looking clothes with frilly collars, I didn’t know what to think. Ridiculous outfits aside, their jazz routine didn’t totally match the music for me. I hoped the routine would pick up the pace a bit but it never quite did.

Judges: Mia said the concept was great but it wasn’t executed well. Mary agreed, saying there wasn’t enough impact and that she didn’t believe the chemistry. Nigel said the train jumped the tracks and then went on to criticize everything about the performance. Choreographer Mandy Moore was in the audience looking fairly miserable.

Chelsie and Mark
Dance: Argentine Tango
Song: “Mi Confesion” – Gotan Project

The music started out weird on this one but it picked up once the rhythm got going. The two kept up with the song and had great footwork. When they were through, Cat got down on the floor and fixed Chelsie’s shoe. The dancing was good but looking back on the night, the show thing was the most memorable part of their segment of the show.

Judges: Mia said she loves this couple and appreciates the “beauty and quirkiness” of the duo. Mary loved everything about it. Nigel liked it also but wished there was a bit more sleaze to the number.

Jessica and Will
Dance: Hip-Hop
Song: “Whatever U Like” – Nicole Scherzinger

Jessica and Will had the routine down but Jessica’s moves just didn’t pop the way I thought they should. Nothing about the routine blew me away, which is a shame considering how close these two came to being eliminated last week.

Judges: Mia said the choreography was “ridiculous” (in a good way.) She then told Jessica that the steps felt a little “cheerleader-like” and that it was like she wasn’t even on the stage because Will was so powerful. Mia went on to tell Will he’s a genius. I felt bad for Jessica at this point. Mary agreed with Mia, criticizing Jessica and praising Will. Nigel agreed with Mary and Mia about Will but disagreed with them about Jessica and said she did good, given the time she had to prepare. Cat then said, “Word.”

Kourtni and Matt
Dance: Foxtrot
Song: “A Foggy Day (In London Town)” – Michael Buble

This couple’s rehearsal video was funnier than usual as we got to see Kourtni wrapping her legs around Matt’s head during a dance move that eventually was taken out of the routine. Dancing is weird sometimes. As for their performance, the two looked great together and made the dance look effortless but like last week, I’m not sure it’s going to be memorable enough to keep them out of the bottom three.

Judges: Mia said the routine was very great, old-Hollywood elegance. She praised Matt, saying he’s fantastic and then went on to tell Kourtni that the only time she shows strength is when her leg is in the air and that she hasn’t owned her size and length yet. Mary said she loved the choreography but the rest was a mixed bag for her. Nigel wasn’t as disappointed. He tells Matt he’s very strong for being able to lift Kourtni (referring to her height, not her weight, I’m guessing) but his arms are a bit “soft.” He added that he thought some of their facial expressions felt false.

Courtney and Gev
Dance: Contemporary
Song: “Lost” – Anouk

I usually get really into the contemporary numbers but for some reason this routine just didn’t do it for me. Courtney and Gev get all the moves right but the performance just didn’t feel as emotional as it should have.

Judges: Mia started out by telling Mandy Moore she loves her choreography. She then criticized Courtney for jazzifying the song too much. She wanted to see her melt into Gev more, instead she was leading a lot of the time. Then she told Gev that she’s so proud of him. Mary loved it. She even screamed and probably succeeded in blowing out the speakers in many a person’s TV. Nigel said they’re a well balanced couple but that he didn’t believe the emotion in the routine even though they danced it well.

Katee and Joshua
Dance: Broadway
Song: “All For The Best” – Godspell

I wondered if Katee and Joshua could top (or at least match) the greatness of their hip-hop routine from last week with tonight’s Broadway dance. Sure enough, they did. While this routine was obviously not as emotionally moving as the hip-hop one, it was fun, energetic and well executed. The two flew around the stage in perfect time with the music. There were a few moments when I thought Joshua out-danced Katee but she definitely held her own throughout the performance.

