Last night, we saw the eight couples left in the competition dance for America's vote. Tonight, we're seeing which of the two will end up being sent home as America's vote picks the bottom three. Those six dancers then dance for their life as the judges need to choose who is going home. Tonight's show opened with a performance by the group as a while with a hip hop routine choreographed by Shane Sparks. Following the performance, we take a look back at what happened last night on stage and behind the scenes.
After a commercial break, the couples were brought up two at a time. First up was Allison and Ivan and Heidi and Ryan. Both couples did well last night, and they were both safe tonight. Ashlee and Ben and Martha and Travis were called up next. Ben had some comments from the judges last night, as did Martha and Travis. The first couple sent to the bottom three are Ben and Ashlee. However, Martha and Travis are safe. Third up are Jaymz and Jessica and Donyelle and Benji. Next to join Ashlee and Ben are Jaymz and Jessica. The other couple is safe. The final two couples are Natalie and Musa and Aleksandra and Dimitry. Who joins the others in the bottom three? That honor goes to new couple Dimitry and Aleksandra.
As for the judges, Nigel agrees with the bottom three, as does Olisa and Cicely. However, Mary Murphy thinks that Musa and Natalie should have taken the place of Jessica and Jaymz. These six now have to dance for their lives. First up was Ashlee, and she did a popping routine. Was it enough to save her? Ben followed with a contemporary routine, and he was followed by Jessica. She doesn't think America is seeing her for who she really is. Will she get a chance to do that next week? After a commercial break, we see the other three go, and I think the best of the six went last, Dimitry. I think his performance will save him.
While the judges deliberated, we were entertained by a performance by Natasha Bedingfield. She sang her latest, Single. First up for eliminations tonight are the girls. Nigel calls up Ashlee and comments on her growth before telling her she is safe this week. Next up is Jessica. Nigel tells her he needs to show her personality more and not just talk about it. Before we learn who is going home, Aleksandra is called up by Nigel. First he apologizes for his comments last night, but then he tells her she is the one they have chosen to go home.
After a commercial break, the men go up. Dimitry is up first, and he has just lost his second partner in this competition. He asked to stay immediately because of how great a performer he is. Nigel calls up Ashlee and asks her about her partner. Then Nigel asks Ben how much he put into his solo performance. Nigel asks the same of Jaymz. Ben and Jaymz put no work into their solos. Ben is the one going home this week though. This means popper Ashlee will be paired up with Dimitry next week when the top fourteen dance for America's vote.
Songs used tonight:
Group Performance: Poison - Bell Biv Devoe 
Ashlee: She's a Bad Mama Jama - Carl Carlton
Ben: Everything - Lifehouse
Jessica: Fever - Michael Buble
Jaymz: Only One -Yellowcard
Aleksandra: Insensible - Mandalay
Dimitry: Magalenha - Sergio Mendes
Natasha Bedingfield - Single
So You Think You Can Dance Top 16 Eliminations
So You Think You Can Dance: The Top 16
Eight couples are left as the competition on So You Think You Can Dance gets ready to head into July. This will definitely heat up the summer months ahead as we get closer to finding out who America's favorite dancer is. On this week's performance show, we have Nigel Lythgoe, Mary Murphy and hip hop choreography team Olisa and Cicely judging our dancers in everything from hip hop to the quickstep.
Tonight's show started with host Cat Deeley talking to our judges as she finds out what some of their favorite or memorable moments from auditions were. This is becoming a norm of every performance show. Following that, Cat took us behind the scenes on what happened to our contestants in the past week. Before we started our week's worth of performances, we had a special performance by Lindyhop champions - Hop, Swing and a Jump.
First up tonight are Ashlee and her partner Ben. He is a contemporary dancer, and she is a popper. Following last week's show, they picked hip hop for this week, and for their routine they work with choreographer Todd Sams. The past couple of weeks, these two have struggled, but they improved some tonight. Ashlee showed what she could do. However, Ben gets some critique from Nigel. Mary defends Ben, but the veteran hip hop judges Ben also receives some good remarks as well. They did well compared to previous performances.
Next up is what the judges call the couple to beat, even if they end up in the bottom three last week by America's vote. This week, Heidi and Ryan get to do a Cuban Rumba routine with choreographer Alex DaSilva. At first, Heidi feels she knows the dance style, but when she arrives the first day she knows that isn't the case. Heidi does pick up the style quite quickly though. Even though Ryan had some problems, the two came out on stage tonight and they were just amazing. The judges loved them, and so did I. If they end up in the bottom three again tomorrow night, America needs to have their eyes check.
