SYTYCD: Here’s Your Top Twenty!

So, we made it through the audition rounds and then through Vegas week.  Now we’re ready to find out which dancers will make up the top twenty.  Will we get a good mix of genres?  Or will the deck be stacked with loads of contemporary dancers?  Let’s find out together!

Cat tells us that as the top twenty are revealed, they will be dancing LIVE in front of the studio audience for the very first time.

Don’t you wish you could be here?

Yes, Cat, yes I do.  THIS!  Is So You Think You Can Dance (dance…………dance).  Cat wonders if we’re all ready for this big night.  HELL YES!!!

At the end of Vegas week, thirty one dancers still remained in the competition.  Tonight we’re going to see the dancers finding out whether or not they’ve made the top twenty (thankfully no home visits this year) and then they’ll take to the stage in groups and perform.

There will be nine, count them, NINE dances tonight.  There will also be five judges.

Jokerface is back

GREAT.

Also, Lil C is in the house, Sir BitchyPants (fuck meeee), and naturally, Nigel and Mary.

Perhaps naturally is the wrong word.

Cat tells Nigel that people keep coming up to her asking what’s going on with the format of the show this year.  Well, Nigel acknowledges that people really missed having a top twenty, but he really loves having the all stars.  So this season there will be a top twenty, and then the all stars will come in at the top ten point.

So stop sending me hatetwitters already!

Ready for some results?  The first person to go in is going to be Ricky Jaime.  Ricky auditioned in Salt Lake City and told Cat there that he got his start dancing at the age of nine at his mom’s wedding.  He seems to have had a great week in Vegas (not that we were shown any of it) and so he’s got some confidence in his ability to get into the top twenty.

And he does, after the first of many lame fakeouts of the evening.

Up next is another contemporary dancer, Miranda Maleski.  We have also never seen here before.  So of course she makes it.

Also in is my current fav, Melanie Moore.

YAY!!!

So that’s three in a row making it through, we’re sure to get some bad news soon, right?  Yup.  Two random chicks we’ve not met so therefore don’t care about get the old heave ho.  And then it’s time for the Mallory sisters.

I’m already annoyed because they’re going out together which means Nigel is going to do exactly what I thought he was going to do.  I hate when they make two people stand together to find out which has made it through, but it’s even worse when the two dancers are related.  I mean, who’s going to be an asshole and not be happy for their sibling?

So Sasha and Natalia head out to the judges to find out their fate(s).  Nigel tells them they both really deserved to go through to Vegas and across Vegas they thought both were excellent, but only one is in the top twenty.  It’s Sasha.  Shocking.

I knew Natalia wasn’t going to make it, but I really love the girl’s spirit.  You can tell she was genuinely happy for her sister and also happy for the experience she had.

And with Sasha, we’ve got our first group of four (all contemporary for those counting at home).  They’ll be performing a routine choreographed by Stacey Tookey.

Aside from the overworking fog machine, I really liked this routine.  It was a little angsty for my taste, but these guys obviously know what they’re doing and they all had that effortlessness to their movement that I really love.

Nigel says it’s thrilling to see such wonderful technique.  He says we all have to remember that this creative process needs great dancers because great dancers with great technique challenge the choreographers.  And the choreographers’ choreography improves.

And I get a boner, which as you all know is what I live for.

And then Cat goes over to Sir BitchyPants to see what he thought of the routine.

I wonder if I could steal that choreography and make it crappy.

He just has one feeling and that’s great choreography, great dancers, great passion coming together in one place.  He kisses Stacey’s ass a little bit but I’m pretty sure it’s because he’s planning on stealing her choreography at some point and fucking with it.

You got it!

Now that we’ve got the first round of contemporary dancers identified, Cat wants to know how many street dancers will be joining them.  By the end of Vegas week, we’re down to seven.  And they’re all guys.  What the fuck?  You can’t tell me there were NO girl hip hoppers that could hang!  What bullcrap.

First up is some dude named Chris Cole.  Yet again it’s someone we haven’t seen at all so far.  He came close to getting cut after ballroom, but made it through.  And now he’s making it through to the top twenty.  Wadi Jones and Tad Gadduang are next and both make it in.  Lil O follows and says his gut is telling him he made top twenty.

Turns out maybe it was just indigestion after all.

Bad news also follows for Drace Reed (who?).  And now we’re down to two:  Bryce “Professor Lock” Johnson, or Robert Taylor Jr who does not know when to stop woo-ing.

