I’m an obsessive list maker

This week, with guest judges Tabitha and napoleon, the couples danced 2 routines and the first time comfort and thayne danced together as a couple. The first round of dances were kinda weak and the second were much stronger, which made it harder to judge as overall couples for the week. I judged each dance against the other dances in the half then I judged them against all the dances of the show. The lowest number of points is the winner and seven is the most you can get (cause there are seven couples). This is my score sheet

1 Katee and Joshua. Their first routine of the night was a contemporary routine by Mia Michaels that was the #1 routine of this half of the show and the #1 dance of the episode. Mia michales when shes good shes a genius. And when she sculpts the strongest couple, how could it go wrong? Katee in her strength outshined Joshua for the first time. Nigel named them as a top 3 couple, but that’s no surprise. Their second routine of the night was a west coast swing by Benji and Lacey that was the #4 routine of this half of the show and the #6 routine of the episode. The music had no drums and it made it seem a bit low energy, but they always do great. When ever a female ex-contestant comes back its only ever to assist a male ex-contestant choreograph and they are rarely even mentioned. Whats up with that? Lacey was mentioned at the end but Heidi has been back many times to assist different people without a mention and Id like to take this time to say to Heidi that I appreciate you and think you are fantastic.

2 Chelsie and Matt. Their first routine of the night was a jazz routine by Mandy Moore that was the #2 routine of this half of the show and the #4 dance of the episode. Started a bit slow and low energy. Difficult routine with fast off beat hits. Good chemistry and character development. Mary screamed. Their second routine of the night was a foxtrot routine that was the #3 routine of this half of the show and the #5 dance of the episode. The tango was the last dance that was in Chelsie’s strength and she lost it a bit in the face. She learned a valuable lesson and never lost it again. Now she’s at her strength again and she nailed it. I love them. They were a very close #2 team.

3 Jessica and Will. Their first routine of the night was a jive routine by Tony Meredith and Melony that was the #4 routine of this half of the show and the #10 dance of the episode. When I saw this, I thought it was the best they have danced as a couple and Jessica’s cuteness shined and her confidence seems to be higher. Mary says there were some missed connections, but I thought there were more in last week’s disco. I think she is starting to do better after last week’s confidence boost, but at this stage you have to get real about who is making it to the top. Will rocks and Jessica just isn’t quite there – same shit different dance. Their second routine of the night was a lyrical jazz routine by Mandy Moore to HEART (I heart Heart) that was the #2 routine of this half of the show and the #3 dance of the episode. Finally something in their strength. The last dance was the best they have done so far and this was so much better than that. They have the best bodies of any couple. The shirt as a prop was clever. They still were still down on Jessica, even at her best. I am so sad for her. But they did make it on the Hot tamale train from mary. Before even seeing the routines, Id say they were in danger of being in the bottom three, but they did really well and I may have given them some bonus points for stepping up their game. Third through fifth place are very close so they are not in the clear.

4 Twitchington. Their first routine of the night was a pasa doble routine by Tony Meredith and Melony that was the #6 routine of this half of the show and the #11 dance of the episode. Weak start and they all commended her mean look but I didn’t exactly buy it. They are always good but it didn’t exactly do it for me. The pasa doble is such a great dance and it was a lame attempt. Their second routine of the night was a contempoary routine by Mia Michaels that was the #1 routine of this half of the show and the #2 dance of the episode. Mia gets the 2 strongest couples this week. More characters and story telling than dancing, but very entertaining and emotional. I loved the jumping on the bed. Nigel named them as a top 3 couple – in fact, both of the Mia Michaels dancers, although I had said they were the strongest 2 from day one. Their second dance was so good but the first was so bad, but being so strong overall will probably keep them out of the bottom 3. Third through fifth place is very close so its hard to say. This week, they did not do their best but overall I believe they are safe.