Third up is a new couple formed from last week's eliminations, Aleksandra and Dimitry. There partners were sent home last week. This week the new pair will work with Heather Smith on a waltz routine. Will these two be able to connect in this new partnership? These two came out and Dimitry did amazing. Nigel commends him, but he compares Aleksandra's performance to The Corpse Bridge. He says she dances without a soul or center.
We're at the midpoint of the show. Up fourth is Allison and Ivan as they work with Alex Da Silva on an Argentine Tango. This worries them because their first Latin performance didn't go well. However, Alex feels this performance will be easier for them, and he was right. These two were just amazing after struggling the last couple of weeks. They even got the judges behind them. Yes, Mary did scream for Ivan, and his reaction to it was just adorable.
Up next is Donyelle and Benji. These two have amazed the judges the last couple of weeks, and this week they are dancing a Pop Jazz routine choreographed by Brian Friedman. This style is the one mostly scene in popular music videos. These two hit the stage, and they were just amazing. I'm starting to wonder if these two can do any wrong. Other than the eye make-up used on Benji, the judges had no complaints with him.
Sixth we see Natalie and Musa perform a quckstep routine choreographed by Heather Smith. This routine might give Musa some trouble with his limited dance training. However, he was determined to succeed. Even though, his footwork wasn't there, the judges are able to look at him and his performance for what it was. A great attempt with a lot of heart. Coming up next we have Jaymz and Jessica with a contemporary performance by Brian Friedman. These two have ended up in the bottom three twice already, but I don't think they have really belonged there. Will they end up in the bottom three again this week? With that performance, I certainly hope not.
These dancers as a whole are certainly making it hard to pick just who will make it to the bottom three this week. Last up, we have Martha and Travis dancing another hip hop routine choreographed once again by Todd Sams. These two were certainly happy to see this style when it was picked. However, Nigel tells these two they just weren't good tonight. I really enjoyed their performance tonight though. Mary agreed with Nigel, but what do the hip hop judges have to say on the routine? They agreed.
Could this mean we could see this couple make it into the bottom three? Possibly. Nigel declines to comment on who will make it into the bottom three, but Mary mentions Musa and Natalie and Aleksandra, and Olisa and Cecile also mention Aleksandra. Although this is no fault of her partners. Check back tomorrow night for just who is eliminated on the results show as we also have a performance by Natasha Bedingfield.
Hop, Swing and a Jump: Traffic Jam - Bill Elliot
Ashlee/Ben: Caught Up - Usher
Ryan/Heidi: Ruma Del Solar - Angelo Rodriguez
Aleksandra/Dimitry: If I Were A Painting - Kenny Rogers
Allison/Ivan: Libertango - Bond
Donyelle/Benji; Put The Needle On It - Dannii Minogue
Musa/Natalie: Zoot Suit Riot Cherry Poppin' Daddies
Jaymz/Jessica: Let Go - Frou Frou
Martha/Travis: Just Fine - Chris Brown
To find out more visit: http://www.fox.com/dance
RR/RW Challenge Fresh Meat Episode 5
On last week's episode of Fresh Meat we saw a rift form between Austin couple Johanna and Wes as they are chosen to go into exile against each other, after a plan to get him and Johanna out of exile failed. This spells the end of the couple as the rest of the teammates get behind Johanna with encouragement in order to beat her boyfriend when they meet in exile. Now, we have to see what happens as team relations go wacky. One problem is already brewing between Tonya and her partner. Wes is still intent on not letting this interfere with their relationship. However, it already has.
The night before the next challenge, the group decides to have a costume party. Tonya shows up in her underwear, and she raises a few eyebrows. Johanna is the first to break as she goes to Wes. The two talk, and it appears they work things out. He apologized. However, as Wes said the best way for Johanna to beat him is to use her anger and spitefulness at him to win. Now, she doesn't have that.
The next morning, the next challenge is set, and it is called rollin' in out. Two teams will go in at a time, and the object of the game is to fill one container full of oats. In order to do that, those competitors will roll in oats and then carry what is attached to them to the container. Wes or Johanna need to win in order to make them safe. They are two of the weakest teams, so can they do it?
Johanna and Jessie are the first to go with Katie and her partner Eric. Wes goes up next against Derrick and his partner. We're not told the weight amounts until the end, as each of the couples continue to go. The first problem comes up with Johnnie, Tonya's partner. He is unable to successfully complete the mission. This brings them in last place. Johanna and Jessie come in fifth place and Wes and Casey come in eighth place. Once again coming out on top is Coral and Evan, the killer team it appears. This means the couple will face each other in exile.
Johanna and Jessie take the lead when Wes and his partner forget one of the puzzle flags. Casey has to go back for it, and this is when Johanna takes the lead. However, we learn Johanna and Jessie forgot to pick up both of their flags, so this means even though they could have won the exile, they lose because they forgot the flags. Before she leaves, Johanna tells Wes he should be nicer to his partner and not curse her out and belittle her when they are competing.
