So You Think You Can Dance 7/18. I Think Wade Robson Is On Something

Opening: I’m perplexed by Cat’s dress. Is it a short dress that’s made to look ruffled, or is it an ill-fitting longer dress? I guess we’ll never know. Pasha manages to combine 3 styles in 15 seconds. Neil is back to twirling. Anya continues to have a terrible taste in fashion. Cat reminds us that this is the last week where the partners remain the same. I don’t get why Cat always wants us to scream “judges”. But we do it anyways. Tonight’s guest judge is Wade Robson, meaning we’ll have to rely on Mia Michaels for some kickass routines. Nigel has had a haircut, and looks spiffy. Cat and Nigel reminisce about British things. Mary thinks it’s still anybody’s game. The hot tamale train is mentioned again, and I still don’t ever want to take a ride on it. Wade Robson thinks the dancers have a responsibility to be honest as humans on stage. Deep, Wade. Deep.

Sabra and Dominic: Sabra loves that Dominic is really funny. Dominic loves that they always have chemistry. Her problem with his that he keeps dropping her. Dominic thinks Sabra has trust issues, which leads into a great montage of him dropping her repeatedly. This week they’ve got a Tony Meredith jive routine. There’s yet another lift. I hope Sabra has specific concussion insurance. Their dance is a lot of fun, but technically it was a little bit lacking. The lift seemed very stiff, but they looked like they were having fun. Maybe I was just ruined by Danny and Anya’s awesome first week jive. Who knows? Wade loves their 100% commitment and that they’re always having fun. He says absolutely nothing about the dance though. Mary thinks it was a great way to start the show, but that their kicks were a little problematic, but ends with that they were terrific. Nigel doesn’t think anyone could have anticipated their growth and that they have partnered so incredibly well. He then compliments both dancers separately. Cat makes another joke about Sabra getting dropped.

Jaimie and Hok: Jaimie loves that Hok looks Japanese and talks with a British accent, or, as Dominic would say, French. Hok loves Jaimie’s dog-like hair. Jaimie occasionally chokes on Hok’s braid. Hok doesn’t like being shorter than Jaimie when she’s in heels. Maybe he should wear heels as well then. They’ve got a Tyce Diorio Broadway routine, with Travis assisting. Tyce doesn’t want any effort shown. Without Hok, for me this dance would really seem like a bad amateur dance school performance to me. Jamie just kind of twirls around and lifts her leg and jumps. Hok seemingly has to do all the heavy lifting. Thankfully he can. Wade thinks that the past few weeks Jaimie has come alive and that she’s an elegant dancer. Wade talks more about the characters (which he doesn’t think they did) and completely doesn’t talk about the dance. Mary didn’t like it and thinks Hok didn’t make any connection, but she thought that Jamie stood out. Nigel thinks Jaimie’s lines are still incredible, and that Tyce played well to their strengths (Jaimie’s lines and Hok’s lack of technique). He calls it “Much Ado About Nothing”, continuing with tonight’s British-isms. Wade interjects again, but still neglects to talk about the dance, instead just talking about Hok.

Pasha and Sara: Sara is glad that Pasha has the best partnering skills for guys. Pasha likes that Sara’s strong. Sara doesn’t like that Pasha is girlier than she is. Pasha doesn’t like that Sara told everyone that Pasha’s girlier than her. They’ve got a Mandy Moore jazz routine. Mandy Moore loves Jazz Hands and heavily incorporates them into the routine. Their Jazz routine is a lot of fun with suspenders snapping and Sara getting controlled. They synch together well, and they have pretty darn good chemistry for having danced together for only two weeks. Wade likes the number and finally possibly comments on the dance itself, mentioning something about lines. He also loved what they were able to do for being out of their element. Mary thinks they did a great job, and that they had a great feel at times. She’s not sure if they’ll stay out of danger though. Nigel thinks they only maybe got emotions across to the audience but he still complements them for doing the routine. Nigel says that they’re critiquing them at a level never before reached on the show. I say that there have only been 3 seasons so far, and the first one doesn’t really count.

