So You Think You Can Dance: The Good, The Bad, and The Sappy

People are suckers, that’s all I have to say. And I’m including myself in that statement, always. Tuesday night the remaining eight dancers took the stage…no, wait, only seven. I, along with everyone else I assume, noticed only three girls in the introduction sequence and sat on pins and needles wondering what happened to Ashleigh Di Lello?

Turns out she dislocated her shoulder, and just like my crazy old grandma, she popped it back into place HERSELF, continued to rehearse, and begged the producers to let her perform. They made her see a doctor, get an MRI, and the doctors advised her not to dance. The producers allowed people to still vote for her, based on her performances up until now. On one hand, I understand that it’s not her fault. On the other, the others are out there dancing and I think they should have preference. I thought they could have let her dance her solo, at least, but they did not. The producers did not consult with me which was, of course, silly of them.

Tonight, each couple danced one number to a song remixed especially for the show. The remixers were Samantha Ronson, District 78, and Bobby J.  Ryan and Kathryn started the evening off with a disco number to a remix of Donna Summer’s Last Dance that came off fun and energetic. Their second number was a Cha-Cha, a great pull for Ryan but I was extremely nervous for Kathryn. She blew it out. Of . The. Park. I love this girl, can’t say enough how gorgeous I think she is, and I was happy with her performances. I hoped America would call in and vote for her this time.

Next Legacy and Ellenore took on a Contemporary routine that was built for them. It was dangerous, quirky, high flying, and all together impressive. Nigel Lythgoe suggested that the choreographer, Travis Wall, might garner an Emmy nomination from the piece. Unfortunately, their Hip-Hop weirdo alien routine was not so intriguing. I felt separated from the number and unable to connect with the dancers. Legacy especially hardly ever leaves me feeling that way. The judges were disappointed with the second dance as well, and these two were my picks to go home.

Jakob and Mollee, a pairing made in heaven, took my breath away with their Viennese Waltz. Adam Shankman said he could have watched them dance it the entire two hours and I felt exactly the same way. The whole thing was effortless and moving, making me really love Mollee for the first time in weeks. Their second number, a vaudeville-esque Broadway routine, was just as good but totally on the other end of the spectrum. Jakob is impressive every. Single. Week. Tuesday night was far and away Mollee’s best night of the season. She may be young, but the girl is a dynamic and powerful presence on stage. I suspect we have not seen the last of her, teenagers who ooze star quality never go quietly.

Russell was paired with Ashleigh, and so had to dance the night with back-up partners. He still manages to shine, first in a Hip-Hop routine and then in a Bollywood number. I love Bollywood, it’s so fun and uplifting.  The judges gave him high marks, like most weeks. There’s not much to say here, nothing he did particularly stood out but he’s always been a favorite of both the judges and the crowd.

All the contestants danced their solos, which for me is getting a little old since they vary little each time. Russell came out in a Santa suit, which was cute. Legacy tried being witty and came off as sort of desperate instead. Mollee’s still the best female solo, Jakob the best male. Like I said, dependable and boring.

Results night, Wednesday, was a fun night. The first performance, by the Wonder Girls (a pop group from Asia), didn’t do much for me. Kris Allen (last season’s American Idol winner) performed second and did a nice job. I’m a fan. But down to the results. The bottom two girls were Mollee and Ellenore. That’s right. Not Ashleigh, who didn’t even dance Tuesday night. She wasn’t even in the bottom two. Do you want to know why, dear readers? This is where the aforementioned sucker statement comes in to play. Ryan, her husband, made an impassioned plea during his face time on Tuesday night, begging the audience to vote for his wife. He was sincere, he choked up when talking about how great she is, and generally melted every heart in the audience. People go nuts for a good love story. Anyway, I credit him with her place in the finale. I bet he got really lucky this week, bad shoulder and all. The bottom two guys were Ryan and Legacy.

The two going home are Mollee and Legacy. I think it was Legacy’s time, and he handled it with his usual grace and humility. Mollee’s leaving, though, disappointed me. She’s one of the better female dancers and just had her best week ever. Had Ashleigh not gotten hurt, I believe she might have been the one to go. I was hoping it would be Ellenore, who I still have trouble connecting with.

Your six finalists, who will dance it out in next week’s finale, are: Kathryn, Jakob, Russell, Ashleigh, Ryan, and Ellenore. I also ranked them in order of my most to least favorite, in case you were wondering. Tune in next week , and let me know in the comments if you agree with me or not. Either way, I’ll be sad to see it end.

For information on the songs, remixes, judges, and choreographers, click here.

For another opinion on this episode, check out Eyes on the Prize by Inisia Lewis.

Season 6, Episodes 21 & 22:  The Top 8 Perform & Two of 8 Voted Off (originally aired December 8 & 9, 2009)

For more on So You Think You Can Dance, click here.

Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 8/7c on Fox

Photographs courtesy of Fox and IMDbPro