Tonight’s Top 16 dance-off on So You Think You Can Dance was a mixed bag, baby. Maybe I’m getting cynical on account of the bloggin’, but I wasn’t on the same page as the judges, who seemed to be WOWed and uhhh-mazed by everything. Also, the Top 12 from Season 5 were in the house (saw a lot of Jeanine Mason, Melissa Sandvig, Ade Obayomi, Evan Kasprzak and adorable Kupono Aweau). Unfortunately, they didn’t perform, so we just saw them grin and wave at the camera every chance they got. Videos of the dances (from MJ) and my thoughts ahead:

MY BOTTOM 3 COUPLES: Ellenore Scott & Ryan Di Lello, Channing Cooke & Victor Smalley, and Mollee Gray & Nathan Trasoras

Karen Hauer & Kevin Hunte – Hustle by Maria Torres - “Come to Me” by France Joli (VIDEO): Oh fellaaaas, Karen wants everyone to know that she is DIVORCING from her husband (remember they auditioned together?). Smart move, girl. You don’t wanna be tied down during your national debut.  They Hustle which just reminds me of disco and do alright. Kevin was still the weak link of the pair. Judges love them (as do I), but probably give them more props than necessary.

Ashleigh Di Lello & Jakob Karr – Jazz by Mandy Moore - “Relax” by Frankie Goes to Hollywood (VIDEO): Ah, the “cane dance”. Okay, in the words of Tim Gunn, I was “woeful and a bit perplexed” about this dance. The judges were jumping up and down over it (suddenly really fawning over Ashleigh), and I like Mandy’s work, but c’monnnnn, this was just a ridonkulous excuse to use a prop (a cane) to try and get…props. I mean, much like last week’s Hip Hop tennis match, this was contrived and even less relevant to the performance (at least the tennis rackets were tied to the story last week). What was the cane symbolizing? Why was it there? A little backstory could’ve done wonders for me beyond Mandy’s “How can I challenge the crap out of my dancers AND get the judges’ attention - oh look! Aunt Bessie left her cane behind! *inspiration strikes*” The dance was supposed to be a trio of “Jakob, Ashleigh and the cane”. It was more like Jakob & the cane… oh and Ashleigh. She hardly engaged with it. I must admit that both of them (Jakob & Ashleigh, not the cane) looked pretty hot (or hawt) in the androgynous, 80’s glam style. Some of the movements were reminiscent of last season’s Wade Robson “robber” dance between Janette Manrara & Brandon Bryant (VIDEO). Be sure to re-watch THAT - tres genius.

Pauline Mata & Peter Sabasino - Quickstep by JT & Tomas - “Hey Baby! (Shake Those Hula Hips)” by Big Kahuna & the Copa Cat Pack (VIDEO): Aw, these two are a cute, smiley, dimpled couple but would they survive the “Dance of Death”? Well, thanks to clever choreography and a simple storyline (Peter’s a soldier who falls for Miss Hawaiian Hula Honey Pauline), these darlings skate by despite weak technical delivery. Adam, who was extra rambly tonight, makes a weird comment that the choreographers made use of Pauline’s “natural ethnicity” by putting her in the role of a hula girl. Hm. Isn’t she Filipina, not Hawaiian? I could be wrong, but Adam was sorta bugging tonight. Tick tock, tick tock - keep your feedback concise and leave unnecessary racial and ethnic comments out of it when possible please, Mr. Shankman.

Kathryn McCormick & Legacy Perez – Broadway by Andy Blankenbuehler - “I Wanna Be Like You” by Swingin’ Fireballs (VIDEO): The judges did pick up on the same distraction I did here - Kathryn’s performance was very corny. She could have brought a lot more to her taken-for-granted housewife character - some sass, some ferocity - but no. She played it with a sort of permanent, “Awww, you scamp! Why I oughta…” smirk. I really liked Legacy’s back somersault into a headstand as he fell back into the easy chair though. Judges are in lurve with him.

Channing Cooke & Victor Smalley – Contemporary by Stacey Tookey - “Be Be Your Love (Live at KCRW)” by Rachael Yamagata (VIDEO): Thank god that Nigel had the sense to give Channing & Victor a dose of reality. It should’ve been an INCREDIBLE performance: they’re both very strong Contemporary dancers, this Rachael Yamagata song is (to quote Adam) uhhh-mazing and it dealt with that classic Contemporary theme of a “toxic” couple who push and pull and “yes!” and “nooo!”… but there was a real lack of chemistry and performance. Channing’s been a real disappointment to me since her audition. She’s very guarded and I prefer my dancers to wear their hearts on their sleeves. If this was their “comfort zone”, that’s not a good sign - it was a very generic dance and I wasn’t…inspired, yknow?

Ellenore Scott & Ryan Di Lello – Hip Hop by Lil C – “Lost Boyz Anthem” by J-Squad (VIDEO): Loquacious Lil C (hear that judges?? His name is LIL C, not “Little C”) kind of gave these two a stinker of a number. They were supposed to be robbers/burglars, but they were both dressed in white snowboarding garb, so what was that about? I found Ellenore way more convincing here and thought she deserved more kudos from the judges. There were times when they weren’t synchronized, and it became pretty boring…but I blame the choreography and the obnoxious music which consisted of something like “*siren wail* *keyboard tinking* *beeping*” on repeat. I wouldn’t want to see Ellenore go home though - she has a lot of offer to this competition.

Mollee Gray & Nathan Trasoras – Salsa by Gustavo Vargas - “Quimbara” by Celia Cruz and Johnny Pacheco (VIDEO): Whoa, JANK-O-RAMA. That was pretty damn awful, and y’all know I love me some Nathan. He is getting a little bit too stupid-frat-boy-cocky and needs to reel it in. Dear Nathan, I wanna be your #1 fan, so try to take this piece of advice to heart: HUMILITY. Yes, you’re effin gorgeous (erm, except tonight, when your hairstyle made you look like a 57-year-old uncle), but you have a lot to learn and Jakob is a much stronger Contemporary dancer. If you really want to win, then come back down to earth and win us over with that eager, “I just love to express myself through dance” attitude. The judges won’t shut up about these two being the “dream team” (I dunno about that), but this Salsa was a total NIGHTMARE (see what I did there?). Out of synch, Nathan was doing these exaggerated, bent limb movements, Mollee was a hot (still immature) mess, the shimmying was Jack nasty *sigh*. Can you tell I’m disappointed?

