SYTYCD - Top 8 - Commentary

Tonight, Toni Basil is joining Nigel and Mary on the judging panel. Interesting. I'm not sure how I feel about her being a judge...and it makes me wonder if she'll ever choreograph anything on the show. I mean, I know Adam Shankman hasn't ever choreographed any of the competitive pieces (only a group number), and I highly doubt that Debbie Allen has choreographed for the show...at least not that I know of. But she's Debbie-freaking-Allen, so I know she knows what she's talking about. I don't know much about Toni's dance background other than what we saw in the video to the "hey Mickey, you're so fine, you're so fine you blow my mind, hey Mickey *clap, clap - clap* hey Mickey *clap, clap - clap*" song. I guess she is well known in the dance world...but I really don't know much about it all.

Interesting that we're getting a prepackage clip before the solos tonight. I don't know that they've ever done that before. Toni as a judge was pretty okay. She sounds like she knows what she's talking about, which is always a good thing, IMO. She does use the word "street" a bit too much, and I could live without her saying "organic."

Courtney and Will - Samba (Jean-Marc Genereux) - I think Will has really managed to get the flamboyance of the dance down really well, without losing any sense of masculinity. That's something that is really hard to do with the samba. Courtney looks great, but I have to admit, I'm really not focusing on her much in this routine. Will is pretty much stealing the show on this number, which is a little surprising to me. Outside of contemporary-ish routines, he has had a difficult time capturing my attention. He did with the samba tonight. A few times he wasn't quite down-'n-dirty enough for me, but overall, really pretty good. I think Courtney probably did really well with it, because I would have noticed if she was stinking up the joint.

Katee and Twitch - Contemporary (Mia Michaels) - Apparently these two knew each other before they made it onto the show, so they didn't expect to get to work together. That should help with the chemistry! There's a door in the middle of the stage as a prop...and apparently Katee is an abusive girlfriend in this one. Interesting. And Twitch keeps coming back for more - he can't get enough. I'm so caught up into the story on this one that I haven't paid much attention to the dancing in it. Really interesting story on this one, Mia. I didn't want it to end. They both got into their characters so well, that I couldn't pay any attention to technique. I loved this routine, and I really hope they do it on tour.

Comfort and Mark - Hip Hop (Tabitha and Napoleon) - We know hip hop suits Comfort, and I think Mark can do some much harder hip hop than we saw the first time around. I think this has the potential to be a real stand out kind of piece. I love the beginning section with the desks. And this is definitely a much harder hitting kind of hip hop than we've been getting from Tabitha and Napoleon. They are KILLING it! This might be my favorite routine that we've seen from Tabitha and Napoleon, because it combines a real hip hop kind of flair with a story line. It is the best of both worlds. Mark and Comfort really played their parts well, their dancing was off the hook, and that made me really happy. Oh yeah, and that flip lift? SICK!

Chelsie and Joshua - Argentine Tango (Dmitry Chaplin) - Dmitry is hot. Very hot. The intro with the chair was sexy, but I don't know how much tango was going on there. Once they actually get going, it is really fast and intricate footwork that they are required to perform. Dmitry did a fantastic job with the choreography on this one! They are flying all over the place! I'm not 100% sold on Joshua's frame in that one, but overall, I think they did a fabulous job. I think this is the best tango choreography we have seen on this show, and I'm not just saying that because I love Dmitry!

Courtney and Will - Hip Hop (Tabitha and Napoleon) - Slow hip hop with a ghost, huh? I guess we'll have to wait and see. SYTYCD history, Will? We'll see. I think one of the biggest challenges of this kind of slow hip hop is keeping the synchronized parts completely in sync. Sometimes, they are doing a great job with that, and other times, it becomes really obvious that they are just a hair off. I'm not digging this routine by Tabitha and Napoleon nearly as much as I did the earlier one, at all. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't fantastic either. It was just okay. I didn't buy into them playing those parts. Nigel seemed to think that they got the emotion of the routine down, but I really didn't feel it from them.

Katee and Twitch - Broadway (Tyce Diorio) - They've got some interesting relationships in their routines tonight! Earlier he was running from her because she was kicking his ass, now he's running from her because he really isn't interested. Tons of energy here, and I think they are really in control of the characters that Tyce gave them to play. I love the playful aspect that he puts into his Broadway pieces so often, especially in the lifts. The lifts he choreographs are never what you are expecting. Tons of fun! And for a style that is not really either of their specialty, they both really seem to excel at it. They both make me smile when they dance. And what a compliment from Toni for Twitch, saying he dances from the inside out. That really seems to match what I feel about him. I just wish she could have said it without saying the words "street" and "organic" again. LOL.

Comfort and Mark - Foxtrot (Jean-Marc Genereux) - I love Brian Setzer!!! The BSO is fabulous. Comfort and Mark on this foxtrot, however...not so much. They were missing connections all over the place, and I can't help but feel like those misses were mainly Comfort's fault. Mark has proven to be a good partner time and again, but he has had two partners in a row who weren't up to snuff. They were thinking too hard throughout the entire routine, and it made it feel very stiff. Their posture and hold weren't right AT ALL! Mark manages to really make lifts fly somehow though.

Chelsie and Joshua - Disco (Doriana Sanchez) - I really can't stand disco, and I really, really, REALLY can't stand Disco Doriana. This number is going to have to be seriously amazing for me to not hate it from the very core of my being. Lots of lifts, Doriana? Really? I'm shocked. Ugh. Yep, tons of tricks and lifts and really very little in between to make it cohesive as a dance at all. Did they do the tricks and lifts well? Sure. Fine. Really well, actually. But seriously, if they put another disco number on the show this season I'm gonna gag. Doriana's choreography is only good for making the audience gasp over the tricks.

Solo order: Comfort, Will, Katee, Mark, Chelsie, Joshua, Courtney, Twitch

Will as James Brown really, really works for me. Nice to see some personality coming through. Mark's solo, as usual, was incredibly interesting and unique. I could watch him dance in his own style all day. Happy Birthday to Chelsie - but honey, you need to up your game with your solo. And Twitch? He is definitely one of my superheroes!