Seriously.  Fucking STOP.

The Professor is sent along his way (BOOOOOO) and Woo Boy makes it in.  So far he has the potential to be my most hated contestant.  I mean the dude is almost thirty; stop with all the woos already.  I can’t take it.

So that’s our hip hop representation for this season.  They’ll be performing s number choreographed by Dave Scott.

That was great.  Four solid guys in a solid number.  It’ll be interesting to see how they do once they’re outside their comfort zone.

Cat goes over to Lil C for his opinion of the routine.  He talks about creating an impeccable recipe.  Not for food, sillies, for dance!  For hip hop, he tells us, you need power, performance, passion, personality, precision, and perfection.  He thinks they just served a dish of hip hop soufflé.  Is that good or bad?

Over to Robin.

Who also makes it difficult to tell if she liked it or not.

It’s so scary when someone talks without their face ever moving, isn’t it?

Okay, so at this point we’ve got four contemporary and four hip hop dancers.  Ballroom is next.  Well, after Vegas week there are only two ballroom dancers left.  Here I immediately know that both are making it through to the top twenty.

But I’m wrong because the guy gets cut and Iveta (YES, Iveta) makes it to the top twenty.  Since she can’t dance alone, they’ve brought Pasha back to dance with her.

Was it really necessary for him to wear a shirt?  Damn, I was looking forward to some eye candy tonight.

Feel Better?

Thanks Hugh.  I can always count on you.

They dance really well together, but I am worried that Iveta is going to have a hard time once she gets something like hip hop or even contemporary.  I guess we’ll have to wait and see on that one.

Mary responds to this routine by giving her first scream of the season.

I knew it wouldn’t be gone forever.

She thinks it’s so great to have a world ten dance champion on this stage.  That means a world champion in ten dances, you know.  Yeah, I think we could all figure that one out Mary.

Nigel thinks he hasn’t been as excited since Pasha and Anya danced together.  He’s wondering if any of the guys will be able to keep up.  What he also loves about her is her humility.  The fact that she is a world champion and still has chosen to come on the show and be judged by America is really impressive to him.

I’m also not forgetting that cop costume any time soon.  I keep hoping you’ll come over and frisk me.

Time for some jazz dancers.  I don’t know who Nigel thinks he’s fooling because you and I all know Gasmi that jazz is just a contemporary label Nigel is trying to disguise.

First up is Clarice Ordaz who has freaking GORGEOUS hair that I am instantly jealous of.

Not even with a perm could I come close to that mane.

Turns out she can dance as well and so she gets put into the top twenty.  Bridget Krouse is not as lucky (in both the hair and dance department) and so she and her stringy blonde hair are sent home.

**sad hair horns**

Some random dude gets sent home and then we’re moving on to Marko Germar.  Remember?  The guy that got shot in the arm? Will you be shocked when I tell you he’s made it into the top twenty?  I wasn’t either.

OH CRAP.  You know who else makes it?

Stripperella.

Now this girl can dance but I already don’t really like her for a couple of reasons.  A).  She was all stripperiffic in her audition, and TWO., she’s sounds really dumb, like all the time.

When Jordan makes it through Missy Morelli is worried because she was hoping to be the slut of season eight.  But Robin Antin takes her job as patron saint of sluts VERY seriously and so another one is added into the mix.

Since we’ve got another quartet on our hands it must be time for another dance performance, this time choreographed by Sonya.

I have to say, this is not my favorite dance of the night but maybe it’s also because they’re not my favorite group of dancers so far.  I dunno, I usually really enjoy Sonya’s stuff, but this wasn’t really doing it for me.

Sir BitchyPants is up on his feet, but I think it’s because he wants more attention.

Damn!  She’s got me figured out.

He thinks this group is a force to be reckoned with.  Oh shut up Sir BitchyPants.  No one is ever going to believe you’re straight.  Give it up already.

Jokerface thinks the number was so hot they were like caged animals.  She loves the way the girls worked Marko and thinks it was super sexy.  And then says SEX a lot.  I think someone needs to get laid.

May I suggest putting a paper bag over your head?

Only seven more places left!  We move quickly through the next two, Jess LeProto and Nick Young, Broadway and tapper respectively.  They both get through although Nigel tells Jess that he is worried about some possible arrogance from him.

They’re dancing together, performing s routine choreographed by Christopher Scott.

