So You Think You Can Dance 6/25- The Top 16 Perform

Cat is up on the balcony looking all happy and Barbarella-ish and welcomes us to the show. In the intro dances, Will, Gev, Twitch, and Mark are the standouts, only furthering my belief that this season is gonna be won by a boy (My money is on Joshua, Twitch, or Mark). Adam Shankman is the guest judge tonight, and also judging are Mary and Nigel, whom Cat very cutely salutes. Adam uses many words beginning with Cat, including some non-words, like Cat-tastic. Mary thinks this gonna be an unbelievable seeeeeeeeeeeeeason (She holds that word like she was channeling Oprah). Oh, and she screeches too. Just what my eardrums were asking for. And they very nicely eulogize Cyd Charisse, who made many of Gene Kelly’s movies even more memorable. Oh, and apparently Nigel was just as pervy 40 years ago when he worked with Charisse.

Sidenote: Does anyone else find the Sprint Instinct (“The greatest product placement movie of all time”) ad to be incredibly sexist? The woman appears to be a complete idiot.

Kherington and Twitch- Twitch laughs like a bear. Kherington is a shopping addict, especially with shoes. Seriously, in terms of personality, this couple is tops. They’ve got a Napoleon and Tabitha hip hop routine, and I hope that Napoleon and Tabitha actually prove that they are better choreographers than I think they are. I don’t know. They’re good, but the choreography, unfortunately, is not all that good. It’s fun, but I like my hip-hop a lot harder, and, true to N&T form, it’s all kind of soft-ish. There were moments that were hard, and those were the standouts for me, but overall, I found it a little soft, especially for supposedly dancing convicts. Oh, and Kherington needs to stop smiling during numbers where she shouldn’t be. Nigel thinks there’s a lot of good in the dancing and the choreography, and has nothing to critique. Mary puts them on the top 10 most wanted for SYTYCD (which would put them in the top 20, wouldn’t it Mary?). She loved them both and they get an old Murphy proverb, screaming at the top of your lungs. Those must be interesting family reunions. Adam kisses Mary on the lips to stop her from screaming more (Thank you, Adam) and calls it awesome.

Courtney and Gev- Gev looked like a girl when he was a kid. Hahahaha. Courtney was gonna be a special ed teacher. This week, they’ve got a Tony Meredith Rumba. This is another close contact dance, which is good for them, since they’ve got serious sexual chemistry (I’ve seen it both weeks now). They’re good and the sexiness is there in heaps. But I have to say, the beginning seemed very labored. But they got their rhythm about halfway through and it got really good. Although, I think of the rumba as being faster. Nigel makes the good comparison of Gev and Dominic and compliments Courtney on her half a dress (seriously, it draws the focus). Mary thought it was great and they had great chemistry and nailed all the tough ballroom stuff. Adam really, really loved it and gives them critiques for the future. I’m officially calling Gev and Courtney as the underdog couple of the season, and I am totally over Gev taking the last spot in the top 20. He’s proved that he deserved it.

Comfort and Chris- Chris is a food moocher. Comfort was a creepy child beauty contestant. They’ve got a Tyce (*Nate audibly groans*) jazz routine. I’m really not sure if it's just me, but I seriously think Tyce is one of the weakest choreographers there. I am almost never impressed by his routines. He’s still much better than I could be, but compared to the others, he’s ain't much, at least in my opinion. Well, color me seriously impressed, but it was bizarre and all sorts of awesome. Chris seriously brought it; the intensity in his eyes was ridiculous. I have to quibble with the fact that it doesn’t really seem like African Jazz as advertised, but the routine is still all sorts of cool. Nigel didn’t care for it much and thinks Chris was soft (Seriously, was Nigel watching the same routine). Mary wanted more animalism, and she felt it lose steam as it went on. Adam didn’t feel the music moving through them and thought they lacked the necessary aggression.

Digression: Hold on folks. So last week, they cut Marquis, most likely to protect Comfort. Chris has arguably the weakest solo but they laud his personality for finally showing itself. This week, he shows intensity and presence, making me think that keeping him may not have been a really bad decision. And they call him soft. Seriously, what? Was I in an abnormally good mood for this dance? Were the judges not? Huh?

