SYTYCD - Top 20, Battle Commences

Happy Tuesday, my three readers. While the Hubster is killing deviant hordes on Defiance the video game, I am safely ensconced in the master bedroom ready for So You Think You Can Dance!

Opening
Song: Puttin' n the Ritz by Herb Alpert feat. Lani Hall
Choreographers: NappyTabs
Dancers exit from Bentleys, walk through metal detectors and begin to dance. Fluid motion shot from one camera. We see choreographers Tabitha and Travis, then Napoleon and even Nigel and Mary Murphy get in on the routine. Fun. Nice opening.

Kat Dealey is in a hot, hot, hot pink dress that matches her lipstick. Special guest judge is Wayne Brady. Huh? Isn't he the host of Let's Make a Deal? I hope they explain his dance background to make this a little clearer why he is a judge.

Jive
Mariah - her front teeth are fake and she sleeps with her eyes open
Carlos - he plays ping pong and sings falsetto
Choreographer - Jason Gilkison
Song: Get It Right by Fantasia (I so wanted to type Fangtasia... how True Blood sad is that?)
Great yellow outfits. She needs to stay higher on her toes, she's got a cute little body but not being light enough on her feet for the jive. He was great. Carlos was expressive, great arm movements.
Judges are being nice tonight. Work on your technique guys. But the correlation to the 60's Mad Men play is pretty spot on. (Side note, the way Kat says "Car-loss" is cute.

Contemporary
Jasmine M - Cray-cray about cats. She's got wild hair.
Alan - Not much of a personality... he likes the color blue. I want to cut his hair.
Choreographer: Travis Wall
Song: Can't Help Falling in Love (Live at Daytrotter) by Ingrid Michaelson
Blind lovers. Talk about a trust fall! (Or trust drop as Wayne coins it.) And a kiss at the end? It was lovely. Not particularly the most amazing Travis routine, but it was beautiful. I just hope Travis brings out a little bit more of the emotion as the season continues. (I'm sure he will. It's the first show. He's holding back.)

Jazz
Malece - i heart her. Her hair is awesome and she hates feet.
Jade - Likes cats and terrified of clowns. You're good in my book. He should hook up with Jasmine M, the a crazy cat lady.
Choreographer: Travis Wall (again? Okay, so he had two this show.)
Song: Silver Screen (Shower Scene) by Felix da Housecat (what IS it with cats this episode? Srsly!)
Dressed like Great Gatsby. That is apparently the inspiration for a lot of folks this year. Ask my creative agency! Her lines are fantastic. That little booty shake shift she did was exquisite! Jade was great. Great job. Good line Wayne Brady, So You Think You Can Pimp. Pretty sure they are safe. I still think she will get to top 10. (Side note - standing next to Ket they are like little Oompa Loompas.

Broadway
Jenna - she has a wacky laugh
Tucker - he wanted to be a mermaid?
Choreographer: Tyce Diorio
Song: That's All by Kevin Spacey (Beyond the Sea Soundtrack)
She's dressed in 40's war-inspired dress. I kinda want to steal that look for work. But only Emilie can pull that off. I really need to go shopping with her... Emilie that is. Though I am sure Jenna might be fun too.  Okay, it was a great Broadway routine, but it did Tucker no favors. He needs to come across very sexy and virile, but this was too... soft. He needed a different choreographer the first time out. She was great. And the both look great for Broadway. But he isn't going to win fans on this one.

Afro Jazz
Brittany - deaf in right ear and puts spoons on her face?
BluPrint - likes pigs ears and whistling like a bird
Choreographer: Sean Cheesman
Song: Drumming Circle by Professor Trance & The Energizers
Meh. They weren't in sync. They didn't get into it. They just weren't the right couple for this dance. It wasn't bad, it just wasn't good. BluPrint did great since he hadn't danced this style before. But Brittany kept a lot of her ballroom style, it was good, but not as good as the judges are saying. Like I said before, they are being nice tonight. Mark my words... a couple episodes from now they are going to come down on them for lack of technique and skills in other areas. Mary putting them on the hot tamale train confuses me. Did we watch the same dance?

Hip Hop
Alexis - She likes blue, just like Alan. And Beiber. Wow. But she's an amazing tapper.
Nico - He likes cupcakes and making bubbles noises. I think he's Colombian.
Choreographers: Christopher Scott
Song: Last Time (Knife Party Remix) by Labrinth
Where were all the flips that they showed in the preview? He looks like a Belieber. Alexis was more spot on than Nico. Nico gets the girlie vote though. There wasn't a connection or a great feel to it. Nigel finally gets his balls back and calls them out. The crowd doesn't boo is feedback, so... I'm just sayin.

Viennese Waltz
Makenzie - she likes vampires
Paul - he smiles a lot
Choreographer: Jason Gilkison
Song: I'm With You by Avril Lavigne (omg, srsly? this is going to be painful.)
Oh, you are so screwed. The waltz is the kiss of death on this show. Good luck ya'll. Pressing play. (Update: Hubs is NOT killing the hordes on XBOX but is, in fact, watching Reservoir Dogs. I came out strutting to "Stuck in the Middle With You" to get a refill on my drink. Nice ear cutting scene.)
It didn't suck! The bench and umbrella were great props to keep it fluid. I can see the tweens enjoying the love story. It could have been a train wreck, but it was actually enjoyable. Great job guys!

Contemporary
Jasmine H - has a twin and likes red
Aaron - onions make him puke, something about PeeWee Herman?
Choreographer: Sonya Tyia (i never know how to spell her name)
Song: Bottom of the River by Delta Rae
Damn that was sexy. Too tall drinks of hot chocolate. Her legs extensions were AMAZING! And Aaron was partnering with aggressive strength. This SOOOO made up for the last dances. Apparently, Aaron's dad is a singer in Vegas. Remember how Aaron was a bring back from the dude who broke his ankle? We are better for it.

Again. I wonder if the dancers on SYTYCD reads the blogs. If so, I'm entertained. Sorry for the lack of visuals my three readers, but I don't want to wait for screen caps before I post. 

Hip Hop
Hayley - wants a hedgehog
Curtis - talks in his sleep and has a pet (stuffed) monkey
Choreographer: Chris Scott
Song: Go by Delilah
The timing between the two was great but not enough connection. They should have had sex in order to get closer before the dance. Is that wrong to say? They needed that little extra swag between each other. Hayley knew how to exude the sex. Curtis... too timid. First dance, so we will see what is to come.

Contemporary
Amy - likes Christmas socks and turquoise
Fik-Shun - has 2 dogs and something something about red
Choreographer: Sonya Tyai (how the HECK do you spell her name?!)
Song: Elsa by The Valeria Project
BEST. DANCE. OF. THE. NIGHT! Now THIS is what the season should be about. It's why they were placed last. Absolutely perfection. I have no words, they are clearly the front runners tonight. So strong. Intense. Way to go!  Who knew that Fik-Shun is now a contemporary dancer?