SYTYCD: Buck Off!

Let me first apologize for not keeping up with this show on my blog. I've definitely been watching (religiously) and have been taking note of my early favorites (we'll see if they last). I promise I'll keep up with blogging for the rest of the show. Now, on to the Top 18's performances.

I walked away from tonight’s show with two conclusions: 1.) Even typically well-dressed people with expensive stylists can make fashion faux-pas (read: Cat Deeley’s overly poofy red dress) and 2.) Lil C is a useless, mumbling idiot who likes to pretend he’s a hip and legit choreographer when in reality he’s neither. He constantly talks out of his ass and uses terms like "buck" to describe routines (read: the producers need to axe him from the show IMMEDIATELY ... they're losing credibility with every unintelligible thing that man says).

Last week’s show was overall one of the strongest I’ve seen in the show’s history and it was going to be a tough act for the dancers to follow up with this week’s performances. Tonight's show was a more typical SYTYCD week – some solid performances, some mediocre and the occasional train wreck or two.

Here’s the breakdown of the evening:

Randi & Evan (Jive): These two performed with a ton of energy and spirit, and it was loads of fun to watch. I had some issues with the costuming (Evan’s pants were too baggy, Randi got stuck in a feather tutu and both were sequined to death). Evan’s performance wasn’t as sharp as it could have been, but he was still strong – he pulled off an amazing Russian over Randi’s head. But little miss Randi was the star of that routine. I initially dismissed her (probably because of the unitards), but she has far surpassed my expectations and has, at least so far, done flawlessly in the competition. The judges were pretty harsh on Evan (boo!), but hopefully their high-energy routine this week, plus their amazing routine last week, will keep them out of the Bottom 3 tomorrow.

Melissa & Ade (Jazz): What an odd routine – I’m not always a fan of Sonya’s choreography. Their technique (especially Melissa’s) was great and they did each move more than adequately, but I feel like I didn’t get anything out of it. It was just kind of there. The judges lapped it up and Lil C even called Ade “one to watch” this season (God I hope that doesn’t take him as far as the same remark took Twitch last year). The audience and judges seem to like them, especially Melissa, and while she’s got great technique (she’s living proof that ballet training can take you a long way), I’ve never been impressed with these two. It was a pretty forgettable routine that might put them at the bottom of tomorrow’s pack.

Caitlin & Jason (Hip-Hop): These two performed a Shane Sparks hip-hop routine and while their movements were pretty sharp, they were hardly ever in sync, which pretty much killed the whole routine. Caitlin really struggled in this routine, with the exception of her solo (which she killed). Jason was adept, but not spectacular. I think these two will land in the Bottom 3.

Brandon & Jeanette (Disco): Both seemed to struggle with this incredibly quick Doriana Sanchez disco routine in rehearsals, but they really stepped up their game with tonight’s performance. The number was full of lifts, which were magnificent to watch – Brandon (who claims has never worked out a day in his life … riiiiight) is insanely strong and Jeanette just soared. Her spread eagle lift was particularly incredible – holy flexibility Batman! With the exception of a slight slip at the end by Jeanette (she tried to cover, but it was still noticeable), it was a fantastic routine and one of my favorites of the night. They’ll be around for another week for sure.

Asuka & Vitolio (Waltz): Danced a lovely waltz, but it still didn’t blow me away. The pair of them performed the steps well, especially compared to their work last week, but the actual choreography just fell flat. Their technique was great and the lift/spins were absolutely beautiful (mostly thanks to Asuka), but it wasn’t my favorite routine. Asuka threw herself into it and danced with more emotion than I thought possible, but Vitolio was barely present. They got great reviews from the judges though, so they might be alright. I’d like to see Vitolio go home, but it probably won’t happen this week.

Kayla & Max (Pop-Jazz): These two got Punk’d by wardrobe – Max was wearing MC Hammer pants and a kinky, bejeweled leather tank top and Kayla looked like a psychedelic Muppet in her hot pink and banana yellow-feathered number – but they pulled off another AMAZING routine. The idea behind the routine was that Kayla was a princess and Max was a jester, who really wanted to take her throne. It was a bizarre routine, but both really threw themselves into it and pulled off some great leaps and spins, not to mention plenty of personality. They should be fine for this week.

Karla & Jonathan (Contemporary): New choreographer Stacie Tookey (great name) gave the two a slow contemporary routine. I hated these two last week, but this routine was one of my favorites of the night. They needed to pull some serious shit off to recover from last week’s disaster of a cha-cha and they did. I’m still wary of them going far in the competition. Karla, who annoys me with all her bragging (for the love of my sanity, go back to ‘Wicked’), actually danced pretty well and had great lines throughout – something I definitely wasn’t expecting from her. Jonathan was fair by comparison, but I still think he’s the weakest dancer on the program in terms of technique. Mary drooled over him and even said he did this style better than his own (ballroom), although that’s not saying much – he sucked at ballroom last week. But he’s cute (a little too cute in my opinion), but he’ll pull in the pre-pubescent vote for sure. They’ll probably survive this week.

Jeanine & Phillip (Tango): These two were some of my favorites last week, but they struggled through a pretty rudimentary lack-luster tango. Both of them were very obviously out of their element and had practically zero technique – especially Phillip. To their credit, they really tried, but it just wasn’t enough. Jeanine stayed in character and fared alright, but Phillip really dragged her down. It was, at times, painful to watch. The judges sugar coated their critiques (which were negative on the whole), but at least Mary called Lil C out for not knowing what he was talking about when it came to Phillip’s bent knees (for the record, he was supposed to keep his knees bent, which he did). I’m so glad someone’s willing to call him out on his bullshit remarks (he makes plenty of them). The judges’ overly-nice reviews, along with Phillip’s strong following might leave these two unscathed for another week.

Ashley & Kupono (Hip-Hop): The pair ended the night with another Shane Sparks number. These two have never been my favorite dancers, but they fared alright. It wasn’t as hard-hitting as I would have liked and it wasn’t particularly memorable (although the shadow concept was cool). The judges tore them a new one, which was a bit unfair, but I guess they need to make someone the bad guys, right? I think they could be in trouble tomorrow because of the judges’ comments.

I think Melissa & Ade, Caitlin & Jason and Ashley & Kupono will land in the bottom 3 tomorrow night, but Phillip & Jeanine and Randi and Evan might be in danger. I doubt anyone from the latter two couples will be sent home, but it’s tough to call. I find I’m frequently disagreeing with the praise-happy judges this season and well, let’s face it, American voters are unpredictable. I guess we’ll see what happens.