Noelle Marsh & Russell Ferguson – Afro Jazz by Sean Cheesman - “Frog Dance” by Mickey Hart and Planet Drum (VIDEO): Woohoo, last dance of the night! It’s the first time SYTYCD US featured Afro Jazz. I think it was a success. For me, Russell was the star here in the role as the frog. Those leaps! Lordy, lordy! Noelle did great in the really fast-paced part, but I felt she faltered in a few spots in comparison to her partner. It had the judges (afro) jazzed up though - I think we’ll be seeing more of Sean Cheesman in the future. Oh, and Adam made another semi-awkward racial comment when he said sarcastically, “When I think ‘African Princess’, the first person I think of is Noelle!” Get it? Cuz she’s white? Har har har hmmm… :-/

Am I being a Scrooge or was tonight pretty uneven? Do you agree with the judges? I feel like they’re trying too hard to pimp out certain dancers even when they aren’t that strong. So far I’m tiptoeing onto Team Karen Hauer, but will America agree with me? So many questions!

Tomorrow night, we find out the guy and gal who will be eliminated on So You Think You Can Dance. See you then and fill out the poll on your way out: WHICH TOP 16 COUPLE GAVE THE BEST PERFORMANCE?

Hey Dance fans! Seems I just stopped the late-night So You Think You Can Dance recaps and yet here we are, a month later, about to do it all over again for the new Fall season of SYTYCD (Season 6, y’all)! It all starts next Wednesday, September 9th, on FOX!

To whhhhet our appetites for next week’s premiere, Nigel Lythgoe hosted a delightful filler episode of his Best 16 Routines from all 5 seasons (rerun-style, no one returned to re-perform them). Check the vids below (by MJ) and enjoy!

SEASON 1 ROUTINES

Destini Rogers & Jamile McGee - Hip Hop by Shane Sparks (“Shake” by Ying Yang Twins feat. Pitbull) – VIDEO
Melody Lacayanga & Nick Lazzarini - Chicago - Jazz by Tyce DiOrio (“All That Jazz” by Ute Lemper) – VIDEO

SEASON 2 ROUTINES

Heidi Groskreutz & Benji Schwimmer - Mambo by Alex Da Silva (“Black Mambo” by Angel & The Mambokats) – VIDEO
Allison Holker & Ivan Koumaev - Contemporary by Tyce DiOrio (”Why” by Annie Lennox) – VIDEO
Heidi & Travis Wall - Bench Routine - Contemporary by Mia Michaels (“Calling You” by Celine Dion) – VIDEO

SEASON 3 ROUTINES

Jaimie Goodwin & Hok Konishi - The Hummingbird and the Flower - Jazz by Wade Robson (“The Chairman’s Waltz” from Memoirs of a Geisha soundtrack) – VIDEO
Sabra Johnson & Neil Haskell - The Boardroom Battle - Contemporary by Mandy Moore (“Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)” by The Eurythmics) – VIDEO
Lacey Schwimmer & Danny Tidwell - Samba by Dmitry Chaplin (“Hip Hip Chin Chin” by Club Des Blugas) – VIDEO
Lauren Gottlieb & Pasha Kovalev - Transformers - Hip Hop by Shane Sparks (“Fuego” by Pitbull) – VIDEO

SEASON 4 ROUTINES

Courtney Galiano & Mark Kanemura - Jazz by Sonya Tayeh (“The Garden” by Mirah) – VIDEO
Chelsie Hightower & Mark - Hip Hop by Tabitha and Napoleon (“Bleeding Love” by Leona Lewis) – VIDEO
Katee Shean & Joshua Allen - Contemporary by Mia Michaels (“Hometown Glory” by Adele) – VIDEO

SEASON 5 ROUTINES

Janette Manrara & Brandon Bryant - Disco by Doriana Sanchez (“Loving is Really My Game” by Brainstorm) – VIDEO
Kayla Radomski & Kupono Aweau - Addiction - Contemporary by Mia Michaels (“Gravity” by Sara Bareilles) – VIDEO
Jeanine Manrara & Jason Glover - Contemporary by Travis Wall (“If It Kills Me (The Casa Nova Sessions)” by Jason Mraz) – VIDEO
Melissa Sandvig & Ade Obayomi - Breast Cancer Routine - Contemporary by Tyce DiOrio (“This Woman’s Work” by Maxwell) – VIDEO

Wahooo! I’m ready to recap if you’re all ready to gather ’round your tellies and watch with me. Who needs sleep when there’s dance, dance, DANCE to be had? Do you care that they’re moving one of the best Summer shows to dreary ol’ Fall? Guess we’ll see how it plays out next week on the new So You Think You Can Dance season!

I am at peace, readers. Ommm (nom, nom, nom)…

Yes, all is right in my little world of So You Think You Can Dance. It’s amazing, really. Apparently I’ve wanted sarcastic, dedicated, chunkily-proportioned underdog: JEANINE MASON to win this deflated season for some time and now that she has? I’m satisfied.

Sure, runner-up Brandon Bryant “deserved” it - he’s an absolute powerhouse, but I haven’t connected with him in the heart parts, and it seems that counts for a lot among us viewers.

Tonight we revisited this season’s “memorable dances” whilst whittling the Top 4 down to the sole possessor of the “America’s Favorite Dancer” title and the $250,000 smackeroon prize.

Miss the finale or want to re-watch the dances? Video’s below, y’all (by MJ)!

TOP 20 GROUP NUMBER (Reprise): “A Brand New Day” from The Wiz - Broadway by Tyce DiOrio. VIDEO

On the judging panel tonight? Uh, basically every single SYTYCD judge evs: Lil C, Mia Michaels, Tyce DiOrio, Debbie Allen, Adam Shankman, Mary Murphy and Nigel Lythgoe himself.

