So You Think You Can Dance – Top 20 Performance – VIDEO

LOVED Jeanine and Phillip! Holy cow…that was awesome! It reminded me so much of Chelsie and Mark’s hip hop last season to Bleeding Love. Was it by chance the same choreographers for both dances? Does anyone remember?

Jeanine and Philip were awesome! That was beautiful. I like Philip a lot and really didn’t even remember Jeanine but I was impressed.

Asuka & Vitolio didn’t make the same impression. The routine just didn’t have any impact, I guess they did good but it just felt me cold. Especially coming after J and P.

Can’t wait to see Wades dance

I felt the same about Asuka and Vitolio. I wasn’t nearly as excited about it as I was the first dance. The hip hop that Jeanine and Phillip did had much of the same sort of manipulation type of movements and interactions between the partners that Chelsie and Mark’s hip hop had last year. I would be surprised if they weren’t choreographed by the same people.

I was just wondering if the winner of AI gets a cash reward. Anyone know?

I had a peripheral thing going on with Jeanine. I’m going to take the judges’ word for it that she was good, because I couldn’t take my eyes off of Phillip. He was cute and amazing.

Asuka not so good…but then I was surprised she made top 20. The cha cha was hot…loved her outfit..

LOVED Philip and Jeanine, Asuka and Vitolio really needed more personality in theirs, and Jonathan and KArla were adorable. god, I love this show…it’s so fun!

Did anyone else see Michael Sarver in the audience or was that just me?

argh, my feed went away. Jonathan and Karla were great. That kid is really cute, not sure he really has it… but he makes for pretty TV. eh! And they had good chemistry. I think Karla is fantastic.

Jonathan and Karla were HOT. Loved their routine. Lots of sizzle. My faves so far.

Jonathan has a killer smile.

I’d say Randi and Evan were my second favorites of the night so far after Jeanine and Phillip.

Jason & Caitlin killed it! Caitlin is my favorite girl and Jason is fantastic. What a great couple!

Catlin representing Annapolis!!!

Woah! This is going to be a GREAT season! What a fantastic show so far! Some amazing talent. I just started watching last week with Vegas Week and was shocked that Caitlin made it and her sister was cut. But wow, did Caitlin show up tonight or what?! They were incredible! I don’t even think I can choose a favorite anymore…it’s getting too difficult!

Jason and Caitlin were amazing

Brandon and Jannete were very lovely! They worked it really well. I like Brandon, I hope he proves some people wrong. Go get them boy!

The lifts that Brandon and Jeanette performed looked effortless but they were hard as hell. And speaking of difficulty, that Bollywood routine was insane. LOL at Mary’s botox comment. This show is one big party.

Seems that the judges on this show are less painful to watch and listen to. It seems that they are less about an agenda and manipulation but just being honest and giving good, constructive feedback. I only began watching this show more than halfway through last season, so I am kind of new still to it.

I have really liked all the dancing tonight, even Paris and Tony, I thought they were criticized too harshly. Also, does Randi remind anyone else of Arizona from Greys Anatomy? She is cute as a button!

Did anyone else see Michael Sarver in the audience or was that just me?

I saw him too!

Also, does Randi remind anyone else of Arizona from Greys Anatomy?

Ahah! Me too. I’ve only seen Vegas week and the first time they showed her I was like… that’s the blond from Grey’s. It’s the smile… I think! I really like Randy, I think she’s adorable. (for what’s worth I think Arizona is also very pretty and cute)

I’m loving this show. I think it’s so well done. The contestants are amazing (maybe because I don’t understand that much about dancing…) they really impress me. The judges are fun. The routines are good.

I can’t believe I only discovered this show last season! I’m just more impressed each time I watch! Forget Idol, this show takes the cake on all levels! The talent is outstanding, the judges don’t suck, and it’s very well produced. I don’t even think I can sit through another season of Idol now knowing how much it’s lacking in comparison to this show.

Ade and Melissa were gorgeous!!! Melissa is so magnetic, and Ade really does have a “gentle giant” vibe….man, I already have so many favorites, but these 2 came out nowhere and really blew me away!

The Hot Tamale train, holy crap!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!What a season this is gonna be!!!!

I canà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t believe I only discovered this show last season!

