‘So You Think You Can Dance’: The Best And Worst Dances From The Remaining 9

Erika Brooks Adickman | July 1, 2010 7:00 am

Where do we even begin with last night’s episode of So You Think You Can Dance? It’s safe to say that we’ve just witnessed one of the most memorable nights in SYTYCD history. We watched some gorgeous solo numbers that left us hungry for more, saw two different wardrobe malfunctions that were nearly R rated, and were blessed with what we’re sure will be the best dance of the season. Jaw dropping excitement aside, someone’s going home tonight; and we have a pretty good guess as to who it will be.  Jump below and see if you agree with our picks.

Before we dive into the the best and the worst, let’s shimmy over some other highlights of the evening:

::Luck was not with Ashley, who drew Ade (and thus was stuck in Contemporary—again). She was smart enough to put some funk into her solo routine.  Side note: did anyone else find it odd that Ashley used the same song as last week’s opening group number?

::Lauren did the memory of Gypsy Rose Lee justice when she had an accidental burlesque routine to “Let Me Entertain You” (sung by Debbie Gibson!?). She handled the near-disaster with such grace and control, it showed us an adult side of her that almost made us forget that her biggest inspiration in life is her Student Council adviser. The judges reaction was too priceless (see above). There is no way Lauren will be in the bottom three this week. She was compared to Cyd Charisse for crying out loud!

::Last night we also witnessed adorable Kent Boyd‘s first real criticism. The judges told him that his performance felt a little fake at times, but Adam also called him the most hirable dancer of the show. We’ll agree with him on the latter part.

::We also saw Jose Ruiz‘s first criticism on his samba number from the judges. Just kidding! Clearly, Jose has the judges under his magic Bruce Lee-Yoga spell.

THE BEST: Alex Wong and All-Star Twitch’s hip hop routine (choreographed by Tabitha and Napoleon) to “Outta Your Mind” by Lil’ Jon and LMFAO. There’s a reason the producers put this number at the very end of the show, who would want to follow this act? Perhaps Tabitha was giving a nod to Mia’s note to Jose last week, when she said “I really want it to be so WONG that it’s right.” Well, she got her wish. Alex and Twich brought the house down. What is there to judge about this dance? Mia’s comment to Alex, “WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?” telling him that he defies the world of ballet. Adam literally bowed down before Wong. What else is there to say? If Alex wins this competition (when Alex wins?) it will be from the momentum of this performance.

THE RUNNER UP: Robert and Courtney’s Jazz routine to M.I.A’s “XXXO” (choreographed by Sonya Tayeh). We called it in week one of the live shows, and tonight Nigel confirmed it: Robert is this season’s Mark.

THE WORST: Woo boy. Is there any doubt that Melinda and Pasha’s salsa routine was by far the worst of the night? Melinda too suffered a wardrobe malfunction when she stepped on the train of her dress, and unlike Lauren, it left her frazzled. The judges described it as though she was “trying to stay above water”. We think it looked more like the scene in Dirty Dancing when Baby Houseman fills-in for Penny at The Sheldrake Hotel showcase and chokes instead of doing the rehearsed lift with Johnny. While the judges were kind enough not to mention the fact that Pasha nearly decapitated her during his jump, both Adam and Mia did say that they made the wrong decision by sending Christina home last week. We already knew that.

THE RUNNER UP: We would say Jose’s Samba number with Anya, but the judges have made it clear that no one is ever to utter a single word about Jose’s flaws for the duration of this competition. Besides, nothing from last night holds a candle to Melinda’s unfortunate circumstances.

QUOTE OF THE NIGHT was the repeated phrase, “No more Hungry Jazz Face” said of Kent Boyd’s jazz routine. We’re still trying to figure out just what it means. RUNNER UP QUOTE OF THE NIGHT was also in regards to Kent’s dance. Adam quoted Bob Fosse’s All That Jazz when he said, “I can’t make you a great dancer. I don’t even know if I can make you a good dancer. But…I know I can make you a better dancer.”

WHO MIGHT BE DANCING FOR THEIR LIFE:Melinda’s tap solo last night to Alicia Keys showed again that she has no musicality. We’re not sure what she is going to pull out of her hat when she dances for her life tonight. Along with Melinda, Ashley might be dancing for her life only because audiences might be tired of seeing her do Contemporary. And lastly, Jose. We think it was clear that he was struggling through last night’s Samba.

Do you agree? Talk to us! Comment below.