Judges: Nigel normally comments last during the judging but after Katee and Joshua danced, he was so excited that he was literally out of his chair, dancing around and shouting “Yes!” He thought the routine was fantastic. Mary was just as enthusiastic and rambled on about the tra-la-la-la-la in her heart. Mia praised both dancers and added that she thinks Joshua could make the top four.

Susie and Marquis
Dance: Salsa
Song: “Aguanile” – Willie Colon & Hector Lavoe

Poor Susie. During rehearsal she overheard the choreographer telling the camera that she’s just a street salsa dancer. He tried to console her but her feelings were hurt. Tonight, Susie and Marquis’ salsa was decent enough. They twirled around a lot and had no problems with the lifts this week. Susie even managed to pull off the split-hand-stand thing (I’m sure there’s an actual dance term for that move but I have no idea what it is). It wasn’t amazing but they did a decent job of it.

Judges: Mia loved the choreography but wasn’t crazy about the performance. She said Marquis over exaggerated everything and that she wanted to see more from Susie. Mary said it’s not workin’ for her either. She expected more out of Susie, also. Nigel agreed with the two judges, saying the salsa should’ve been fiery. He complimented them on their lifts but there were many things wrong, technically with it.

Kherington and Twitch
Dance: Viennese Waltz
Song: “A New Day Has Come” – Celine Dion

These guys won the night for me. During the rehearsal footage, the choreographer explained that his daughter is handicapped and that she really responds to watching people move. He added that he hopes she’d like this dance. Twitch and Kherington did the song, and the dedication justice. I don’t know if it was their white flowy outfits, the lighting, the music or the way they seemed to float around the stage together but it totally worked. Plus, in terms of the emotion, the story behind the dance was truly heartwarming. Though I did find myself laughing at the end of the routine when Cat said to Kherinton, “You look like Grace Kelly… It’s scaaaary.”

Judges: Things got tense during this judging session. Mia was really moved by the performance because of the choreography and how it told a story. But she criticized Kherington for smiling the whole time and said she found it a little bit glossy and it didn’t really fit the theme of the song. Nigel pointed out that the dance wasn’t about the daughter, it was meant to uplift her. Mia got a little attitudey at that and said she has a right to her opinion. She softened up a bit after that but still, it seemed to get a bit chilly at the judges table for a minute.

Kherington said the choreographer says the show makes his daughter so happy and then she started to cry. Now I feel sad (seriously, this was the weirdest judging session ever). Mary was all teared up when she gave her own positive review of the dance. She also praised Twitch, calling him “insane.” Nigel explained the history of the Vienese waltz and then said the dance was a combination of the traditional Viennese waltz and some other imaginative stuff and that it was beautiful. He also said they breathed together and felt the music together.

Comfort and Chris
Dance: Krump
Song: “Come and Get Me” – Timbaland featuring 50 Cent and Tony Yayo

I don’t know, I expected Comfort to be amazing tonight and while she was great, I wasn’t totally thrilled with this routine. Chris was better than I expected but still not as “tough guy” as he should’ve been given this style of dance.

Judges: Mia praised Lil’ C for his choreography. She then turned her praise on Comfort and gave Chris credit for working really hard this week and saying he pulled it off. She added that there were moments when he was that “kind of funny lookin’, little white-boy up there” but he pulled it off. Mary said she thought comfort could’ve hit it a little harder and that Chris was respectable. At this point, Cat added in “C’mon, he was pretty fly for a white guy!” but that didn’t do anything to sway Nigel’s opinion. He told Chris his granny is more gangsta than him and that one of his dance moves was like “Momma, I wanna pee-pee.” He told Comfort he expected far more from her tonight.

And that about covers it. Again, I don’t know what it was about tonight but everything felt strange but definitely not in an unentertaining kind of way.

Best performance of the night: Twitch and Kherington
Favorite Dancers (so far): Joshua, Kourtni, Twitch and Chelsea
Predicted to make the bottom 3: Jessica and Will

Who Do You Think Performed Best Tonight?