I only discovered it this season. Thanks to MJ and the MJers. I’m loving it. LOL I even love the screaming judge… I wonder how long that will last!
Kayla & Max were another awesome couple. How can people even vote? I think there are some people I like more than others (it’s all about the charisma… I believe) but they’re all so good.
And there’s so much diversity in this show. That was a great way to end the night.

How can people even vote? I think there are some people I like more than others (ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s all about the charismaà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦ I believe) but theyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢re all so good.

I know! I don’t think I can vote…there are way too many to vote for right now! It’s crazy! These kids are outstanding!

Good lord, I think I am going to stop trying to pick a favorite! Seriously, there were only 2 maybe 3 couples whose routines I wasn’t crazy about (Tony/Paris, Asuka/Vitolio, and maybe Jonathan and Karla.) I loved everyone else. Actually, even the ones I didn’t like tonight have appealing personalities…

Also, I am soo glad Wade Robson is back!!! I missed his quirky choreography last year, his were always the numbers I looked forward to in season 3.

I loved pretty much everyone (still liked the ones I didnt).

But I’m going to vote for Kupono and Ashley because I’m afraid they’ll get lost behind all the much more emotional dancing of the night whereas I think wades routine was beautiful!

but seriously. everyone. was. so. good.

I am so excited for this season.

Kayla. sigh. That girl has such stretch in her back, legs and feet. I have to rewind to see that move when Max grabbed her ankle and she swung around him. The pace of that samba was wicked fast. Kayla is a major force.

This was a great first night. The only weak performances were the Jazz dance with Asuka/Vitolio and the hip hop with Paris/Tony. What a fantastic start to the season.

A lot of great performances! Randi and Evan were so cute, loved the Crash Test Dummies – soo cool and surreal and Melissa’s moves were just beautiful!

wow!! i really enjoyed every single performance. Im super excited, this will be a fantastic season :)

I’m so glad Wade is back!
Although I was sad to see Tony Meredith Melanie Lapatin -less, I still think the number was fantastic.
Mary got her screams on early (and i could not be happier)

fabulous! woohoo

I thought everyone was sooo good. It is hard to decide who to vote for, but I’m moved to give Ade and Melissa a few votes. Really loved Kayla and Max, but I doubt they need votes.

I just looked it up and I was right. Napolean and Tabitha were the ones who choreographed Chelsie and Mark’s hip hop to Bleeding Love last season. I definitely saw some similarites between that dance and Jeanine and Phillip’s hip hop. So awesome! Do the choreographers always choreograph the same style each week?

Funny thing, when I heard that Melissa and Ade were dancing a Mandy Moore contemporary piece, I immediately thought that meant they were going to dance to a Mandy Moore song! Haha! :) That can get confusing!

Paris and Tony was the only routine I didn’t care for. Jeanine and Phillip were the ones I really got into the most, there were so many excellent ones tonight.

Oh and can I just say American Idol SUCKS by comparison to how well done this show is! I can’t believe they used to have the same producer. Nigel definitely was smart to move away from Idol and stick to this show. He’s much better at it.

Yowza! This show already rocks! So many great performances, I don’t know where to start. And what an attractive group. All 20 of them. I was not a fan of last year’s group, especially after the year of Danny, Neal, Sabra and Lacey. This year looks even better, if that is possible.

So much entertainment packed into those 2 hours!

wow i can’t even pick a favorite they’re all so great!!

If you were to rank tonightà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s routines what would they be?
Mine would be:
1.Max & Kayla – Samba
2.Evan & Randi – Jazz
3.Phillip & Jeanine – Hip Hop
4. Ade & Melissa – Contemporary
5. Jason & Caitlin – Bollywood
Fourth and fifth are interchangeable for me.
6. Kupono & Ashley – Jazz
7. Jonathan & Karla – Cha Cha
8. Brandon & Janette – Foxtrot
9. Tony & Paris – Hip Hop
10. Vitolio & Asuka – Broadway (tyce really dropped the ball for them with that routine)

I think I saw tonight, in Brandon, what Mia saw last week.
Nothing special.

What a FANTASTIC first week for SYTYCD! Sunshinegirl, I just said pretty much the same thing to my mom about the judges on this show versus the Idol judges. This show is just so much fun, so much more entertaining. No agenda, no cruelty, no clueless judges.

