by Kylene Hamulak

 

The moment of truth is upon us - after auditions throughout the country and a grueling contest in Las Vegas, the dancers who will make up the cast of Season 9's competition will finally be revealed in the show's 200th episode.

 

As Cat welcomes us to the show and introduces the judges to us, I'm distracted by the one on the end. I know Mary is there, I know Nigel is on the left, but the one on the right looks like Zooey Deschanel, but why the hell would Zooey be there? This is a dancing competition, not a QUIRKY competition! Ah, but it is Zooey. And that makes me happy. So You Think You Can Dance just got quirky, ladies and gentlemen.

 

If you hadn't already heard, Nigel also reminds us that this year, we will have a favorite girl AND a favorite guy dancer, as well as some other format changes. Tonight, we meet the Top 10 guys and the Top 10 girls, selected from the 35 dancers who survived Las Vegas.

 

Alexa, the last dancer to be cut on Season 8, is the first called in for Season 9. She prays she's done enough to move her forward, as the judges were tough on her in Vegas. They don't make her wait too long before they tell her she's the first girl to make the show.

 

George is up next, and he looks like a Boy Scout with a bowtie. Within seconds, we've not only found out that he's in the Top 20 too, but also that Will - of the Los Angeles auditions - will be joining him.

 

Less than fifteen minutes in with three dancers already named, we witness our first cuts. Amber Jackson (who had previously been cut from the show enough times to have made ME quit), however, is welcomed to the Top 20, and the stage is set for the first official performance of the season.

 

Team: Alexa, Amber, George, and Will
Routine: Contemporary
Nigel starts by saying that not one of the four dancers let themselves down. He warns Will to make sure he moves is large body as fast as the smaller dancers. He tells Amber she's a star and looks fantastic. Nigel also tells Alexa she found her performance and warns her not to lose it. As for George? He says that even if every light in the studio went out, George would still shine. Mary says the first number produced magnificent dancing. She praises Will for being there for the girls, and agrees that Alexa is ready to soar. She also describes George's leaps as "sailing" and tells Amber to "just go for it!" Zooey thinks they were all great and that the teamwork was amazing.

 

The ballroom dancers are next to hear their fates. Nick is called in first, and he's crying even before he enters the room...and then while he's IN the room...so either way, we can bet there will be tears when he leaves. Especially when they tell him he's made it to the Top 20.

 

Whitney and Lindsay will hear the news together, and even though they insist it won't change their friendship, I'm not sure I want to see what happens if they don't both make it. Mary amps up the tension by telling the blonde pair that they're looking for one ballroom girl, but they love both girls. Whitney gets the yes from Mary, and as the dancers stand together hugging and crying, Mary fakes them out before giving Lindsay the second yes. As if we didn't see THAT coming! Deserved, in my opinion. And lucky Nick to get to perform with both ballroom girls!

 

Team: Nick, Whitney, and Lindsay
Routine: Ballroom
Mary says "the train just pulled up to the sizzle station!" She calls them a tremendous three. Zooey thought it was incredible and that the girls were like twins, perfectly synchronized.

 

Eliana, Daniel and Chehon- the classically trained dancers - are the next to face the judges. Eliana describes herself as "a clusterball" of emotions and is wearing her blue suede shoes when she hears the good news that she has made it to the Top 20. As the guys enter the room together, Chehon hopes they have room for both, while Daniel brings the Debbie Downer "womp womp wooooomp" and is like... "there's not room for both of us." Nigel welcomes Daniel to the Top 20 first, but it's not really a shock when he gives good news to Keon a moment later.

 

Team: Eliana, Daniel, and Chehon
Routine: Classical
The crowd is on their feet at the end of the routine, and Nigel notes what a tough dance it was. He calls Eliana a "wonderful dancer." Mary calls her a "ballet warrior" and she's excited about the voice ballet will have this season. The two jazz dancers waiting to hear their fates are Tiffany and Audrey. Debbie tells Tiffany first that she started out sort of invisible but managed to fight her way to the finish line - she's in the Top 20. That leaves Audrey...who ALSO made it to the Top 20!! She's adorable.