5 Courtney and Gev. Their first routine of the night was a hiphop routine by Cicily and Alicia that was the #3 routine of this half of the show and the #8 dance of the episode. She was cute and good but a little cheerleader does hiphop for me, but I think that’s also partially the routine. And she was the better of the two. Gev wasn’t as good which is weird. He’s a hiphop dancer and he surprisingly killed everything else this season. But I think its these choreographers who do these softer hiphop routines. Their second routine of the night was a Broadway routine by Andy Blankenbeuler that was the #5 routine of this half of the show and the #7 dance of the episode. They were big and high energy and exaggerated characters. Everything that a broadway routine should be. It only emphasized how the other broadway routine lacked energy, although the choreography of the other one was more interesting to me. As a couple, these two have been just safe, never really excelling and we are coming to the point where they may start to be in the danger zone. Like I said before, third through fifth place is very close, but here I put them in the bottom of that class so they have a real chance of being in the bottom three this week. Joshua and Katee are safe. Courtney and Mark are safe. Twitchington didn’t do as well but they are one of the strongest couples overall. Jessica and Will did the best they’ve ever done. Thayne and Comfort are new. Matt and Kourtni are just plain bad. But… Courtney and Gev are just safe and it may not be enough this week.

6 Thayne and Comfort. Their first routine of the night was a broadway routine by Andy Blankenbeuler that was the #5 routine of this half of the show and the #11 dance of the episode. They didn’t mention that this choreographer was new but I don’t remember him ever being on the show before. Last week they had a new choreographer and they gave her to Matt and Kourtni, the couple that needed the most help and I think it worked. This week they put this guy with the new couple, which I thought they were going to push harder (read: be more supportive of) than the other couples this week cause they are new to each other. AND they gave them broadway which is always a favorite. They were good, but the other couples are all so good too. It really is hard being a new couple when the others have all this experience together. I thought it was great but a bit low energy for a braodway number. They showed a terrible clip at the end. Their second routine of the night was a smooth waltz routine by Edward Simon that was the #6 routine of this half of the show and the #9 dance of the episode. Not a lot of chemistry in the choreography. Lots of great long lifts. Beautiful waltz. They did a great job and the judges never qualified it with it being their first time dancing together. I hope a new partner has given comfort a second chance. Thayne is good but not enough overall. I thought they did great and I want them to be safe but so much good talent. America might feel the same and even though they didn’t do the best out of everyone, america could vote for them.

7 Matt and Kourtni. Their first routine of the night was a hiphop routine by Cicily and Alicia that was the #7 routine of this half of the show and the #14 dance of the episode. Literally the worst routine of the night. Matt was smoother than I thought he would be since hes usually so sharp, but they weren’t synchronized and it was boring. Not much else to say. Nigel did mention the choreography might be at fault and I can agree with that. Their second routine of the night was a mambo routine by Alex DiSilva that was the #7 routine of this half of the show and the #13 dance of the episode. Not smooth enough and not sleazy enough. Low energy. Kourtni is so not graceful. Mary thought she was hot but I don’t know how.

For the third week I watched the routines on my own and then again with my good friend David in our PJs. I wanted to stand firm with my ratings but he made some good points and we swayed each other’s opinions and came to a great middle ground. I thought the judges (Nigel and Mary) had a perspective similar to David’s: they seemed to judge the pairs by their body of work and not just the routine they had just danced. For example, Twitchington have been one of the strongest couples since day one. I thought they did a great job but there were bad points, but the judges glazed over them because they are so minor in the big picture, but I also find that unfair to the couples that are rising the ranks because the ones at the top could never be cut down. I also kinda liked but also thought it to be a bit unfair that the judges gave extra credit to those who were feeling the pangs of lowered self esteem due to the competition. The self esteem that the judges gave them in this episode will hopefully give them the strength the be themselves and have the power to be their best. The guest judge, Adam Shankman, is growing on me. He is a bit wordy but he is giving these young dancers advice that is actually useful in this competition and in life. And he practically said that he’s openly gay this week (as if I had to be told), which was nice when all these gay contestants feel they have to conceal their true identity, on a show that demands we see your personality.

1. Mark and Chelsie did a very emotional lyric-like hiphop routine by Tabitha and Napoleon. They are rising the ranks for me. Progress gets extra points for me but they really were the most memorable routine and the best danced. Mark is a great dancer but he is so great about getting into his characters, especially those who are a bit dark (like him). And he really rubbed off on Chelsie. Chelsie was all passion. They were both fantastic. This week, we learned a few more things about Mark, whom I love. First of all his pinkies are crooked, which are weird and cool, like him. Secondly, he’s Hawaiian, which is also cute. We are still getting to know Chelsie but I like her more and more.