As much as I loved that Samba routine of Kayla and Max’s, I don’t think I can pick a favorite tonight!

This was a really good episode! Hard to pick a favorite. I usually dislike the foxtrot but I thought that Brandon & Janette did an amazing job. Max and Kayla looked beautiful but I’ve seen more authentic Samba dancing on Dancing with stars.

Wow, that was fantastic… I don’t know how I can pick a favorite. Amazing how much better the production is than Idol. Hope Idol gets their crap together next season. I’m going to enjoy this… and then again in the fall too?! Yay!

Wow, okay Evan is made out of hotness. He’s got a sort of vaudeville expressiveness, which is a little bit weird, but in spite of it (because if it?) that man is adorable.

What a great TOP 20 and the judges were cool. OK, Mary does not bother me at all. Love Adam’s judging style. Even Nigel came across just fine. Their job was easy tonight with almost everyone doing just fine.

luci, I can’t really rank them per se, but my favorite dances were Caitlin & Jason – Bollywood dance AND Melissa & Ade – Contemporary. I was fascinated by the Bollywood moves and loved the music. Seeing Melissa dance was enchanting and beautiful. She seems like a sweet person.

Probably the only routine I didn’t totally like was Ashley & Kupono – Jazz dance. It wasn’t that they were bad, I just didn’t like the moves. Kupono certainly acted the part.

Again, none of the couples bombed.

I am SO OVER MARY. Maybe Kara can be the 2nd judge…??? Heh. I am going to have to mute the TV whenever she speaks, b/c she makes Randy seem completely relevant.

My two favorite pieces were TabNap’s hip hop to Ne-yo (I liked it almost as much as last year’s Bleeding Love with Marksie) and Wade (LOVE WADE) Robson’s Crash Test Dummies jazz routine to Goldfrapp. For the record, Goldfrapp is one of Adam Lambert’s favorite bands, and the routine is freaky and brilliant. Adam and Wade (who is also a composer) have GOT to collaborate. I also liked Evan and Randi’s Tyce Di’Orio’s dance (maybe this year’s Gevney?) and Melissa and Ade’s dance (big fan of Mandy Moore). The others were okay or meh for me.

I am not *into* the show yet (usually talks me till Top 16), but I think the season has some real promise.

So glad this show is back on! I’ve been watching since the first season and I think this is the strongest first night of dancing I’ve seen. I love the judging on this show (unlike AI) and even have come to “enjoy” Mary’s laugh and scream.

Thank you for all the video links. We’re having severe weather this evening and the local weatherman keeps interrupting the show for updates. Looking forward to a link for Wade’s dance since I only saw the last few seconds of it.

There was a lot of great dancing tonight. It’s quite difficult to decide who’ll be in the bottom. I suspect it will come down to those the audience least remembered.

I really enjoyed the show tonight. And, I’m having a hard time deciding my favorite couple of the night. I like at least 4 couples a lot.

Melissa was my favorite tonight, I just thought her dancing was breathtaking. I have this nagging feeling that she will not be on the show for very long, but I hope i’m wrong if she keeps dancing like that.

I totally missed most of this because of the nephews and the Wii, but will be checking out the video.

Spense, if you are still up, your little girl is getting famous in the Allison is signed thread. :-)

Wow, I’m so glad I took Jim Cantiello’s (sp) recommendation to watch the show this season. It’s a gagillion times better produced than Idol. I can’t believe they both have/had Nigel in common. It’s like comparing pre-school to college. I guess the only thing that gets people more invested in Idol is the fact that dancers don’t put out cds.

I wouldn’t have a clue who to vote for. I probably loved 70-80% of the performances. I have a couple questions. Are the votes limited on this show? I guess they are eliminated as a couple. Do they stay with the same partners the entire show? Do they go solo at some point?

From top 20 until top 12: The bottom 3 couples have to “dance for their lives” (solo) and the judges choose one guy and one girl to go home. Couples are reshuffled as partners are split (if one is sent home but the other is saved.)

After they get to the top 10 they switch partners weekly (I think?) and get eliminated solely based on votes. You also start voting for the individuals instead of the couple. They also start doing solos as well as their partner dances.

hope my explanation wasn’t confusing!