Wes returns to the house, and the rest of the team tells him good job for kicking out his girlfriend. Evan makes it known that now is when things will get ugly, and Tonya also warns to someone on the phone back home that her and Johnnie are a timebomb ready to go off. We'll have to see what happens on next week's show!
So You Think You Can Dance: Top 18 Elimination
Last night, we saw nine couples perform for America's vote. As Cat Deeley mentioned, millions called in to vote for their favorites. Tonight, one male and one female will be eliminated from the competition. Tonight's show started with a performance by the entire group choreographed by Dan Karaty. Following that we went back to last night to see just what our dancers did for America's vote. We also had a bit of a behind the scenes look at what happened backstage before the performances.
After a commercial break, we learned with of the nine couple ended up in the bottom three. In groups of three couples, Cat called up the couples. The first couples were Jessica and Jaymz, Ben and Ashlee and Dimitry and Joy. Last week, Jessica and Jaymz were in the bottom three. This week, they were safe as were Ben and Ashlee. However, Dimitry and Joy make our bottom three. The next three couples to come up are Martha and Travis, Benji and Donnelle, and Musa and Natalie. All three of these couples were safe. This means two of the last three couples are in the bottom three. These three couples are Aleksandra and Jason, Heidi and Ryan and Allison and Ivan. The first to land in the bottom three are Aleksandra and Jason. They are soon joined by Heidi and Ryan.
The six perform and I think they all performed well, but a few mentioned they didn't think they had done their best. I particularly liked Heidi's performance, and I'd be shocked if she was eliminated based on that performance. I think I expected more out of Dimitry. His performance bored me a little. Jason seemed to freestyle it too much, and that might be what ends up hurting him. Following their dances, the judges went backstage and Rihanna took the stage to perform her new hit SOS. The judges are given through another commercial break to make their decisions on just who is going home tonight.
First up to find out are the girls. First up is Heidi, and Nigel lets her know just how much her performance tonight saved her. Joy is next called up by Nigel. He tells her she needs to improve her dancing. Aleksandra is called up and Nigel tells her that they were disappointed with her performance for the night. Even with this lackluster performance, she is kept for another week and Joy is the one sent home. Before we find out which of the men will join Joy this week, we have another commercial break.
First called up by Nigel is Dimitry. Nigel tells him that Mia called him a Greek God, and he shouldn't be in the bottom three next week. Ryan is next up, and Nigel says he isn't touching the audience with his performance. Jason is called up last, and last week he had received compliments from Mary Murphy. However, he is the one to go home this week. His solo didn't really grab me, but I thought he was one of the better dancers. The men made it tough because I think if Dimitry hadn't made it into the bottom three someone else would be going home tonight on the men side. I think having Joy as a partner did hurt him, even if he was quite diplomatic when Cat asked him about being in the bottom three. Next week, Aleksandra and Dimitry will be paired up as the top eight couples perform.
No songs were given on this weeks show, but this is what I gathered from my own knowledge:
Group performance: Get Up Offa That Thing - James Brown
Joy
Dimitry
Heidi I Like It Like That:
Ryan: Aint no way Chris Brown
Aleksandra
Jason
Guest performance: Rihanna SOS
So You Think You Can Dance: The Top 18
Last week, we saw the top twenty battle it out and two dancers sent home on an elimination show that featured an appearance by Nelly Furtado and Timberland. This week we see the eighteen dancers left battle it out for America's vote with three judges looking to send them home tomorrow night. The judging line-up changes this week with Shane Sparks and Mia Michaels coming in to take over for Dan Karaty and Mary Murphy. This week, we also see the return of Hawk as he interviewed by Cat Deeley and his crew, The Sick Step Crew perform on stage before the competition gets underway for the week.
First up tonight are early favorites are Martha and Travis as they work with Lil C in the krump dance performance. This is totally out of the two contemporary dancers element. Even with the style and routine being out of the element, the dancers stood up to the challenge. Travis did amazing, and he won praise from the judges. However, Nigel did have to mention they were doing a simple routine for the style. Next up, we have Jaymz and Jessica working with Mary Murphy on an American Foxtrot routine. The routine is a little bit challenging for the pair, but Mary Murphy is confident in them, even though they were in the bottom three last week. Her confidence was well placed because the judges had nothing but praise for the dancers.
