SYTYCD

Hmmm, tricky, tricky. The show is down to 9 couples. Overall, I think the dancing was great again, although there were a few more negative comments from the judges, but that's expected as the show goes on. So the tricky part is that the the 3 couples with the most negative comments are also 3 couples that I see as fan favorites so that makes it harder to figure who'll be in the bottom.
Evan & Randi did the Jive. Choreography: Good, although there was nothing smashing about it, it was just solid, which might've contributed to the negative comments. I pretty much agreed w/the judges that it just wasn't quite as good as might be expected, but it was entertaining. I give it a B.

Ade & Melissa did a Jazz routine by crazy choregrapher Sonja. It was a bit disjointed, but it was meant to be and it was very, very sharp and crisp,
which I liked. As opposed to the judges I thought it was obvious that Melissa was a ballet dancer, but only because of her pointed toes and such. Very good, A.

Jason & Caitlin did a hip-hop routine by Shane Sparks. First off, I don't think that Shane Sparks' routines lend themselves to good reviews. Although he softens it a bit, his brand of hip-hop is much more authentic and more difficult to do and a couple like Caitlin & Jason, who are so sweet and nice are just going to have a problem with it. Jason had a few good moves, but on the whole I thought they were dreadful. Also, Caitlin's costume was terrible. D


Brandon & Janette did a disco routine. That would be the second week that they have gotten a kiss of death genre and also nailed it. To be fair, it was probably one of the best routines their disco choreographer has ever done, but it was also super fast and super hard and they still nailed it. They are just so cute! I noticed some minor moves that they did looked effortless, whereas I've seen them done in the past and it always looked klunky, so they did a good job of making a very hard routine look easy and fun. A

Vitolio & Asuka did a waltz. Oooh, ugly dress on Asuka, although they may have been trying to disguise how skinny she is :) Um, I really really hate it when they make a dance about something "personal", in this case Vitolio's difficulties growing up because then it makes it very difficult to critique. In this case, the judges did a good job of overlooking that "personal" aspect of the dance. Mary actually said it best when she said she didn't "feel his pain, but that it was painfully beautiful". I think that they would have dinged Vitolio for his lack of technique a bit more, but it was a very pretty waltz. B

Max & Kayla danced a contemporary/jazz routine. Once again, it was just sooo sharp and cool. It was an odd routine, but really enjoyable to watch, I think. I think Kayla gets so into her part and her dance and that's why she always looks so so good. I also really like Max, and thought that this was a good chance for him to shine. I think the judges are always going to be going on about Kayla and so Max is simply going to have to suck it up on the critiques and try as hard as he possibly can to keep up. I always feel a little sorry for the partner in situations like that, but he seems ok w/ it. Anyway, loved them. A

Jonathan & Karla did a contemporary piece by a new choreographer. I absolutely loved the music and the choreography. The choreography was seamless and gorgeous. I also thought that Karla shined quite a bit in her own style and I understand why she's here now. Jonathan did very well, although for some reason he looked a little too polished for me for a contemporary routine, but that's just me. A-

Phillip & Janine did a tango. Oy vey. Poor Phillip

- not only does he not know ballroom, neither does his partner AND they get the tango. Ugh. It was pretty bad. He did some things right, but it was just plodding and kind of terrible. Janine actually did really well, and I think really would've hit it out

of the park with someone like Max, but overall it was pretty bad. D

Kupono & Ashley did hip-hop by Shane Sparks. I actually thought, once again, that Ashley shined in this one, but overall it fell flat. They didn't synchronize very well and once again, Shane Sparks isn't my favorite choreographer. C












So there are 2 couples that got pretty miserable reviews - Caitlin & Jason, and Phillip & Janine, 1 couple that got a kind of mediocre review - Kupono & Ashley, and one couple that got a slightly bad review - Evan and Randi. So bottom 3 - Kupono & Ashley, Caitlin & Jason, and Phillip & Janine. Phillip is such a fan favorite (as is Jason & Caitlin, I think) that this could go way haywire. I think in the beginning of the season, though, the fans go with the judges for the most part.

Second week in a row that my favorite couples have been Max & Kayla and Brandon & Janette.

Oh, and Cat, God bless her, looked like she was wearing a dust ruffle for a dress. A bright red dust ruffle.