So You Think You Can Dance Review: I’m Not the Only One Who Hates Decisions

So let’s just go ahead and get this out of the way for Season 8…no one in the known universe can rock a freaking dress like Cat Deeley. I mean, seriously. Her legs cannot be real. They’re like fake plastic legs that go from the floor to her chin in the perfect shape.

Ah. Okay. I promise that is maybe the last time I go off about how amazing that woman looks on camera.

Let’s get down to the reason we’re all here, and that’s the dancing. It seems like every reality show touts its current season as the “best ever,” but this time I have to agree. As I watched everyone dance on Wednesday night, then again on Thursday, I had no idea who the judges were going to kick off the show. No one deserved it. At first I even though Mitchell would be an easy choice, since he didn’t dance, but then he danced his solo and whoa. Amazing.

Wednesday night, guest judge Megan Mullally joined staples Nigel Lythgoe and screamer Mary Murphy at the table, putting herself in a tough position come Thursday. Unlike some other shows cough Top Chef cough the guest judges on this show typically have a dance background, and who knew? Karen used to be a professional ballerina.

The Top 20 contestants were paired with one another, and each got a whopping 8 seconds to tell the audience about themselves. It was pretty much a waste of 8 seconds across the board, but now we all know (again) their names, ages, and where they’re from.

First up, Jordan and Tadd:  The contemporary dancer (Jordan) and the beat boy (Tadd) team up for a Sean Cheesman African Jazz number choreographed to “Riding the Waves” by Afro Celt Sound System. The routine was powerful and the two of them really danced it full out – something we’ve seen dancers fail to do with this style in the past – but at the end of the night I found I hardly remembered it. The judges seemed pleased, though not as much as they were with some other routines as the night wore on.

Clarice and Jess: These two are about the cutest thing to hit the show in recent memory (except for Kent, because no one is cuter than him), and they drew a Tyce Diorio Broadway number out of the hat. This is fantastic news for Jess, being that he was born to be on Broadway, and a little concerning for Clarice, who would need to figure out to keep up with him. Tyce’s routine, set to “Me and My Baby” by Liza Minnelli, showcased them both and they did an adorable job. The voting is being done by couple, at least for now, so it’s not going to do Jess any good to be the best if he can’t bring Clarice up to snuff with him.

Sasha and Alexander: Sasha, otherwise known as the sister who survived, is paired with contemporary dancer Alex for a Travis Wall Contemporary routine (lucky them), set to “Stupid” by Sarah McLachlan. Travis Wall is amazing, and this routine inspired by the idea of a man’s guilty conscience coming back to haunt him, is inspired (but not his best routine of the night, wildly enough). The Contemporary routines tend to be audience and judge favorites, and this one earned Sasha smiles and heaps of praise. Alex was given his due but each judge wanted “more from him,” especially in allowing his emotions to rise into his face.

Caitlin and Mitchell: Mitchell injured his elbow rehearsing their Sonya Tayeh Jazz routine (music: “In For the Kill” by La Roux), so Caitlin danced with Season 7 standout Robert on Wednesday night. The routine (like all of Sonya’s routines) was powerful, in your face, and a little wild. Her choreography sometimes works for me and sometimes doesn’t, but either way there’s no denying her talent. The judges thought Caitlin did a wonderful job and displayed poise and power beyond her 18 years. I agreed, technically, but the performance didn’t move me the way some of the others did.

Miranda and Robert: This is an odd pairing, and the poor kids (one a contemporary dancer, the other hip-hop) were paired for an unbelievably fast (but fun!) Jive routine from Jason Gilkison. They kicked and spun and laughed through the number, set to “Runaway Baby” from Bruno Mars, and the number turned out with tons of frenetic, enjoyable energy. Nigel warned Robert against allowing his personality to overshadow his dancing, and that it could possibly begin to work against him if it began to annoy people. The judges thought Miranda needed to find her confidence, especially among an incredibly talented female cast.