ADAM SHANKMAN’S PICK: Couple Resolves Fight Before Beddy Bye - Hip Hop by Tabitha & Napoleon - “Mad” by Ne-Yo - featuring Jeanine Mason & Phillip  Chbeeb. VIDEO

NIGEL LYTHGOE’S PICK: Hot, Kicky Argentine Tango by Miriam Larici & Leonardo Barrionuevo - “Libertango” from Forever Tango - featuring Janette Manrara & Brandon Bryant. VIDEO

DEBBIE ALLEN’S PICK: Vitolio’s Sad, Flowy Waltz by Louis Van Amstel - “Dreams are More Precious” by Enya - featuring Asuka Kondoh & Vitolio Jeune. VIDEO

MARY MURPHY’S PICK: Childhood Friends Get It On/Necklace Contemporary by Travis Wall - “If It Kills Me” by Jason Mraz - featuring Jeanine & Jason Glover. VIDEO

MIA MICHAELS’ PICK: Kayla’s Pink Fringe Samba by Louis Van Amstel - “Jum Bah Day” by House of Gypsies - featuring Kayla Radomski & Max Kapitanniko. VIDEO

KHERINGTON PAYNE in Fame: Season 4’s blonde sweetheart, Kherington, gives the Top 4 a sneak peek at her new film: a revamp of the classic Fame. Plug, plug. VIDEO

DEBBIE’S 2ND PICK: Top 16 Group Ballroom and Hip Hop by Dmitry Chaplin and Tabitha & Napoleon - “I Know You Want Me (Calle Ocho)” by Pit Bull. VIDEO

TALIA FOWLER JAZZ: Choreographed by Sonya Tayeh - “Shot You Down” by Audio Bullies - featuring Talia Fowler, a ballerina and winner of the second season of So You Think You Can Dance Australia. VIDEO

LIL C’s PICK: Bollywood by Nakul Dev Mahajan - “Jai Ho” from Slumdog Millionaire - featuring Caitlin Kinney & Jason. VIDEO

FIRST ELIMINATION: Kayla Radomski gets cut. She is undoubtedly a gorgeous dancer. Especially loved her in the “Addiction” dance (coming up below), and she was almost consistently amazing as a performer in each number. I will miss her sweet, sobbing grandpa most of all. VIDEO

ADAM’S 2nd PICK: The Butt Dance - Contemporary by Mia Michaels - “Koop Island Blues” by Koop ft. Ane Brun - featuring Randi Strong-Evans & Evan Kasprzak. VIDEO

MARY’S 2nd PICK: Matrix Paso Doble by Louis Van Amstel - “Tetsujin” from The Matrix Revolutions - featuring Jeanine & Brandon. VIDEO

SECOND ELIMINATION: Evan Kasprzak gets the cut. Thank you, jeebus. VIDEO

NIGEL’S 2nd PICK: Addiction dance - Contemporary by Mia Michaels - “Gravity” by Sara Bareilles - featuring Kayla & Kupono Aweau. (Side note: I effin’ love Kupono’s performance in this number). VIDEO

RAGE BOYZ CREW: Cute lil boys do Hip Hop by Tiffany Burton - “Feel It” by Colby O’Donis & Mauli - . VIDEO

TYCE DIORIO’S PICK: Fastest Disco Number Ever by Doriana Sanchez - “Loving Is Really My Game” by Brainstorm - featuring Janette & Brandon. VIDEO

MIA’S 2nd PICK: Breast Cancer dance - Contemporary by Tyce DiOrio - “This Woman’s Work” by Maxwell - featuring Melissa Sandvig & Ade Obayomi. VIDEO

TOP 8 GROUP DANCE (Reprise): Broadway by Mia Michaels - “One” from A Chorus Line - SURPRISE!!! All of the judges (except Lil C) come out from behind the mirrors at the end in tuxes and do a few jazzy steps. Adorable! VIDEO

WINNER RESULTS: It’s down to Jeanine and Brandon…who has been voted as the winner by America? Iiiiiiiit’s… JEANINE MASON!! VIDEO

My final thoughts:

1) I’m fine - even happy - with the outcome. How about you? Do you agree that Jeanine should win?
2) Is this terrible encouragement to stage mothers across the world to force their children to take up things like dance, even when they’re miserable like Mama Mason did to Jeanine? Something to think about.
3) Why wasn’t Janette in the Top 4 again? She’s a HOT TAMALE, YES SHE IS!
4) Congratulations, Jeanine, for sneaking by and swiping that crown!

Wondering where you’ll get your next dance fix from? Never fear! Season 3 of MTV’s America’s Best Dance Crew premieres this Sunday, and in just one month, So You Think You Can Dance will be back with its 6th Season (September 9th on FOX)!

Buy a ticket for the Hot Tamale Train and join me then, won’t you? Until that time comes though, I’m gonna enjoy the month of extra sleep on Wednesday and Thursday nights when I won’t be recapping! This is me, *jazz handsing* off-stage. Erin out!

What’s up, Dance fans? Below are videos (from MJ) and quickie recaps of tonight’s Top 10 performance show on So You Think You Can Dance! As is the story of my life lately, I’ve been a smidge bizzay to give my full-on catty commentary (but I tried my best por vous, readers).

The winds are a’changin! New couples, new voting style. The dancers got paired with a new partner tonight and each duo did one dance together. Also, each of the Top 10 dancers performed a solo, and then there was a male group dance and a female group dance. The esteemed Debbie Allen joined in as the third judge.

BOTTOM DANCERS: Randi, Kupono and Evan

Girls’ Group Dance - Bollywood by Nakul Dev Mahanjan - “Dhonlna” from Pyar Ke Geet soundtrack (VIDEO): That was cute. The gals are called “The Bollywood Bombshells” - I thought it could’ve used more *pow!* personally, but their dance was typical Bollywood lady-dance delightful and told some sort of story like, “We’re getting water from the river, now we’re carrying it on our heads, now we’re wearing freakin’ creepy masks on the back of our heads…” - you know, THAT kinda story. The judges loved it and threw in gross puns like “Nakul, you’re ‘cool’!” (Nigel) and “BollyWOW!” (Mary). Debbie is too cool for puns and just thinks they’re the best Top 5 ladies evs.

Kayla Radomski & Evan Kasprzak - Viennese Waltz by Tony Meredith and Melanie LaPatin - “Kiss From A Rose” by Seal (VIDEO): So much for Team Short Stuff (Evan & Randi) - more like Team Tall Girl and Short Guy. I thought the number was blah - the song’s tempo rushed the choreography so they didn’t get a chance to sloooow and flooow their movements. Kayla looked pretty as usual, but it would’ve been better if we had a chance to absorb what was happening. Evan was able to do the lifts, but he lacked presence in this dance for me.

