Down to the Top 16

Sorry communication's been light this week. I'm on vacation with the kiddoes at Grandma's house, so I've been a little distracted, especially tonight when they wouldn't cooperate and go to sleep so I could focus on the show! I did my best, though I don't think the judges and I agreed much tonight. I felt like I watched a different show than they did. Maybe I was in a crabby mood because my 4-year-old wouldn't settle down, but I didn't like as many of the routines as much as the judges did. I LOVE Kristen Chenoweth, however, and am a devoted follower of @KChenoweth on Twitter, so I thoroughly enjoyed her guest spot and her commentary. As for the dancing, here's my breakdown:

First group routine - Tyce DiOrio – Broadway/jazz (I missed the explanation of which it was, and frankly, I couldn't quite tell): Well…interestingly, I didn’t love this, but it wasn’t the choreography. I actually thought Tyce put together a good routine; I just didn’t think it was danced spectacularly. To me, it felt like it kinda dragged. Folks were occasionally out of synch – the most noticeable was Sasha when she was in front. I was afraid Marko wasn’t going to make his last flip. Maybe it was all the attitude they were portraying, but it just seemed a little…weighted down. I'm going to rewatch the whole episode on DVR before the results show because I felt less than thrilled about several of these dances, and this was one of them. Maybe I'll see something I missed the first time around, but on the first run, it failed to zap me. I doubt that will hinder any of this 8's chances tomorrow, but it sure didn't wow either.

Sasha & Alexander - Dee Kaspary, contemporary: Ah, now I understand all the “prop” references in their tweets this week! And I’ve gotta say I liked this particular prop. The piano gave depth to a dance that didn’t use a lot of real estate around the stage, and I love how she disappeared into the piano and became a part of it at the end. I will say that this wasn’t as particularly emotionally moving for me as some other contemporary pieces, but it was really enjoyable nonetheless. I’m definitely with Kristen on how Alexander performed – I think he was there more than he got credit for from Nigel and Mary. Now, while I love Sasha, I’m not sure I’m as over-the-moon about her dancing as the judges are (tonight or ever), but she’s certainly talented and eminently watchable, and as much in this routine as any.

Caitlynn & Mitchell – Jean-Marc Genereux, samba: Really, Mary? I was a little surprised by the high praise from the ballroom-er, ‘cause I thought it started kinda slow – bad song for the dance, weird rhythm, etc. - but Caitlynn was moving convincingly, and it eventually picked up a little. Still, although there were some impressively Beyonce moves, I’m not sure how "samba" it was. To me, Mitchell looked like a contemporary dancer doing samba. And in case nobody else noticed, they kept missing physical connections (hands, arms, etc.). Caitlynn is just so darn cute that I liked it anyway, even though I wasn't sure her hips were moving enough for a samba. The two of them were actually almost too limber for the dance, with not enough *pop* in their hips. I definitely didn't think it was as well-done as the judges seemed to, but I suspect their likability will keep the out of trouble this week. But I also wouldn't be surprised if it doesn't.

Miranda & Robert – Tyce DiOrio, Broadway (it was Broadway, right?): I’ll admit to being a lot more impressed with these two tonight than I have been so far, although I have to wonder if Tyce didn’t ultimately dumb down the routine a little for them. Based on the preview, I was expecting more fancy footwork than they ultimately did. But, with what they did have, I have to agree with Kristen – they really had the characters. Miranda was (finally) sexy, and Robert didn’t look like a B-boy. I thought it was really good. Good enough that I now feel less bad about them not going home the first week. I think they've redeemed themselves a bit with this one, but it would not surprise me to find them in the bottom three again this week. Just a hunch, can't explain it.

Melanie & Marko – Nappytabs, lyrical hip-hop: *Sigh* I loved everything about this. Nappytabs, M&M, the song…*Sigh* EV-E-RY-THING.

