SYTYCD - Top 10 - Commentary

I'm getting started late tonight. I have to love the wonders of dvr on DirecTV! I don't know what we all did without Tivo and dvrs and the like.

This week, the Top 10 each drew a new partner from a hat, in addition to dancing two new dances and a solo. Supposedly, tomorrow night, we will get three group dances instead of the typical one: the whole Top 10, the Top 5 girls, and the Top 5 guys. Should be interesting.

Only 9 dancers come out, and Cat brings Jessica out to explain why she is leaving the competition. She looks gorgeous. She thought she had a cramp in her side, but it turns out she actually had a few ribs broken. Jessica will be back on tour, so we will get to see the fabulous Adam and Eve routine with Will on tour. Cat tells us that Comfort has been brought back to compete in Jessica's place. Also, the judges are no longer responsible for cutting a guy and a girl each week. Instead, that responsibility shifts to the voters. But guess who is on the judging panel this week? None other than Lil C! I'm excited to see how he is as a judge.

Courtney and Joshua - Hip Hop (Dave Scott) - I LOVE Dave Scott! I'm glad to see him back and choreographing a routine for Joshua. It's a Bride of Frankenstein themed piece, so it should be really cool. And as I expected, Joshua is KILLING it. Again, I feel like Courtney is a bit too bouncy for me, but not as bad as she was in the hip hop number she did with Gev a couple of weeks ago. Really cool concept for the routine, and overall, executed really well. I think Courtney has shown a lot of improvement in this style, and I think that the partnership is a good one for her.

Kherington and Mark - Two Step (Ronnie and Brandy) - I'm really excited to see Two Step on SYTYCD!!! I've been wanting to see some different styles, and it is really cool to see one that is from my part of the country being introduced. Their spins need to be faster and less forced. Mark looks GOOD in Wranglers and boots! But this two step feels slower and more labored than I can see in any country bar in Dallas or Fort Worth by untrained dancers. They're getting the steps in, but they were missing tons of connections, and it just didn't feel free. I'm kinda dissappointed.

Comfort and Twitch - Smooth Waltz (Smooth Waltz) - They've both done a waltz before, with varying levels of success. Watching the two of them trying to pull off a romantic couple in rehearsal is funny. For the short amount of time they had together to work on this, I'm actually really impressed. It definitely doesn't have the rise and fall that I would hope to see, and there wasn't the smoothness that I could have liked, but some of it is gorgeous. The lift at the end was breathtaking. Not as good as I would hope, but not as bad as it could have been. I would say that there was a decided improvement from Comfort, but maybe a step back from Twitch. (I have to say, Lil C is giving FABULOUS critiques. He really gets it. THANK YOU!!!)

Katee and Will - Broadway (Tyce Diorio) - They've got an actual boat on stage that works into the choreography. Interesting to see Will playing a part in a routine like this. It is very out of his normal character. He typically seems to be so serious and maybe a bit introverted, and he had to pull out every bit of extroversion he could muster. Great dancing, great choreography, great use of the boat prop. They completely embraced every aspect of what they were doing with this one. And it will never hurt for Will to rip his shirt open. I definitely had flashbacks of Dmitry.

Chelsie and Gev - Contemporary (Sonya Tayeh) - I'm really LOVING this choreography, and they are doing a fabulous job with it. Actually, I think I'm liking Gev in it more than Chelsie. He has totally embraced everything that Sonya gave him, and his movements are powerful and unique. Very interesting, and beautiful. They completely bought into the characters that they were given, and the choreography. That was fabulous. But he really blew me away tonight, and we're only halfway through.

Courtney and Joshua - Rumba (Jean-Marc Genereaux) - Joshua looks sexy as hell in this. The latin ballroom dances definitely suit him so much better than the smooth ballroom dances. The boy knows how to move his hips, and he knows how to work it. And Courtney??? WOW! Amazing extensions and lines in her movements, and she really bought into the character of the dance. That is definitely one of the better rumbas I've seen on this show. Fantastic footwork and sensuality throughout the routine, but a couple of the lifts were a tiny bit shaky. HEE!!!! Joshua is *threatening* to get nekkid like Twitch and Will always are. "Just wait till you see the rest of it" he says...I'm waiting.

Kherington and Mark - Jazz (Tyce Diorio) - They've both got a great quality of movement here, but I'm not sure that they are matching each other the way they really should be. She's got fabulous lines and extensions, and he has unique and interesting lines, but when they should be in unison, it doesn't quite line up. Lots of energy in it, but I don't know that they really had much chemistry on this piece. It wasn't bad at all, but there didn't seem to be a lot of passion involved in what they were doing together. I'm not sure I would agree with Mary that Mark is lost without having a character to play. I think if there had been more of a connection in the partnership, that he would have been fully believable.

