I still don't understand some of these choices...

Paris over Meghan? Maksim over Ricky Sun? Tony over fill in the blank? And no Ryan? And a bunch of people we've never seen (meaning they have no fan base started, and are at an immediate disadvantage.)

What a bunch of crap.

Oh...and one more time: I HATE Mia.

And thanks again for including the Hotness that is Hugh :)

Brilliant recap, PottyMouth!!! My loathing of Mia is second only to yours! What crawled up her snatch and died?!?!

After much contemplation, I've been able to make peace with the biggest injustice this show has perpetrated this season so far--cutting Ryan K. I think the viewers get caught up on the talent and fail to take into consideration that they are looking for America's FAVORITE Dancer. Given how truly likeable both brothers were, I think Nigel was afraid that the season would come down to the two of them. Personally, I think that's BS. They have no problem front loading the Top 20 with contemporary and hip hop dancers, likely because of versatility and overall appeal, but much more proficient dancers in other styles (tap and broadway, most notably) get the shaft. At least, that's my view of the situation.

Here's hoping that Ryan comes back this fall. And please Please PLEASE, don't let Hugh be a stranger!!!

Ugh - Mia's at it again! What, is this the first time you've had a feminine-esque male dancer before? Just because he's not all macho to go with his beautiful dancing means he's not good enough for you? YOU SUCK MIA! Brandon is such a nice guy - Mary's right there's not an ounce of cockiness in there, just a smile - remember when Mia went off on Kherrington for smiling? GOD BLESS MARY FOR SHUTTING THEM UP. That was awesome. I mean what are they blind - Brandon's dancing was amazing! LET THE SEASON BEGIN!

While it saddens me to know there will be no Natalie this week, I hold out hope that my former favorite choreographer and judge may also be absent.
thanks for another great recap, can't wait to read your take on the performances.

Mary used to annoy me to no end, but after she stood up for Brandon, in my view, she can scream as much as she wants. It will be interesting to see what happens when (if? Although I imagine he'll make it far enough for this to happen--the producers will milk it for all it's worth) Brandon has to dance Mia's choreography.

I thought it was sucky for Ryan too. This may have been his last chance due to his age but if he can, I HOPE he comes back.

I know this is beating a dead horse but I was so shocked with the Natalie ouster. If anything they should have given her a chance to re-do the choreo like Tony (cannon fodder). Gabi Rojas got many chances to "do better" and she still didn't make the cut so what was the point of it. Maybe there is a small chance in hell that Natalie will come back for the fall season?!?!?

I echo ALL of the above sentiments.

The only oustings that I'm really upset about are Ricky Sun - he was the best male ballroom dancer they've had this season, in my opinion, Ryan - I agree, I can't understand how Nigel can pull the shit excuse that there's no room for two Broadway dancers, and Alex Wong - even though I know that it was a technicality.

And PottyMouth, I agree with you about Alex, I really do think that he thought that his artistic director would let him out of his contract. Although, I don't really understand something. Alex had time to come to Vegas, which is two weeks long, I think, so why was he allowed to do that? Maybe it happened to be in his "off-season" or something, but it seems kind of odd to me.

I was still sad though, he was, I honestly believe, one of THE BEST male dancers they've ever had on the show, plus he's originally from Vancouver, holla!

I was also annoyed that Tony got in over dancers like Ryan, Natalie and others. I liked him, but I thought it was total BS that he got a second chance, not to mention that his first audition was garbage, he didn't even DO anything. I thought he was sweet and cute and he was picked for those reasons exactly - not because he was a better dancer than any who got cut.

Anyway, awesome recap as usual PottyMouth and I look forward to your thoughts next week!

Also: I heart Mary Murphy.

Too bad that nobody did that last year, when she attacked Jessica all the time. And when she was off on Kherington for SMILING. And then when she told Chelsie that she was so beautiful that she wanted to stab her.

It's jealousy and huge insecurity, I swear it.

Oh boy, where to start? Hey, how about here? I hate, Hate, HATE that bitch Mia and think this show would be so much better off without her. I’ve always thought she was a self aggrandizing, holier than thou, self worshipping, jealous, self important, mean spirited, pompous has been. Get over yourself, Buttercup. Your time on the stage is done and it is time for better people than you to take over.