Third to perform are Ivan and Allison and they have chosen hip hop this week. This means they will work on a routine with Olisa and Cicely. Ivan is a hip hop dancer, while Allison is trained in contemporary jazz. The choreographers think she might just be the surprise of the night though cause of how well she picked up the style. Shane praised them, but Mia Michaels wanted more fireworks. As for Nigel, he has praise for Ivan and the choreographers. Fourth up was Dimitri and Joy as they work with Mark Weiss on a Samba. For me, I personally had some problems with the performance, especially with the ending. For the judges, they are tough on Joy, Mia Michaels especially. She tells Joy she thinks she wasn't ready for this competition. However, her partner received nothing but praise.
Fifth couple to perform is the one that was called one of the hottest couples last week, Natalie and Musa. The two pick up contemporary and they work with Tavaris Wilson on a routine. Natalie's style is contemporary, but Musa has no formal training, so this is definitely going to be a challenge for him. However, even with some problems Musa definitely did well for having no training. The chemistry between the two dancers definitely makes them stand out. Sixth up was Ryan and Heidi as they also work with Tavaris Wilson, but this time with a pop routine. Ryan might not have originally wanted Heidi as a partner, but after their performance last week he is eating his words. As soon as they hit the stage, I was focused on them. They totally entertained me, as Shane also said. Mia Michaels has some critique for Heidi. Nigel has some critique for both of them, so the judges are all over the board with this couple.
Ben and Ashlee are up next, and they were last week's worst performances in the mind of the judges. This week they will be working with judge and choreographer Mary Murphy on an American Jive routine. Neither of them are confident on the style, and Mary is just as not confident after seeing their disco last week. After watching their performance, I see a bit of improvement from last week, but the judges are harsh right off the batt starting with Shane. Following Ben and Ashlee we have Jason and Aleksandra with a hip hop routine that once again is choreographed by Olisa and Cicely. The two choreographers are immediately concerned with Aleksandra. However, she does okay. Not great. Like Shane said she danced like a white girl doing hip hop. Jason is praised, but Aleksandra is critiqued by all three.
The last couple of the night is Benji and Donelle. The two pick up the cha cha and once again we see choreographer, Mark Weiss. Even with the seriousness of latin dancing, Benji comes in with his usual joking behavior. However, when they take the stage there is no joking around at all. Shane calls them the best performance of the night, and I have to agree. They just did amazing, and the judges agreed. Nigel calls them the couple to beat following their performance.
With tonight's performances, it is very hard for me to pick a bottom three. All the dancers took the challenge, and where one partner failed, their partner did amazing. It is hard picking a couple because of this. I think for one we will see Joy and Dimitri in the bottom couples, but I don't think that is Dimitri's fault. Another possibility is Heidi and Ryan, but I personally loved their performance. If I was to pick one pair to go home this week it would be Ashlee and Ben, even with their improved performance. We will see who America votes into the bottom three tomorrow night as those six then dance for their life for the judges. Who will be going home?
Sick Step Crew: Canned Heat Jamiroquai
Martha/Travis: Clap Back - Ja Rule:
Jaymz/Jessica: Why don't you do right? - Sinead O'Connor
Ivan/Allison: Touch It - Busta Rhymes
Dimitri/Joy Mas Que Nada - Sergio Mendes feat. The Black Eyed Peas
Musa/Natalie: Closer - Goapele
Ryan/Heidi: Walk Away - Kelly Clarkson
Ben/Ashlee: Great Balls Of Fire Jerry Lee Lewis
Aleksandra/Jason Wrath of Kane - Big Daddy Kane
Benji/Donelle: Cuchi-Cuchi - Los Amigos Invisibles
RW/RR Challenge: Fresh Meat Episode 4
Over the last two weeks, we have seen two couples with cast mates of the Real World: Austin sent home. First it was Danny and his partner, and then Melinda and Ryan followed close behind them last week when they met Wes and Casey in Exile. This week, the tide has turned because now Theo and his partner have the lead as they take the top spot from Coral and her partner, Evan.
Tonight's episode opens with Johanna and Wes happy and in love with the pool. He has survived exile twice, but Tina makes it clear he will continue on going into exile because he needs to go. We next see Tina goofing off with her own partner as they bond before the groups receive news of their next mission the following morning. That challenge is called climber's paradise. The purpose of the mission is to climb the twenty-five foot wall as quick as possible. They have a ten minute limit. The pair with the fastest team will be saved from exile.
Because Chandra and Theo are in charge of the order for this mission, they choose Jesse and Johanna to go first because they make good guinea pigs. However, they don't make it up in the ten minute time allowed. Next up is Tina and Kenny, and they are disqualified when Tina falls off the wall after the second peg. Wes sees this as an opportunity to get her voted into exile. Wes and Casey don't make it in the time allotted either, and the next pair Katie and Eric don't either.