Brandon Bryant’s Solo - “Your Eyes” by Jeffrey Gains (VIDEO): The song stank (how could you beat the Peter Gabriel version? Honestly.), BUT I admit I loooove watching Brandon’s solos. So much power in that mighty lil body! Objectively, he’s definitely the strongest dancer of this season.

Janette Manrara & Ade Obayomi - Hip Hop by Tabitha & Napoleon - “Love Sex and Magic” by Ciara feat. Justin Timberlake (VIDEO): Another wonky height difference. Team Tall Guy and Short Girl. Suddenly, Ade looks monstrously huge and tall next to tiny little Janette. A really fun hip hop number to watch (c’mon, it’s about him hypnotizing her with his hair pik o’ FUNK). Both are good dancers with high energy (and seem to genuinely like each other). I think they could’ve been more together, but maybe that’s part of the height difference coming into play. Who cares though? The judges were gaga over it - pure entertainment from skilled dancers.

Randi Strong-Evan’s Solo - “Dream” by Priscilla Ahn (VIDEO): Eh. A typical contemporary number. She does dance a little “heavy” as Mia Michaels mentioned a few weeks ago. A little frantic, too.

Kupono Aweau’s Solo - “Marina Gasolina” by Bonde Do Rola (VIDEO): Now I loves me some Kupono, but I thought this could’ve been stronger. He could’ve matched the music a little more and his tore-up top was sorta zombie-ridiculous. I think me dear Kupono may be in trouble…

Jeanine Mason & Jason Glover - Contemporary by Travis Walls - “If It Kills Me” by Jason Mraz (VIDEO): These two are already friends, so they’re excited to work together. Also, everyone’s stoked to see Season 2 runner-up Travis Wall come to choreograph. I know I’m not a big Jason fan, but I admit: the dance is sexxxcellent! It has a story (childhood friends who fall in love), matches the music perfectly, is uber-passionate, plays with a prop (necklace), and Jason gets to make-out with another girl at the end. Jeanine & Jason both really get to shine now that 1) they’re with a partner who can keep up (sorry, Chbeeb, truth hurts), and 2) they have real chemistry with one another (sorry, Caitlin, truth hurts). The judges are in looove with it and give them a standing ovation. They’re all nostalgic about Travis’ growth, Mary’s crying and HOT TAMALE TRAIN screaming, etc, etc.

Melissa Sandvig’s Solo - “Gabriel” by Lamb (VIDEO): It’s a little slow and not as strong as her solo last week, but still a pretty number with a bunch of pointe work going on. I did say, “Go on with your bad self, old-ass ballerina!” at some point(e) (haha!) — it was tongue-in-cheek, of course. I know she ain’t that old, so save the hate mail!

Evan Kasprzak’s Solo - “Zing went the Strings of my Heart” by Rufus Wainwright (VIDEO): A nice “aw shucks” Broadway-style solo from Evan. He’s so much more enjoyable in his own element…

Kayla Radomski’s Solo - “Rock Your Soul” by Elisa (VIDEO): Annoyingly repetitive song. If you compare Kayla to Randi there’s no doubt that Kayla’s contemporary style solo is much better - her lines are indeed gorgeous. She just lacks personality (compared to say, Melissa or Janette or Jeanine).

Randi Strong-Evans & Kupono Aweau - Paso Doble by Tony Meredith and Melanie LaPatin - “Dies Irae” by Karl Jenkins (VIDEO): Uh did Kupono almost drop Randi at the end? Sadly, Kupono’s not quite strong enough. I could tell they both gave their best, so it was too bad they didn’t quite deliver. Also, I’ve always thought that Randi should consider getting hair extensions or some color, but after seeing her in the long, brown wig, I’m not sure if that helped her look. It was okay to watch, but the judges were really down on them, so these two are in troubs!

Ade Obayomi’s Solo - ”Unchained Melody” by Righteous Brothers (VIDEO): Ade, you’re so effin’ cute. I mean it was a weird music choice for the fast speed he was dancing, and he rehashed the same flying backflip from last week (his “signature move” perhaps?), but I heart this guy!

Jeanine Mason’s Solo - “Violento (Up Mix)” by Bailongo! (VIDEO): Wasn’t this the song that Jeanine & Phillip did their disasterous Tango to? Well this was much better than that. Jeanine must feel like the old ball and chain is off (that’s you, Chbeeb) cuz she’s gaining a lot of momentum. Strong solo despite weird bandage-y outfit.

Jason Glover’s Solo - “Train Fare Home” by Muddy Waters (VIDEO): Hm, Jason was quirky, for once. What is going on? Will it hurt him or help him? Still not as strong as Brandon or Ade, but he’s right smack-dab in the middle of the ranks.

Melissa Sandvig & Brandon Bryant - Broadway by Tyce Diorio - “Aquarius” from Hair New Broadway cast (VIDEO): Lol, Cat after the dance, “I…smell…patchuli…” So I liked the number okay, but wasn’t as in love with it as the judges. It was sorta scattered, but they’re both good dancers and Melissa was able to keep up with Brandon. I’m not sure if the audience will love it that much either. I hope they’re both safe!

Janette Manrara’s Solo - “This is Miami” by Saunder (VIDEO): Hm, words to describe…salsa-y, sexy, flingy, fun, cheeky.

Guys’ Group Dance - African by Jeff Paige - “Balant Funk” by Ayanda Clarke & Shawn Kelly (VIDEO): Wow, that went on forever and I (like Cat) got tired just watching them. I’m winded. Five, shirtless, shweaty guys? The ladies went wild. They had way more energy than the girls’ group dance, that’s for sure.

So tomorrow night, the judges hand their POWAH over to America and voters are only choosing the best DANCER (not couple). Who is in the bottom and who’s on top? Find out tomorrow on So You Think You Can Dance!

Who wants to take a field trip to the So You Think You Can Dance rumor mill?? If you’re interested in this week’s new couples and the genres they’ll dance (courtesy of SYTYCDism), follow me. If you don’t want spoilers, STOP reading!