2. Courtney and Gev did a rumba by Tony Meredith and Melony, whom still makes me giggle when I see her from dancing with Pasha when Jessi was unable to perform (still, the greatest tragedy in SYTYCD history. She was my favorite of season 3.). This feel somewhere between a 2 and a 5 (between me and David). Ultimately we came up with almost identical lists except Courtney and Gev were switched with Joshua and Katee. They were smooth and tight and sexy. Courtney is just beautiful and Gev’s love for her is beautiful. The chemistry they seem to have for each other is real. Gev is really stepping up more than I thought he was capable of. They are so tiny. And they are really rising the ranks and, although they were never bad, they didn’t start out as strong obvious winners, and that has a lot of value in this. All these things reminds me how Gev reminds me of Dominic from season 3. Even Nigel said the same thing (it feel so good to be validated).

3. Joshua and Katee danced a samba by Tony Meredith and Melony. Joshua and Katee were number one every week so far. This week they hit somewhere between 2 through 4. I struggled with the idea that they were my number one until now and if that should give them more credit or less. Ok. So, they finally got a dance that is out of their comfort zone. Joshua is sick. SICK! I’m in love. I love his soft southern voice from such a hard looking guy and then he smiles and melts your heart. And then… and THEN, he does that samba walk and licks his lips at just the right moments. SO sexy. I didn’t feel that Katee hit her moves with a lot of intensity. Katee doesn’t seem like a sexual person and she voiced her concern about dancing a routine that twas so sexy. She totally pulled it off because even though she didn’t hit the moves that hard, she made it look so effortless and an easy sexiness and that is how she kept her personality in a dance genre she had never done before. If she tried to be sexier or more hard hitting, it would’ve seemed forced. Because Katee said she didn’t think she was sexy, ALL the judges kinda over compensated and told her how super duper sexy she was and Mary even put them on the hot tamale train. I think it was good to give her an extra dose of self esteem since they are the strongest couple from day one and shes going to be here for a long time, but I think she needed a more honest critique. For them, it was the weakest one so far, but they set the bar high and they still made into the top 3.

4. Twitchington danced a hiphop routine Tabitha and Napoleon. Twitchington is the other strongest couple since day one and the judges also put them on a pedestal a bit more than necessary. Mary gave them her patented scream. David loooved this dance and we struggled about its placement in the list. They were somewhere between 2 and 5. Kerrington did do so much better than I thought she could do in this genre. The problem I had with this dance was she was a bit too smiley. She pulled some good real hiphop faces which were totally cute and dead-on, but still a lot of smiling. So much smiling it was hard to watch Twitch sometimes, who was flawless. It seems really long and there were like no big tricks but they held my attention with the characters and the punchiness to the steps.

5. Matt and Kourtni did a contemporary routine as cartoon characters by a new choreographer Sonya Tayeh (we’ll get back to her in a moment). Kourtni and Matt aren’t doing so well for me in this competition, but this week was the best they have danced and the best characters for them. Matt is a great technical dancer but hes just not a great actor although he has an interesting dry sense of humor when hes not dancing. So, Kourtni is so big and lifts are so difficult the routines are usually more personality driven. So to compensate for her issues, his issues are being highlighted (unfair). So many good dances this week. For me they were between number 3 and 5. I want to give them more cause I loved this dance and they are getting better, but I just cant do any better for them and Im sorry. I suppose I can’t get over the bad dances of their past and I don’t like Kourti (sorry. I’m sure you’re a lovely person). Matt is silly and a bit dry but it doesn’t come across in his dancing enough and the judges think his personality is just whatever (maybe too dry for tv). He did a cute bit last week with singing badly and this week with a ninja mask. The ninja mask was kinda trying too hard, but the judges did tell him to try harder to show his personality so i cant blame him. its a weird catch 22. Ok, now onto Sonya, the new choreographer. Shes got a mohawk and a long mane in the back, a la Jane Child. This dance was not only great, it was a different type of contemporary than what this audience is used to seeing and she picked a hot Hot Chip track for it. COOL! And I liked that she said it was her dream to be on this show – first time I remember that type of reaction from a choreographer. Cool chick. The judges always support the choreographers if not for anything to enforce that any fault you may have with the dance it should be on the dancer’s shoulders. Similarly with wardrobe, although Adam commented on the terrible outfit they put Kourtni in, which I think was a result of none of the teany tiny dancer outfits fitting her. In the wardrobe’s defense (as if I really need to), the latin and ballroom dresses get more and more stunning.