The first couple to make it to the top is Darrell and Aviv. Shane and Linnette also make it. Derrick and Diem make it up, but she is injured. Tonya and her partner also make it, but it looks the couple to beat might end up being Coral and Evan. Theo and Chandra follow them, and they are trying to keep their stop status. Coral and Evan win the challenge with a time of 5 minutes and 33 seconds. This puts them back on top.
Wes tries to make a deal with Coral to vote himself into exile. It looks like she is going to do it, but when the host calls her up to announce who they pick for exile, she calls in Wes and Casey. This angers Wes to no ends. He gets into an argument with Johanna in front of everyone, and she ends up walking off. After she walks off, Wes continues on yelling at everyone, probably only succeeding in pissing off everyone left so they do end up voting Johanna and Jesse in. That is just what ends up happening.
So on next week's episode, we will end up seeing the last two Austin cast mates and their partners go head to head in exile, unless one of the couples is able to win the next mission and get out of it. Wes is looking to stay in the competition, no matter what he has to do, even if that means he has to beat his girlfriend to do it. However, the girls on the team stand behind Johanna, and it looks like she decides to end things with Wes because of how he has treated her since they arrived for the challenge. We'll just have to wait and see what happens next week.
So You Think You Can Dance Top 20 Eliminations
Last night, we saw the top twenty paired up and dance together for the first time for America's votes. We had some great performances, and some okay performances. We saw partners that were saved by fantastic performances by their partners. Now, we need to see which couples America voted the least for, and then we need to see those six dancers dance for their lives as they perform solos to keep their spots in the competition.
Tonight's show opened up with a group performance choreographed by Brian Friedman. He did an amazing routine for them, and they all looked amazing. Afterwards, we took a look back at what happened on last night's show as we review the performances and the judges comments. After a commercial, we returned to find out just who made the bottom three. Cat Deeley first called up the two couples that performed hip hop. We learn that Benji and Donyelle are safe. Even though Dmitri and Joy didn't impress the judges, they were also safe.
Next up, we learned about our ballroom performing couples. First, we learn that Ryan and Heidi are safe. However, the first couple to make the bottom three are Stanislav and his partner Erin. Cat Deeley asks Mary about the vote, and she says the couple should have made the top three and not the bottom three. Both our contemporary couples are also safe. Our next couple to hit the bottom three are Allison and Ivan.
The last two couples up are our disco couples, Ben and Ashlee and Jessica and Jaymes. Which of these two would make the bottom three? The one with the most problems last night were Ben and Ashlee. However, America votes enough to keep them safe. It is Jessica and Jaymes that need to perform solos with the others. I'm not sure how that was even possible. I never imagined seeing Jessica and Jaymes having to dance for their lives tonight.
After another commercial break, we saw our first three dance for their lives. All three danced in their own styles, and they all looked great. I loved how free Allison looked. She went on without any set choreography. She just danced, and she looked great doing it. Stanislav did a little latin number that also looked good. The next three perform their solos, and they make it hard for me to choose. Out of the men, my least favorite performance was Ivan. I think all three girls did well, so it is hard to choose between for me. Afterwards, the judges must decide while we see Nelly Furtado perform her current single with Timberland.
Another commercial break and then it comes time to announce which of the females is going home tonight. Allison is first brought forward, and she is safe. Her partner let her down last night. Going home this week on the girl's side is Erin. After one last commercial, we learn which of the men is going home tonight. Based on last night's performance and tonight's solo my pick would have been Ivan. Jaymz comes up first, and he is safe. This leaves Stanislav and Ivan. Stanislav is told he needs to improve his solo performances and allow them to show his personality more. Ivan is told he let his partner down, but it is Stanislav that is going home tonight. This is absolutely shocking because his performance was one of the better ones last night. I really think Ivan should have been the one to go home. Who will go home last week?
Solo songs:
Erin: Gotta Get Through This Daniel Bedingfield
Stanislav: Shing-a-tin-tin Tito Puente
Allison: Wild Horses Natasha Bedingfield
Ivan: Ready Black Rob
Jessica: Dancing Elisa
Jaymz All That I've Got The Used
So You Think You Can Dance The Top 20
Over the last three weeks we've seen them audition, we've seen them go through hell week, and now we see the top twenty perform in partner's for America's votes. Tomorrow night, we will see which two of them will go home. One female and one male will end up on the chopping block and sent home tomorrow night. Our judges at this point are Nigel Lythgoe, Mary Murphy and Dan Karaty. Our host is Cat Deeley. Last season's host, Lauren Sanchez is on maternity leave.
Tonight's show opened with a look at some back at some of the judge's funniest or best moments, but that was overshadowed by an appearance by last season's winner, Nick Lazzarini. He performed to the song he used in so many of his performances last year, Incubus's Pardon Me.