Thanks lilbrusc102. Sounds interesting…

I don’t know anything about dance and only got to watch the first four, but WOW! Impressive all around! I can tell that chemistry really does play a part here. The first couple had the most for me, but also loved the third and fourth.
The only thing I didn’t like about the third couple was the song. I think they would have done so much more with a better track.

The second couple was good too, lacked the chemistry, but loved the concept and can tell they are both great dancers.

Thanks for posting mj! I may have to watch the others later or earlier in the day. My order of the the first four: 1, 4, 3, 2.

Seeing lilbrusc102 break down the elimination process just reminded me of how much I love it and hope it never changes. I like that we still get some say through voting, but I usually trust the judges to make the right final decision. And unlike Idol’s sing-for-your-life’s, the dance-for-your-life’s on SYTYCD are handled the right way. Way less harsh.

Anyway, I’m so siked for the first group number tomorrow! Praying that Wade or Mia choreographed it.

Loved the Samba by Kayla and Max. The only thing is, I kept thinking about how spectacular Julianne Hough was in her Samba that she choreographed for Apollo Ohno a couple years ago. Not a fair comparison because Hough is an amazing pro but her samba movements are hard to forget.

I had so much fun watching the show! It was so much more entertaining than Idol this year. The judges were fair with no manipulations and the production was great! Kayla and Max were amazing! Bring back Nigel to Idol!

I missed it. :down_tb:

Is it just my computer or is the video for Ashley & Kupono missing? I wanted to see all of them since I wasn’t able to catch it on tv. Oh well. Maybe I will catch it somewhere else. Thanks mj for filling in the blanks. I started getting into this show this season and was upset that my dang dvr didn’t record. :furious_tb:

I love this show! I’ve been watching since season 2 and I think this is the strongest top 20 they’ve ever had. I honestly have no idea who should go home tomorrow.

This might also be the best choreographed show since I started watching. I do think, though, they could do better than Tyce. Broadway dancing is not boring but his routines are stale. But the rest of the choreographers were fabulous tonight. And I’m so glad they are including Bollywood this season. It’s so fun to watch.

How cool is it that so many of last season’s dancers are in the new Step Up movie. My daughter was in Manhattan last week and saw some of the filming in the streets – lucky girl!

I can’t believe we get back-to-back seasons!!!

Aacck!! No video of the Wade Robson piece! I was so looking forward to seeing it as I missed the live performance. Please tell me someone taped it!

Here’s the missing video. It’s on mjs youtube channel. She just didn’t link it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_pbPGv0Cu7M&feature=channel_page

Thanks so much for providing the missing link. Totally loved it!

Tonight was so entertaining! it was a jam packed two hours of contestants really delivering! My favorite performance was by Phil and Jeanine. They both have great chemistry (reminds me of Katee and Joshua last season) and I’m glad that Jeanine will get more attention now that she’s with Phil.

I think the reason why tonight was so good was that the genres seemed to match perfectly w/ the (male) contestants. They didnt seem drawn out of hat tonight. I mean both Phil and Tony get hip hop, Jonathan gets cha-cha, Evan gets jazz, and Max gets samba. But it was worth it.

Also, I think the judges comments were more acurate in the first half. Was it just me, or did the comments seem a little lazy as we got closer to the middle/end?

totally awesome first night. Not a stinker in the bunch. some will get lost in the shuffle, but they were still pretty darn good. And whoever above mentioned thinking Mandy Moore was singing, so did I lol. Even though I watched last season and knew she was a choreographer. Very enjoyable first show. Loved it.

WOW!! So amazing, I hate that we’re going to lose some kids tonight. Loving me some Melissa, so glad Evan delivered, Wade please don’t leave again! I’d send home either Jonathan or Tony … don’t know about the girls. Agreed, the styles seemed hand-picked to get a great show tonight, we’ll see what happens in the next couple of weeks.

great show tonight, what talent we have this season. I adored Evan and Randi, both adorable and can’t wait for next week! Jonathan and Tony are both cutie pies, but with the really strong male dancers like Brandon and Max, they will need to really step it up.
Have to agreed that Tyce’s routines are becoming very meh, can we please get Evan’s big bro Ryan back for some choreo? I loved seeing Ryan and the “other brother” in the audience.
Show really seem to fly bye, no strange judge silliness like American idol, and Cat totally rocks it as the host- it is all about the dancers!