Lauren and Neil: Lauren likes that Neil is attractive. Neil calls Lauren a very good-looking guy. Freudian slip or bad joke? You decide. Lauren doesn’t like Neil’s jokes though. Neil doesn’t like that Lauren doesn’t laugh at his jokes. Oh you two, quit making funnies. Or not so funnies. They’ve got a Mia Michaels contemporary routine, the lucky bastards. They’re apparently very bruised. Mia thinks they’ll pull it off. The routine is awesome, but then again, it’s Mia Michaels. They get off beat from one another occasionally, but they things that they hit they hit really well. It’s the best routine I’ve seen them do though. Wade loved the choreography and thinks that Neil, like Jaimie, has come alive recently. He also thinks their musicality is much improved from the past and that they executed it well. Mary liked it, but couldn’t feel their expression due to wardrobe. Mary thought that it wasn’t great though, it was just really good. Nigel didn’t fully understand it, but he doesn’t think you needed to. He’s not sure he enjoyed it either, but he doesn’t chalk it up to their technical moves. Cat asks them what the story is. Lauren basically tries to make something up, but its clear that they have no idea either. Mia looks like she’s not even entirely sure.

Anya and Danny: Danny likes Anya’s crazy dance for your life clothes. Anya likes that Danny’s attractive. Danny doesn’t like that Anya is a tough chick who bullies himself. Anya doesn’t like that Danny lacks attention. They’ve got a Jean-Marc Genereaux Foxtrot routine. Anya hurt her ankle last week, which makes all the jumps this week hard. It’s certainly the most fun foxtrot I’ve ever seen. They glide about, move and leap elegantly, and they yet again prove why they’re a force to be reckoned with. Also of note, they seem to connect to the audience better than they have before. Wade reveals that he had a speech prepared about Danny but he has to scrap it because he now believes in him and he moves like a gazelle. Wade, however, in telling us that he scrapped the speech, gives us the speech. He also calls Anya beautiful and graceful. Mary reiterates her love for Danny and Anya and their leaping and partnering and movement was all fabulous. Mary actually says, “C’mon, this was fantastic.” Then, they get a Mary Murphy scream and get upgraded to first class of the Hot Tamale train. Nigel calls it the best foxtrot he’s ever seen on the stage. Nigel takes a crack at Dancing With The Stars saying that the stars are on stage here. Oh Nigel.

Lacey and Kameron: Kameron’s glad that Lacey’s good at partnering. Lacey likes that Kameron’s attractive. Kameron doesn’t like that Lacey’s hair can get smelly. Lacey doesn’t like that Kameron sweats a lot. They’ve got a Dan Karaty hip-hop routine. It’s a gender reversed hip-hop chase number. It’s fun, but I’ve seen better hip-hop numbers. Lacey is the one who shines here with Kameron not really able to carry the dance on his own. Wade thinks that Kameron dances heavy and that they lacked strong musicality. Wade threatens to slap the audience when they start to boo. He also thinks Lacey’s a great performer, but thinks it’s more professional than personal and that they came across as slightly one-dimensional. Mary doesn’t like that Kameron left Lacey at the end, and thinks that it was good, but they maybe didn’t hit it hard enough. She calls it a mixed bag. Nigel doesn’t think that Kameron proved he’s more than a prop but points out that they’ve never been in the bottom three. He says that they kind of deserve to be there last week.

At the end of the hour, we’re reminded that this is he last week that the judges have any say in. Nigel pats himself on the back for believing in his own show and congratulates the top 20 saying they all did great. Everyone dance’s their way out, and Cat somehow manages to get suckered into dancing with Anya. I’m not sure who to feel bad for.

The Top 3: Danny and Anya's foxtrot was pretty darn fantastic. As much as I don't want them here, Lauren and Neil's contemporary was good as well, thanks to some fantastic Mia Michaels choreography. The last spot I guess belongs to Pasha and Sara, although Sabra and Dominic are close.

The Bottom 3: Sabra and Dominic are here by default. They were really good. Lacey and Kameron were good, but they weren't great. Hok and Jaimie are the ones who really deserve to be here.