6. Will and Jessica did a disco routine by Doriana Sanchez. The segment started with Jessica feeling bad for herself because Will can do no wrong. She’s a great dancer and is super cute and has a great fun personality, but she needs to dance with every part of her body – from the top of her head to her pinky toe. She’s a little goofy and he’s all business and they need to meet in the middle, but instead it looks like shes not taking it seriously. Will seems really supportive and, just like Jessica said, like his momma raised him right. But because she was low on self esteem, the judges put her on a pedestal and said she was terrific and I don’t think she was terrific but I think she may have it in her and she just needed to hear that shes great and maybe now she can be the best she can be. This dance didn’t get high ratings for me but only in comparison to the enormous talent on the show this year. It is very hard and I wanted them to get higher on the list. Maybe if her extensions were more deliberate and she seemed to take it a bit more seriously.

7. Chelsea and Thayne danced a quick step by Heather Smith. First, let me start off by giving a recap. First week they danced the samba and got on Mary’s hot tamale train. Second week they had that fosse king number that was just a flop. Now this week they need to prove that the second week was a fluke, but then they get the quick step, the hardest dance anyone could get on this show. So unfair. Mary officially took them off the hot tamale train, which I’m not sure has been done before. As she says, its a special train. The dance was really all over the place, but Chelsea in particular was a trainwreck. Nigel pointed out that the reason we love Chelsea is because of her personality and not only did she dance it lousy, she lost her personality in the dance by going through it with a fake smile, which in my opinion is kind of how the pros do it.

8. Comfort and Chris did an african jazz number by tyce diorio to Marylin Manson’s Beauiful People. There were no tricks in the dance so they needed to bring it extra hard with the characters and personality. The song is so hard and driving and dark and they needed to overpower all of that. You know how people say “You’re not wearing the dress, the dress is wearing you”? It was like that, but with this song. They weren’t nearly as animalistic as they needed to be. As usual, Comfort was very good and Chris dragged down the routine with low power. In past seasons, if a partner was dragging down the pair, the judges would say so but maybe they learned their lesson with Cedric last season when the judges singled him out the voting became about something else over than dance. They hardly seemed to feel as strongly about Chris as I do, but I could understand the harm to the show in being too harsh on a contestant. But every week he was the weakest and would drag them down together. And he’s corny. I’m sorry, I’m just so sick of looking at him. On a completely different note, Comfort used to be a beauty pagent girl. I’m really not sure how I should feel about this and it gives me a completely different perspective on her that I’m not sure what to do with, but i have to admit seeing those pictures of her when she was like 4 with those big eyes and all that makeup – precious.

Bottom three were…

5. Kourtni and Matt – they did a lot better as a pair this week than they had in the past. so growth is points right there. Matt’s solo was the best of the guys. I didn’t really like Kourtni’s solo so much, but then again I don’t really like Kourtni so much.

7. Chelsea and Thayne – they are just doing worse and worse. Chelsea’s quick step was terrible and the judges said she lost the fire which was her get out of jail free card. Her solo was a bit better than Kourtni’s but Comfort’s solo was the best of the girls and if you add up 1. that Chelsea is getting worse and Kourtni is getting better and 2. if you are elliminating a girl to give Comfort a new partner (cause face it, if they are splittin up couples Chris is out of here – sorry for the spoiler) Thayne is a better choice than Matt. So Chelsea was cut. Thayne and Chris are the bottom 2 guys and when Thayne lost energy in his solo cause he was winging it and kinda didn’t know where to go for a few seconds, I thought it was over and I thought I’d have to live with Chris for at least one more week, but Thayne was saved.

8. Comfort and Chris – I pretty much gave it away in the last two paragraphs but Comfort was the best of the female solos. They have finally cut a boy and a girl from separate couples and started by freeing Comfort, who has all this potential, and now pairing Comfort with Thayne. And you guessed it, Chris is out.

The second week the judges get more serious with their critiques, but they are still fairly constructive for the dancers to evolve to remain in the program. The first week took forever for me to write so Im going to cut to the quick, knock this one out, and get on schedule with the shows.