- Each couple performs one dance together
- There’ll be TWO group numbers: the guys dance in African style and the ladies have Bollywood

NEW COUPLE PAIRINGS

Kayla Radomski & Evan Kasprzak (Waltz) - Oh dear. The judges’ beloved Kayla getting matched with one of the weaker (albeit likable) guys? And with the dreaded, yawn-inducing waltz? Wonder how that’ll go over with viewers…

Janette Manrara & Ade Obayomi (Hip Hop) - Tabitha & Napoleon - Janette & Ade should be a strong couple together and Tabitha & Napoleon’s numbers are usually a crowd favorite. It’ll be interesting to see if Janette’s lucky run can continue without Brandon.

Jeanine Mason & Jason Glover (Contemporary) - Travis Wall - Travis (Season 2 runner-up) of the famed Mia Michaels “Bench Dance” (VIDEO) will help these two out. Both Jeanine & Jason have shown they can do Contemporary, so let’s hope that they have better chemistry than Caitlin & Jason had.

Melissa Sandvig & Brandon Bryant (Broadway) - Tyce Diorio - Hm, like her as I do, I’m not sure if Melissa can hang with Brandon. Now don’t call me an ageist! I’m just saying she isn’t as strong as Janette or even Kayla, and Brandon is craaaazy strong. I hope she proves me wrong - go on girl!

Randi Strong-Evans & Kupono Aweau (Paso Doble) - This is an odd couple. Kupono is so tall and lithe and Randi is stocky and punchy. Will their styles match up?

What do you think? It’s going to be interesting for sure - tune in to So You Think You Can Dance this Wednesday at 8pm on FOX!

Woohoo! I’m happy with tonight’s So You Think You Can Dance elimination - the judges made the right choice and came up with an “everybody wins” compromise. More ahead and videos (by MJ) from tonight’s episode:

GROUP DANCE: Tabitha & Napoleon choreographed this Hip Hop routine to “Seven Nation Army” by The White Stripes. True to the song title, everyone was dressed as soldiers (originally I thought their military jackets were inspired as a Michael Jackson tribute - PIC - maybe they were…more on this next). It was entertaining and you can’t beat the awesome White Stripes jam, but the group wasn’t fully together in spots. VIDEO

So the BAD news (you’ll get the pun in a sec): The totally tubular Michael Jackson dance special they were planning (dances of all styles to M.J.’s music) was not approved by Sony or the Jackson family estate.  Nigel says they couldn’t get the songs cleared. *sad trombone*

But onto worse news: who’s getting cut tonight? First, we find out that Caitlin and Jason are in the Bottom 3 and better-than-sliced-bread couple Janette and Brandon are safe. Totally agree. I haven’t been on the Caitlin-Jason train at all. Both lovely dancers, I’m sure, but just blaaaaah together.  VIDEO

Next we find out that Team Short Stuff, Randi and Evan, are SAFE (despite Evan’s weak performance last night) and Jeanine and Phillip are in the Bottom. I sort agree with that, too. Not so much that Jeanine deserved to be in the bottom, but c’MON. It’s time Phillip go home! I wished both of these couples were in the bottom and wasn’t looking forward to find out if Kayla and Kupono or Melissa and Ade were in trouble (I like both couples!). VIDEO

Well, it was a lose-lose: Melissa and Ade are in the Bottom 3 for the first time this season. Booooo–butttt, I’m happy that Kayla and Kupono are safe. It’s a close call because both couples had one strong number and one weaker number last night. For Melissa and Ade, their Disco number was hot hot hot and their Waltz was aiiight. Kayla and Kupono’s Contemporary addiction dance was kick-you-in-the-gut powerful, but their Broadway number was “ehh”. I think the audience got it right. VIDEO

To kill time, we’re teased with clips from the current SYTYCD Season 6 auditions. We see a snippet of a “whimsical” dancer form Boston named Teddy who makes it to Vegas. Is he THAT whimsical? I dunno, it just looked like a badly dressed guy dancing Contemporary *shrug* He also had that “meth-head”, picked-at, scabby face, so that turned me off a lil bit. Just me? Do you love Teddy already? VIDEO

SOLO DANCES: Time for our Bottom 3 couples to DANCE FOR THEIR LIVES! Caitlin (song: “Stand By Me” by Playing for Change) definitely does not brang it for me. She just coquettishly flits around stage without much power or passion. Jason (song: “Calm Touching” by Evaline) impresses me more in his solos and this was the case again tonight. He had some great, unique movement, lots of wound-up-then-explode twirls and spins. Jeanine (song: “Baby’s Romance” by Chris Garneau) is wearing some distracting golden dress and her jubblies are about to pop out. Her solo is weaker than last week’s and it seemed she has trouble finding her center in spins. Then, curse him as I do, Phillip really amazes me in his pop-locking solo. He is DEFINITELY so fun to watch in his own style, but you know what? They NEVER dance in his exact style on this show, and he hasn’t been that great in any other genre, so let’s just send him home please (excellent choice of music though - “The Diva Dance” from The Fifth Element). VIDEO

Our last DANCES FOR THEIR LIVES are Melissa and Ade. It’s our first time seeing them do a longer solo and I’m excited and nervous. These two deserve to survive, but what if the judges keep a more popular dancer (a.k.a. Chbeeb)? Melissa (song: “Kashira” by Kodo) does her ballet thang and it WORKS. She does the strongest female solo of the night (and I’m not into ballet). I worried about Ade (song: “Windowdipper” by Jib Kidder) until he did this INCREDIBLE backflip. He got SO much air it was absoutely amazing - and some really energetic moves in his solo - everyone gave him a standing ovation. I pray the judges keep him. VIDEO

As the judges leave to choose their Bottom Guy and Girl, DJ David Guetta and Kelly Rowland perform “When Love Takes Over”. Fast forward for me. VIDEO

ELIMINATED: Caitlin Kinney and Phillip Chbeeb. VIDEO

I can’t believe it! I really thought the judges were clinging on to Phillip so he could be in the Top 10 Tour, but looks like they worked things out with the producers: 1) Phillip goes because it’s HIS time, but 2) he and Caitlin still get to join the tour!  Everybody wins. For the first time all season, Phillip almost makes me cry with his farewell speech about his difficult journey from a poor background. You’re alright by me, Chbeeb (even moreso now that you’re gone though).