Comfort and Twitch - Hip Hop (Dave Scott) - LOL...Twitch thinks the match-up will be "somewhat tremendous"...let's hope he is right. This definitely has the makings of being the best hip hop number ever on the show. Let's hope they don't dissappoint. The costumes are horrific, but once you get past that, these two are insanely good. They're hitting hard, they've got tons of personality, they really connect with each other on this one, and they completely showed that they absolutely know what they are doing in their own style. Outstanding. And thank you, Lil C, for explaining the meaning of buck: internal artistry meeting physical output. Definitely the best I have ever (and I do mean EVER) seen Comfort.

Katee and Will - Pas de Deux (Desmond Richardson) - Let's hope Katee can become like Gumby then. Will is nearly nekkid again. No complaints from me on that one. He is insanely strong, making these lifts look like they are completely effortless. There was a bit of a struggle on one move, but for the most part, I am seriously blown away by not only their technique, but also simply by the fact that they are doing this, and pulling it off! Katee exhibited some serious trust in him, throwing herself at him in some of these crazy moves and just knowing that he would be there to catch her. I am amazed.

Chelsie and Gev - Jive (Jean-Marc Genereaux) - I'm nervous for Gev on this one, I will admit. Chelsie will be fabulous, since it is her style. And she is! She is a little firecracker, that is for sure. And Gev isn't as bad in this as I would expect him to be. He's got the speed, but some of the moves seem to be all speed and no bounce, if that makes any sense. The jive should be really bouncy, and he's just a bit jerky. All in all though, not as bad as I expected from him. He didn't seem really comfortable with the jive, but he gave it his all.

Solos: Chelsie, Gev, Courtney, Mark, Comfort, Twitch, Katee, Will, Kherington, and Joshua.

Standout solos for me were Mark, Twitch, Katee, and Joshua. I hate that we are going to have to say goodbye to one of the guys this week...they are all amazing. I kinda expect that Gev will be the one to go though. Out of the girls, I fully expect Comfort to be eliminated again, even though she was FABULOUS in the hip hop with Twitch. I just don't think that will be enough to save her yet again.

SYTYCD - Top 10 - SPOILERS

As previously reported, Jessica is out due to an injury and Comfort is back in.

The first spoilers are in here.

It seems that Lil C is the guest judge this week...and we are getting group routines on Performance night, not just on Elimination night.

So far, all we have are the dances and maybe the choreographers. I'll update later if I find more.

UPDATE: The three group routines are supposedly for Thursday night's show, not for Wednesday night's show. Who knows?

SYTYCD - Top 12 - Commentary

Once again tonight, we will get two dances from each of the couples who remain in the competition. So, they might not have to rush through the prepackage clips quite as fast as last week, but I have a feeling that they might be almost as short. By tomorrow night, we'll know who the Top 10 will be, and voters will take over the responsibility of voting off a male and female dancer each week. Also, they will randomly get a different partner each week, in addition to randomly getting their dance assignments.

Mia Michaels is back on the judging panel with Mary and Nigel this week. I think its a bit soon to have Mia on again, but oh well. Hopefully she won't fully piss me off tonight.

Chelsie and Mark - Salsa (Alex Da Silva) - They look HOT together tonight. Mark looks a little stiff in the shoulders, but he's got the footwork down and really knows how to play the part. That was a fabulous exit from the lift at the end. Lots of fun and energy going on in the routine. I'm not sure what Mia is talking about with Mark's "insecurity."

Comfort and Thayne - Hip Hop (Tabitha and Napoleon) - They're trying to keep Thayne from smiling too much for this number. Not sure if they'll manage it, but kudos to Napoleon for attempting. Comfort's definitely hitting harder than Thayne, but I expected that. He's actually doing better than I expected him to. I think I kinda like him in this routine...but I wasn't too fond of the routine as a whole. While Comfort did the harder hitting, she wasn't as enjoyable to me in the routine as he is. She kind of ignored him throughout, while Thayne played the part. He is the more intriguing dancer of the two, for me at this point.

Jessica and Will - Contemporary (Tyce Diorio) - Interesting...the Garden of Eden, huh Tyce? They're practically naked up there, and writhing around all over each other. The pair of them are hitting some gorgeous lines. I have to say, I love what Tyce has done with this, the music is perfect, the poses are perfect, the connection between the two is perfect (which I was missing last week). I'm seriously impressed with all of them on it, not only Tyce, but both of these dancers. This is the first time that Jessica has managed to move me. Oh yeah...and almost nekkid Will is never a bad thing. I am IN LOVE with this entire piece. LOVE!!!