I have watched the show since Season 1 and this is a terrific group!

I have a question. Did anyone notice Evan moves on two of the lifts with Randi? It seemed to me that he doesn’t have a lot of strength. He needs to pump it up. I think he’s a terrific dancer but did notice his wobbling on the lifts.

Is there a pool?

Shoot! MJ, I’ve been doing my BEST to ignore SYTYCD this year, but just a bit ago I broke down and watched the videos you posted here, sigh, and now I’m hooked AGAIN! The couples dancing is just soooo beautiful to watch. Mary cracks me up, SCREEEEAM, lol. The judges are quite good on this show (AI take note for heaven’s sake).

That show was absolutely fantastic! I think Tony & Paris and Jonathan & Karla will be in the bottom. I know they raved about the cha cha but it just didn’t gel for me. Not sure what was wrong.

I’ve always handled Mary well, but by the end of the evening last night, she was REALLY on my last nerve. I wound up muting her because I just couldn’t take it. Seemed to me she got worse as the night went on.

Jean and Phillip choreo reminded me of Mark and Chelsie’s choreo from last year. Same choreographers of course. Moves are too similar for me I wasn’t impressed.

That was a wonderful show. I just wish they did the dances and skipped the little intro pieces or shortened them. The judges start to get old as well although Nigel was pretty restrained. The show is Citizen Kane compared to Idol this season. I like that Nigel takes dance so seriously and the competition is pretty meaningless. Other than the money, the “winner” really doesn’t get any more opportunities than the rest. And dancers just don’t have the high profile of pop singers so there’s much less ego and tons more dedication.

I guess the first hip hop performance would be my fave although they were all so good.

I really enjoyed the show last night, this is going to be a great season, my thoughts on each briefly:
Janene and Philip – Cute, I can’t stop watching him, he is so much fun. I think there is some great chemistry going on between those two.
Osuka and Vitolio – They were o.k but I typically don’t care much for broadway routines so for me it was just meh.
Karla and Johnathan – Liked them both, the routine rocked.
Randy and Evan – Good
Paris and Tony – Worst of the 2 hip hop routines. It was a crappy song and the costumes sucked.
Caitlin and Jason – Caitlin had it down, she was great, I didn’t think I was going to like her but I do. I am sold on this couple, they were awesome.
Janette and Brandon – I like Brandon. Hard to follow that Bollywood routine and the waltz for me is boring but geeeze the way he flew Janette around was crazy good, I thought she was going to go airborne!
Ashley and Pono – That was just Wade weird LOL The costumes distracted from the dancing for me.
Melissa and Ade – Love Mandy’s choreo. I don’t know what it is about Melissa but she just rubs me the wrong way, think it’s that silly coy pointy finger face she keeps making.
Kayla and Max – Loved it, I think Kayla is going to go far in this show.

I have no clue who to pick in the pool, the couples I liked least seem to be favorites and it’s hard to predict this early with this panel of judges.

eta: quick question with regards to the pool. when is our overall pick due? Is it today?
I looked but it’s early and i’m not awake yet so maybe I missed it.

I’m a little sad there aren’t more hip-hopers this year: I loved Twitch and Joshua last year, so that’s too bad.

Definitely a few obviously weak couples in there, and some that I thought were a little over-rated (like the bollywood one – I’m probably too stuck on Joshua and Katie’s amazing version last year, and this one wasn’t that good, imo).

Loved Wade’s piece – that guy is so cool! Whether you like his choreography or not, he always gets people talking :-)

Enjoyed the last one, but didn’t think it was THAT mind-blowingly awesome. Though it’s true Max isn’t quite at the level of Pasha or Dmitri.

My favs so far are Evan (he reminds me a lot of Benji, and should do well), Jonathan, and Phillip for the guys.

I like Asuka a lot too (agree they weren’t helped by the choreography) but I have a feeling her partner could be gone soon. Not a big fan of Karla for some reason, but I like the other girls for now. No big standouts yet though. The girls, in general, just never seem to have as much personality as the guys on this show.

Jonathan’s looks put me a little bit in mind of David Archuleta.

I do think, though, they could do better than Tyce. Broadway dancing is not boring but his routines are stale.

