So You Think You Can Dance 6/27. Our Top 16...

Opening: Cat starts off in her normal way in a slightly ill fitted black number. Speaking of ill fitting, Lauren is wearing a garish and unflattering multi-colored top. Neil yet again spins like a second-rate Travis. Danny shows he can do more than spin. Anya seems to be having more fun than anyone. Jamie appears to have gotten into a massive hair gel and flattening accident. Jessi is conspicuously missing from the opening. Cat may need to lay off the tanning salons a little. Tonight’s judges are Nigel, Mary, and special guest judge Debbie Allen. Cat gushes about Debbie in “Fame”. Debbie loves this crop of dancers, and recognizes the effort and work that goes in to breaking. Debbie acknowledges her fake hair and eyebrows, but recognizes the effort that goes into the show. Mary thinks that Dominic has shown the most promise and has been knocking her socks off. Mary thinks if he continues bringing his A game, her hair may stand on end tonight. Maybe that’s what happened to Jamie? Nigel is hugely pleased with this season and praises the choreography, which is interesting because he seems to always complain about the choreography. Nigel makes his first creepy joke of the night about Cat being on his head. Thanks Nigel. Good to know that you’re not letting Garry Marshall invade on your “creepy reality show judge” territory.

Sara and Jesus: Sara wants to be a freelance dance reporter. I didn’t know there were many. Or any, for that matter. Jesus wants to pay it forward and help people. Neither Sara nor Jesus knows how to krump, so Lil’ C has a lot of teaching to do, but they seem to learn it well, and it should be “buck”, which I can only assume means Buckwild. I wish Buckwild from VH1’s reality shows were on SYTYCD. That would be amazing television. “This Viennese Waltz is gonna get BuckWILD!” Ok, enough of that. On to the dance. I enjoyed it. Sara seemed more at home this week, and it translated to better pairing and chemistry between them. Sure, they were still seemingly occasionally off from one another, but they were a lot better than their Paso Doble last week. Debbie thought it was great with a lot of energy and power, and that Jesus had the face for krumping. Mary thought that it’s a great contrast for last week, and thought that Jesus was hitting it hard and well. Nigel loves where Lil C’ is taking krumping and thinks that Sara is gangsta. Most importantly, Nigel wasn’t scared of this krumping. While Cat is doing the numbers spiel, there is a cutaway to possibly the best sign we will see all season, which reads “Jesus is a class act”, and I’m pretty sure it has a picture of the old Jesus on it. You know, the one from way back when. With the loaves and the fishes. To the creator of that sign, I say, Kudos to you sir or madam.

Shauna and Cedric: Shauna wants to be a techno singer. Cedric wants to own a toy company. Because they can be played with. Will someone please tell me why Cedric made it through last week? Rumors on the street are that Mia Michaels hated working with Cedric so much that she didn’t want them to perform her number on stage. Cedric looks so wooden in the practice, and from the short clips, Mia looks pissed. Yikes. Mia Michael’s bad side is one place I would never want to be. Mia points out that this is Cedric’s last chance. As for the number, it seems a lot shorter than Sara and Jesus’ krumping. As for the dancers, well, I can only think how this might have been a lot better with Jimmy. Shauna gives it her all, and while Cedric is miles above his painful ballroom foray last week, he’s still not good enough to be in the top 20, let alone the top 16. At one point, he seems to start freestyling in the middle of the dance. But Mia Michaels choreography + good effort from Shauna + bit of freestyle may be enough to save him this week. Unfortunately. The one thing I will say is that they acted it really well. Debbie thinks Mia Michaels delivered and has no idea why Shauna keeps ending up in the bottom 3. She thinks Cedric is making it cool for guys to do contemporary. I don’t quite get this, because he only had to do it once and everyone else has been doing multiple styles as well. Mary thinks Shauna did an amazing job, but it wasn’t good enough for Mary. Mary thinks Cedric’s solos are extraordinary but he wasn’t good enough tonight. She also points out that Mia’s very clever choreography basically benched Cedric for a good portion of the dance. Thankfully, Mary is on the ball tonight. Mary still feels that Cedric doesn’t belong here. Cedric claims the piece was his life and showed his struggles. Because walking slowly and sitting are very struggling. At least for the last 3 weeks. Mia is crying in the stands. Nigel agrees with both Debbie and Mia in that Cedric is an inspiration and that the choreography was great for Cedric because he had to do Jack. Nigel cracks a joke about Paris Hilton’s jail term. Cedric invokes God. Wow, he’s playing for the camera even more shamelessly than Dominic usually does. Nigel wouldn’t be surprised if they’re saying goodbye to Cedric, who, interestingly enough, tells the audience to stop booing and listen to them. This is the first time I’ve actually had any good feelings toward Cedric. Debbie offers Cedric an open door and an scholarship\ to her Dance Academy.