I’ve never really cared for her choreography, only liking a couple of her dances (which I happened to really like, much as it pains me to say). That dance to honor her father was absolute crap, but she knew no one would say anything bad about it for that very reason. She was manipulating everyone and enjoying every minute in the spotlight. Everything is about her and her alone, and she hates when someone better than her comes along. OMFG, I hate her with the power of a million suns and would like nothing but to see her gone!! But since they are loaded with contemporary dancers, I don’t think that is going to be the case. *&$&^# *(!)#$&**&

I absolutely loved Mary standing up for Brandon and thought she was just going to walk off at one point. Go Mary!! Put that damn bitch in her place. And Lil C should have switched places with Debbie so instead of him parroting Bitchface he could have had his own opinion. I think he might have been going along with her since it wasn’t his style of dance. Debbie vs. Bitchface is one smackdown I would have loved to seen.

One final point before I finish my rant (if you are still with me). I think they picked some crappy dancers so that the first eliminations will be easy for them. They got rid of some really good dancers for people we didn’t see any more than 10 seconds of, so we have no attachment to them. Suck it, Nigel, you creepy, horny bastard.

And one last plea. More Hugh, please. Instead of screencapping Bitchface, put Hugh there instead. Unless it is one of Mary stabbing her with a pen. Then I am all for it!

ps. I love Adam. Just saying......

Wonderful recap (again) PottyMouth. You seem to attain that difficult-to-attain delicate balance of lots of affection mixed with a generous dose of snark.

Question about Mia: Didn't she also 'hate' Danny from Season 3? Danny! who was, IMHO, one of the best dancers ever on SYTYCD. I think he eventually won her over.

There is a pattern there.

I never understood her appeal. Too all self-important personally, too throwing-yourself-around choreographically.

Alex was amazing doing his style, but if you watched him doing other syles (the little they showed) he really wasn't very good at keeping that ballet movement out of the other genres. I think he might have struggled with other types of dance. I really enjoyed his solo though.

If you're a Brandon fan there is a huge upside to the way that Mia is treating him - sympathy votes alone will carry him through the first few rounds. Personally I don't think he's all that great (although I have nothing against him), but I reserve any real judgement until I actually see him dance an entire routine.

One final thought, come on people! I know that people get upset when their favorites don't make it, but how can you judge who should have gotten into the top twenty better than the judges after seeing someone dance a total of 30 seconds (if that!) and many of the dancers not at all. The editors show us scenes that create the most drama, they aren't interested in showing us who the best or worst dancers are thoughout auditions. If that were the case we would be familiar with the top twenty already.

Mia. LOL. Why is it always the women judges who turn out to be the crazies? Oh yeah, Tyce was a little over the top too. Wait, my statement still holds true.

Tadow-wait, what? You mean Mia? Or are you talking about Dan Karaty?

I'm still pissed about the Natalie thing too...these judges are fucking bullshit, but that must have been devastating especially after Sonja had JUST asked her to perform it for the group. I know that was the last episode's recap, but still had to get that out there.

If you took Adam's personality and put it into a younger straight man, I'd be ALL OVER him. He's such a good guy.

"Am I supposed to be sad? I don't even know these people." I took some anal notes on everyone who auditioned. one of the guys in the picture (middle?) was shown in the same contemporary montage as Alex Wong. if anyone cares...

Jason was in fact the guy who did the move where it looked like he kicked a girl in the face.

red streak-i'm pretty sure she was the girl who did the flip in nerdography.

Am I the only one who gets an arrogant vibe from Phillip? I want to like him so much because he's amazing...

I think that it was smart to separate the brothers. I think if both made the top 20, they would have similar fan bases and one would get voted off before their time.

