So You Think You Can Dance 6/18- 18 Minus Two

Hey folks,

Well, it’s time to say goodbye to another two dancers. Like I said in my recap last night, I’m kind of clueless as to who’s gonna be packing their bags tonight. If I had to venture a guess, Kupono and Asuka are probably done for, which would make me 0 for 2 in Fantasy SYTYCD. What makes me wonder about this poor cousin theory is that I remember last season, at Top 18 week, there were still enough dancers that could clearly be cut without losing lots of potential (cough cough Susie “Cannon Fodder” Garcia cough cough). This week, it’s gonna be kind of tough to pick out anyone who is noticeably weaker than the rest. I can’t promise oodles of funny or wit tonight, since I’m in a little bit of a heinous mood, but I’m gonna try my darndest for you guys tonight. However, just like Mia Michaels, I like to cut (although what I like to cut is long lines, not dancers), so lets trudge forward, shall we?

Note: This is the abridged recap. For the full version, shake a tail feather over to sytycd.ca

Cat is in a completely white pantsuit. It’s… blah. Usually from Cat, I expect greatness or great-terribleness. This falls in that in between chasm of mediocrity. The top 18 is a Mia routine and everyone has what look like Maori tribal tattoos painted on to their faces. It’s… like jaw-droppingly fantastic. I can say in no uncertain words that this season is gonna have turn something incredible in order to knock this off the list of most memorable numbers. I’d go so far as to say that it’s maybe one of my favorite routines EVER by Mia Michaels. It’s just 150% full of win. I can’t even pick out outstanding individuals, because that routine was so good it made EVERYONE seem awesome. Ade, Jason, Brandon, Janette, and Jeanine may stand out just a smidge above the others, but everyone rocks it.

We immediately (seriously, it’s like 5 minutes into the broadcast right now) get results. Ade and Melissa, Jason and Caitlin, and Phil and Jeanine are brought out. Well, I think it’s pretty clear which couple’s in the bottom here. No surprise, Jason and Caitlin are sent straight to the bottom three, do not pass go, prepare your solo.

When we come back, the next three couples on stage are Brandon and Janette, Jonathan and Karla, and Kupono and Ashley. Again, no surprise when it turns out that Kupono and Ashley are the bottom three couple in this group. Jonathan and Karla maybe celebrate a bit too much right in Ashley and Kupono’s face for my liking. Lil’ C is shocked, yet in the middle about it, because he thought this week showed their vulnerability in a style outside their own.

Side Note: I just rewatched the Mia routine over the commercial. Yeah, I might even go so far as to say it challenges Ramalama Bang Bang from season 2 as my favorite group routine ever. I love it THAT much.

The final three couples are up on stage, but before that, we’re all given a treat of Evan’s brother Ryan auditioning in LA for season 6. And, shocker, he makes it to Vegas. Evan apparently didn’t know, or so he makes hand gestures. The final couple gracing the bottom three is… Kayla and Max? What the What? . Vitolio, just like Jonathan/Karla, over-congratulates himself in Kayla and Max’s face. In fairness, though, the look of Stank emanating from Kayla when she found out her bottom three berth was not pretty. Humbleness, Ms. Rodamski, along with that talent, that’s what we’ll love you for. Look at the all the winners/favorites. They were all pretty humble. Nigel says America must not have gotten Brian Friedman’s choreo.

Tonight’s “World of Dance” dancer is a true Indian/Bollywood dancer (Ok, completely not Bollywood, but more traditional Indian. Or maybe not), whose name goes by too fast for me to catch. It’s good, better than the anemic Argentine tango from last week, but it’s still not as good as I would expect from a “stars of dance” routine.

Also, I just realized, can I get a HALLELUJAH that the creepy, creepy, CREEPY Snuggle the Bear is no longer asking America to dance for him and then let him kill them while they sleep?

Going into the solos, I think Ashley and Max/Kupono are probably in trouble. Kayla, and I kinda think Jason, are guaranteed safety.

It’s Soloin’ Time:
Caitlin: It’s simple, but very pretty and I’m pretty sure I feel exactly what she wants me to feel, so I’d call it a definite success. Better than all three girl solos last week, for sure.

Jason: Jason’s also very good, and, as Shankers said, he is so SYTYCD. Also should be good enough to keep him around for another week. He’s got a bunch of great leaps.

Ashley: It’s… good. Certainly sultry. But I thought Caitlin was better. She spent a few seconds just standing against the banister. That’s not the best way to spend your time. I may actually get one right this week in FSYTYCD.

Kupono: It’s also good, but not fantastic. Jason was certainly better. Cat doesn’t want him to go because she wants to see more of his outfits. That’s not a great endorsement Cat. He also doesn’t know how to manage his time very well because he takes a few seconds to start and clearly ends a second early.

Kayla: I gotta say, it’s not the best solo ever. It looks like a lot of leaps with some dancing in between. But she’s definitely good enough to be kept around.

Max: Max is soloing to Footloose. So I’m already biased to like it. His footwork is also Phe-Nom-En-Ol. He should definitely stay around.

Tonight’s musical guest is Kristinia DeBarge. It’s your typical pop-strumpet pop song. Which is to say its mildly catchy, has a decent beat, but will utterly be forgettable. I do have to giver her credit though, she is actually kind of dancing, and her back-up dancers are by no means bad, unlike last week.

We’re back and it’s results time. The girls are up first. It was not unanimous on either gender tonight. They all agree that if it were up to them, they wouldn’t lose any of this 6. But they’re not gonna change the rules of the competition. They thought Caitlin had great quality of movement and control, she’s safe. They thought Ashley had Hollywood glamour but thought her solo had no substance. They know what a great dancer Kayla is, but they didn’t think she proved that with a crowded solo and she needs to pull it back. Ashley is going home tonight. We get her recap package. In all honesty, I’m probably not going to miss her, but she wasn’t the weakest girl in this pack. It does suck that she tried for four seasons only to get cut second though. Jeanine looks flabbergasted in the pit.

The boys are next. Jason is first, and they found his solo to be exceptionally strong and thinks it’s the best solo of the season. He’s immediately sent to the pit. They felt Kupono also lacked substance, but they liked that he is different and an intelligent dancer who can take on characters. They think Max is incredibly hard-working and know that he is restricted by his ballroom-ness in solos. And yet, Max is the one going home tonight. Sorry, but especially after the solos, that was the wrong decision judges. Again, I didn’t love him, but considering he was the best last night and his solo tonight was really good, I’d rank this as higher up on the SYTYCD injustice scale. It also begs the question who in the hell is going to cook for these people now? They need their strength, people!

Well, folks, what did you think? Was Max unfairly shafted? Did Ashley not seem to really care anymore, as my viewing partner thinks? Was that Mia Michaels routine not Banoodles to the Buck power? And do you feel, like I feel, that a Kayla/Kupono coupling sounds mildly disastrous?