We interrupt this blog posting to bring you the best quote of the night, courtesy of hostess Cat Deeley: "THAT’S LIKE WALKING IN ON YOUR MOM AND DAD!" Agreed. If I never see Nigel kiss Mary (or, frankly, anyone else) ever again, it will be too soon. Now back to our regularly scheduled posting:

Ashley & Chris – Sonya Tayeh, jazz: Yeah, I’m kinda with Nigel here. I was just expecting...more...and I didn’t get it. Yet I can’t really nitpick on anything the dancers did or didn't do, exactly. But there was definitely some kind of disconnect, and I think it’s going to hurt these two tomorrow night. Maybe it was because they weren’t ALL zombie or ALL human, but it just kinda…didn’t work. It reminds me of a routine…I think it was maybe robots or aliens or something? With Robert and Ellenore, maybe? Anyway, it was another one that THEY did well, but that just didn't hang together as a routine, and it hurt the couple that week, as I suspect this one will for these two. Sorry Sonya - I truly respect what you bring to this game, but this one just kinda missed, and I'm not really sure why.

Clarice & Jess – Jean-Marc Genereux, foxtrot: Admittedly, I was distracted during this one because I had to go lay the smackdown on my non-sleeping kids, but what I saw, I liked. Very elegant, very enjoyable, and Jess is just a great showman, no matter how you feel about his personality. I absolutely bought him as a Rat-Pack era nightclub singer. Kinda forgot Clarice was there, but what she did, she did gracefully and prettily ('cause she's nothin' if not graceful and pretty). Glad to hear the judges agreed, because I was afraid I might’ve missed something!

Ryan & Ricky - Sonya, contemporary: Meh. I'm definitely going to have to watch this one again, because I really wanted to like this, but it just didn't quite do it for me. I wanted to be moved by it, but I did not feel the emotional connection here. I cringed when Ryan smiled, even though it wasn’t entirely inappropriate (she didn’t exactly have a big goofy grin on her face the whole time), and I didn’t feel anything between Ryan and Ricky, which was both surprising and disappointing, because they're both capable of it. And somebody needed to put some makeup on poor Ryan, because her face looked so bland, and that really didn't help her convey any emotion. I'm sure the thinking was that her face should be free to emote without boundary, but for me it worked completely oppositely. I am so sorry I didn’t see what the judges saw, because I really wanted to. I cannot emphasize that enough, because I desperately like these two dancers. Now, the dancing was great; I just totally missed the emotion that was supposed to be there. Maybe the camera just didn’t do it justice. I don't know. I hope America didn't agree with me, because I would hate to find these two in the bottom again.

Jordan & Tadd – Nappytabs, hip-hop: Cute. Entertaining. Enjoyable. But not Nappytabs’ best work. Or Jordan and Tadd's. Totally watchable and a cute storyline, but the dance was underchallenging, especially for these two. And I'm not sure it was the best-danced either – LilC touched on that with them needing to get down more; Nigel was also right that the story outshone the dance. I don't think they'll be in danger, but this one wasn't the caliber I expect of Jordan & Tadd, so it was a little disappointing, if fun to watch.

Second group routine – Dee Kaspary, contemporary: I liked this one a LOT. It was a fresh idea, well-danced, an interesting mix of music and moves…no, I LOVED this. In fact, it was probably my favorite routine of the night, actually. Yes, even moreso than Melanie & Marko's. So there.

So that's how I saw the show tonight. I'm very curious to hear what others think, so please comment and tell me! Prediction for tomorrow's bottom three? Hm...Ashley & Chris, because they got the most negative reviews of the night, and rightly so--for the dance (both are great dancers, totally deserving of staying, just not for that routine); possibly Mirand & Robert, for something I just can't quite put my finger on; and as for the third...I really can't say. I could make a case for Sasha & Alexander, having been in the Death Spot of the lineup, or for Caitlynn & Mitchell for a medium-hot samba, or Jordan & Tadd for a fun but underwhelming hip-hop, or for Ryan & Ricky, if others felt as emotionally void as I did when it was done. Guess we'll all have to tune in tomorrow and find out!