Next week we have some big change-ups! The So You Think You Can Dance couples must pair-up with new partners and the judges relinquish control of who gets eliminated to AMERICA. *gag* Will our “Top Dancers” still be as strong with weaker partners, and will overshadowed dancers gain some momentum with a new partner? Who do you want to see join forces? How about Kayla and Ade (KAdeyla?) or Brandon and Jeanine? The girls are much stronger than the guys at this point so there’ll be more than one person who’ll be downgrading partners. I can’t wait to see what happns!

Hey y’all, check out the videos (from MJ) and brief reviews for last night’s Top 12 performances on So You Think You Can Dance below! No long recap of each couple because I wasn’t able to watch it yet!

Each couple danced TWO numbers (yay!) and the guest judge was Tyce D’Orio (ehhhh…).

RUMORED BOTTOM COUPLES: Phillip & Jeanine, Caitlin & Jason and Randi & Evan

Melissa Sandvig & Ade Obayomi - Disco (Doriana Sanchez) - “Move On Up” by Destination (VIDEO): Melissa slips/falls during the routine, but recovers and judges loved it, especially their crazy, strong lifts.

Melissa & Ade 2nd Dance - Waltz (Ron Montez) - “Natural Woman” by Mary J. Blige (VIDEO): Very pretty, but the judges think the technique and “rise and fall” could definitely be improved upon. Still sounds like Melissa & Ade belong in the top.

Kayla Radomski & Kupono Aweau - Contemporary (Mia Michaels) - “Gravity” by Sarah Bareilles (VIDEO): A powerful dance about addiction that the judges really enjoyed because Kaypono are both very dedicated “actors” as well as dancers. They also still love Kayla something fierce.

Kayla & Kupono 2nd Dance - Broadway (Joey Dowling) - “The Dance at the Gym” from West Side Story The New Broadway Cast (VIDEO): Ok hold that thought about Kaypono being good actors because they didn’t “bring it” for their characters in this number. The judges were lukewarm and said they needed to dig deeper. Uh ohs!

Caitlin Kinney & Jason Glover - Foxtrot (Tony Meredith & Melanie LaPatin) - “Minnie the Moocher” by Big Bad Voodoo Daddy (VIDEO): Judges liked it and thought they were both smooooooth. Will it be enough to save these two from the Bottom 3 though?

Caitlin& Jason 2nd Dance - Jazz (Mandy Moore) - “Show Me Heaven” by Maria McKee (VIDEO): A better performance, but their chemistry is still so-so according to Nigel (I agree!). If either of them survives elimination this week, it could be interesting to see if next week’s partner switch-up helps.

Jeanine Mason & Phillip Chbeeb - Russian Folk Dance (Youri Nelzine & Lilia Babenko) - “Kalinka” by Barynya (VIDEO): Very mixed reviews. It wasn’t an overall success like the Bollywood numbers have been in their efforts to add international dance styles. Nigel said it was “folky”, y’know for a Russian Folk Dance…Jeanine is still the stronger dancer between the two.

Jeanine & Phillip 2nd Dance - Jive (Tony Meredith & Melanie LaPatin) - “Stuff Like That There” by Bette Midler (VIDEO): A really fun number. The judges love Jeanine so she’s finally getting her moment to shine, away from Phillip. They’re not counting him out yet (even though his dance technique continues to be “blah”) - theories are that they’re just trying to keep him on long enough to at least make the SYTYCD Top 10 tour. Shame, shame FOX (but ok, it makes sense).

Randi Strong-Evans & Evan Kasprzak - Hip Hop (Tabitha & Napoleon) - “Halo” by Beyonce (VIDEO): Team Short Stuff managed to do really well for being out of their comfort zone. They are a couple who find out that they’re pregs (”babies havin’ babies”). The judges seem to place these two in the middle of the competition. Definitely not pimping them as much as couples like Janette & Brandon.

Randi & Evan - Samba (Pasha & Anya) - “Ritmo De Bom Bom” by Jubaba (VIDEO): They’re a cute, wee couple, but didn’t bring enough spicy-spice for this Samba. *sad trombone*

Janette Manrara & Brandon Bryant - Argentine Tango (Leonardo Barrionuevo & Miriam Larici) - “Libertango” from Forever Tango original Broadway cast (VIDEO): Wow! A standing ovation from the judges! What can’t this couple do? Their tango wins raves from Nigel. Next week everyone gets a new partner though, so what happens if it’s like, Brandon with a weaker female dancer like Caitlin (if she escapes elimination)? Will his lucky streak continue?

Janette & Brandon 2nd Dance - Pop Jazz (Wade Robson) - “Ruby Blue” by Roisin Murphy (VIDEO): Un yeah, it’s in the bag for these two to make it to the Finals. Another perfectly executed dance number. These two are unstoppable, but I still don’t know if they’re as likeable as like…last season’s Katee & Joshua. Either way, they DO deserve to make it to the end. The bigger question is Who else is close enough in talent to join them?

Tonight’s the Top 12 elimination show and Kelly Rowland and David Guetta will sing “When Love Takes Over.” Things’ll shake up next week when the couples get scrambled!

Who do you think were the bottom couples and who should go home? Watch So You Think You Can Dance tonight to find out if you’re right!

You can thank the long July 4th weekend for this very belated recap of the So You Think You Can Dance Top 14 elimination! Sometimes a girl’s just gotta get her fireworks and BBQ on.This is going to be short and sweet - recap and videos below (clips from MJ’s)!

Group number: an energetic “raise the roof” Broadway number to “Brand New Day” from The Wiz by Tyce Diorio. The dancers are a circus painting come to life - a.k.a. the stuff of my nightmares, usually. VIDEO

Unfortunately, we learn that Karla & Vitolio are (again) in the Bottom 3 and must (again) DANCE FOR THEIR LIVES. Randi & Evan are safe, although I thought their fisty-punch-punch Broadway number was underwhelming compared to Karla & Vitolio’s quick-changing Quickstep. C’est la vie. VIDEO

Next up, it’s no real surprise that Janette & Brandon are safe as usual (PS - Janette’s 1970’s Karen Carpenter hairdo needs to be nixed - PIC). When it’s between Kayla & Kupono and Melissa & Ade, you know it can’t be good news since both pairs were very strong Weds night. I thought that viewers probably under-appreciated the classical ballet number by Melissa & Ade but I’m wrong - Kayla & Kupono are the ones in the Bottom 3. Their angsty vampire number just didn’t grab hold of audiences. Kayla showed a slight lack of modesty by tearing up, nodding along and agreeing as Mia Michaels told the pair how great they were and that they didn’t deserve to be in the bottom. Could the judges’ fawning over Kayla 1) be backfiring and making viewers avoid voting for her, and 2) filling Kayla’s ego like a hot air balloon? Hope not! VIDEO