I absolutely LOVE the choreographers on this show, but Tyce is definitely my least favorite. Also, there’s something about him personality-wise that rubs me the wrong way – I thought he was cringe-inducing during the audition rounds, just really mean-spirited, and no fun. I could definitely do with less of him, and more of the other awesome choreographers they have on.

Maybe have Adam Shankman choreograph more for the broadway routines, especially since I don’t think he’s as well suited for the judge’s table (he loves everyone way too much – he’s like the Paula of the show! Well, except when Mary Murphy is the Paula of the show ;-)

Why are they doing it again in the fall? Not that I’m complaining, but does this mean there will be two seasons every year now or are they just moving it to fall from now on? Anyone know?

Pretty sure they’re moving it to fall, Sunshine. I remember Nigel tweeting that.

I think SYT shines because this is Nigel’s milieu. He was a dancer and he loves dancing and great dancers. This show must be a real treat for him in every way, and now it gets a big fall spotlight as well.

I also want to agree with one of the posters above who mentioned that Brandon maybe wasn’t all that. I tend to agree. He is talented, but maybe not worth Mary’s tears.

And speaking of…..

Mary. So irritating. She must have been told the screaming is “fun” so that is basically all she does. She actually used to give useful criticisms in seasons past.

Oh. And Wade is da bomb! And he looks hot since he ditched the shaved/bald look!

Oh okay. Cool! Glad they’re doing it like this then instead of making us wait til NEXT fall! Sweet! :)

How is it possible that this show has not surpassed Idol in ratings and media buzz when it’s SO much better?!

Jean and Phillip choreo reminded me of Mark and Chelsieà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s choreo from last year. Same choreographers of course. Moves are too similar for me I wasnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t impressed

Ditto. I think Mark and Chelsie brought their characters to life more believably so I prefer Bleeding Love, but I gotta admit that Phillip’s movements were sick! Every little isolation was so sharp. Not totally agreeing with the judges that Jeanine kept up, but she was pretty dang good.

One, two, three….

WAAAAAAAAADDDDDDDDDE! :jittery_tb: :clap_tb: (Ha, that’s my version of a Mary scream.) Dayum son, where you been? For me, for you, for me, that was the most innovative, intriguing, difficult, and brilliantly danced piece of the night. Standing O for Kupono and Ashley! I loved that Kupono’s character was all :shock_tb: :help_tb: because he’s been beaten up one too many times while Ashley’s character was all :clap_tb: :jittery_tb: because she was new to the experience. The movement was so interesting, and I’ll never look at a crash test dummy without picturing the way that Kupono and Ashley moved. (Imagines standing in line for Test Track at Universal doing the crash test dummy walk with jazz blade hands.) So sweet when Kupono’s twitchy neurotic crashaphobic dummy fell for Ashley’s exuberance and joy and took her hand at the end. The whole thing is kind of a metaphor for falling in luuurve…even if your heart’s been broken over and over, you gotta put yourself out there again. Don’t let the likely crash at the end keep you from taking the ride? :ponder_tb:

Ade…I found that hair pick kind of adorable. He and Melissa danced extremely well together and made the lifts and leaps seem effortless. I enjoyed it even if I was cringing at the song and the concept was a bit stale, so I credit the maturity and grace and power of the dancers.

Lil’ Tie and Unitard…err, I mean Evan and Randi were so connected during their jazz piece. I was surprised that Evan pulled a little sexy out of his usual cuteness. Major kudos to him. Loved it.

I’m starting to wonder if Mia was all that off base about Brandon. Something was missing with him during the foxtrot, I can’t put my finger on it…but overall it was pleasant. Janette is outstanding. Love her.

David Archuleta’s doppleganger, aka Jonathan, was pretty terrible in that cha cha. He was so stiff and his hip action sucked, and he’s a salsa dancer? Oy vey. He’s on my short list to go home. His partner was better, but not by much. I was shocked that they didn’t get any criticism.

Conversely, Max surprised me by working that samba so well. Yeah, he’s no Dmitry, but I’ll take it! Sold! Every season needs a competant Russian latin dancer, dammit. Don’t ever not cast one again, Nigel. Kayla kept up with him very well with some difficult choreography, so good on her, but I think Shankers went a teeny bit overboard with the praise calling her a gift from God. Parts of it were kinda jazz hands-ish. Still, her extension is insane and I can’t wait to see her tackle a contemporary piece.

