By Mary Cavaliere

 

Tonight was an overview of the Las Vegas call-backs (otherwise known as hell week) where 172 contestants fought to become part of the Top 20 for this season.  Celebrity judges Mia Michaels, Lil' C, Adam Shankman, and Debbie Allen were present to give Nigel and Mary a hand in determining who the Top 20 will be. 

 

Day 1 of the competition started with each contestant performing a short solo, only this time the judges were not providing feedback. After all was said and done 45 contestants were cut from the competion.

 

Day 2 focused on Hip-Hop choreography by Tabatha & Napoleon which weeded out a few more contestants.  This was followed with Waltz choreography and then Contemporary choreography by Sonya which resulted in additional dancers being cut.  At the end of the day the remaining dancers were split into groups and each group had to randomly choose a CD from a box.  The group's assignment was to choreograph a number to whatever music they were assigned and perform it the following day.

 

Day 3 was the result of the group choreography challenge and some did exceptionally well and others fell flat on their faces as many were sent home packing.

 

Day 4 was one of the toughest days for the dancers as they were expected to perform choreography by Mia Michaels who we all know is the queen of cutting dancers from the competition.  

 

Day 5 was more group dancing (first the girls and then the boys) with Tyce Diorio and Broadway choreography set to music from West Side Story.  From this we ended up with 16 girls and 16 boys remaining, and each of these 32 contestants will be dancing solos once more to determine who will make it to the Top 20.

 

It was a long night not only for the dancers but for the viewers.  I was emotionally exhausted after watching this episode as my heart went out to dancers that were really good but still were cut and also to dancers who cried joyfully because they've made it this far.

 

One of the aspects of So You Think You Can Dance that I love is that when the dancers do not make it through, they are encouraged to go home, improve upon their work, and return the following season.  This is not something we see on any other reality competition and it adds a positive spin to the show.  I also have to say that this season has attracted a caliber of dancer that I'm not sure we've ever seen before and it is exciting to say the least.

 

Tonight we will watch the solos of the final 32 contestants to determine our Top 20 for Season 5!

(Photo courtesy of Fox)

 

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