Another surprise comes when Jeanine & Phillip are in the Bottom 3 after their chained-up hip hop routine, which meant that Caitlin & Jason’s weird impregnating alien dance actually got them votes! Wtf! VIDEO

Before the Bottom 3 couples DANCE FOR THEIR LIVES, we see a jaw-dropping, toe-curling Contemporary Ballet number performed by Patricia Hachey and Desmond Richardson from Complexions Contemporary Ballet. They’re doing all kinds of astounding en pointe moves. Ouch and wow! The dance is choreographed by Dwight Rhoden and Desmond Richardson (song: “Caprice in e Minor, Op. 1 No. 3″ by Midori), who I believe choreographed Katee & Will’s gorgeous Pas de Deux last season. VIDEO

Enough stalling, time to DANCE FOR YOUR LIVES, kids! First up is Karla doing her YouTube-famous (VIDEO) contemporary solo to ”Blackbird” by Dionne Farris. Next is my lovely Vitolio flying and kicking to ”Here Comes Goodbye” by Rascal Flatts. Then Kayla does a decent Contemporary solo to ”Stupid” by Sarah McLachlan, and finally Kupono does a contained performance to ”Over the Rainbow” by Israel Kamakawiwo’ole - I felt him, but I think people wanted to see more drama, more movement from him. VIDEO

Finally, we get to see Jeanine & Phillip do their thing. Jeanine delivers the strongest female solo to ”Moonlight Sonato” by Smart Sleep with Classical. She spins and spins like a whirling dervish. And finally, the always fun Chbeeb/Phillip goes nutty and jelly-jointed on us with ”You’ll Find a Way - Switch & Sinden Remix” by Santogold. He is definitely entertaining to watch in his element, but I don’t think he deserves to make it much further on SYTYCD. VIDEO

As Nigel, Mary and Mia deliberate on the male and female to leave, we watch Kelly Clarkson rock to “I Do Not Hook Up.”  Wonky camera angles and all. VIDEO

ELIMINATED: Karla Garcia and Vitolio Jeune. VIDEO

The judges were unanimous and even though it wasn’t a real surprise, it’s a bummer because I liked them both. Sigh!

Ooh la la! The pressure was on in tonight’s episode of So You Think You Can Dance: a lot of the dancers got their own styles or genres that weren’t too much of a stretch AND guest-judging was “love you or hate you” Contemporary choreographer, Mia Michaels. Like everyone else, I couldn’t wait to hear if she still couldn’t stand Brandon Bryant for no reason besides his face “annoys the sh!t” out of her…could he win her over? Let’s find out! Thoughts on tonight’s dances and videos (courtesy of MJ) below:

MY BOTTOM 3: Randi & Evan, Caitlin & Jason and Karla & Vitolio

Janette Manrara & Brandon Bryant - Cha-Cha - Jean-Marc and France Genereux - “Hush Hush; Hush Hush” by The Pussycat Dolls (VIDEO): Can these two do any wrong?? Guess that applies to both couples: Brandon & Janette AND the best ballroom choreographers evs, Jean-Marc & France. The dancers nailed this Cha-Cha and, to use Mary Murphy terminology, they were two spicy sexpots waiting to board the first class coach on THE HOT TAMALE TRAIN - YES THEY WERE - WOO WOOO!! Nigel said it was the best Cha-Cha ever on the show and they were so good that Mia did some furious backpedaling and pretended that she was only an outright bitch to Brandon during auditions because she “saw soooo much potential in him.” It was sort of like those made-for-TV movie moments when the drunken husband slurs, “I’m sorry! I only beat ya cuz I loves ya, baby!” Whatevs, I still think she was out of line with her personal attacks during his auditions (not critiquing his dance technique, but his FACE? Come on.). So far, Brandon definitely has what it takes to win this entire show, BUT can he and Janette win enough fans over? Also, will their egos get the best of them?

Kayla Radomski & Kupono Aweau - Jazz - Sonya Tayeh - “Eyes on Fire” by Blue Foundation (VIDEO): This was a perfect number for “Kaypono” - another bizarre, angsty, ragdolly Sonya number. The pair were moody, broody and sexy vampires and it worked. They were totally into their characters and their movements were so together. They looked ever so loverly (y’know, for a dance about death and bloodsucking immortals) and the judges finally gave my boy Kupono some props for his talent! He reminds me more and more of last season’s resident Hawaiian dancer, Mark Kanemura, with his style and embodiment of characters, but he’s sexier to look at. Love ya, Kupono! Hey producers, BTW, can we get some more shots of Kayla’s teddy bear of a grandpa? I miss him.

Randi Strong-Evans & Evan Kasprzak - Broadway - Joey Dowling - “Rich Man’s Frug” from Sweet Charity (VIDEO): This dance was a little too much like last week’s “Butt Dance” (boy-chasing-girl) at first and I thought the music was all wrong and understated for the choreography. I disagree with the judges and blame the choreographer for this underwhelming number. Evan & Randi had some strong moments, but overall I was not really into the number and Evan did come off looking weirdly feminine in some of his movements. It’s getting really hard to pick “Bottom 3″ couples this week because we’ve got some fantastic dancers this season, but Team Short Stuff is on my list for the week.

Caitlin Kinney & Jason Glover - Pop Jazz - Brian Friedman - “Creator” by Santogold (VIDEO): Caitlin played an alien who destroyed mankind and was trying to impregnate Jason, the last human on Earth. Very Xenu. I am still not in love with this couple, but they both did their best to commit to the ridiculous roles given to them, so props for that. Jason even had a few leaps in the dance that were beautiful and impressed me more than he normally does, but overall it was a very strange number and like Mia, I was way distracted by Caitlin’s outfit - something resembling a vacuum-sealed garbage bag coiled with aluminum foil. FASHION POLICE. Poor Caitlin - another pair for the Bottom 3.

