Join me here tonight. Seriously. What else are you doing at 8PM? Of course, you COULD just check out the Top 20 spoilers I posted yesterday, and then check out AGT/The Voice instead, but aren’t my live blogs just worth checking out? Tonight at 8PM.
(As a cautionary note, I lost power during a hellstorm last night for about 15 minutes, and I hear some rumbling in the distance tonight. The live blog will commence unless God doesn’t want it to, in which case, it will resume when power is restored).
We are here! Top 20 reveal! We’ll get to see some dancing tonight. That’s fun. Judges tonight are Nigel, Mary, and Adam.
33 Dancers. Nigel says they’ve invested in dancers they aren’t sure about. LOL.
Fik Shunn is first. Of course, he’s a yes. Nigel tells him his personality is fantastic. Fik Shunn looks terrified. Nigel says he’s in the Top 20.
More good news for Emilio, as he makes the Top 20.
Markus Shields is hoping he FINALLY gets a yes. He’s been trying since Season 4. Poor guy. Hasn’t he aged out yet? It’s a No for him.
One more hip hop dancer? Umm… OK. Mariah (who is also a reauditioner) is up next. She’s nervous. They haven’t had a female hip-hop dancer in a while. Twitch gives her the news. She’s through to the Top 20.
Emilio had to withdraw from the competition. And they couldn’t replace him with Markus?
Here’s FikShunn and Mariah doing a hip hop routine. I have high hopes for both of these guys in the competition. I liked Emilio too. I wonder who got to replace him… Good routine, though. Nigel says he’s really looking forward to Mariah, because there haven’t been a lot of hip-hop girls. Nigel thinks FikShunn needs to be a little stronger when he’s working with a strong girl. Nigel says he thinks FikShunn will have a good season (I think so too. I think he’ll outlast Bluprint and Jade).
(I found out who Emilio’s replacement is. We shall see him coming up tonight. There is a replacement.)
Makenzie is up next. We’ll be seeing a contemporary routine soon, I guess. Mia tells her she’s brilliant. WHERE WAS MIA THIS WHOLE TIME? Mia says she’s in the Top 20. I miss Mia. We need more of her.
Jasmine Harper made the top 20 next.
Ryan Johnson is next. He’s a No for this season. Three more girls get cut, and we don’t even get names. lol.
Tucker Knox and Nico Greetham are next. Nico is the kid whose mom Nigel wanted to sleep with. lol. Tucker is the kid who recovered from the car accident. Nigel says Tucker was outstanding in Vegas, and he can’t criticize his work. Adam says Nico is the essence of the show, and the fans will like him. Nigel puts through Tucker first. Nigel tells Nico that he’s also a Yes. Four contemporary dancers perform a Stacey Tookey routine.
Goes On and On- Sleeping At Last (Tucker, Nico, Jasmine, and Makenzie)
I’m already a fan of Tucker and Jasmine. Nico and Makenzie are both also good dancers, and this choreography showcases everyone evenly. It will be interesting to see them starting next week when they are outside of their styles. A very pretty, simple routine. Tucker is crying. He’s overwhelmed. Mary says it was beautiful, blended, and seamless choreography by Stacey. Mary called Jasmine elegant, and tells Makenzie she’s a star. Adam gives a criticism to everyone but Makenzie. Nigel says Makenzie has beautiful feet. Nigel said the routine didn’t grab him emotionally like he hopes their future routines will.
Three tap dancers waiting for their chance.
Alexis is up first. Twitch delivers the news. Twitch tells her she’s in.
Curtis is next. Curtis hopes they see that he dances from his heart. Adam tries to fake him out, but he’s in the top 20.
Now comes the interesting one… Aaron is next. Deja vu for him. He was cut here last year at the Green Mile. Aaron said he doesn’t just want to be top 10, he wants to be an all-star. Mary says he’s headed in a positive direction, but they cut him. They hope he comes back. Twitch says this isn’t the end for him… which it isn’t… because he’s REPLACING EMILIO!!!! Aaron finally gets his shot at the Top 20.
Aaron, Alexis, and Curtis- You Really Did It by Jason Mraz (choreographed by Anthony, a new choreographer)
I like Aaron. He’s got a ton of personality. So do the other two, but you can tell Aaron is fighting for his life after being given a second chance. Curtis has a hard time holding still at the end, lol. They get a standing O from the judges. Adam loved it. Nigel says they looked like they had been together for years. Nigel has been trying to get a tapper to the finale for years. He might finally have one this year. Mary tells Aaron he deserves to be here.
Time for the Animators. Since Cat already said an Animator routine was in store, at least one is getting through. Will they BOTH get through? Jade is weak in partnering, Bluprint doesn’t have a strong personality. Jade had to dance for his life twice. Bluprint is cocky, he thinks he beat Jade.
Twitch says he doesn’t bring a personality like Cyrus did. Twitch loved Jade. Twitch says that Jade’s size could be a problem, but Mia says any choreographer should be able to choreograph for anyone of any size. Twitch says Bluprint should come back and see them… IN THE TOP 20!
