SYTYCD 11 Top 6 Results Recap and Performance Videos
Two more dancers dance into that big bright light in the sky.
That’s right. SYTYCD adds a Hunger Games aspect this week, in an effort to boost ratings.
TWO OF THESE DANCERS WILL DIE BASED ON YOUR VOTES.
Just kidding.
Top 6 Group Routine – Hide- Choreographed- Nick Dumora
They’re futuristing DJ’s. It’s a cool routine.
Everyone dances 3 times tonight. Once with an All-Star, once with one in the Top 6, and a solo. So… 15 routines?
Philip Chbeeb in the audience!
Christina Appelgate returns to the judging panel.
1) Ricky and Valerie- Broadway with Spencer Liff- I’ve Got The World On A String
Spencer wants them to ooze charm. Ricky’s SHOES… and SOCKS… wow. They make them in those colors? They’re just character shoes painted blue I think. The paint is chipping off. Now, the routine, it’s adorable. The swing is cute. Not every routine has to be deep emotionally. Some can just be cute, and Ricky and Valerie have a ton of chemistry to help the routine. The swing was a problem for her in rehearsal. Nigel loved it. Nigel thinks Spencer captured the mood. I think this might be the best broadway routine we’ve seen this season. Christina says America loves Valerie because of her soul not being fake. She also tells Ricky to shut his face, and calls him an enigma. Mary says the chemistry was honest.
Sasha Alexander (Rizzoli and Isles) is in the audience!
2) Jessica and Casey- Disco with Doriana Sanchez- Dim All The Lights
Clearly, in an effort to torpedo their chances of winning, Dance has given Jessica and Casey a Disco routine. MAN CASEY CAN SPIN. Holy hell. That was the fastest spinning I’ve ever seen. It looked like it was in fast forward. I’ll even forgive his face pulling for that. Jessica is basically being used as a prop, but she looks good doing it. Props to her too. Christina tells Jessica it looked like she was holding in snot… but she liked it. Mary compliments Jessica’s legs, calling them samurai swords. She also says Casey got down. Nigel says it was a tremendous routine, and he’s never seen that many turns in a routine before.
3) Ricky’s Solo- My Tears Are becoming A Sea
His mom and grandma talk before about how proud they are of Ricky. Ricky always has memorable solos, and this one was crazy. That move where he looked like he was swimming was sick.
4) Zack and Jacque- Fox Trot with Jean Marc- Anything Goes
They are Fred and Ginger. Is Zack crushing on Jacque now? I love this version of the song. Most people don’t know Lady Gaga is incredibly versatile. Zack looks comfortable in the style, moreso than Jacque, who is making up for it with more personality than she’s ever really had in any routine. She’s all smiles this week. Cat reminds us that Rudy is in the audience. Are they actually dating? Is this really a thing? Mary knocks them on technique, saying they were missing the slide. Nigel agrees. He says he wasn’t thrilled with it. Christina says the faces felt put on, and not genuine, and didn’t feel their chemistry. Christina reminds them that they’re dancing from their soul first.
Was that Tim Tebow in the audience?
5) Jessica’s Solo-
Jessica’s mom and dad talk about her having the it factor. Jessica definitely looked like she was about to cry after that. She does a lot of spinning, finishes the routine, and starts to cry. Nothing special. Sorry.
Some flash in the pan (Rixton) sings a rip off of Lonely No More.” Don’t believe me? Rob Thomas is actually credited as a writer on “Me And My Broken Heart.” They’re just giving him credit for ripping off his song.
6) Twitch and Valerie- Hip Hop by Wildabeast- Yeah
Twitch says Valerie is super funky for a tapper. It’s a hip hop wedding dance. She’s too cartoonish for me to take seriously. After she takes the dress off, she becomes a new Valerie, and the second half of the number is SICK. I’ve used that a lot tonight, but the moves are great, Twitch is great, and Valerie really kills the moves and dances in the pocket perfectly, even if she’s a little too cute for hip hop. Nigel congratulates NappyTabs on winning an Emmy this week. Nigel calls Valerie a great performer. Christina says Valerie was amazing, and orders the crotch roll with a side of fries. Mary says people will copy this routine at their weddings. Valerie has had a good week.
7) Casey’s Solo- Lay Me Down
Casey’s parents say watching him dance gives them great pride. It’s OK. Slightly better than Jessica’s, but just an average contemporary solo. Casey has done better.
8) Valerie’s Solo- What I Like About You
Valerie’s parents cheer her on. Her brothers ham it up. Valerie takes a page from the Zack book and uses more of the stage. It’s a better routine than last time. She’s had a really good week.
9) Jacque and Will Wingfield- Jazz with Shaun Cheeseman- 99 Red Balloons
There’s a ball. The ball makes for a few cool moves before it is thrown from the stage. Will is tremendous. Jacque is alright. It’s better than her first routine. Red balloons fall from the sky. It’s a beautiful routine for many reasons that are not necessarily Jacque, though she did an OK job. Christina praises Shaun, says it was beautiful and joyous, and put a smile on her face. Mary says the entrance was beautiful and effective. Mary can’t wait to watch the number again. Nigel said it was beautiful and made him forget the fox trot. Jacque compliments Will and Shaun. Cat says it’ll be one of the most memorable routines. Drop a bunch of red balloons, and people will remember. It looked really cool.