My continuing issue with how tap is miked on this show, well, continues.  That said, I enjoyed most of this routine.  I think Jess was over the top in his facials, but other than that, I really enjoyed the dancing itself.  I’m bummed we haven’t seen more of Nick before now because he was the more interesting of the two to watch (for me at least).

Nigel loved it, saying it warms the cockles of his heart.  I’d be worried about his use of the word cock(les) but since there weren’t any ladies onstage, I think we’re all safe for the moment.  He loved the idea of the routine and the characters they were given, saying it gave them a chance to act as well as dance.  Badly in at least one case.

I just said acting, not good acting.

He also mentions that there are girls on this season who can also tap and says there might be a tsp routine in or future.  YAY!  I would love for that to happen.

Sir BitchyPants says that this piece proves that dancers can be stars.  Huh.  Here I thought people like Ann Margaret had shown that years ago.  Shut up Sir BitchyPants.

So we’re down to five spots still available.  Because this show loves it some contemporary dancers, you know we’re going back there to find the last five.

First in is an adorable girl named Kaitlyn Lawson who we’ve never seen before, then Ashley Rich who we’ve barely seen since auditions.  They’re both in.  Also in?  Mitchell Kelly.  Another never seen before contestant.

So that leaves two girls and two guys.  The guys are up first.  We’ve got Alexander Fost and Jeremiah Hughes.

I’ve never seen Alexander before but I’m routing for him because that Jeremiah dude pisses me off every time I see his temper tantrum throwing, crying like a baby ass on my TV.  And…….

BUH BYE!

Phew!

Now for the girls.  It’s between a girl we never met before and former assistant to Mia, Ryan Ramierez.

DUUUUUUHHHHHHH

So those five round out the top twenty, making all but one of the girls (Iveta) contemporary or jazz.  Way to be diverse, Nigel.  On the guys side we’ve got a much better mixture.  The five will be performing a Travis Wall piece.

Travis does know how to put a beautiful piece together.  I found myself watching Alexander quite a bit and I’m looking forward to seeing more of him this season.

Jokerface thinks that was a celebration of dance; she thinks it was beautiful and fluid and strong, yet soft at the same time.  Mary thinks it was like a beautiful fall breeze and everything was defying gravity.  She thinks they were like five well seasoned dancers up there and then reminds everyone that Travis was a contestant on the show before he became an awesome choreographer.

But we’re not done yet!  Now all ten guys will be dancing together in a hip hop number choreographed by Christopher Scott of the LXD (he also choreographed the tap number tonight).

WOW.  I freaking loved that number, although I wouldn’t really call it hip hop.  I’d consider it more of a jazz fusion number, but honestly I liked it enough that I don’t really care what they call it.

Lil C says Chris Scott is the master of ceremonies at mixing styles and you never know what you’re going to get when he’s steering the ship.  He says the guys looked like they could have been part of an LXD episode.

Nigel says it was like the matrix, Mr. Anderson and then jokes that maybe Chris and Dave Scott are related.  It’s SOOOOOOOOOO hilarious because one’s black and one’s white!  Get it??

Time for the girls.  They’re doing a piece choreographed by Sonya.

OH MY GOD!  I LOVE this demented geisha dance!  This one is my hands down favorite of the night.

Mary doesn’t know if there’s enough room on the hot tamale train for ten girls, but she thinks they’re going to have to make room.  She thinks it’s going to be a dream team this season.

Cat wants to find out what Lil C thought and so he composes a poem to Sonya.  Well, a sort of a poem.  Hey.  Do you remember in first grade when you spelled out Mother going down a sheet of paper and then came up with a word for each letter?  That’s what Lil C does here.

S     ynergy

O   bstacles

N   ever

Y   es

A  bstract

He thinks they are the epitome of Sonya.  I’d craft a similar poem out of the word muzzle and then put it on him, but I’m too tired.

The last performance of the night has the entire top twenty dancing a Sir BitchyPants routine.

What a night of dance.  What do think of this top twenty group, Gasmi?  Anyone you were hoping to see that didn’t make it?  Are you okay with the contemporary (/jazz) heaviness, especially in the girls group?  Any pairings you’re already hoping for?

Thanks again for bearing with me this week on the timing of the recaps.  I really appreciate it as I didn’t want to get someone to cover this first peek at our dancers.  I am SO EXCITED for this season!  And I hope you are too.

SWAK, PottyMouth