Ryan and Ricky: These two are lovely, both in appearance and skill. Lucky for them (and us) they drew a Lyrical Hip-Hop number that turned into to a feast for the eyes. Chris Scott, a new addition to the choreographer menagerie on the show, set his movements to “Ain’t No Sunshine” by Lighthouse Family. Ryan has got to be one of the favorites going into this season; I know she’s one of mine. The judges and audience loved them both, even though Ryan did have to stop and explain the reason for her overly joyous facial expression.

Melanie and Marko: This was the routine of the night, and according to Nigel “the first routine of the season that Emmy nomination potential.” Travis Wall is the guy to give it to us, and it’s a Contemporary dance to “Turn to Stone” by Ingrid Michaelson. The concept behind the number is two separate statues come to life and dance together, each time hoping to refreeze as one piece of art. Melanie and Marko (both Contemporary dancers) were amazing, but not perfect. Nigel pointed out that this is a good thing, because we always need more to work for. It was probably my favorite routine of the night, though I enjoyed both ballroom numbers for sheer entertainment value.

Missy and Wadi: Wadi is one of the dancers with little to no training, and this week he’s asked to learn his first choreography and first parterning dance, a Jazz number choreographed by Sean Cheesman (set to “Judas” by Lady Gaga). The number didn’t do a whole lot for me personally, but I often feel that way about the Jazz numbers. While I (and the judges) noted their skill and the apparent ease with which Wadi picked up the new moves, it wasn’t the kind of dance that had me emotionally moved. Still, I like Missy and she’s a heck of a dancer.

Ashley and Chris: These two are utterly adorable, and seemed to connect well as partners. The show hasn’t announced whether or not the contestants will keep the same partners for weeks to come (like they did in Season 6), but I kind of hope they do. It’s interesting to watch the partnerships grow and develop and to really root for them as a pair. Ashley and Chris performed a cute, story-based Hip Hop routine to “Forget You” by Cee Lo Green (Does this song ever get old? I think no). Though the dance entertained the audience and the judges, it appeared to have a low level of difficulty and I’d like to see these dancers challenged more in the future.

Iveta and Nick: This pairing is wonderful for Iveta, and so is the dance she picked from the hat, the Quickstep. Normally, this is the kiss of death but hey – the woman is the world champion. Nick has to be happy that, if he has to dance the Quickstep, it’s with Iveta. Talk about a strong parter, and one who is just as interested in making sure Nick picks up the steps. I’d guess the Quickstep came easier than some ballroom for a tap dancer. Nick’s handsome face and charming personality also helps Iveta with the voters, who’s young demographic might not get the appeal of the older Russian woman. The judges were duly impressed (as was I) with their performance. For once, the ballroom number felt fun and relevant and intriguing. I wanted it to go on forever.

Quickly, since this recap/review is getting out of hand.

Mitchell automatically danced for his life because he wasn’t able to perform Wednesday night. The other 6 dancers eligible for elimination were Jordan, Tadd, Robert, Miranda, Jess, and Clarice.  Like I said up front, none of the bottom 6 surprised me, and all of them surprised me. None of them were bad enough to go home, not on a normal night in a normal season.

They all danced for their lives while we were entertained by Keri Hilson, Gopak dancer Gennadi Saveliev, and the new Lady GaGa video. Some of that was more entertaining than other parts. You decide which was which.

In the end, the judges made Mitchell and Robert dance for a second time but, in the end, sent no one home.

That’s right. No one went home.

Next week 4 dancers will be eliminated instead of two, so all they’ve done is buy themselves an extra week. I’m happy though, because I love to watch them all dance and one more week feels like a gift.

In the words of Cat Deeley, we “get to keep our babies one more week.”

For more on this week’s episodes, check out Dance Like There’s No Tomorrow, Except There Is by Inisia Lewis.

Season 8, Episode 6 & 7 (original airdate June 15^th and 16^th, 2011).

So You Think You Can Dance airs Wed/Thurs night at 8/7c on Fox.

Images courtesy of Fox.