Tony is also on my short list to go home, as is his partner, Paris. That was some nice choreography made uninteresting to watch by a wet blanket of a performance and a lame stank face. Big pile of meh, and Tony showed he is no Phillip.

I liked the Bollywood choreography more than I liked the performance. Caitlin danced it too heavy, and Jason was forgettable, but I give them mad props for tackling all that intricate stuff going on at once.

Worst of the evening I guess was Asuka and Vitolio, and I really wanted to like both of them. But dayum, that was just sad and colorless dancing which did nothing to elevate Tyce’s brokeass interpretation of Fosse. Seriously, Tyce, step away from the Fosse, dude.

Did I mention that Wade looked hot? And that he and Kupono had matching soul patches? :tongue_wink_ee:

MJ, do you plan on doing a Wrap Up/predictions post like you did for idol?

I liked Ashley & Kupono and Evan and Randi the best last night. Asuka & Vitolio were the worse, but then they had the worse routine…. I feel bad for them.

I love me some Brandon, and Janette is great. I’m just not that into the foxtrot, but they danced it really well. Melissa & Ade were very good as well.

I think Caitlin and Jason were overrated last night. It was good, but not THAT good.

I think Tony & Paris and Jonathan & Karla will be in the bottom. I know they raved about the cha cha but it just didnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t gel for me. Not sure what was wrong.

I agree. I didn’t get all the love for Jonathan & Karla. Their cha cha was flat for me. I kept comparing it to Gilles on DWTS … and his latin routines were smoldering. Jonathan, in particular, looked very un-latin-y to me. I thought is was all awkward.

I love Vitolio. I thought he did a fabulous job with the Broadway routine and I would love to see him go far (yes.. partly because of his sad backstory and I usually resist the backtory business). I just think Broadway routines never go over very well when compared to the other genres.

Unfortunately, I think the dancers also get judged on the choreography — which is completely out of their control. If the viewers don’t like the dance – no matter how well it’s performed — the dancers are out of luck.

Makes for good tv, I guess.

Anyway, loved the show!

I reeeeeally hate to see anybody go home after that show. They were all so good!

Okay, if I have to pick, I would send Tony and Paris home. They seemed by far the weakest of the night to me. I have a feeling the fact that the girlies like Tony will save them from the B3 and somebody much better will be going home, and that’s a shame.

I feel bad for Asuka and Vitolio because they were both awesome dancers in a really sucky piece and that was SO not their fault. Tyce is so weak sometimes. I keep thinking of that AWFUL Cabaret piece he did for the final four, with fabulous Danny, Sabra, Neil and Lacey reduced to YUCK like this one. Asuka and Vitioli did some really nice things within that piece, but it was such a mishmash of people running back and forth and not doing much in the way of dance. Just crappy choreography. THANKS, Tyce. Screw it up for the poor kids on their first night and now they may never get a chance to work with GOOD choreographers. BOOOO, TYCE!

B3 should be Tony and Paris, Asuka and Vitolio and Karla and Jonathan (eek, I hate saying that. But they were third weakest for me) with TP going home.

B3 will be Asuka and Vitolio, Karla and Jonathan (only couple with two unknowns) and Melissa and Ade, with A&V going home. BOOOOOOO, TYCE!!!

What YOU said MJ – I was soooo excited by this show last night, I think they are ALL my favorites right now they were all so good!!!!!!! Except Asuka, only one I was not feeling. LOVE LOVE LOVE this show.

Dbt – I just read what you said and I do agree Jonathan was stiff but I still loved their dance too, I did not know who to vote for last night, it was such a good show.

I hope that they pick some Adam and Kris songs to dance to – like Mad World and Falling Slowly – they would translate well into dance I think

Wow. Nigel your agenda to get America to love dance and teach us something along the way can’t help but be successful with shows like this. This is the best top 20 and the best choreography the show has ever opened with.
I have heard the Oregon Ballet Theatre is struggling to survive. I hope people will support their local dancers and local dance companies as well as their T.V. favorites.

Wow that was a really good show!! great dancers everyone, I don ´t know all the names but the one ´s a liked and remember most are the first couple Jeanine and Phillip, Evan and his partner and Melissa and Ade beautiful dances!!

