by David McAlpine
 


Last night on So You Think You Can Dance, the 18 remaining dancers tried their hardest to top last week's show-stopping performance. With expectations from judges and fans alike high, some couples shined, while others flopped.

The dancers appear on stage in suits and tribal makeup dancing a powerful Mia Michaels routine to "Higher Ground" by Stevie Wonder. I always expect something interesting and visually appealing from Mia, and this time was no exception. Cat introduces our....judges! Then a video montage about the mysteries that are Lil' C and his commentary on dance. Was he on something?

The first three couples come out on stage: Melissa and Ade, Caitlin and Jason, and Jeanine and Phillip. Melissa and Ade did a jazz routine by Sonya Tayeh, which was a smash hit with all the judges and America, since they're safe this week. Caitlin and Jason attempted a Shane Sparks hip-hop routine, which came off as nothing more than lukewarm. However, Phillip's lack of confidence seemed to throw off the pair's tango, much to the fears of their fans. After Cat rips open the envelope, the first couple revealed to be in the bottom three is Caitlin and Jason. Sad, but I think a bunch of us saw it coming. Enter Mary who rubs a little more salt in their wounds, then Cat sends them backstage to prepare.

The next three couples step out: Janette and Brandon, Karla and Jonathan, and Ashley and Kupono. Disco, one of my favorites on the show, was mastered by Janette and Brandon and infused with both technique and energy (and merited a huge scream from Mary). After Cat reveals they're safe (no surprise there), it's down to Karla and Jonathan and Ashley and Kupono. Karla and Jonathan nailed their contemporary routine (and proved just how underestimated I think they are), while Ashley and Kupono fell below expectations. After the vote, Karla and Jonathan are revealed to be safe and Ashley and Kupono head backstage to get ready.

After an impressive promo for season 6, airing this fall on FOX, Randi and Evan, Asuka and Vitolio, and Kayla and Max are the last group of three on stage, one of which will round out the bottom three pairs. Last night, Randi and Evan rocked the jive and scored themselves another week in the competition. Despite their lack of chemistry, Asuka and Vitolio pulled off a convincing waltz, while Kayla and Max brought pop jazz to the stage in an explosive way. Between these two couples, I don't think either necessarily belong in the bottom three, but the couple performing solos is...Kayla and Max, making the bottom three couples completely different from last week.

Now it's cultural dance time, where an Indian dancer (who I believe is performing Bharat Natyam) takes the So You Think You Can Dance stage. Following FOX's lesson, the dancers take the stage for their solos. Caitlin is first, performing a contemporary routine to "Make You Feel My Love" by Adele, which is full of passion. Jason is next, dancing to "Superman" by Robin Thicke. His contemporary solo is interesting, but doesn't seem to spark anything special. Ashley is after, doing a jazz-infused contemporary solo to "By Your Side" by Coco Rose. Cat says it was different...I say it was boring.

Kupono follows, doing a...unique...solo to "Many Moons" by Janelle Monae. He runs around a lot on the stage, but not really much else. Next up is Kayla, doing a jazz-ish routing to "Walking on Air" by Kerli. Her jumps are beautiful, but she stumbles a little and doesn't do much else.  The last guy up is Max, who does his ballroom thing to "Footloose" by Kenny Higgins. He carries great energy and turns an all too hard genre into a solo very well. If I had to guess, Ashley and Kupono would be heading home, but it wouldn't surprise me if Kayla wasn't making it to next week, either.

For the musical break, Kristina DeBarge performs her hit "Goodbye," another one of my favorite songs at the moment. She's obviously lip synching, but she has some great moves, so, since this is a dance show, I'd say it's excusable.

With the judges back, the results are in and the girls are up first. Nigel says that neither of the decisions are unanimous, which doesn't surprise me for either gender. The judges thought Caitlin had great control and movement, Ashley had no substance in her solo, and Kayla's solo was crowded because they think she was trying to prove herself. After their comments, Nigel reveals that Ashley will be headed home, while Caitlin and Kayla are safe to dance another week.

Now, for the guys. The judges ate up Jason's solo, calling it one of the best on the series to date (which I totally disagree with) and saving him from elimination this week. They felt Kupono had little substance in his solo, but they think he's a different dancer and has the ability to become the character. Max, on the other hand, impressed the judges with hard work, but the judges felt that he was restricted with his solo because he's a ballroom dancer (which I don't think you can fault him for). Nigel tells Max that he'll be going home this week, which doesn't make any sense. All they said last week was that they have so much competition amongst the contemporary dancers...then they eliminate the ballroom dancer? It's a travesty, I think.

With that, Kayla and Kupono become a new couple. Will they be able to create a winning chemistry in just a week? Which of the top 16 will get America's votes and which will fail to impress? Tune in to watch the top 16 perform on So You Think You Can Dance, Wednesday at 8/7x on FOX.

(Image courtesy of FOX)

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