I too wanted Ryan over Evan. I loved him! And the thing about Brandon (who i have loved since last year and was pissed when they picked GEv over him) I think smiling is his defense mechanism. Like maybe if he smiles (which his smile is gorgeous), he won't cry. The whole Natalie thing seemed so unfair. Almost like they were holding her to a higher standard, same with BRandon. And it was really touching to see Brandon's response to her cut. I think maybe Alex tried out for the show (his company may have even encouraged him to do so) for publicity. I mean I may not have have went to see his company before, but now after seeing how phenominal he was, WOW, I would absolutely have to if I was in the area. Plus, thne they will have a rememberable face (like Brandon is this year) when his contract runs out. It's like that 17 year old that tried out. He knew he was too young, they knew he was too young, but they thought he was talented enough to audition and create fodder for next year (or maybe this Fall, fingers crossed).

My hope is Sonya becomes the new Mia. She's got that quirky weirdness, like Mia (even more-so really) and can give criticism without attacking charcter or sounding like a bitch. I do love Mia's routines, but I cannot stand her as a judge. Ugh.

I've seen Ryan perform for at least 10 years at Tampa's Broadway Theatre Project (Evan joined the program a few years ago.) He is truly brilliant--and now part of the faculty. I remember sitting in on a master class with Gregory Hines and he asked Ryan to join him in an improvisational dance. Hines would tap a bit and Ryan would match him step for step. It was amazing to watch. Hines later said he felt like Ryan was nipping at his heels.

Great recap - and some great comments.

How about we send Mia on a long vacation (Pakistan is nice this time of year) and let Ryan take her place? I think he'd do just as good a job and he sure would be a lot less full of self.

I don't think Mia's genius in some areas should excuse her being so downright nasty... nor can we can attribute our negative perception to creative editing... unless they are editing over at Pixar.

cattyfan: They’ll probably put the people we’ve never seen with people we have – that could even out any disadvantage they might face.

slumrville: While I agree that this is a search for FAVORITE dancer, I think the judges do the viewers a disservice assuming that looks would override talent.

mmtv: I had completely forgotten about the Kherington smiling jackassery. I was never a fan of Kherington’s but was pissed when that happened.

tadow: I’m sad too – I thought for sure she would be in the top twenty, but I’m letting all disappointment go and starting everyone off with a clean slate. (Hopefully)

Allison: I would hope they both behave professionally, but it may depend on whether or not her viewpoint about him is changed before she choreographs him.

Yanksfan24: I know all about beating a dead horse. I’ve had a hard time letting that one go too. I hope she comes back again.

georgiababe: I wish Ricky had made it in over Maksim. I thought what we saw of him was better. I do hope Alex comes back when his contract is up. I thought he was incredible and would love to see him handle other genres.

razzbeth: I don’t know. I think a lot of what happens in the earlier eliminations is going to depend on the pairings. We’ve seen it happen in seasons past that a really strong partner can “save” their weaker partner long past their expiration date. It’ll be interesting to see who’s dancing with whom.

rjfrankel: Thanks! I do love the show but it can drive me nuts! I don’t remember Mia hating Danny. Adam actually was the one who called Danny arrogant, and that is one of the few times I was really annoyed with Adam. For the life of me I can’t remember Mia hating on him. Anyone?

ohhhyeah: I think I’m going to agree to disagree about Alex. I think he would have done well in the other styles – the only one I could see him maybe having difficulty with is hip hop, but I thought he looked good in the snippet they showed us. Hopefully he’ll come back and we can actually see how he handles different genres.

Rock Star: Adam is a good guy. I’ve heard that he will be the third judge for tonight’s performance round. I’m crossing my fingers that my spy gave me good intel.

tv freak: Hmmm, I don’t get an arrogant vibe from Phillip at all. I think it’s more of a cockiness that b-boys can have, but it hasn’t crossed the line into arrogance for me – I find him to be somewhat endearing. I don’t know why.

cansnuts: I never thought of the smiling as a defense mechanism, but I think you may be dead on. I hope he’s able to shake off all the Mia drama and just go out and kill it tonight!

tpabob: Oh My God – I am so jealous!! You got to see Gregory Hines dance in person?!?!? I’m green all over. I really hope Ryan comes back either as a contestant or a choreographer.

fire@will: Heeheehee. Love it!

Thanks for all the great comments! I’m so excited to see how tonight will play out. See you on the other side!

SWAK, PottyMouth