After a really thrilling opener set to Marilyn Manson's "The Beautiful People" (choreographed by Tabitha and Napoleon?! WHAT?!), we get to finding out which ill-fated foursome will be packing their bags on So You Think You Can Dance. But in a strange turn of events, every couple will perform before the elimination is announced, which means that whichever unlucky couples ship out will have hit the stage for nothing. This week's rankings:
1) Janaya & Brandon (last week: 4) have to get hip to Shawn Cheesman's Broadway to Linda Eder's "Bring On The Men", and I am obsessed with this number. Janaya could have used slightly more grit, but this is the first number of the entire season that I needed to watch again. Brandon did a fine job here, but with the music and the choreography, this really was his partner's piece to dominate, and she had to be all things vicious and sassy with just the right amount of quirk. I think she absolutely owned it, and I loved this piece. Great choreo.
2) Alexa & Daniel (last week: 7) hadn't gotten the most memorable number last week, but I like them both a lot, so hopefully Dee Caspary's contemporary (to Yanni's "So Long My Friend") can help their case. I thought this piece was marvelously danced and marvelously choreographed, with a great prop in the bathtub. And yet I felt the exact same way that the judges did: I can't put my finger on it, but something was missing. Something was lacking in the connection to the audience, but I want to blame that on the choreography being so focused on the tub. Still, this piece was so fantastic.
3) Audrey & Matthew (last week: 1) were tops last week, and if Sonya Tayeh can bring her 'A' game in jazz, they can be a real force this season. Her number to Steed Lord's "Hear Me Now" was probably the most Sonya-esque piece we've seen in a very long time, and I have to say they perform it very, very well. I don't think it stands up to "The Garden" or even "Tore My Heart", but they nailed everything that was asked of them.
4) Witney & Chehon (last week: 8) So these are the two that get stuck with Bollywood, huh? Aatish Kapadia's "Tandav Music" is the song, and I do think the two gave it enough energy and spirit to bring the number to life. It's tough, though: I don't really know where Bollywood falls on people's scale of things to vote for, so it'll be interesting if they make it through this week to see how the votes carry, because they did really well here.
5) Amber & Nick (last week: 9) getting the Tango puts Amber out of her comfort, but their performance to Sexteto Mayor's "Tanguera" had more conviction in it than I originally anticipated. I'm no intricate footwork judge in this department, but they sure looked convincing, and even if I felt like I though Nick was thinking through his moves once or twice instead of creating a character, for the overwhelming majority I really felt the spice between the two during their routine.
6) Amelia & Will (last week: 5) This is not Sonya Tayeh's best contemporary piece, but a delicate number set to Olafur Arnalds' "3326" was a mixed bag for me. Will seemed a bit too heavy at times for me, and as brilliant as Amelia is as a dancer (surely one of my favorites), I just didn't feel her connecting emotionally to the number or her partner. Physically, it was well done—Amelia is a beast and Will's a strong dude—but there was a lacking from the two as a pairing, and I think the judges went way too easy on them.
7) Tiffany & George (last week: 2) go from last week's contemporary to a Foxtrot number (set to Sinead O'Connor's "I Wanna Be Loved By You"), and I'm no one to judge Foxtrot, but they looked really pretty. I didn't feel the chemistry between them like I wanted (apparently Nigel disagreed), but there were neat tricks throughout to distract me from that. What does matter is that the judges really liked the number, so this is good news!
8) Lindsay & Cole (last week: 3) This is a brilliant concept by Christopher Scott (dentist visit set to Lady Gaga's "Teeth"), who isn't always my favorite hip-hop choreographer but can occasionally pull out some incredible work. Cole did fine, but I think Lindsay really failed here, unfortunately: she failed to get down and dirty enough, she smiled far too much, and her connection with her partner wasn't strong at all. Pretty much exactly what Nigel said, but I'm glad I said it first. They didn't make the piece work for them, which isn't fair to Chris as it was one of his better ideas.
9) Janelle & Dareian (last week: 6) get Christopher Scott's hip-hop set to The Temptations' "My Girl", and I'm… curious to say the least. I love Janelle's personality, and I wanted to see a little bit more of it here, but I thought they were both really cute in their individual characters. It was well-performed, well-acted, and I think the judges were a little unfairly harsh towards Chris on the choreography and Janelle as a performer. I thought it was decent enough—but then again, decent might not be enough to stick around.
10) Eliana & Cyrus (last week: 10) and THE JIVE. God, I'm so worried for them—their music (Jack White's "I'm Shakin'") was fine enough, but Cyrus clearly looked uncomfortable in the movement while Eliana at least made it work for her. The good thing is that they looked happy and fun during all of it, even if they (Cyrus) were cursing the name of SYTYCD in their heads the entire time.
As it turns out for who went home on So You Think You Can Dance, the bottom three couples this week kinda fit our rankings from last week: Alexa & Daniel (7), Witney & Chehon (8), and non-couple Janaya (4) and Nick (9). Somehow, Amber and bottom couple Eliana & Cyrus slip through the cracks. As for who is saved, the judges pick Witney, sending home Alexa and Janaya. For the boys, Chehon is safe, bidding adieu to Daniel and Nick. Had high hopes for Alexa and Daniel, which makes this a disappointing goodbye. But we're 4 steps closer to crowning a winner, so there's that.
Leftovers
You know, I'm a huge Cat Deeley fan, and yet I don't feel like she's been doing too hot this season.
Sad about Daniel and Alexa. Real sad.
What did you think of tonight's elimination? Let us know in the comments!
---
Follow on Ology: Terron R. Moore | TVOlogy
Follow on Twitter: @cityfitch | @TVOlogy
Comments (2)