Courtney and Gev - Cha Cha (Pasha and Anya) - I want it a little dirtier from Gev. He seems like he is trying too hard for perfection, and in the process he is losing some of the rawness of the dance. And I could use a little more hip action from both of them. The footwork was really good on her part, really iffy on his part. Really not bad, but not as good as I was hoping for from them. And the choreography was great - nice work Pasha and Anya! Lots of fun overall.

Kherington and Twitch - Krump (Lil C) - Holy crap, Twitch is KILLING this. And Kherington is proving that she can hang with him. I'm seriously impressed with the pair of them after that. Granted, I love them anyway...but they made me enjoy Krump, which surprised me. The end lost some of the synchronicity and energy, but overall it was insane.

Katee and Joshua - Viennese Waltz (Jean-Marc Genereaux) - Katee looks absolutely stunning tonight. She is hitting all of her lines beautifully. Something doesn't feel quite right about Joshua's frame to me. His shoulders aren't in the right position or something. And his feet are not smooth at all, but really he is almost stomping them into the floor. He did well with it, but I don't feel like he did as well as Katee did. She was the star of this routine, where most weeks he has been the star.

Chelsie and Mark - Broadway (Tyce Diorio) - I usually can't look away from Mark, but in this number, I'm having a difficult time seeing anything but Chelsie. She fully embraced this part and is owning it. He did well when I did manage to pay attention to him, but she was fabulous. This was a really sexy, fun routine. The fall forward? Wow...impressive.

Comfort and Thayne - Contemporary (Mandy Moore) - So they got a routine in each of their styles this week. Really interesting lifts again, like in Mandy's last contemporary routine. I'm really falling hard for her contemporary choreography. She creates such interesting movements and finds unique ways to tell her stories. Thayne is gorgeous in this one, with the lines he's hitting. Comfort, while not as good as Thayne, did much better than I ever would have expected for her on a contemporary routine. Pretty harsh from Nigel though. I get that there wasn't enough of a connection, and that Comfort wasn't fully engaged in the routine, but to say he wished a different couple was dancing it...ouch. (But I have to say...after Mia's two routines last week, and Tyce and Mandy's routines tonight, I am giving in. I am now a fan of contemporary dance. Dammit.)

Jessica and Will - Quickstep (Tony and Melanie) - Jessica seems to be slipping and sliding a bit, instead of taking real steps. The twist felt really out of place in this number, but I guess Tony and Melanie were trying to make it more exciting to get people to vote. But honestly, to me, the most memorable part of the entire routine was Will crawling across the floor to her at the end. The dancing was a bit bouncy and not really smooth. Will is truly a gentleman with his response after Mia's comment. I like him a lot. I want to love him...but right now, I just really like him a lot. And as great as Jessica was earlier, she was right back where she's been the last several weeks for me on this one. I really think that if they are in the bottom three tomorrow, she is likely to leave, even over Comfort. Comfort is at least the only girl in her style in the competition, so she is a bit more unique. Jessica has all the skills, but none of the confidence. Granted, I'm sure that hearing the judges tell her these things over and over and over again isn't helping her confidence level any. But still.

Courtney and Gev - Jazz (Mandy Moore) - Mandy seems to have a thing for props this season. Let's see how this works. LOVE this choreography! And they are performing it sooooooooo well. Mandy did a great job of not only putting together a routine that really works with the music, but also using some of Gev's moves and making them work within the character of the dance. I have no idea if it was difficult choreography or not, but it was insanely well performed, and it was interesting, and I wanted more, more, more of it.

Kherington and Twitch - Smooth Tango (Jean-Marc Genereaux) - Mr. and Mrs. Smith, huh? This makes two dances tonight that have forced Kherington to take on a more intense persona, and yet again, I feel like she is doing a really good job with it. Twitch's carriage seems to be a bit off. The dance didn't feel like a proper tango to me, but I loved that there were characters to play and a story to tell. I don't think it was anywhere near as bad as the judges seem to feel it was. It likely isn't really as memorable as I would have liked, but it wasn't bad.

Katee and Joshua - Bollywood (Nakul Dev Mahajan) - This is really energetic and interesting. They both kept their energy up throughout, and stayed in character. I don't really know how to go about critiquing something like that, because it is something so very different from anything I've ever seen before. It's really cool to see something so completely different on this show, and to expose the American public to a completely different style of dance that most have likely never even heard of. Their symmetry of movement was right on point throughout, which seems to be really imperative in this style of dance.

So...top 3 of the night? Courtney and Gev, Chelsie and Mark, and Katee and Joshua.

That would leave as the bottom three: Comfort and Thayne, Jessica and Will, and Kherington and Twitch.

My guess as to who will leave? Thayne from the guys, and either Comfort or Jessica. I hope Jessica.