10) Zack’s Solo- Butterfly
Zack’s parents say he started dancing because he had a problem with his legs. Zack is an incredible tap soloist. He really entertains. He might be the best tap soloist we’ve ever had on the show, and I LOVED Aaron last year, so that’s big for me to say, but I love Zack’s solo. So much showmanship.
11) Jessica and Ade- Jazz by Ray Lieper- Boneless
Points for bizarrely awesome costumes. The choreo? Not memorable. Kinda easy. It’s hard for Jessica to be sexy wearing that ridiculous outfit. She looks like she could be doing Sesame Street On Ice or something. It’s not a sexy club outfit, that’s for sure. Honestly? My least favorite routine of the night, but not because of Jessica. Christina loved it, and loves Jessica. Mary wants to know what club Ray goes to, and says it was fun. Mary predicts she’s in the finale. Nigel says it was OK, an he wasn’t thrilled with it. He didn’t connect with it or Jessica. Nigel reminds her not to just spin in her solos. SEE? I’M NOT CRAZY. He’s disappointed. I think this routine let Jessica down. I don’t think Jessica had a good week.
12) Jacque’s Solo- Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy
Jacque has three brothers, which makes her a strong girl. They’re proud. Jacque goes for personality in her routine this week, and it’s cute. Also, better than Jessica’s solo.
13) Ricky and Anya-Samba by Jean Marc- Dare
Ricky says he’s trying to match Anya’s sexy level. A good effort, but not Ricky’s best work, Anya is incredible though. It’s not a bad job, it’s just obvious he’s out of his style, and Anya just walks all over him. Nigel says he looked like he’s been doing it for years. Christina wants to be Anya when she grows up. She says you can’t keep your eyes off of Anya, but thought Ricky was sensational. Christina says he controlled “that beast”. Mary reminds us that Anya is the originator of hot tamale, and says Ricky brought it. Mary says he was solid on his feet. I think Anya danced all over him, and they just praise everything Ricky does.
As I’m reminded of Mackenzie coming up, I thought I’d share some All-Star hopes for next season, if there is one:
Sasha, Marko, Aaron, Eliana, Jakob, Evan. Specifically, now that Newsies is closing, Evan should be the go-to all star for the Broadway All-Star routines. Aaron should be brought back next week to do a Tap routine with either Valerie or Zack. Crossing my fingers.
14) Casey and Mackenzie- Contemporary with Stacey Tookey- Over You
The routine is about having only one day left with the person you love. I take back everything I just said about Mackenzie. This is the best she’s ever danced. She’s so committed. Casey is committed. Beautiful routine. My favorite of the night. Great choreography, beautiful performance. I’m surprised it didn’t get a standing O. Christina asks Casey how he feels, and he can’t describe it. Mary says they were a beautiful couple, and Casey made Mary feel it, and calls it the performance of a lifetime, and Casey’s best of the season. Nigel says the choreographers have been great storytellers this season.
Nigel takes on the ice bucket challenge by writing out a check, because he has a heart condition.
15) Zack and Fik-Shun- Hip Hop by Philip Chbeeb- Sail
Now we know why Phillip was in the audience. I’m glad they had him come back. Synchronization is key. Zack can’t fake this. The formations these two make together are awesome. Zack killed it. This is my NEW favorite routine of the night. We closed it out with the two best routines. This might be my favorite thing that Zack did. Great choreo from Phillip. Not every dance needs a story. Mary praises Phillip. She screams, and calls it fabulous. Mary says Zack is the biggest surprise of the season. She loved every second of it. Nigel is proud that he’s a tapper. “We cannot become who we need to be, by remaining who we are.” Nigel says he’ll be shocked if he makes the finale… and then adds that he’ll be thrilled, because it sounded awful when he said that. Christina says America fell in love with Fik-Shun for letting us into his world. Christina was worried, and says Zack came up to Fik-Shun’s level. Christina says he transcended being a tapper, and says he’s a great performer. A lot of this praise sounded like they were saying goodbye to Zack. That would be such a shame after this routine.
Results after the break!
Based on tonight, the only dancer I’d send home is Jessica. I thought Zack, Casey, and Ricky all had an up and a down. Casey was probably the strongest overall, Zack had the best routine, so I’d probably say Ricky (JUST BASED ON TONIGHT). I think Ricky was outperformed by the other two, but he didn’t have a great second routine. Ricky had the best first routine and solo, but Casey and Zack’s second routines were the best two routines of the night, and Zack’s solo was pretty damn great, and Casey’s first routine wasn’t bad.
RESULTS!
The names Cat reads off are safe.
JESSICA.
RICKY.
VALERIE.
ZACK.
Casey and Jacque are eliminated. Casey left on a very strong note. Jacque even finished pretty strong. They should both be proud. Casey and Jacque are just so grateful, and not sobbing like Rudy. Standing O from the judges.
Join me next week for the finale! This weeks votes combine with next weeks votes. No one goes home next week. In the voting info, we aren’t shown the first three routines. Just the solo and All-Star routine. That’s odd…
Who will win? Jessica, Ricky, Valerie, or Zack? Sound off in the comments.
Robert, Katherine, and Aaron are announced as All-Stars next week. Only three announecd? Is Aaron dancing twice?