Jessica and Will- Jessica has the nickname Ariel. Will is an absolute gentleman. This week they’ve got a Doriana Sanchez disco routine, which likely spells another trip to the bottom three for Will and Jessica. I have to say, this is probably one of the best disco routines I’ve seen on the show. But man does Will continue to blow Jessica out of the water. I mean, he’s got soul and technique, and she’s just kinda of, as Mary put it, cheerleadery. Nigel thought they danced it very well, but there were a few areas that were kind of disastrous. But Nigel says they carried off the mistakes. Mary thinks they did really well and they both kind of owned it. Adam thought that the routine was really fantastic and thinks they both danced it really well.

Kourtni and Matt- Kourtni has a tattoo on the back of her neck. Matt has a ninja mask. Also, Matt’s mom is a tougher judge than Nigel. They’ve got a contemporary routine by new choreographer Sonja Tayeh. I really kind of dig this. It’s like a Mandy Moore routine with some Mia Michaels inflections, but there’s a seriously playful streak to it. Which is a very good thing, because it kind of compensates for the over-seriousness that Mia and Mandy’s routines sometimes have. Lets hope they keep Sonja around for a while. Matt is a lot better than Kourtni, but they’re both real fun to watch. Nigel liked it, but worries about accessibility to the public. He also still thinks Matt needs to relax a little. Mary thinks there was something weird for sale on stage and she’s buying it. She thought it really showcased their talents.

Sidenote: Sweetness, is there a new set of vitamin water ads? The first set was awesome, except for that Kelly Clarkson one. The Carrie Underwood miniature horse whisperer one that I just saw was great though.

Chelsea and Thayne- Thayne wants to be a fashion designer. Chelsea is a flower thief. They’ve got a Heather Smith quickstep, aka SYTYCD kryptonite. Seriously, has anyone ever gotten a boost from having the quickstep? No. So I’m worried. I would describe this as pleasant. It’s nice to watch (Chelsea knows how to own that stage), and there’s no sort of bad aftertaste, but it’s not gonna be memorable. Nigel liked it but it was too bouncy and there was a distinct lack of personality. He calls it a better attempt than he thought it was going to be. He tells them to get their solos ready. Mary calls it OK, which she said is really good by quickstep standards. She says it fell short of past SYTYCD quicksteps. And she commends them for trying but tells Chelsea that she let Thayne down. Adam tells them they’re great dancers but says they didn’t look comfortable and they need to make it look like they are, even if they aren’t.

Chelsie and Mark- Mark has crooked pinkies. Chelsie is a tomboy off-stage. I’ve decided Mark is my favorite dancer, because his style is just so bizarre and awesome. They’ve got a Napoleon and Tabitha hip-hop routine that they describe as not really hip-hop. Uh oh. If they let me down again, I’m gonna be, well, disappointed, because the show seems to be putting all its hip-hop chips behind N&T, and they’re not really choreographing hip-hop routines. It’s good, but again, it ain’t hip-hop. It’s all a little soft, and I like my hip-hop hard, like Shane Sparks routines used to be (even if he was losing his edge last season). I’m convinced that N&T are hip-hop/contemporary hybrids. There are little bits of hip-hop, but overall, it’s more like a contemporary routine. The routine is danced well though, and Mark outdanced Chelsie. But they were both good. Nigel is loving N&T and takes what I can only assume is a dig at Shane Sparks. He liked them both a lot. Mary agrees and loved them too. Adam loves that the show is moving to lyrical hip-hop (I KNEW IT! It’s not the same hip-hop!) and he loved the routine. Adam calls them the couple to beat.

Katee and Joshua- Joshua is a big ol’ softie. Katee screams like a boy. They’ve got a Tony Meredith samba. Joshua is scared. So is Katee. They’re really good. Sexy, masculine, connected, and seemingly technically really good. Really, really good. It may be a little too clean, but it’s really really good. Nigel says Tony and Melanie made a great routine and that they rocked it. He also, very predictably, makes a comment about Katee having the other half of Courtney’s dress. And then makes one about Joshua’s pants. Mary says they rocked it personality-wise and they rocked it technical-wise too. Mary puts them on the Hot Tamale train, with first class tickets to boot. Adam tells them that THAT was competing.

My Rankings Of The Night
1)Katee and Joshua
2)Kourtni and Matt
3/4) TIE- Comfort and Chris/Courtney and Gev
5)Chelsie and Mark
6)Jessica and Will
7)Chelsea and Thayne
8)Kherington and Twitch

Everyone was good tonight, but Chelsea and Thayne should be prepping solos. Will and Jessica should too. Kherington and Twitch and Comfort and Chris should maybe too. Also, I have to say, the editing was a lot better tonight. Kudos, SYTYCD editors…