SYTYCD: Pipe Down, Ya' English Muffin

Last performance show before the Top 10 are revealed!!! Anybody else as excited as I am?

Tonight's guest judge was Tyce DiOrio, which was fine by me. That's where he belongs – on the judging panel. He’s always a hilarious super-bitch with his critiques and I love it. Plus it means we don’t have to watch any of his crappy routines. Huzzah!

Each of the couples danced two routines this week, so this is gonna be a long post (bear with me).

Melissa & Ade’s first routine was a disco routine by Doriana to ‘Move on Up’. They started off with great energy, but it quickly became dirge-ish. The routine was chuck-full of lifts, which were the best part of the routine to me. My favorite was when Melissa kicked her leg up to her chin, and Ade basically threw her over his head horizontally. The judges all loved it.

Kayla & Kupono started off the evening with a Mia Michaels contemporary routine to “Gravity” by Sara Bareilles. The dance was about addiction – Kupono was the addiction and Kayla was the addict. Genius idea, Mia. It such a powerful routine – both of them committed 100 percent to the concept. Kupono was downright creepy (which was the point) and stole the performance from Kayla for once, I think. But she was great too. Do I smell another Emmy for Mia Michaels?

Caitlin & Jason’s first routine was a fox trot to “Minnie the Moocher” by Big Bad Voodoo Daddy. It was a jazzy, American style fox trot and it was alright. Not bad, not great, just okay. Jason’s carriage wasn’t as strong as it needed to be, but Caitlin pulled him through the routine. Her extension (as always) were great, and she was perfectly suited for this fluid routine.

Jeanine & Phillip pulled Russian Folk Dance, which they’re apparently bringing back to the show (they did this style before?). Watching the rehearsals, I was downright scared for these two and I was right to be. Phillip really dragged Jeanine down – his leaps were weak, and he always felt out of sync to me. It was painful to watch. The routine really slowed down about 10 seconds in, and I think that could hurt them in the vote, although the judges gave them mixed reviews, so we’ll see.

Randi & Evan got a hip-hop routine by TabNap to “Halo”. The concept was that Randi was pregnant and they were going to get engaged. I was beyond nervous to see Evan do hip-hop, but he really surprised me. The routine was perfect for them – hard hitting, in-sync and lots of personality. They also pulled off some amazing lifts, which was especially great because, hey, how often do you really see strong lifts in hip-hop? Love TabNap. Love Randi & Evan.

Janette & Brandon’s first routine was an Argentine tango by Miriam Larici and Leonardo deMarco to "Libertango". Janette looked sexy as hell, and her dancing was amazing too. Her footwork was flawless and she completely committed to the routine. I barely noticed Brandon for the first half of the routine, but he stepped it up with his fast footwork and some amazing lifts (which are seemingly effortless for him). The only problem: they lacked serious chemistry. Janette gave it her all, but Brandon didn’t even try. Disappointing. The judges gave them a standing ovation (a bit much), Tyce made some ridiculous metaphor about orange juice and Mary put them on the train. Woo-woo!

Melissa & Ade’s second routine was a waltz by Ron Montez to “Natural Woman” by Mary J. Blige. It was fluid, graceful and just beautiful. Melissa makes everything look effortless, and Ade’s been growing on me. His technique still isn’t as strong as I’d like it to be, but he’s getting better. I guess Melissa is rubbing off on him.

Kayla & Kupono danced Broadway by Joey Dowling to "The Dance at the Gym" from "West Side Story” for their second number. The music really put me off – I love WSS, but the song selection was all wrong for this piece. That song is powerful and spicy and their routine simply wasn’t. Kayla really threw herself into it, but Kupono (as usual) was just kind of along for the ride. Not one of their better routines, but the judges gave them mixed reviews.

Caitlin & Jason got a lyrical jazz number with Mandy Moore to “Show Me Heaven”. The routine started off slow, but things picked up a bit after the first minute or so. The routine had some great sharp kicks, lots of chemistry and was remarkably in sync. Jason was practically ignoring Caitlin though. He always plays too much to the audience, completely disadvantaging his partner.

Jeanine & Phillip did a jive to "Stuff Like That There" for their second routine. The whole routine felt lackluster to me, and wasn’t particularly dynamic either. Jeanine threw herself into it, but, as always, Phillip was just lagging behind. I’d like to see her make the Top 10 so she can have a chance with a new partner. She could really emerge as a threat I think. The judges were pretty easy on them and Jeanine even made it onto Mary’s train.

Randi & Evan’s second routine was a samba with Pasha and Anya from S3 to "Ritmo de Bom Bom". Strong start to the number with this amazing flippy, throw thing (sorry, I really can’t explain it). They danced the routine well technically (as always) and Randi was sexy as hell, but Evan wasn’t totally there. I mean he was, but not in the strong leading man kind of way. If he wants to survive in this competition he needs to learn how to be strong like bull, not cute like puppy. They’re still some of my favorite dancers and I really hope they make it to the Top 10. Nigel said the routine wasn't as hot as he would have liked it. Mary referred to it as a "slow sizzle,” and put Randi on the train too.

Janette & Brandon finished off the night with a Wade Robson jazz routine to “Ruby Blue” by Roíson Murphy. I love Wade Robson’s routines, and this one was no exception. Janette & Brandon were supposed to be burglars – Janette as the go get ‘em type and Brandon as the more calculating type – and it came through perfectly. They started off on top of the steps and came down with some great freeze-frame moments. They were so in-sync it was almost scary. The routine had loads of personality and was easily one of my favorites of the night.

Phew! Okay, I think that's it.

Bottom 3 Predictions: This is tough, since half of the couples will be in the bottom. Phillip & Jeanine will probably be in trouble (both their routines were pretty lackluster) and Caitlin & Jason will end up there by default. They’re not the most exciting dancers and don’t really seem to have a strong voting bloc. I think the last spot is a toss-up (although all of them pretty much are). Kayla & Kupono might land in the bottom. It seems like the audiences haven’t really warmed to them, although their ‘addiction’ routine was brilliant and it just might save them. Randi & Evan might be in trouble too because of the judges’ lukewarm reactions to their samba, but I really hope they survive til next week.

I guess we’ll see. I’ll be blogging about tonight’s results show over on City Newspaper’s entertainment blog (I’ll post the link in a later post). Anybody else as excited as I am for this year’s Top 10?!