This season's competition s being done a little differently than the first season. Last season, each week the couple's pairing was done randomly as each one picked a name out of hat. This year, the judges have picked the couples before tonight, and the couples will remain the same throughout the season. At the end of each performance show, you will vote and then the next night the three couples with the lowest number of votes will dance again for the judges.
The first couple to perform is Benji and Donyelle and they worked with Shane Sparks on a great hip hop routine. It was a great routine and a great performance. I was actually a bit shocked to see Benji do so well because he is more of a ballroom performer. The next couple is Ivan and Allison. They are set to work with Alex Dasilva on what he calls a salsa night club routine. Ivan is a hip hop dancer, and this might cause a problem for the two. Allison was wonderful, but Ivan was clearly nervous during the performance.
Our third couple is Jason and Aleksandra, and they will have to perform a contemporary routine by Tyce Dioro. Jason definitely looked to be having an easier time with the choreography than his partner was. After a commercial break, we saw our next couple, Jaymz and Jessica. They worked with Doriana Sanchez on a disco routine. They do extremely well with it. By this point, we've reached the halfway point of our show, and our fifth couple is Erin and Stanislav, and they work with Ron Montez on a pasa doble. Erin doesn't impress Nigel so much, but Mary loved her partner.
Our sixth couple is Dmitri and Joy. Once again we see our dancers work with Shane Sparks on a hip hop routine. This will be a problem with Dmitri because he is a ballroom dancer that has never danced hip hop before. This showed during the performance. I didn't think Dmitri hit his performance, and Nigel told him as much. Mary disagreed with him. However, Dan agreed with Nigel.
Ryan and Heidi are the seventh couple. Ryan was a bit disappointed because he was really hoping to be paired with Natalie. They end up working Ron Montez on a Viennese Waltz. The judges thought they did okay, but Mary was definitely touch on Ryan. the top was good, but the feet were horrible. Our next couple comes from Los Angeles, Ben and Ashlee. They end up working with Doriana Sanchez on an eighties disco routine. However, the two didn't do well, and the judges had no problem telling them that. Dan Karaty pointed out Ashlee, and Nigel said for the two to prepare their solos for tomorrow night.
Our eighth couple is Travis and Martha, and they work with Tyce Dioro on a Broadway routine. Travis has been on Broadway before, so he is a step ahead of the game. During rehearsals, we see them do well. On stage, they are on fire. Both Nigel and Mary call them the couple to beat in this competition, and I agree. Our final couple is Musa and Natalie. They work with Alex DaSilva on a mambo routine. Alex was a bit worried about Musa because he isn't a formally trained. He is a break dancer. This might lead Natalie to leading, which is a problem Alex notes with her during rehearsals. They do an okay performance. I think Natalie saved them, but they do have amazing chemistry as Dan noted in his comments.
So who do you think the bottom three couples will be tomorrow night? Which six dancers will have to dance for their lives with their solos? I think we will see Erin and Stanislav, Dmitiri and Joy, and Musa and Natalie dancing tomorrow night. However, it isn't up to me. It is up to you America. Here is a list of songs used on tonight's show.
Nick Lazarrini: Incubus Pardon Me
Benji and Donyelle: 2 Much Booty Soundmaster T
Ivan/Allison: El Temblor by La Palabra
Aleksandra/Jason: Natasha Bedingfield Unwritten
Jaymz/Jessica: Disco Inferno The Trammps
Stanislav/Erin: Malaguena Manhattan Pops Orchestra
Dmitri/Joy: Hit The Floor Twista feat. Pitbull
Natalie/Ryan: Carribean Bkue Enya
Ashlee/Ben: Flashdance Irene Cara
Marsha/Travis: Steam Heat The Pointer Sisters
Musa/Natalie: Nina Joe Cuba Sixtet
RW/RR Challenge Fresh Meat: Episode 3
On last week's challenge, we saw two of the remaining Austin castmates sent into exile against each other. Wes and Casey and Melinda and Ryan will go head to head on tonight's show. Melinda is ready to go home now that Danny is no longer in the challenge with her, but she wants to stay to. She isn't ready to give up. Ryan is worried that Melinda will somehow get them eliminated because of Danny.
The next morning they get called to their next challenge called jailbreak. The contestants will be locked up in cells, handcuffs and put into jumpsuits. Using only their hands and mouths they have to look for the three keys they need to free themselves, their partner and the door to the cell. It's gross, but its a challenge. Of course them showing Katie spitting out whatever she ate was just the icing on the gross factor.
We watch each of the teams hunt for keys one by one. Johanna and her partner Jesse are ahead until she drops one of their keys. The two other Austin couples do alright, but they don't come in first. For a change, Evan and Coral come in last and Theo and Chandra come in first. This means they are charge of the order for the next challenge. They are also safe from exile.