Jeanine Mason & Phillip Chbeeb - Hip Hop - Tabitha and Napoleon - “Love Lockdown” by Kanye West (VIDEO): Wow these fools lucked out by getting another Tabitha & Napoleon number!  No Shane Sparks er anything to possibly screw them up. The dance literally chained Jeanine & Phillip at the ankles to represent their partnership on the show — funny how for me the chain came to symbolize how I’ve been stuck with Phillip on my TV, wonking up dance after dance and sending better dancers home. Sorry Chbeeb lovers, I’m sick of his one-note, over-pouty, fish stank face. Yes he’s a talented hip hop dancer, but even in his own genre, his performance (a.k.a. his character) always sucks and he doesn’t emotionally connect. Unfortunately for me, this dance was a success so I guess he’s safe for another week. SIGH.

Melissa Sandvig & Ade Obayomi - Pas de Duex - Thordal Christensen - Romeo & Juliet (VIDEO): I was glad to see Melissa, our sole ballerina, get to do this dance. I still really root for this couple! Definitely not Ade’s strongest dance, but it was far from a disaster and what these two lack in technique they made up for in emotional connection and chemistry. But I wonder if audiences will vote for a classical ballet number…? I hope they stay safe!

Karla Garcia & Vitolio Jeune - Quickstep - Jean-Marc and France Genereux - “Puttin’ on the Ritz” by Rufus Wainwright (VIDEO): I put these two in my Bottom 3, but honestly thought they did a really excellent job and enjoyed their spunky Quickstep moreso than Melissa & Ade’s Pas de Deux. But Mia was right that sometimes Karla wasn’t fully in her character and had a stunned facial expression that took a little away from their dance and lost some points from me. HOWEVER, I am also really rooting for this couple because Karla & Vitolio were, IMHO, anchored down by weaker partners in the past weeks and this dance alone showed that they have a lot more to offer. Overall it was a fun, quick-changing Quickstep! I mean, Karla’s dress totally transformed in the middle of the number, and that’s gotta be a crowd-pleaser. Will it be enough though?

Tomorrow night we get a performance by “AUUGH KELLY CLARKSON!” and find out which gal and guy are leaving us. Who will they be? Tune in to So You Think You Can Dance at 9pm on FOX!

In the spirit of dance for tonight’s So You Think You Can Dance recap, we at Square Eyes join the world by giving a big R.I.P., “Shhhaa-mon!” and “Heeeee-heee!” to Michael Jackson. Much respect from Kat and I.

But life moves on and for this entry, it’s onto the results and videos from tonight’s elimination (clips from MJ’s):

First of all, the show opened with a group number that actually made sense. A “No noo! Too sexy!!” dance where everyone was copping a feel and that fused Ballroom and Hip Hop dancing to “I Know You Want Me (Calle Ocho)” by Pitbull. Thanks to Dmitry Chaplin and Tabitha & Napoleon for a simple storyline that I could follow. I’m still waiting for Mia Michaels to explain last week’s group number. (VIDEO)

Wow, so I guess they filmed this not long after MJ died today because Nigel speaks about Ed McMahon, Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson’s recent deaths and pays tribute to them. They go to break showing “Thriller” although it just left me wanting to see more than a few seconds - how about instead we fill the hour with Michael Jackson music videos? I digress. (VIDEO)

After commercial we dive right in and learn that (rightfully) Asuka & Vitolio are in the Bottom 3 and must DANCE FOR THEIR LIVES. Likewise, Janette & Brandon, Randi & Evan, Melissa & Ade and Jeanine & Phillip (pout) are all safe. I agree, even though I am not really a Phillip fan - they were much better than Karla & Jonathan and Caitlin & Jason last night. Sorry Jeanine, hopefully next week you can claw your way out from under Chbeeb’s shadow and get some recognition for your skills. (VIDEO)

The remaining 3 couples are up next - 2 will be in danger. Last night I said it should be (love ‘em as I do) Karla & Jonathan and Caitlin & Jason and… I’m RIGHT! That means new couple Kupono & Kayla are safe to run to the pit of “we are the champions” contestants this week. I’m relieved that all of my favorite couples are safe! (VIDEO)

Meanwhile, as our Bottom 3 prep to DANCE FOR THEIR LIVES, we watch a group of pint-sized (and adolescent) tykes called the Rage Boyz Crew do a Hip Hop routine choreographed by Tiffany Burton. Cat squeals a lot over how adorable the leading lil boy is and I agree! Was the dancing phenomenal? No, but they were energetic and entertaining to watch and that’s good enough for me. (VIDEO)

Ok, let’s watch the solos! First up is Asuka who does a rather sloppy-frantic ballroom solo. In general, I feel she’s the weakest of the Bottom 3 gals, and she didn’t redeem herself  tonight. Next is Vitolio, who I thought was fab. I just love his jumps and extensions. So…sinewy. Then it’s Karla with an interesting and compelling Contemporary piece, although her nerves seem to surface because she wobbles on some spins (hey, there’s the standing split move she always does again!). Finally, it’s dimpled-delight Jonathan who has a tough task with salsa-ing solo through his number. Actually, I was pretty impressed and thought he didn’t *just* look like a Ballroom dancer - he mixed things up and did some tumbling too. (VIDEO)

Commercial, yada yada, and our final Bottom couple is up! Caitlin does her usual limber-acrobatics-filled solo, which is no longer as novel to me as in her first audition…but I think she’s better than Asuka. Our last solo of the night comes from golden boy Jason. I don’t remember much of it. A lot of jumps and rolling around on the floor going on. I’m still not on-board with him and think his solo was the weakest. (VIDEO)

Off go the judges to deliberate and we get a performance by The Veronicas singing “Take Me On the Floor”. And this is me fast forwarding. (VIDEO)

ELIMINATED: Asuka Kondoh and Jonathan Platero (VIDEO)

Well, I’m cool with this elimination and - hello! - as I dared to dream last night, we now have Karla and Vitolio as new partners! Fingers crossed that they’ll be a good match and can explode and amaze us next week! They’ve got the potential!

Cat announces that on Monday, FOX will (for the first time everrrr) re-broadcast the American Idol Top 13 episode featuring the music of Michael Jackson. Hmmm, is it a touching tribute or shameless excuse for ad dollars? Discuss.

I’m gonna go listen to the sweet sounds of “I’ll Be There“, close my eyes and shake my head in mourning. Peace y’all.