by Gina Scarpa

Last night, on So You Think You Can Dance, Nigel revealed that next week, the contestants would perform twice with partners - once, with an all star and once, with another contestant. I can't help but be a little excited for a small return to the old format but I wonder, with the girls being eliminated left and right, how exactly that's going to work?

 

Things get started with a routine by the Top 9 to "O Fortuna". Afterwards, Alex, Ashley, Adechike, and Kent take the stage to find out their results. There is no doubt that Alex is safe, after he blew everyone away the night before with his hip hop routine with Twitch. Ashley is also safe, as is Adechike. Just when Kent thinks he's in the bottom three, Cat delivers the good news that he is safe as well.

 

Next up, it's Billy, Robert, and Lauren. After hearing that Lauren was safe, I wondered how only one of the guys could be in the bottom two, since that would mean that Jose and Melinda wouldn't even need to come out on stage to find out their results. Turns out that both Billy and Robert are in the bottom this week, which is definitely a bit surprising, but they're both having a tough time really conveying their personalities and connecting with the viewers.

 

Last to join Cat on stage are Jose and Melinda. Jose may not have nailed ballroom but he knows how to perform and America loves him. He's safe, leaving Melinda in the bottom yet again. Adam gives her some BS advice on how she can save herself but we all know that she's leaving.

 

The show unveiled a new segment that they'll be doing every week where the spotlight some of the all stars and bring back a memorable performance. Last night, it was Courtney and Mark's jazz routine, choreographed by Sonya Tayeh, from season 4. I had forgotten how much I loved it but was more than happy to be reminded!

 

Cirque de Soleil performed a number choreographed by Nappy Tabs and Mandi Moore from their show, "Viva Elvis" followed by Ne-Yo, who danced his way through his hit "Beautiful Monster".

 

The bottom three perform their solos and as I watch Billy, there's no denying his incredible gift for dance but he's not that interesting. Perhaps the Billy Bell hype wore off after season 6. Robert's up next, performing a very quirky piece that was definitely interesting to watch. Finally, Melinda tapped a capella and it was a good solo... just not enough to save her.

 

After a commercial break, Nigel delivered the most obvious news in SYTYCD history: Melinda is headed home.

 

Be sure to tune in when the Top 8 take the stage on So You Think You Can Dance, Wednesday at 8/7c on Fox.

 

(Image courtesy of Fox)

 

Follow Gina at twitter.com/ginascarpa

 

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