SYTYCD11- Top 4 Perform- Live Blog And Discussion

Join me here for something called “dance”. I don’t know what this is. I was hoping for some fishing, or maybe spelunking, but we get dance. Le sigh.

Top 4- Wind Beneath My Wings- Travis Wall
Beautiful. Great way to start the show. What a great cover. Loved it. I’m super psyched for this show.

Mary, Nigel, and Jesse Tyler Ferguson are judging tonight.

1) Valerie and Ricky- African Jazz by Shaun Cheeseman
Pretty cool. I think the fake tattoos were distracting. It didn’t go all the way up Valerie’s arm. They had a ton of energy though. I’m not 100% sure I’ll remember this number beyond tonight, but it was fun and showed a difference from the usual routines. Nigel says they had the stamina tonight. Mary calls them survivors. Jesse says they’ve never been weak. He wasn’t a fan of the tattoos either.

2) Jessica and Zack- Broadway by Spencer Liff- Hernando’s Hideaway
The steps are built up as being a huge part of the dance, but they aren’t. Zack belongs in On The Town the most of the final four. He’s the strongest Broadway dancer. Jessica was really good too. She looks like Jessica Rabbit, which Cat notices. Mary says they were cute, and compliments Zack’s legs. Jesse Tyler Ferguson was in On The Town! Nigel thinks Broadway has been fantastic as a genre this season. Nigel calls Zack one of the most gifted dancers, and tells Jessica that she is NOT NOTHING, and a beautiful woman.

You can vote for a routine to be in the finale. Two Emilio hip hop routines, one was Emilio/Jasmine, the other was Emilio/Bridget, and the final was Carly/Casey. Which one will you pick? I’m picking Emilio/Jasmine.

3) Valerie and Zack- Contemporary by Tyce Diorio
I ran to the bathroom, and made it back just in time for the start of the dance. Sorry, I’ll try and remember to rewind later to find out who choreographed, and what this was about. It’s a beautiful dance though, and one of my favorite Valerie interpretations. I love her movement in this. Jesse thought it was beautiful. Nigel loved that it was about a serious topic, and thought it was remarkable.

4) Jessica and Ricky- Jazz by Ray
Another forgettable routine for Ricky. Not that he’s not good in it. He was god in the african jazz routine too, but no one will remember this routine, versus the routine that just happened. I wonder if they’re trying to even the playing field a bit. I felt that way last week with Ricky’s routines. Mary said they were getting down, and it was funky and fun. Jesse calls them adorable sprockets.

Jason Mraz performs Love Someone. I love me some Mr A to Z.

5) Valerie and Jessica- Bollywood
It’s hard to tell who is getting bussed tonight, because Jessica now has 2 so-so routines, Valerie has two, and Ricky has two. Zack is the only one who has really had two good standout numbers. This was OK, but I won’t remember it a month from now. Nigel says women originally couldn’t do Indian style dance, it was supposed to be men only. I didn’t know that.

6) Ricky and Zack- Hip Hop with Phoenix and Far Side- the Antidote
Ricky is SO SHORT. Other than that, Ricky finally gets a good number. I’ll remember this. Both boys give great performances, and for Zack, that’s his THIRD great performance tonight. This gets a standing O from the judges. It might be the best so far tonight, but I really loved the opening group routine too. Jesse says the dance represents the relationship of Mary and Nigel, and says he’s losing his mind. Nigel. NIGEL! He flips off Jesse, and the cameras don’t catch it in time, so there’s this awkward moment where we stare silently at a section of the audience for a few seconds, but we’ve already seen the middle finger. SO AWKWARD. Nigel says the two of them can do anything. Mary screams.

7) Valerie and Aaron- Tap by Anthony
I love Aaron. He’s one of my favorite contestants of all time. I’m so flad he’s back as an all star. He’s fantastic, and we get to see Valerie do a routine in her style with a real pro. Standing O from all three judges. Nigel says he is full of love. He says Mira Sorvino is in the room. Jesse still has a crush on Aaron. Jesse compares Valerie poorly to Michael Jordan. It’s a terrible comparison, because Michael Jordan wasn’t good at Basketball.

Ricky audition retrospective.

8) Ricky’s Solo
Another great solo from Ricky. We’ve seen it before, I think, but it’s still a great solo.

9) Ricky and Katherine- Contemporary by Stacey Tookey- Not About Angels
Everyone can relate to being down, and not being able to get up. Katherine thinks this will be powerful. I agree. it starts with a beautiful song, and impactful choreography, and finishes with two great dancers, who are emotionally invested in the performance. Katherine is incredible. Ricky is seeking redemption for his first two duets, and I’m definitely willing to give him one full redemption for it. One of my favorite routines tonight. Standing O from all three judges, again. Mary says that Ricky proved why he’s standing there. He starts to cry. Mary says Stacey took her breath away, and so did Ricky. Jesse thinks they gave a standing O with each Ricky performance… if they did, we didn’t see it. Jesse does a joke about dating Ricky, and Ricky buries his head in his shirt. Nigel can’t follow that. Nigel calls suicide stupid, and reminds us that there’s always
someone there to pick you up.

Valerie audition retrospective.

10) Valerie’s Solo- Valerie
Smart song choice. Good solo.

11) Zack and Aaron- Tap by Anthony- Piano Man
Zack was in Vegas in Season 9? I had no idea. Wow. That was incredible. Aaron is perfect again. Zack is perfect. I loved this routine. Another standing O. Jesse says he felt Aaron was acting awkward toward him in that. lol. Jesse says Zack is a brilliant dancer. Nigel tries to copy Christina Applegate and tells Anthony to shut up. No, it’s “Shut Your Face.” He got it wrong, and it’s awkward.

Jessica audition retrospective.

12) Jessica’s Solo- It’s A Man’s Man’s World
Strong. Sexy. Good solo. Jessica has ups and downs, but she’s a strong dancer when she wants to be.

13) Jessica and Robert- Contemporary by Travis Wall- When I Go
Will you be remembered if you leave a relationship? Captivating. Jessica has connected to the piece, which is rare, but when she does, she’s extraordinary. She finises strong tonight with another great routine. ANOTHER STANDING O. Nigel says that Jessica has become a great actress. Nigel says Jessica is the best girl this year. #valerieshade. Mary loves Travis Wall, and says Jessica was FIRE. Jesse says it reminded him of his last ex-girlfriend… when he was seven. LOL.

Zack audition retrospective.

14) Zack’s Solo- Superstition
Zack made top 30 in Season 9. He made choreo this season, and not originally put straight through. A cool solo to finish off the night, and a very strong night for Zack. Standing O for a solo? Yes.

That’s it. Who will win?

I’m thinking…

1) Ricky, 2) Zack, 3) Valerie, 4) Jessica. Thoughts? Sound off in the comments.

Can Zack beat Ricky? Can Valerie?

Join me next week!

About SirMac 241 Articles
Contributor to mjsbigblog.com. EIC of macthemovieguy.com, Contributor at houseofgeekery.com. Holds a BA in Film from the University of Central Florida.