So many great dances last night. The most memorable to me were Jeanine and Phillip’s hip hop and Jason and Caitlin’s bollywood. AMAZING!

So what I have been missing? Is the show always this good?!

Overall, great show last night! However, I disagreed with the judges a few times. I didn’t think the Bollywood routine was as great as they made it out to be. It was a little messy. I definitely prefer the one from last year. And I wasn’t a fan of the foxtrot number at all. Louis redeemed himself at the end, however, because the samba was hot!

Also, the first hip hop felt like a re-do of a previous dance…chelsea and mark’s bleeding love routine. Anyone else get that vibe?

Last night was just awesome. The show really does have a great top 20 this year. I can’t say that there is anyone in particular that I am anxious to see getting the boot and that’s a good thing. :)

I love the cap you chose, MJ. I am so glad Wade is back this season. It still makes me sad that he opted out of the season that had Mark in it.

Still, I really liked a lot of the routines last night. Kupono/Ashley and Jason/Caitlin started off as my faves.

JudyOhio – “Jonathanà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s looks put me a little bit in mind of David Archuleta.”

Totally, I was thinking that too!!!

Evan’s brothers have a video blog on Youtube to help support Evan. I love that family. lol Here is the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_tzyy1Sclbk

Be a Be A Kasprzaktivist!!!

Also, the first hip hop felt like a re-do of a previous danceà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦chelsea and markà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s bleeding love routine. Anyone else get that vibe?

I definitely saw similarities. Same choreographers and I guess they’re to blame for that. I guess I like that style so much though that it didn’t matter to me that it was so similar to Mark and Chelsie’s routine. Though I would give Bleeding Love the edge if I had to choose between the two.

Overall, great show last night! However, I disagreed with the judges a few times. I didnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t think the Bollywood routine was as great as they made it out to be. It was a little messy. I definitely prefer the one from last year.

I loved it. But again like with the first hip hop, it was hard to top last year’s routine of the same style. There was just one part that I thought Caitlin and Jason seemed off but I barely noticed it the first time I watched.

sunchick, great comments. I can’t wait until tonight!

B3 should be Tony and Paris, Asuka and Vitolio and Karla and Jonathan (eek, I hate saying that. But they were third weakest for me) with TP going home

These would be my picks for the bottom three, also.

So what I have been missing? Is the show always this good?!

IMO, it has always been this good. There have been a few hits and misses over the years. But overall, the show is really well produced and the dancers really leave it all on the dance floor.

Thank you so much for the missing link.

Now I am complete! :smile1_tb:

It seems I am the only person that noticed Evan moves on two of the lifts with Randi? It seemed to me that he doesnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t have a lot of strength. He needs to pump it up. I think heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s a terrific dancer but did notice his wobbling on the lifts.

Am I?

With such wonderful, positive critiques and comments, I hope Nigel will let the show have a life of its own. There is no need for scripted moments or manipulations. What a fantastic TOP 20 – probably the best ever!

My hope is that this show won’t be competiting with DWTS in the Fall. I will choose SYTYCD as there is such a sincerity in the performers and their dance.

WOW, amazing top 20. My personal favorites based only in these perfomances:

>>>Jeanine and Phillip- Great connection and great defined moves, so much better than the 2nd hip-hop couple.

>>>Randi and Evan- So fluid and passionate, you can feel the sensuality blooming from these two, just awesome.

>>>Janette and Brandon- She’s superb and he’s a great companion, great moves, just the right amount of lifts (all awesome BTW), beautiful performance.

>>>Melissa and Ade- Beautiful beautiful perfomance, so fluid, so believeable, she’s outstanding, hopefully she’s that good in other styles as well.

* Ayla- wow, this girl is gorgeous, has the perfect body and knows how to use it, great lines and posture, and also she knows how to work the hair.

My B3: Asuka and Vitolio (crappy routine), Paris and Tony (Paris were great, but an overall weak performance) and either Karla and Jonathan (I really don’t think they will be sent home) or Ashley and Kupono (weird performance but they are great dancers).

I totally agree the bollywood was good but not THAT GOOD, I felt a lack of connection, they almost danced the same routine (Katie and Joshua had a better choreography).

I’m really blown away, I enjoyed the different role playing in the performances, but I always end up liking the simple not-over-the-top-staged performances more (see the ones I listed above).