SYTYCD 11- Top 20 Live Blog and Discussion

Join me tonight.

Tonight… they’re all dancing in their own style. New partners next week.

Jason DeRulo joins Mary and Nigel on the judging panel.

The Top 20 Opening Group Number

1) Brooklyn and Serge- Cha Cha by Dmitry Chaplin- Hell Yeah by Midnight Red
Brooklyn loves sharks. Serge is obsessed with cheese. Heading into tonight, I’m not sure I would have put Brooklyn in the Top 20. I’m still on the fence, because I’m seeing her in her own style. I think we’ve had better ballroom girls on the show before. Serge is strong, but his hair flipping around is distracting. I’m gonna get tired of him flipping his hair all the time. Cut it. Get it out of your face permanently. A decent start to the show, but not the kind of groundbreaking routine we will see later in the season. Mary loved it uncontrollably. She thought Brooklyn was beautiful, but she was off balance and not grounded. Mary says Serge is better than ever. Jason says it was an amazing start. Jordin Sparks is in the audience. Nigel says it was uplifting. Nigel says Brooklyn needs to play to her partner. Serge says never take no for an answer.

All the voting is online, or through the FOX App. There is no calling or texting. Wow.

2) Emily and Casey- Contemporary by Travis Wall- All Of Me by John Legend
Emily owns a ton of fedoras. Casey is a Disney fanatic. Casey will probably do well in the competition. My only problem is that he has a permanent smile on his face, so when the contemporary dance is sad, or angry, he’s only got one emotion. Emily was fantastic. I think they’ll both be safe next week. Jason thought it was amazing. Nigel says he likes reinvesting in alumni like Travis and Dmitry. Mary loved Emily’s extensions.

3) Valerie and Zack- Tap by Anthony- Sing by Ed Sheeran
Valerie makes good omlettes. Zack hates cereal. By adding the stairs it gives them another level (literally, and figuratively) to dance. It just looks harder than it probably is. Zack has personality for days. I think hee’s a better tapper than Valerie, who seems to struggle a bit in parts. One of Valerie’s slides almost looked like she was losing her balance. They got a standing O from Mary. Nigel, who loves Tap, just says Wow over and over. Nigel was upset that he couldn’t hear the taps because the audience was loud. Nigel says it was so likeable and brilliant. Mary says they were on fire. Jason has a tap background and understood how hard the stairs were.

4) Bridget and Stanley- Contemporary by Bonnie Story- Doesn’t Mean Goodbye by Jon McLaughlin
Bridget might have a foot fetish, and Stanley shares a birthday with Michael Jackson. This is my favorite dance of the night so far. I think Stanley is incredible. He dances from a real place, and Bridget is a comparable partner. I think Emily might be a hair better, but Bridget got the better routine. Mary says Wow, and makes a punny comment about Bonnie Story’s name. Mary says the height Stanley gets is unmatched. Jason liked it, and asks Bridget if she’ll massage his feet. Nigel says they have a lot to offer their future partners.

Jason Derulo is performing possibly after the break…

5) Jacque and Jourdan- Ballet by Marat- Black Swan by Tchaikovsky
Jackie is obsessed with her kitten, and Jourdan is afraid of pigeons. God those TURNS. I think Jackie is a better ballerina, but she has no screentime before this. It’ll be interesting to see if this routine made a dent in her non existent fanbase. Nigel is thrilled to have them. He hit both of them on technique. Mary says it takes unbelievable strength to do what they do.

Cat says if you want to dance with an All-Star, you can use an app and dance with an All Star. So not really.

Snoop Dogg joins Jason DeRulo for Wiggle. Jason put some clothes on awfully quickly. Props to Jason for singing live. Of course, that was pretaped. I love how the crowd just stops cheering all at once while Cat is talking. LOL.

Cat plugs National Dance Day. Nigel plugs the Dizzy Feet Gala.

6) Malene and Marcquet- Brazilian Samba by Louis Van Amstel- Morning Drums by Gregor Salto
EEEW. That shirt on Marcquet. Seriously. And Malene’s dress is kinda gross too. I normally don’t have a problem with costumes, but these two should only be brought out on St Patrick’s Day. As far as the dancing. I think Malene is stronger than Brooklyn, just right out of the gate. Marcquet is battling his hair like Serge. I just see braids flying all over the place. Otherwise, he’s a strong dancer. Nigel says Marcquet is a force to be reckoned with, and compares Malene to a rodeo bull. Mary makes some joke about hot samba rolls. Jason says he could tell they were in their element. He said “you know what I’m saying” three times, during his critique. Marcquet’s shirt needs to be burned.

7) Carly and Rudy- Contemporary with Stacey Tookey- Take It Easy by Jetta
Carly loved Cheerios. Rudy loves country music. Rudy is goofy in rehearsal. A fairly generic contemporary routine. I think Carly is stunning, and Rudy lacks the same presence that Stanley has when he dances. He’ll need to mature and find a good emotional center to shine in the competition. Carly was great though. Mary says the passion poured all over the stage. Mary tells Rudy to watch himself with his shoulders. Jason doesn’t think they’ll be going home.
Nigel says Rudy is really likeable, and wears his heart on his sleeve, but needs to develop his technique a bit more.

Jason said four people are going home. Nigel said they’re losing two. HOW MANY ARE GOING HOME?

8) Emilio and Teddy- Hip Hop by Christopher Scott- Nightshift by The Commodores
Teddy sings his 8 seconds. Emilio gives out his phone number. They have to work with a mop and mop bucket in the routine. Teddy is borderline cheesy, but he’s a good dancer. Emilio kills the routine, but looks like a child next to Teddy. Either Teddy is huge, or Emilio is tiny. Jason thought it was dope. Nigel says Emilio’s tricks are fantastic. Nigel calls out Teddy also being a tapper. Mary says it was mesmerizing, and says they should both be in the next Step Up movie. If Teddy bleached his hair, he could also be Max Headroom.

9) Jessica and Ricky- Contemporary by Sonya- Vow by Meredith Monk
Jessica loves sloths. Ricky loves to climb trees. They’re a match made in heaven. Ricky is incredible. This music is haunting. Jessica is beautiful. I have no idea what this piece is about, but I like it. This incredible simplistic music highlights the movement surprisingly well. That “Titanic” move was incredible. Best move of the night. A sick trick. Standing O from all three judges. Nigel says that this was another level entirely. He calls it otherworldly. Nigel is heartbroken that they’re getting split up, and says they would have walked away with the whole season if they had stayed together. Nigel says Ricky reminds him of Harry Potter. Nigel says it was one of the best routines ever. Mary says it came from heaven. Cat is trying to move them along. Jason thanks them for dancing.

10) Tanisha and Nick- Cha Cha by Louis Van Amstel- I’m A Freak by Enrique Iglesias feat Pitbull
Tanisha is allergic to chlorine. Nick loves chocolate milk and loves his dog. These two have grating personalities. I don’t think either of them are the best ballroom male or female, nor are they the worst. I think they’re probably both somewhere in the middle. Tanisha just doesn’t have what Malene has, and Ricky just isn’t Serge. Mary hits Nick for some technique and loved Tanisha and the kiss. Jason says they hit hard. Nigel thinks they were fantastic.