 

We see a quick line of dancers who didn't make it before we bring Janelle to the long walk. She's the first belly dancer to make it to the Top 20, and she's so excited when she returns to the waiting room, she whacks her head on the door as she makes the turn. She was fine, but I laughed because it's nice to know that even as graceful as these dancers are, they clearly have moments when they're completely clumsy.

 

Maybe there IS a dancer living inside of me! Unfortunately, Janelle became ill before the show (unrelated to the accident) and is not able to perform this week, though she'll be fine for competition.

 

Team: Tiffany and Audrey
Routine: Jazz
Zooey calls them a great pair and thought Sonya's choreography was amazing. Nigel notes that America loves dancers in this style (shout out to Season 8's Melanie in the audience!) and that he thinks they're going to do very well, though the competition is tough.

 

Joshua's Vegas week ended with an accident that kept him from performing his final solo, and he's very nervous to go in to the judges, who teasingly ask him to do a backflip. Everyone laughs, but I think it's a cruel joke because a second later, they told him he's been cut from this year, though they encourage him to come back.

 

The judges must've been getting punchy by this time in the day because when Matthew gets in front of them, Mary starts directing him. "Can you do this?" she asks him. "How about that...now take a step forward." You just stepped right into the Top 20, Matthew!

 

Darien, who was advised to work on his feet, is in next. The judges ask if he's taken their advice, and he said he's tried to, but it's hard. Don't worry, Darien - you've made the Top 20, so now you're going to have a lot of motivation to get that taken care of!

 

Only three girls remain in the holding room, and the first to get an answer is Janaya, while Amelia and Jill do math. They realize there are only two spots left, so when Janaya comes out with a yes, they know it's down to them, facing the judges together. They tell the girls they are looking for "star quality" and then welcome Amelia to the Top 20.

 

Team: Amelia, Darien, Janaya, and Matthew
Routine: Contemporary
Zooey says it was like watching a painting move. Mary loved the routine, particularly praising Darien's power and strength, Amelia's effortlessness, and Janaya's ability to break out from being under the radar.

 

With just three spots for guys remaining in the Top 20, the seven remaining guys are all nervous. Cole, who dances with a martial arts fusion, gets a yes from the judges. Steppers Devon and Brandon are called in together, but only one of them will join the Top 20. The judges reveal that they've chosen Brandon to move on.

 

The final spot in this year's competition comes down to Cyrus and Feliciano. Cyrus knows that he struggled in some styles in Vegas while Feliciano was consistently good. Nigel tells Cyrus that he's never seen someone like him in his entire life...and welcomes him to the Top 20.

 

Team: Cole, Brandon, and Cyrus

Martial Arts/Steppin'/Popping
Obviously unlike any of the other performance, Nigel calls it thrilling and says they all looked fantastic, but have been given an opportunity to really bring it. Mary thinks that even though the choreography may be a challenge in the competition, these three are among her favorites. Zooey says she was really blown away and that each dance was her favorite. Soooo...good. I love her, and I'm really glad she gave helpful analysis.

 

Now that the Top 20 have been revealed, it's time to see their first dances as a group. The Top 10 girls are performing a Travis Wall routine. He tells us he came in with choreography but increased the difficulty when he realized how good the girls were. The routine has them "stepping into the light" from behind a door, which he explains is symbolic of them beginning their time on the show. Nigel calls it "absolutely beautiful" and inspiring and says it was like a frieze on a Greek vase. Zooey...repeats everything she and the other judges have said.

 

The Top 10 guys are choreographed by Sonya Tayeh, and the routine represents the fight they'll have to stay on the show. Her first order of business is to have the guys take off their shirts - I like the way she works! Nigel, after playfully criticizing the costumes, praises Sonya for a routine that shows off the guys' talents and how athletic and strong they are. Mary also loved the routine and called it unbelievable. Zooey says "WOW."

 

Closing out the night is the Top 20 performance, choreographed by Mia Michaels. It's a great routine that leaves the crowd on their feet (again). Nigel's final words are "Welcome Home, Mama - you've been missed."

 

Now that we've met the dancers, we have two weeks before the next phase of competition begins. Did your favorites make the cut?

 

 

So You Think You Can Dance airs Wednesdays at 8/7c on FOX.

 

(Image courtesy of FOX)