1. Joshua “braces” and Katee “asian” make it to my number one spot again with a broadway routine. They nailed it. Joshua is so obviously great and he has such a great look and a humble and charming personality and a glowing smile and he has done nothing wrong so far. I think very highly of him and he could definitely be in the top 4. Katee does great as well and surprises me that she can keep up with him. Maybe shes better than I wanna give her credit for. They are working well as a team. So far they have gotten routines that really work for them, so id like to see how theyd handle some sort of ballroom

2. Mark “dark” and Chelsie “Utah latin” totally kill the tango. I have never voted on this show (altho I should’ve voted for Natalie) but I almost voted for them this week. This routine was sick and they were AMAAAAZING. Loved it. Mark played it so well. They were both excellent technicians and the routine was difficult. I thought chelsie would be more into this emotionally since this is her forte but she looked like she was thinking too much about the steps. I was disappointed that mary didn’t put them on the hot tamale train. I think it was because they performed so early on in the show and/or she doesn’t want to give them out every single episode. Also chelsie’s face wasn’t completely in it so that can lose the fire maybe.

3. Twitchington did a very emotional and contemporary Viennese waltz. It was beautiful and well danced especially by Twitch. As good as it was already, it must’ve gotten plenty of schmaltz points because the choreographer Tony Meredith (i think) dedicated it to his daughter who is mentally handicapped. The choreographer cried, Kerrington cried, and I think even Twitch cried too. I was curious to see how Kerrington would control her smiling during a serious dance like this but she and the choreographer gave new meaning to the Viennese Waltz. I would just like to see her try to not smile so much for once.

4. Courtney and Gev did a great contemporary routine byt Mia Michaels. Gev is doing better every week. I gave Courtney top billing in this pair cause I thought she was cute, but I may need to make an adjustment. They both danced it beautifully although i thought the judges were a bit harsh on Courtney.

5. Comfort and Chris krumped by Lil C. I thought Comfort kinda killed it and Chris totally bombed it. Krumping is the hardest hiphop influences dance they do on this show and Chris could never have pulled it off. I am not a fan of Chris’ (not a secret) but Im not ready to write him off because of this dance because it is hard for anybody. On paper this pair could fill in eachothers gaps but Chris has been pulling Comfort down. Id like to see them dance in his strength so I can understand why he’s on this show.

6. Matt and Kourtni danced a Old Hollywood glamour number that I think they labeled initially as jazz. I think that Matt killed this. He really looked the part and had good extentions. Kourtni did not look elegant to me in her movements or in her performance. I think its the same problem as I had the week before: she looks heavy.

7. Will and Jessica did hiphop. Will was great, as Id expect him to be, even at hiphop. Jessica was just there. She wasnt hard hitting enough.

8. Chelsea and Thayne did a Fosse number by Mandy Moore (i think) where Thayne was a king and she was his mistress. The choreography was just ok but they didnt bring it. Chelsea was good but not amazing like last week and Thayne was just off. He didnt have enough energy and he totally lost the narative for me. He looked more like a queen than a king. Thayne brought this couple down this week.

9. Suzi and marquis did a salsa which is supposed to be Suzi’s strength. It was AALLLL over the place. Both of them. Suzi made me very sad cause I wanted her to make it to the top ten.

Bottom three were…

5. Comfort and Chris – comfort is a great all around dancer, the best female hiphop dancer, and has a great personality. Chris drags her down in technique and personality and likability. They need to do a dance in his strength and if she still outshines him, they need to start breaking up couples.

8. Chelsea and Thayne – Chelsea is bigger than life, her personality is the biggest on the show and her dancing is unique and strong and sexy. I think they made the bottom 3 because the dance was kinda weak and thayne didn’t really get the narative down. Thayne really needs to step it up for next week.

9. Suzi and Marquis – I love Suzi. She was such an underdog that just pushed and pushed and I became so proud of her. The salsa was the worst dance of the night and its supposed to be her strength. Comfort and Chelsea are too strong to go down this early. If this was a bit later in the game then we may have had more to work with to save Suzi. So Suzi was cut. Marquis on the other hand was the strongest of the 3 boys on that stage. They said that his solo was all tricks but that’s what a solo often is – that was just an excuse. The 3 boys were all contemporary dancers and he was the best one up there. Could he have won this whole thing? No, but it just wasn’t his time. I think he was good enough to maybe make it to the top 10. Im sorry Marquis but you were cut because the girls up on the chopping block were all so strong and Suzi was the weakest and at this point of the game they eliminate in pairs and all the guys had the same speciality and there was nothing that made you stand out to save you. Also, you remind me of Will and he’s a genius, so theres no competing with that. So Marquis was cut.

