By: Mary Cavaliere

I thought it was a bit early in the competition for the couples to start dancing twice, but I guess they want to keep the performance show two hours long.  The guest judges for this week were hip-hop team (and my least favorite) Tabitha & Napolean Dumo.

Jessica & Will first performed a JIVE.  Maybe they didn’t know what they were doing in rehearsals, but they sure figured it out before performance night.  I thought it was fabulous and the judges were way too critical. Their second performance was LYRICAL JAZZ.  It was steamy and hot and I thought it totally rocked!  This couple is absolutely gorgeous together.  I disagree strongly with the judges that Jessica is bringing Will down.  When Nigel asked the ladies in the audience to raise their hand if they wanted to dance with Will I raised mine as well.  Hey, even a 51-year old woman can still dream you know!!!

Comfort & Thayne performed a BROADWAY piece first.  This was their first time together as a couple. I loved the routine and I enjoyed the performance but this is the couple where I feel the girl is bringing down the boy.  I think Thayne’s level of dance is way beyond Comfort’s and I’m worried for him because of it.  I felt Nigel was half right.  On a real Broadway stage (and I’m a huge Broadway fan) Comfort would not be able to pull it off.  Now, their second routine was a SMOOTH WALTZ and this was the first time Comfort pulled me in and kept me captivated for the entire performance.  I’ll give her credit where credit is due.  It was beautiful and enjoyable to watch from beginning to end.

Kourtni & Matt performed a HIP-HOP routine first.  I loved the routine and for me that says a lot since this is my least favorite form of dance (I’m sorry, it’s probably my age).  I love Kourtni and she is still one of my favorites, but I felt she was a little behind the music and Matt at times.  Their second routine was the MAMBO and it was absolutely phenomenal!  It was one of my favorite dances of the night! 

Chelsie & Mark’s first performance was a JAZZ routine.  I loved the choreography and thought both did an excellent job of executing it.  Their second routine was the FOXTROT.  I loved the song, I loved the choreography, and I loved loved loved the performance!  These two looked like Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers out there.  Fantastic!

Kherington &Twitch performed a PASA DOBLE first.  All I can say is wow, wow, and more wow.  First of all the costume department out-did themselves with their outfits.  They both looked hot and I thought they were fantastic from beginning to end!  Their second number was a CONTEMPORARY piece.  Mia Michaels did it again.  Many times her choreography makes me cry and this was one of those times.  I thought this dance was the best one of the night and I wanted to see more!

Katee & Joshua performed a CONTEMPORARY routine first.  This is the very first Mia Michaels routine that I did not care for.  But I do believe that Katee & Joshua pulled it off with excellence as usual.  It was obvious it was a difficult routine that they both executed with perfection.  Their second dance was a WEST COAST SWING.  The judges all seemed to love it but I think the fact that Benji choreographed it had more to do with their feedback than anything else.  I didn’t think it looked like a west coast swing.  I thought it looked like a country and western line dance.  I love Katee & Joshua, but honestly I was bored to tears. 

Courtney & Gev performed a HIP-HOP piece first.  I hated the music, I hated the routine, but I love this couple so I won’t fault them one iota.  They did the best they could with what they had to work with.  Their second number was a BROADWAY routine.  I didn’t care much for this routine either but I think they sold it both as actors and dancers!
It’s hard to pick top couples when they’re doing two routines and one is great and the other is not, so here are my top five DANCES of the night (although you’ll note that Kherington & Twitch ended up on my list twice making them my favorite couple of the night):

Jessica & Will (Jive)
Kourtni & Matt (Mambo)
Chelsie & Mark (Foxtrot)
Kherington & Twitch (Pasa Doble)
Kherington & Twitch (Contemporary)

Again, it’s difficult to pick a bottom three couple when they’re doing two routines in addition to one dancer possibly doing better than the other.  So these were my least favorite DANCES of the night.  As for who is at risk…….I honestly have no clue since the contestants this season are all so talented and captivating.

Comfort & Thayne (Broadway)
Kourtni & Matt (Hip-Hop)
Courtney & Gev (Hip-Hop)

You can read more of Mary’s television blogs at www.myspace.com/italiangirl57

For more So You Think You Can Dance Links visit Sirlinksalot.net