Top 4 Perform - Recap & Fan Judge Eval

WOW. Still reeling from that final Travis Wall number, but let me break down the night's events, a little more space-efficiently this time:

Opening group number: Um...truthfully? I've seen better Tyce Diorio routines. Don't get me wrong: I think dancers did well with what they were given, I just don't happen to think they were given all that much. Granted, there was a storm warming floating across the top of my screen that shrank the viewing area and provided a bit of distraction, but really, even upon rewatching, I just think it was a little lacking. It underutilized pretty much everyone, with the possible exception of the last few gymnastics by Kent. Not a blazing start to the show, but not a death knell either.

Lauren: SssssssssssssssssssssMOKIN'! That Argentine Tango was HOT, HOT, HOT! Like, "um, can the choregraphers please remember this girl is only SEVENTEEN???" hot. It was understated because it used slow control rather than fast footwork and complicated lifts to make its point, but that just added to the anticipation of it and built the [ahem] *sexual* tension. Outstanding. Then came the Black Widow jazz number. I can understand the point Mia made about needing a smidge more ferociousness, but honestly, I was so busy worrying about how steamy the whole thing was that I didn't notice. My husband used a good (and more politically correct term than "sexy"): sultry. That it was, and I pretty much forgot Ade was there while Lauren was doing all those kicks and twists and turns and lifts. What an incredibly talented dancer she is, and I would not be at all sorry if she wins this competition.

Adechike: Oh, I SOOOO wanted him to have a better night than he did, but unfortunately (and for once), I'm kinda with the judges tonight. I would be a little less harsh, of course, but I do think there was just something missing. In the Afro-jazz number, before the judges ever commented, I just kept thinking, "when is he really gonna just let go?" And it never happened. In other numbers this season, I've thought he had a little too much bob and bebop - which is what I think elicited Mia's rather unfortunate (but technically accurate) critique of Adechike's Bollywood number as having an African dance feel to it - and yet here he was in an Afro-jazz number, and I didn't get much of that bounce at all. I wanted him to look loose and lively and, because that's what the dance was about, FREE. And he looked...well, more than once, he looked like he was concentrating. That was less true in the second number, but he didn't quite lose himself in it entirely the way he needed to. It was better, and I truly think he thinks he's doing what the judges are telling him, and he can't quite figure out why it doesn't look that way to them. But, with Kathryn (in yet another eye-catching, number-stealing red dress) as his partner, he really needed to step up a little more than he did. I think he is a good candidate for going home this week, and I actually think I'll be disappointed if it's anyone else. I'm sorry, Adechike, because I am truly a fan.

Robert: I sooooo did not want to like Robert as much as I did this week, but really, he just nailed it. NAILED IT. Both times. That Viennese Waltz was exquisite, and Nigel was right (although I had to go back and re-watch Lauren's number to notice it), Pasha missed his straight-arm lift, but Robert pulled his off stunningly. And that hip-hop - well, Napytabs is just DA BOMB, of course - I have to agree with Adam: I thought he danced circles around Dominic. I was a little surprised Adam said it, mind you, and it created some awkwardness on the stage, but he was right. I was expecting Big Tall Robert to have trouble getting down into hip-hop the way he needed to, but really, he couldn't have funked it up any better. To further be able to work with balloons, which have to be a phenomenally challenging set of props, was just icing on the cake. I won't cry if Robert's sent home (there's just something about him that's a little disingenuous, a little "trying too hard"), but honestly, he doesn't deserve it this week.

Kent: I don't know what Disco Mia was watching, but I thought it ROCKED, and once again, HIS FACE IS SUPPOSED TO BE LIKE THAT! Yeah, okay, Adam put a little better spin on it - I get that there should be a little more "Rico Suave" and a little less "Corny Kid from Kansas" (or Ohio, or wherever the heck Wapakoneta is), but really, Disco is FUN, and a little cheesey, and I thought he rocked it. And that spinning lift at the end was enough to get my vote. How the momentum didn't carry them clear off the stage I will never know.

And then there was the Travis Wall routine. To finish out The Kent Analysis: he was perfect. Absolutely incredible, on all counts, and I think (I sincerely hope) that is secured his place in the finale. But really, it is almost unfair to give that one entirely to Kent, because it wouldn't have looked that good without an equally good partner, and I couldn't imagine a better one in the role than Neal (who I ADORED the first time around, by the way). But really, let's not get sidetracked by how well it was danced: TRAVIS WALL IS EXTRAORDINARY. I could not be happier that he is a choreographer, and that he has gotten such fabulous exposure on this show. He is a force to be reckoned with in the dance world, and I suspect he will be making a HUGE name for himself long after this show ends. He has introduced me to some of the most beautiful artwork in the world of dance, and waiting for one of his routines to come up on the show is half the excitement for me anymore. BRAVO, standing ovation, OUTSTANDING, Travis. Thank you for letting us into your world.

What did you think? Anyone willing to predict who's going home? Who's going to win?