Trigger- Kezwik (BluPrint and Jade)- Choreographed by Christopher Scott
They’re on stage with a bunch of mannequins. Jade has more personality than Bluprint, which is evident, but Bluprint is better at what he does. This is a really cool routine though. Both of these guys should do OK in the competition, but I doubt we’ll see either in the finale. Mary is bowing to them. Nigel said these were the dancers they were investing in. Nigel doesn’t know if they can do other routines, but he’s happy they’re here. Mary says they aren’t of this world. Adam says he’s proud of Christopher Scott.
Some more contemporary dancers will get through… Mia Michaels returns to choreography!!!
Carlos is up. He fakes vomiting on Cat. Nigel says basically everyone loved him. He’s in the Top 20.
David Lorenzo is next. He’s not in the top 20. They hope he comes back.
Hayley Erbert is up. Adam tells her she’s in the Top 20. She cries.
Malece Miller is nervous. She shouldn’t be. She’s a shoo in. Mia talks about her accident in Vegas. Mia says she declined after that accident. Mia says they need warriors. Mia tells her she needs to fight. Mia says they want to see her fight in the top 20.
Stay by Rihanna (Hayley, Malece, and Carlos)- Choreographed by Mia Michaels.
Yes, Mia is back, and this routine is stunning. There’s a story here. These three are fantastic. Two girls fighting for Carlos’s attention. Best routine of the night. Stunning. This is a routine to rewatch. Mary says it’s great to have Mia back. I agree. Mary tells Malece she was great. Mary thinks Carlos needs more work. Adam says they need to find something deeper. Nigel says they’ll see all three of them get better. He also thinks that Malece needs to mature more.
Ballroom Dancer Time!
Serge and Brittany are first. Mary says this isn’t easy for her. Serge is a No, Brittany is a Yes. Serge is happy for her.
Jenna Johnson is up next. Jenna’s two sisters have both failed to make the top 20, and both were cut at the Green Mile. I had no idea until now. Mary tells her she’s in the Top 20, and to call her sisters.
Paul makes the Top 20 next.
The Bersten brothers are next. Gene has been trying for a few seasons now. Alan says he’d be thrilled for his brother if he made it through, but upset for himself. Gene says either way, they’ll be happy. Mary says one of them is going home today. Mary says Gene isn’t moving on. Alan is moving on. Nigel tells Gene to come back again.
Now its time for a Ballroom routine.
Wings by Little Mix (Brittany, Jenna, Paul, and Alan)- Choreographed by Louie Van Amstel
These four are tremendous dancers. I don’t think Alan has had much chance to shine until now. Cool song. I think all four were evenly matched/paired. Adam says there’s a formidable group on team ballroom. Adam says they were fantastic partners, and the girls were spectacular. Nigel says he loved the girls. Nigel wants to see the boys stronger. Mary says Paul has unbelievable stage presence. Mary says the girls were on fire.
Only two spots left.
Amy Yakima is up first. Nigel says she’s the beats this season. She’s in the Top 20!
One spot left. Bad news for Marissa. Adam tells her she’s not in the top 20. Tessa and Gabby are not in the Top 20 either. Final spot goes to Megan or Jasmine. Both of them were cut at the Green Mile last year. Adam tells Jasmine she’s in the Top 20.
Enjoy by Bjork (Amy and Jasmine Mason)- Choreographed by Sonya
What an interesting routine. These girls are evenly matched. Amy had a ton of screentime, but I loved Jasmine last year, and I’m glad she finally made the Top 20 this year. Nigel says they’re stunning.
Top 10 Guys Routine!
Sand by Nathan Lanier (Top 10 Guys) Choreographed by Christopher Scott.
They are actually dancing with real sand. This should be cool. He manages to even feature some other styles in the dance, allowing the contemporary guys to do some of their own moves. Great routine. Adam compliments Christopher on using everyones styles. Nigel wants them to dance with his ashes like that.
Top 10 Girls!
Let’s Have A Kiki by Fanny Pak (Top 10 Girls) Choreographed by Ray Leeper
Great costumes. This song will never die, will it? I’m not crazy about the choreography. Christopher Scott did a better job with the guys. This seems like a silly semi burlesque routine that is all about the girls being sexy Not a lot of dancing, just a ton of posing. Adam says America can’t wait to have a kiki with the girls this season. Adam said the routine was fun.
Top 20 Routine!
Ghosts of City (Top 20) Choreographed by Sonya
It’s got to be hard to choreograph for 20 people. But, this is a really cool, battle themed routine. These kids have all done 3 routines tonight in a 2 hour span. That’s a lot, but they seem to be holding up. It’s almost impossible to pick out any standouts, but I can’t wait for next week. It’s going to be awesome. Cat ends the show, no comments from the judges.
Join me next week when the Top 20 are paired off, and we get into the real competition.
