SYTYCD11- Top 18 Perform, 2 Go Home- Live Blog and Discussion

Join me here tonight! Who is going home?

Opening Number- Hip Hop- By Far Side and Phoenix of Academy Of Villains
This is kinda sick. The Top 18 are chess pieces, battling on the board. It looks very Gaga inspired, at least in the costumes. I hope this isn’t the best number of the night, but it might be.

Time to find out some results. I hope Serge was able to save himself. Mary and Nigel switched chairs? I guess Nigel really does need to be surrounded by women. Misty Copeland is back, because she’s amazing.

Cat had “Deeley” chills in that last routine. Nigel points out that Cat is an Emmy nominee. Seven nominations altogether. Hopefully that’ll be enough for a Season 12.

The Top 18 come back out for results.

The Bottom Six Is:
Bridget
Emilio
Emily
Stanley
Jourdan
Teddy

Everyone who WAS in the bottom, except Jourdan, saved themselves. I’m betting Jourdan is out. I’m surprised Bridget is in the bottom, that’ll definitely affect my power rankings. I’m also surprised Emilio is there. I think Jourdan is gone tonight though. The boys will come down to their performances.

1) Jacque and Zack- Hip Hop by Keoni and Mari- Stay With Me by Sam Smith
Zack likes to swim. Jacque is obsessed with Rudy. They start lying on the ground. I love floorwork like this. Jacque isn’t the best hip hop dancer, but serious points for effort. Zack might be a better hip hop ddancer than Teddy. Plus… this choreography? Love it. LOVE it. There’s emotion. Sick moves. Zack looked great. Zack is really REALLY making a strong case for the finale. Mary says it was a way to get things started, and loved them in the group number too. Nigel says Jacque never looks like she performs out of her genre, and Zack commits to everything. Misty says Jacque and Zack have grown into their partnership.

2) Jourdan and Marcquet- Contemporary by Dee Kaspary- Disappear by Mikky Ekko
Jourdan works out a lot. Marcquet is in a hip hop crew. No wonder he dances hip hop so well. Both are out of their style here, and Jourdan really needs this routine to be super strong. Those umbrellas are nice. Compared to the lasst routine? This lacks emotion and connection. Jourdan has a vacant smile on her face, and has no connection with her partner. Marcquet is doing adequate work, but not memorable. This fell flat for me. Nigel finds them an interesting couple, and he’s not connecting with either of them. That’s bad news for Jourdan. Nigel isn’t sure who Marcquet is, and there’s a lack of discipline in his work. He doesn’t have the weight on the balls of his feet. Misty says her face needs to match her body. Nigel comes back and says Jourdans technique is strong, but there’s a lack of vulnerability. Mary loved the lighting and umbrellas, and thinks Jourdan is strong and has great lines, but is missing the magic. Jourdan looks like she knows she’s going home. Mary says he has to watch his feet.

3) Jessica and Stanley- Jazz by Tyce Diorio- Funkier Than A Mosquito’s Tweeter- Nikki Costa
Stanley is an aspiring male model. I can see it. Jessica likes to surf. Tyce is back! As he says they have to slice and slay this. Jessica’s got a great look, and face, but there’s something about her where she seems to be just giving 99%/ She looks a little underwhelmed all the time. Stanley really gave it 101%, making up for Jessica. He’s a terrific dancer. I hope he stays. This routine was a lot better than the last one. Misty says the face is so important, and they overdo their face. She says be aware of his eyes. Mary says Stanley dances with no fear. Mary says Jessica doesn’t need to oversell it. Nigel says welcome back to Tyce. Nigel says that Jessica hasn’t lived up to the first week, and she has overacting in her face. Nigel says Stanley has rockets in his arms and legs, but he needs strength in his core.

Bridget and Emilio are Jiving? Oh no.

4) Bridget and Emilio- Jive by Pasha and Anya- Happy by Pharrell Williams
Emilio is a black belt in tae kwon do. Bridget has a magic wand. They beat each other up in rehearsal. I think this was a smart selection for song choice, because who hates this song. Really. Emilio’s arms aren’t quite straight when he throws them out. Anya and Pasha choreographed to their strengths, which is a TON of personality. I gotta say, I didn’t hate this, but I have a feeling Nigel didn’t appreciate Emilio’s hip hop. It was a bit of a cop out. Mary says for two people out of their style, they were really jiving. She welcomes back Pasha and Anya. Mary says she loved every second, and that Bridget really captured the technique. Emilio, not so much, but his leading was strong. Nigel gives Emilio a pass, and reminds us that Fik-Shun never pointed his toes. Nigel thought Bridget was terrific, and he doesn’t understand why they’re in the bottom. Misty says they didn’t overdo it with their face, and they’re both performers. Misty thought Bridget was perfection. That went a lot better than I expected.

5) Emily and Teddy- Contemporary by Tyce DiOrio-
Emily likes to spear fish. Teddy is really competitive at boardgames. Emilio and Stanley both got great feedback already from Nigel. It’ll be interesting to see what they say about Teddy. Emily is dancing in her style, which should help. Emily is great here, and almost stealing the spotlight from Teddy, who is nailing the moves, but not the emotion. Emily has great face, as well as dance. Teddy might be a better contemporary dancer than a hip hop dancer. I’m scared that they’re going to keep Teddy, and send home Stanley now. Nigel translates the song, and they got really close to touching the human spirit. I’m not sure which guy I’d send hime. Misty says Emily’s body speaks French. Misty says she’s a fan of Teddy, and is a beautiful dancer. Mary doesn’t think there’s anything Emily can’t do. Mary was mesmerized by Teddy.