Well, we have been watching all the audition episodes and getting an introduction to some extremely talented dancers, but most of the spotlighted dancers did not make it to the top 20. My take on this is that the producers really are supportive of these dancers careers; even if a dancer is spectacular in what they do, if they aren’t versatile then they don’t make the cut cause that’s what this show is really about. Plus, they are sort of investing in dancers they know will study other types of dance and come back next season and gets true fans more involved. Please come back “old Hollywood glamour guy” and “first white popper to make it straight to Vegas” and “girl who’s mom is a famous choreographer“. So, I don’t really know many of the top 20 dancers but I am excited to get to know them. The judges (Nigel and Mary) were cheering all the dancers on for their first time dancing on the stage and with their partners. Guest Judge Dan Karaty told it like it is. This week everyone danced so wonderfully. I’m so excited for this new season. The first episode is so scary cause since we don’t know the dancers yet they could get kicked off if they make one mistake and as dancers they may not understand what you are up against. The dancers kicked off get into, what I call, “the hall of Ricky“. Season 3, Ricky got kicked off in the first episode but he was so good and adorable and possibly a screw loose (which to me is a good thing).

1. My number one couple of the night was Joshua “braces” and Katee “asian”. They danced a very emotional hip hop routine by Napoleon and Tabitha. It was the most memorable routine of the evening and was an excellent introduction to these new choreographers, plus they danced it brilliantly. Its so easy to love Joshua because hes so good and so humble and I loved seeing him rock at his strength and Katee totally rocked it too. Cant wait to see what else this couple has to offer
2. Twitch “last year” and Kerrington “smile” rocked their Broadway routine by Tyce Diorio. I’m so glad to see twitch worked so hard in the last year to get back on the show. This type of dance was a good introduction for them since Kerrington is so smiley and twitch has a good sense of humor.
3. Suzi “pink” and Marquis “muppet” totally ROCKED the smooth waltz by Hunter Johnson like I never thought Suzi ever could. She has such beautiful lines. She seems more like a trashy music video dancer but am glad to see her versatility and why she is here. Marquis is a very elegant dancer but I want to see him shine more. I don’t know what to call him yet, but he could be confused for Will “Debbie Allen” but Marquis not cute and Will is the best individual dancer on this show. So Marquis needs to distinguish himself.
4. Chelsea “Martha” and Thanye “Benji smile” did a samba by Tony Meredith that was the first dance of the season to get on Mary’s hot tamale train. It was very sexy and they danced it great. I thought the choreography was more posing than dancing but her costume and her crazy ass and her overall sex appeal and personality totally worked what they were given. Chelsea has such a personality and it worked for their favor in this dance. And Thayne totally was good too and kept up with her and was there for her and kept the focus on her and was masculine. It was hot! Chelsea kinda looks like Martha from season 2, but after this week she is so much more. She has the biggest personality on the show.
5. Will “Debbie Allen” and Jessica “poor-mans Natalie” danced the tango by Hunter Johnson. It was hard and sexy and I loved it. Will was flawless and elegant and manly. He is the new Danny from season 3 (sorry to compare you). You are both very talented technical dancers just on another level than all the other dancers. And you’re both tall and black and attractive. But Will also is manly and seemingly straight and has a great personality. (for those who know me, I love gays and they dress as me for Halloween. I think being an amazing manly attractive dancer will get the teen girl vote who are the majority.). Jessica reminds me of Natalie who was my favorite from day one from season 2 (she made it to the top 6). Jessica did a good job but there were a couple of super minor little flubs. She better keep it up if she wants to keep her nickname. She just has such a strong partner. The show bills Jessica first but I think Will is the stronger dancer, so Ill bill him first.
6. Rayven “28″ and Jaimie “swing” a softer hiphop by Napoleon and Tabitha. This new choreographing team totally knocked it out of the park with Joshua and Katee and they made a great routine here too for Rayven and Jaimie too. I like Rayven. She is a cool girl and shes probably the oldest person ever on this show and that makes her awesome. And I love swing. The dance was softer than I thought it should’ve been but it was the first dance of the first episode and when it came on I forgot how good the dancing is on this show. But there were some really good dances in this episode and this could easily fall through the cracks since they performed first.
7. Mark “dark” and Chelsie “Latin Utah” danced a contemporary routine by Mia Michaels with the bride. Some Mia Michaels routines are intense and so much heart and just so different and that can hold so much weight when judging it. But sometimes her routines are a little douchy (sorry Mia). As far as her routines go this was only ok for me. They did dance it well. And I like this mark guy. He is dark and interesting and his personality seems so genuine and I could see being friends with him. Chelsea did well but I don’t really get a sense of who she is yet. The show bills Chelsie first but I think Matt is so awesome, so Ill bill him first.
8. Comfort “braces” and Chris “forehead/tree” danced the jive by Tony Meredith. Comfort is a ball of life and how can you not love her bright real personality. Shes a great hiphop dancer (the best female hiphop dancer ever on this show, I remember Nigel saying) and she did this very well. Chris is “tree” because Nigel said he had the personality of a tree and he isn’t really breaking that nickname yet. And he is “forehead” because his hair is so short and forehead so big. I hate to judge him this way but hes just unattractive. Im sorry. Comfort’s personality and beaded bra will save them this week but this is still where they land for me.
9. Courtney “knicks” and Gev “kazak/dominic” did disco by Doriana Sanchez (the disco choreographer) and it just seemed kinda small to me. It wasn’t great but it wasn’t bad and there were just so many good people this week. Courtney is pretty and innocently sexy. She used to be a knicks city dancer. Gev is from Kazakhstan and reminds me of Dominic because hes small, a breaker, ethnic, and a little funny looking, but his dancing and personality are so shining that you cant help but be impressed. This week he was wearing a t-shirt with a picture of one of the abu ghraib prisoners (Satar Jabar) draped in an American Flag. I think this made him a little cooler that he got this past the Fox sensors.