Lacey and Kameron: Lacey had a friend pass last week, and it changed he whole outlook. Her new ambition is to entertain through dance. Kameron wants to keep dancing and have a big family. Lacey likes that people support them. I assume they would. They’re gonna quickstep this week. This should be good for Lacey, but for the third week, it seems like Kameron may be more prop than fellow dancer. Now, this may just be me not knowing the style well enough, but, in my opinion, their step wasn’t really all that quick. It seemed labored at times, and, while they seemed to be having fun, their dancing left something to be desired for me. Benji, sporting a horrendous dye job, seems to have loved it from the audience. Debbie thought it was a lot of fun to watch. She thought it was adorable and sassy and yet again showed their versatility. Mary thought Lacey did a great for not knowing how to do the quickstep, and says bravo to them, because the quickstep is usually the kiss of death and that Kameron did a great job with close holds for being a contemporary dancer. Nigel thought they could have covered more stage area, and that Kameron did a good job leading Lacey, which is apparently not an easy task.

Anya and Danny: Anya wants to open an animal shelter. Danny wants to work in production of some sort. This week they’ve got a Dan Karaty hip-hop routine. What happened to Shane Sparks? His hip-hop routines are always markedly better than Dan Karaty’s. Anya is worried that she’ll look like a Cha Cha girl doing hip-hop. After watching their routine, I’d like to call it now. Anya and Danny deserve to be the last couple standing and I’ll be shocked if both don’t make our final four. This was the best hip-hop routine we’ve seen on the show this year, and it came from a contemporary and a ballroom dancer. Sure, Anya inflects some Latin movement into the dance, and some of Danny’s footwork seems a tad more lyrical, but they really just knocked this routine out of the park. Also, can we see a really good routine to Sinnerman by Nina Simone. I feel like that’d probably be amazing. The opening where Danny was tapping his hands along with the pilfered opening was great. Debbie thinks Anya and Danny are the dream team and something needs to be done to level the playing field because it’s not fair to the rest of the dancers. Debbie Allen wants Danny and can’t imagine them not being there in the end. Mary loved it and thinks they may have to handicap the other dancers. Nigel didn’t think they were comfortable with that, and that it wasn’t as good as he would have liked it, and he wants them to improve the same amount as the worse couples are improving.

Sabra and Dominic: Dominic’s biggest ambition was originally doing naked headspins, but now he thinks it’s performing on stage. Sabra wants to be a stand up comedian because she thinks she funny. But it doesn’t come across. Sorry Sabra. Sabra and Dominic have the rumba, which is problem, because neither of them knows what it is. Sabra thinks it’ll be their biggest test. Long story short, they’re both worried. Watching the video, I think that the show may be trying to injure Sabra out. They’re throwing and dropping her everywhere. I hope that she has a large box of Band-Aids. To me, Sabra and Dominic knocked this one out of the park. Graceful, elegant, good footwork, and holds, and they meshed so well together. Debbie thinks that was hot, which Dominic responds to by booty-popping. Dominic’s B-Boy strength apparently helped him this week. Debbie thinks they broadened everyone’s vocabulary. Mary loves their partnership and that Sabra looks effortless and amazing. Dominic pulled it off as well and was there for Sabra. Mary ends her critique by placing them on the Hot Tamale train and giving them a Mary Murphy scream, and then begins yelling at Nigel. Just when you thought she might be sane again, there goes Mary back into crazytown. Maybe she took the Hot Tamale train. Nigel says they keep surprising them and wonders if they keep surprising themselves, and calls Sabra a gorgeous little pixie.

