SYTYCD Final 16

So I got home late and missed the first dance because the digital conversion bites. That's a not so nice way of saying the antenna wasn't set to the right angle or whatnot and all I got was a green screen on the tivo. The judges were in a bizarre mood tonight. The guest judge is Toni (Oh Mickey You're So Fine) Basil. Apparently she was a choreographer in another life, or really on another planet - there appears to be a small black UFO on her head. Also she took notes on saying obscure criticism and praise from Lil C because she really adds nothing to the judging panel beyond saying the word "street" a lot.

I didn't see Jonathan and Karla's dance. They have a hip-hop and I can predict how it'll be - Jonathan won't be hip-hop-y enough and be too white-boy, for lack of a better word, and Karla will be ok or great. Supposedly she's in some kind of hip-hop dance group. From the tiny clip at the end, I'd say I'm right. Let's look it up....the internet says the judges panned it. D?

Asuka and Vitolio do a jazz routine by Mandy Moore (living in the '80's, remember? I'm sure having Toni (You're so fine you blow my mind) Basil as a guest judge is her dream come true). Asuka cries during practice and Vitolio comforts her. Once again the emotion here feels so contrived. I think I've just taken a dislike to them since I don't ever agree w/ the judges. And guess what? I don't agree with the judges. I thought that although some movements were sharp, the overall routine (which had mediocre choreography, honestly) was boring. There were a lot of lulls in the routine which meant that they needed to put out some energy or do something with them and they really just stood there. There were also a lot of parts that were supposed to by synchronized and were not. And seriously, Asuka's outfit was streetwalker circa 1986. The judges kind of liked it, I hated it. Pat Benatar deserves better (they danced to Heartbreaker). C

Melissa and Ade get the Rumba. I HATE HATE HATE the Rumba. I really hate it. Usually people suck at it, but even when they don't, compared to what everyone else does it just doesn't look like dance or look challenging. Now MAYBE Ade and Melissa were just SO good that it looked effortless, but I have my doubts. It just seems like walking sexily around the stage and looking like you want to jump each other. Melissa's wearing like 1/3 of a dress, which you KNOW Nigel's gonna comment on later. Upon second viewing I noticed more than one awkward "connection" they seemed to have problems finding each others hands, in between Melissa sticking her lovely long legs in the air. Really it was Melissa that did that routine, I don't think Ade did a very good job. Nigel's praise was that he gave Melissa something to "undulate against". High praise indeed. Of course the judges loved it because they love Ade. It was a very good Rumba, but c'mon - this couple has picked all the easy routines! A Jazz, Contemporary, and the least challenging of the Latin Ballrooms - it's time for them to get Hip-hop or Broadway. But they did well. B+

Janette and Brandon got the other hip-hop routine of the night. I don't normally truly enjoy hip-hop. I might be able to appreciate that they've done a good job, but I rarely actually like it, especially not the harder hitting ones instead of the hip-hop lite that gets done a lot. I really really enjoyed this one. Who knew Brandon could pop and lock? And he does it really well! I think these two feed off each other because they're so in the moment and so, so energetic! The judges seem to attribute their success to the choreography, and the choreography was good, but considering that during most of it they were doing two slightly different styles of dance, they had amazing chemistry and they just danced the heck out of it! They hit it hard and crisp and had great personality. Janine also looked like an '80's streetwalker tonight. To be fair, they are my favorite couple, so take the praise with a grain of salt I suppose, but I just love them to itty bitty pieces. A

Kayla and Kupono do the Viennese Waltz (kiss of death genre). Fair Warning: I'm still pissed Max went home and kept thinking how gorgeous Kayla and Max ould've been on this one. Especially when Kupono said he was having trouble with the lifts. It's very pretty. Kayla in particular moves so dynamically it's hard not to watch her. Kupono's graceful enough, but I really think Kayla carries the dance. Every moment that she is dancing she pushes through every move so that every tiny movement has such momentum. That said, I didn't completely love this. It was rather short, and I think by letting them dance barefoot Jean-Marc was cheating a bit because that's what would make a waltz so difficult for 2 contemporary dancers. Also for the grand total of 4 measures (that's 12 beats, kids) of actual waltzing in position that they did, they looked awkward. Oh, and I totally called it - I said last week they would get a Waltz (or Broadway). B