As for the exile, it is the same as the one before. The two teams need to carry their bags with the weight of their own bags and complete two puzzles. At first it looks like Melinda and Ryan might be ahead of the game, but somehow Wes and Casey pull out a win, and they return home to the house. Melinda and Ryan are eliminated.
So You Think You Can Dance: The Top 20 Chosen
We've seen auditions in four cities, and we've seen over one hundred dancers make their way to Las Vegas for hell week to dance their asses off for the judges. Forty-three remain when the competition reaches the final stage before the top twenty are chosen. The first one we are shown an in-depth look at it is Dejanee Riley. A dancer from NYC. She had shown a lot of promise early on, but she didn't impress many of the judges in Vegas, except for Nigel. Because of this, she doesn't make it through. Nigel does ask her to return next season.
Next, we see Alison Holker from UT. Where Dejanee hadn't impressed the judges in Vegas, she had. Even though, she thought she was just okay, she is the first girl to make it into the top ten. Henry Graham is next, and we remember seeing him as the one with a jaded childhood. He doesn't make it though no matter how much he impressed the judges early on. The second to make it through in Las Vegas via a Chicago audition. She is a high school student, so she is young. However, the judges put her through. Her best friend, Erin, also makes it into the top ten.
Another high school student that made it through is Ben, who auditioned with his best friend Heather in Los Angeles. It looks like he barely made it through, and she got the opposite side of the coin. Next, we see Julia that collapsed earlier in the week. She didn't make her through to the top ten, but her boyfriend Stanislav does. Next up, we see Heidi and her cousin Benji. She makes it through, and shockingly he looks like he doesn't. However, the judges are just pulling his leg, and he is the first man headed into the top ten. We see several more make it through, but we're not given any names to go along with the faces.
We then see the two remaining breakers left in the competition, Musa and Hawk. Last year, only one breaker, Ryan, made it through. Musa is first to learn that he has made it through, and Hawk goes up after him. He would have made it through, but the judges learned he had a problem with his Visa. With only three remaining spots, Danielle Jones is the next to make it through. She is followed by Ryan, and that leaves only one remaining female spot open. Last to make the top twenty is Alexandra. She pushed out what Nigel called one of the best dancers, but she made things look just too easy. Next week, the top twenty will start to dance for America's votes.
So You Think You Can Dance: Vegas Week
Over the last couple of weeks, we have seen auditions in four different cities to find who will be the best dancer in this season's So You Think You Can Dance. Now those that have been selected have now made their way to Las Vegas where they will spend a week at Aladdin Hotel as the choreographers put them through their paces. Each day, they will work with a different choreographer as they are judges by the remaining choreographers. At the end of each day the group of remaining judges will select who makes it through the next day.
This first day of call backs the dancers will work on hip-hop routine with Shane Sparks. One hundred and twenty one were selected, but only one hundred and fifteen return for the Vegas round. They will be judged by Brian Friedman, Mia Michaels, Mary Murphy, and Nigel Lythgoe. With this new round of auditions, we are now seeing some new faces that we didn't see in the auditions. The first we are introduced to is Claire Calloway who tells the host, Cat Deeley, about how suffered an injury while performing, but there is no sign of any injury now. Another we see is Lynn. She definitely woke up the judges back in Los Angeles.
At the end of the morning, thirty-four dancers are brought back on stage and they are told out of a possible fifteen points, they all scored less than six. Some as low as one. Instead of eliminating them at that point, they are given the chance to save themselves with ballroom as they learn a samba routine. At this point, we see a familiar face from season one, Artem, as he assists Mary with the teaching of the routine. After the dancers perform, thirty-five are sent home.
Lynn is asked to stick around to dance for the judges to save her space. Another asked to stay is Ryan, who impressed the judges in Los Angeles. This makes the two very emotional. Ryan is the first to get back on stage, and he falls during his performance. After a long moment, he is able to pick himself back up, but Nigel quickly informs that he won't be continuing. This leaves him upset. Lynn-Rae Hires is also sent home after her performance.
The second day has the remaining eighty-one dancers working with Mia Michaels and her contemporary choreography. Today the dancers will be judged by Nigel, Mary, Brian and Ron Montez. After they learn their routine they then perform for the judges. The first to be eliminated day two is Chris, one of Six Step Crew, that Ryan brought in. His friend, Hawk, is asked to stay, and the third Musa is asked to return that afternoon. During this, Claire Calloway is taken away by ambulance. Musa is able to once again impress the judges that afternoon, and he is asked to stay. Benji, the swing dancer, also comes out and impresses the judges with his West Coast Swing performance.
