With only eight couples left, the competition is really heating up as the choreography gets more challenging on So You Think You Can Dance. Last week’s surprising elimination, which sent home contemporary dancer Marquis and Miami shaker Susie, proved that it’s truly anyone’s game and that pulling off some fancy “tricks,” according to judge Nigel Lythgoe, won’t be enough to make it to the end. Katee Shean and Joshua Allen delivered their third show-stealing performance in a row with a super sexy samba. But they weren’t the only ones to heat up the stage. Courtney Galiano and Gev Manoukian performed a sensual rumba that really grabbed the judges attention. (Watch a clip of Courtney and Gev!) You know what they say: “Sex sells,” but will it get them the votes? –Jed Dreben
From comic book contemporary to seductive sambas, here is how it went down:
After an emotional Viennese waltz last week, Kherington Payne and Stephen ‘Twitch’ Boss stepped into Twitch’s world with a hip-hop routine. Looking like they just escaped from SYTYCD correctional facility in matching orange jumpsuits, the duo were super smooth criminals. Nigel praised the dancers for being full of spirit and “brilliant.” Mary placed them on SYTYCD’s 10 Most Wanted list, while guest judge Adam Shankman, director of the hit Hollywood musical Hairspray, thought it was “awesome,” but told Payne to work on her pop-locking stops.
Courtney Galiano, in an eye-popping dress, and Gev Manoukian got mixed reviews from the judges last week after a challenging contemporary piece but were on point Wednesday with a twisting, turning, “butt-grabbing” rumba. “I am very, very happy with that routine,” said a satisfied Nigel, who also gave Gev kudos for finally finding his passion. Mary, the resident ballroom expert, liked Courtney’s “tight” and “crisp” moves. Shankman also “really, really loved it,” but added that Gev needs to work on his hand movements.
Comfort Fedoke and Chris Jarosz closed last week’s show with a banging krump number that just didn’t hit hard enough with the judges (or America) and landed them in the bottom three. Just barely slipping through Thursday’s tough cut, they came back this week with an experimental African jazz routine — giving it a goth edge by dancing to Marilyn Manson. Scantily clad in torn clothing, the two were definitely looking for a scream, but judge Nigel found it “too soft” for the powerful beat behind them. Mary told them it should have been more “animalistic, wild and crazy!”
Even though the judges told Jessica King last week to catch up to her partner Will Wingfield after their first hip-hop number, America felt that it was good enough to keep them out of the bottom three. This week they headed to the disco, which gave Jessica the opportunity to shine like disco ball next to Will. The duo brilliantly pulled off tough lifts, twists and spins, pleasing Adam, who said it was “awesome.” Nigel pointed out things that went “very wrong.” Mary agreed that there were some mistakes, but felt there were “so many great things” about the number that it didn’t matter, reminding viewers of the difficulty of the moves.
Last week, Kourtni Lind and Matt Dorame floated across the stage, dancing an Old Hollywood fox trot, but received lukewarm responses from the judges. This time, the two were challenged with a comic book-inspired contemporary piece. Clearly giving it all they had, both tapped into their electric energy and utilized their height with powerful kicks and leaps. Nigel was happy to say that they both finally found a style that they could shine in, but worried that viewers may not get the unconventional piece. Mary said it was “something weird for sale,” but decided she was “buying it.” And Judge Adam loved how both “beautifully” controlled their bodies were, and called the performance “extraordinary.”
Chelsea Traille and Thayne Jasperson fell off Mary’s “hot tamale train” last week and into the bottom three after giving a seditious jazz routine. Saved from elimination after the final dance off, they were hoping to get back on the train by pulling of an always-difficult quick step. Grooving to Phil Collins’s ’80s hit “You Can’t Hurry Love,” the duo held their heads high as they jubilantly clickety-clacked their way across the floor under a moving spotlight. Nigel said it was “too bouncy” and lacked personality. “Get your solos ready,” he said. Giving them props for the difficulty of the dance and the short amount of time they had to learn it, Mary said it was “just okay,” which she explained is “pretty good for this dance.”
After wowing the panel with a gorgeous Argentine tango last week, Chelsie Hightower and Mark Kanemura had their worlds turned upside down with a detailed hip-hop piece Wednesday. Looking ready to go to work — Mark literally toted a briefcase — the pair popped, locked and hopped to Leona Lewis’s chart-topper “Bleeding Love.” Nigel loved the dance and so did Mary, saying that she “really believed the struggle that was going on onstage” as they portrayed the plight of the “working man [and] woman.” The number hit Adam deeply, prompting him to jump out of his seat and scream, “Yes! That was awesome!” They are “the couple to beat,” he added.
But there was one more couple to dance, consistent favorites Katee Shean and Joshua Allen, who tackled a seductive samba routine. Katee, in a revealing gown, showed off her sexy side and some serious leg. Nigel told her, “You just are sexy and you don’t have to push anything because it all works. Well done.” Once Mary calmed herself down after the hot number, she called the performance, “animated, spirited and full of energy,” and gave them the “hot tamale merit.” Meanwhile, Adam shouted, “That was some serious competing!” adding that Katee is simply “smokin!”
Tell us: Who blew you away? Who’s in danger of elimination?
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