10. Matt “black bird” and Kourtni “Uma” danced jazz to tainted love by Mandy Moore (i think). It wasn’t hard hitting enough. Im going to place some blame on the choreography, which the judges would never do, but really they just didn’t dance it hard enough. When there aren’t big tricks in it you have to leave your heart out on that stage with what you are given. They are the tallest/biggest dancers this year and they looked a bit clumsy and she seemed heavy. The judges blamed him naturally (or else it would be blaming her for being fat and that has all sorts of bad mojo) but I’m going to blame her, not for being big but seeming heavy. Donyelle of season 2 was a big girl and had an even smalled partner Benji (season two’s winner) and they were the couple to beat. The show bills Kourtni first but I think Matt is the stronger dancer, so Ill bill him first.

The bottom three were

5. Will and Jessica – I think they were in the bottom because the clip the show used to remind us of their dance, showed Jessica slipping… which actually looked like she was slipping because the bottom of her shoe was slippery cause it was new. There is no way they are going anywhere
6. Rayven and Jaimie – I think they got a routine that wasn’t very wow, they danced it soft, and they were the first dance of the night and easily forgotten at this stage of the game. I think it could’ve gone either way (Rayven and Jaimie OR Kourtni and Matt) but at this stage of the game they like to kick people off in couples (Id imagine so the audience can grow to know the couples and the dancers can get better as a couple instead of interrupting their progress on this show by switching it up. It becomes unfair to judge newer partners against partners who have been dancing together for weeks). Rayven also didn’t dance in pointe which is so much more impressive than demi pointe. And like I said below that Kourtni looks like Uma so they want to keep her around. This is why I think Rayven and Jaimie got cut.
10. Matt and Kournti – for me they were the bottom of the bunch, but Nigel seems to love Kourtni and over emphasizing that she looks like uma Thurman and how happy that makes him. I can see how that would be good for the show (to look like a star) but for me they were the weakest.

My list of the moment is for my favorite TV show of all time, So You Think You Can Dance. Every year I watch this show and it just gets better and better. For those not into reality TV shows, you may like to know that these kids are all so super talented and the hosts, producers, and choreographers are so supportive of all the talent. So every week, I rate the couples and maybe one day I will admit t being a pr-teen girl and call in and vote. Today is actually week 3, but I would like to go back and share my lists for the first 2 weeks first.