We also see Claire Calloway go home after she returns to the hotel. However, Nigel says she will be able to skip the auditions next season. She'll be able to come in right at the point she is how next year. The next day, the dancers left get to work with Brian Friedman. His choreography is probably the most difficult they have had to learn this week. That is clear as soon as the dancers begin to perform. However, some do come through. Hawk is praised by all of the judges as he makes it through Brian's class.
After the dancing is done, Nigel gives them a serious pep talk before sending them on their way. Next up is solos. Each of the dancers left will have a chance to impress the judges one more time with a minute solo performance. From this, the judges will pick the top ten women and men that will be announced on tomorrow's special two hour episode.
Real World/Road Rules Challenge - Fresh Meat Episode 2
On last week's episode, we saw Danny from the Real World: Austin go into exile with his partner, and then go home when she was disqualified. The rest of the team wants to see the entire Austin go home because to them they are fresh meat, and they need to earn the right to win money. That won't be happening this time around if the other veterans have anything to say about it.
However, tonight's episode doesn't start with any competition. We get to know one of our fresh members just a bit better, Diem. She tells her partner Derrick that she was diagnosed with Ovarian cancer just the month before. She is currently undergoing treatments, but of the lower variety. This makes Derrick want to work even harder in the competition in order to do well for her.
Today's challenge consists of the team members hanging off a beam over water. They will hold their partner by their arms to see who can last the longest. None of the teams last longer than a minute, and they are all trying to knock Coral and her partner out of the top spot. At first it looks like they were successful. Shanda and Theo and Shane and Lynnette both do impressively, but when it comes down to it, it is a matter of milliseconds that give Coral and Evan the win. That means they are still in charge of things.
When the group starts to deliberate, it becomes an issue of Johanna going in. However, Wes stands up and does the chivalrous thing and offers himself up instead. The group is shocked. Johanna breaks down into tears, but in the end it is Wes/Casey and Melinda/Ryan going into exile together. However, that won't happen until next week's episode.
So You Think You Can Dance Episode 2.03
On last night's episode of So You Think You Can Dance, we saw two days of auditions in The City of Angels. Thirty-five dancers were given tickets to go to Las Vegas. Tonight, we are hitting the windy city of Chicago for the last city of auditions. These auditions are being judged by Nigel Lythgoe, Mary Murphy and Shane Sparks. Their first audition of the day is Tony Peltier, a customer service representative. He had some moves, but his dancing was more suited to the club circuit than this competition. All three judges passed, but he seemed to handle it alright, even if a bit sad.
The morning auditions went from bad to worse. In four hours of auditions, not one dancer went through to Vegas or choreography. We see one dancer, Jessica Wilson, perform a modern/lyrical piece. She had been dancing for the last thirteen years, but the judges felt that she danced like a beginner. Nigel had no problem dashing her dancing dreams. Things do begin to look up.
We see the return of a couple, Nick Gonzalez and Andrea Savelli, that auditioned on last year's show. The two met there, and they have been together ever since. The two audition separately, and only one makes it through. Nick wows the judges with a tap performance, and he makes it straight through. As for Andrea, she has no passion in her performance and she is sent on her way.
In fact, Nick is the only one that makes it through to Vegas on the first day of auditions. We also see a dancing clown known as Knowlton Haaland. He was amusing, but he just wasn't what the judges were looking for here. The second day starts off just as bad. Timothy Cruz is the first to come on stage on the second morning, and he performs a hip hop performance that makes Nigel tell him he should quit dancing. However, what is even more shocking here is that Timothy is a choreographer.
He is the first in a line of dance teachers that audition and are just horrible. Nigel and the other judges have no problem telling any of them they have no right to be teaching. Alison Enriquez is another dancer auditioning with the hopes of becoming a dance teacher. Nigel dashes those hopes. However, one dance teacher does come out and makes it through to the choreography round later that night, Duron Benifield.
The two that follow Duron also make it through to the choreography round, Ron Evans and Nigel Holts. Ron impresses the judges, but they want to see him do something else. As for Nigel, the only judge impressed by him is Shane, but Nigel Lythgoe puts him through to the choreography round just so Shane can see what he can do there. The second to make it straight to Vegas is Erika Gee. Mary isn't as impressed with her, but Shane and Nigel were. The last dancer of the day before the choreography is Angel Polver, and she is immediately sick following her performance. Nigel does make a reference to his being sickened by her as well, but she threw up for him.
Next we jump to choreography as Shane Sparks leads the dancers put through to this round through some steps. The three shown on television that were sent to this round didn't make it through to Vegas. However, twenty-three others did. They weren't shown on television with their auditions, so there is no way to know just how good they are. In all, twenty-five from Chicago made it to Las Vegas to the next round. For the auditions in total, one hundred and twenty-one dancers survived this round to make it through. We will see them begin hell week next Wednesday night.