Lauren and Neil: Lauren wants to be an astronaut and a part of NASA. Neil wants to sing, act, and dance. Neil is shocked that the judges liked him last week. Lauren was sick during training, and told her to leave the flu at the door. Wait, did Neil just lick her face? I’m pretty sure he did. Neil comes off as more masculine than he has in the past, but, in my opinion, he’s still not commanding enough and still seems disinterested in his partner. As for the dancing, it was alright. Nothing special. But nothing terrible either. In all honesty, I kind of lost interest in it part way through. Debbie thought they connected this week, but at times it wasn’t smooth enough. Mary didn’t feel the passion together and that it was sloppy and too hoppy. The crowd wasn’t even enthusiastic enough too boo loudly when Mary calls it “Just ok”. It was good for Nigel but that Neil overdanced it, but he’s glad that the male dancers dance like dudes.

Jamie and Hok: Hok wants to paint and do graphic design. Jamie wants to write a book about her mom. Hok thought they stunk last week. This week they’re doing a Wade Robson jazz routine which he describes as ballet-esque about a hummingbird and flower. The routine is great and it is so well suited for Hok and Jamie that everything just seems to come together perfectly. In all, just a great routine. Can Wade Robson and Mia Michaels please just choreograph the lion’s share of routines? Debbie thought that the piece was brilliant and that Wade took the best of both of their worlds. She also accurately points out that it could’ve come from Cirque De’Soleil. Mary thinks it was a big step up from last week and that the piece and the dancers were just wonderful. Mary also makes a bird joke. Get it? Because his name is Hok and he was dancing like a hummingbird? Nigel thought it was beautiful and cultural and that both Jamie and Hok were sensational because Wade got at their essence as dancers and you can’t critique that. The only problem is that neither the dance nor the music seemed like it fit a Jazz routine to me.

Pasha and ?: Pasha wants to reunite with his family. He hasn’t seen his mom or brother in the past 10 years. Jessi wants to be a performer like Judy Garland. They’ve got the Cha Cha. Jessi says she’s lucky because Cha Cha is part of Pasha’s ballroom curriculum. It’s all about flirting. But we get a second video package now, because “something dramatic happened” After the dress rehearsal, Jessi collapsed, and Pasha is now partnerless. So he’s dancing with choreographer Tony Meredith’s assistant. We only get to vote for Pasha this week, which leads me to believe they’re booting Jessi this week no matter what. For two professionals dancing this, it wasn’t great. The assistant seemed to not bring a whole lot to the stage, and Pasha was good, but didn’t show as high a level of proficiency as I expected of someone who knows and performs this dance. But then again, he hadn’t danced with the assistant, so I can’t fault them for the lack of chemistry. Debbie thought he did great and that Pasha deserves an Oscar for the amount of sensuality he brought. Mary thought he brought the house down and that Pasha was lucky for the assistant stepping in. Nigel, after bringing the mood down about Jessi’s health problems and her automatic placement in the bottom 3, says Pasha was great.

Top Couples: Hok and Jamie's routine was the best, then Anya and Danny and Sabra and Dominic

In Danger: Lauren and Neil should definately be worried, and I hope that Cedric ends up in the bottom 3, so the show will finally get rid of him. Lastly, I think Pasha will probably be rounding out the bottom 3.