I literally don’t know which boy is going home. They seem to like Jessica, and saddling her with a new partner for the third consecutive week can’t be good for her. They like Emilio, and compared him to Fik-Shun, who won last season. Teddy just got heaps of praise. I couldn’t predict this if I had a DeLorean.

6) Brooklyn and Casey- Jazz by Bonnie Story- Crazy Little Thing Called Love by Michael buble
Brooklyn is a skateboarder. Casey loves clothes. Bonnie saw the technique face from them, and is challenging them to stay in character. Casey can spin like nobody’s business. He’s a performer. She’s not. Brooklyn is back to looking like a little girl again tonight. Casey is standing out, she’s not. Casey reminded me a bit of Jess in this routine, with the amount of confidence he danced with. Misty was impressed. She thought Brooklyn did more this week than last week, but saw her technique face (so did I). Misty says Casey was fabulous, and wants to see him mature more. Mary thought it was a fun number, and agrees with Brooklyn’s technical moments that Misty brought up. Mary thought Casey was brilliant. Nigel says Bonnie challenged Brooklyn a lot with that routine. Nigel says Casey was tremendous, and that Brooklyn has to keep up with him, and she needs to mature very quickly.

There’s a Dizzy Feet gala. In case you missed it. Also, National Dance Day.

7) Valerie and Ricky- Viennese Waltz by Lacey Schwimmer- I Won’t Give Up by Jason Mraz
Valerie is obsessed with pigs. Ricky was a barracuda. LACEY! Valerie seems like a nice person, but she is being CARRIED in this competition by Ricky. Her arms… are a mess. Ricky is fantastic. There’s no way he doesn’t win this whole thing. He’s one of the best dancers they’ve ever had. He moves so well. His arms are incredible. His footwoork, his partnering… everything. Valerie just can’t match him. She’s not the worst dancer in the competition, but she isn’t on his level. Nigel gave it a standing O. Mary loves that Lacey is back. Mary says the beginning was dreamlike. Mary says Ricky’s topline was amazing. Mary says his leg action wasn’t quite right. Mary says Valerie was beautiful, but has to watch her topline, and needs to use her core more. Nigel thought the performance was beyond reproach. Nigel thinks Ricky is a level above the dancers they work with. Nigel thinks Valerie looked like Cinderella, and came up to Ricky’s standard, and had great breathing. Misty calls Valerie a princess, and Ricky is indeed a level above.

8) Carly and Serge- Hip Hop by Luther Brown- Senile by Young Money
Serge is friends with Maksim and Val from Dancing With The Stars. Carly joined a dance team in college. Luther thinks Carly is a beast, and Serge is struggling a bit. the costumes are sick. They look like skeletons. I agree with Luther. I think Carly just moves better in the hip hop style. Serge is really stiff, and lacks the bounce that he really needs on the beat. Not terrible, but I can see what Luther sees. Nigel says it’s tough, and isn’t sure this will drive people to vote for them. I disagree a little. Nigel says it’s a tough routine to make something out of. Misty disagrees, somewhat. She says it’s important to educated the audience, and how difficult it is to switch genres. Misty is impressed by Serge. Misty says Carly was great tonight, and believed she was a skeleton. She loved it. Mary loved it. I just realized that Mary looks like a puritan tonight. She’s here for the first Thanksgiving.

9) Tanisha and Rudy- Broadway by Warren Carlyle- Sing Sing Sing from Fosse
Rudy has a a crush on Jacque. Tanisha has a massive family. She really does. They have canes as props. I like the costumes. Tanisha looks cute tonight. Rudy doesn’t quite have the smoothness in his moves. Tanisha glides a bit more. Rudy is dancing a bit more aggressive than I’d like in this style. Still, it’s nitpicky. I really enjoyed the routine, and thought Tanisha was great. Standing O from all 3 judges. Rudy had some cool tricks, so I understand it. Misty says this was Rudy, and they danced in perfect unison. Misty corrects Tanisha’s pirouettes. Mary says it was a showstopper. Mary says she’ll remember that routine at the end of the season. Nigel says what Rudy lacks in technique, he makes up for in performance. Cat quizzes Rudy on Jacque. This cute relationship will go far in getting them votes, I think.

A Great Big World is performing Say Something. I love this song. I had no idea the lead singer was so nerdy. The keyboard/synth/whatever player looks like Danny Pudi from Community. There’s a childrens choir on stage… because why not.

RESULTS AFTER THE BREAK!

My initial thoughts are that Jourdan is gone, and I can’t predict the guy… I’m scared.

Nigel reminds them it’s about how far they’ve come. Nigel is going with America’s vote, which means Stanley and Jourdan are eliminated. WOW. Stanley was an incredible dancer. That phone routine was just a massive kiss of death. Jessica gets a new partner next week… again. Jessica will now dance with Marcquet. Stanley has such an upbeat attitude for being eliminated.

STANLEY AND JOURDAN ARE ELIMINATED

Next week though, I think Jessica may be in for more trouble. I’m predicting our bottom 3 as…
Marcquet, Serge, and Emilio.
Bottom 3 girls?
Brooklyn for sure. Jessica? Bridget? Emily? Carly? Tanisha? Valerie? Other than Brooklyn, there really isn’t a clear Bottom 3 girl, just a bunch of girls who should be worried.

Join me next week for my power list, poll, and another live blog!

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.