Evan and Randi do a completely weird quirky but cute Mia Michael's contemporary routine. It revolves around Randi's butt. I mean, really, but not really. It's to very cute French music and Evan, in clothing 3 times too big for him, is essentially lusting after Randi, and her butt. I love them to death and every part that didn't include her butt I loved A LOT, but I don't think she quite got the movement that Mia was going for. On second viewing, Evan really knocked it out of the park. He was just so loose and relaxed and it fit the vibe of the dance perfectly. The judges loved it, even though Mia didn't looked thrilled w/ Nigel's way overdone puns, and I enjoyed it. B+

Caitlin & Jason are doing the Paso Doble. Seriously they cannot catch a break! They are 2 very sweet contemporary dancers and they've gotten Bollywood, Hip-Hop and now this. They desperately need a contemporary, a waltz, or even a broadway, something that lets their sweet side show because everything has been so far out of their element! Ok, I think maybe this one did not translate through the TV because the judges AND the audience seemed to love it and I thought it was lackluster and clumsy. First of all the music they were doing it to was very powerful but it wasn't very loud on the TV and it seemed a smidgen slower than normal. (O Fortuna from an Opera, Carmina Burana - you'd recognize it). Also, can they not dress Caitlin? She's gorgeous, but she looks like a mix of Princess Leia (Jabba the Hut scene) and Barbarella (Oy, the hair). Jason looked like He-Man. Yummy. The judges thought it was great (again, they undercriticize these two - maybe because of the unlucky genre choice) I was underwhelmed. C+

Jeanine and Phillip doing Broadway. I mostly don't care for Tyce Diorio, but I like this routine and Jeanine really nailed it. Phillip nailed about half of it. Mary told Janine she could be on any Broadway show right now and I'd have to agree, I really really liked her. To be fair to Phillip, I really enjoyed it. Nigel called him out on not being in the bottom 3 last week and essentially told him he did ok, but needed to rise farther faster because if it continued to happen where he did a subpar performance but the votes got him through, they weren't going to be happy. I'm not sure if that's an empty threat or not. I liked it and thought it looked pretty sharp. B

Overall, I thought the performances were just so-so. I only really loved one of them, and it just feels like no one is really progressing. Meh. My favorite performance of the night was, unsurprisingly, Janette and Brandon. They've just knocked it out of the park every time! I think that the judges now have their favorites that is starting to influence the critiques. I would say that Caitlin, Ade, Asuka & Vitolio, Kayla, and Kupono have all been "under-criticized" at some point, with the biggies being Asuka and Kupono. I think maybe they didn't want to criticize Kupono too much so it wouldn't look like they made the wrong decision last week. I think they love Evan & Randi, but it seems like the expectations fall correctly into the high/low range. I think that they've totally been giving Asuka and Vitolio a pass and overpraising. I think Ade and Kayla are both phenomenal and because there's so much to praise they aren't nitpicking, which would be fine, except the nitpick other equally good dancers that aren't their favorites. I also think that the judges are going to continue to be hard on Phillip because they are uncomfortable (as well they should be) on how the voting is going for him regardless of his performance. As for me, my individual favorites (emotionally - the ones I'm rooting for) are Janette, Jeanine, Evan and Randi, so take those critiques w/ a grain of salt maybe. I do also think Kayla, Brandon, Melissa, Ade, and Jason have performed very well, but so far, I'm neutral on them. Due to my rousing success predicting Kayla and Kupono's genre, I will try and predict genre's for each couple after the elimination round.

Oh, and bottom 3 - Karla & Jonathan, Asuka & Vitolio, and Caitlin & Jason.

Well Goodnight, and I hope you, like me, will have that freaking song (Hey Mickey!) in your head for the forseeable future.