Round 2 is going to be a whole different contest, folks. Indeed, my earlier prediction holds: the judges can only save TWO dancers tomorrow night, out of six that will be in the bottom. That means a lotta voter power, folks! And tonight was not the extraordinary parade of exceptional dances that the first round was. So who're the bottom 6 gonna be? Hm...we'll get to that in a minute.
First: a big thumbs up to whatever costumer channeled Grease in finding Cat that "big yellow pineapple" dress. YOWZA. She looked lovely, of course, but I tended to lose other people on the screen when she stood next to them...
Okay, back to the show. Thrilled to see Debbie Reynolds as a guest judge - she is not only A True Original in the world of dance, but she's doggone funny. Now on to the routines:
Ricky & Ryan, Mandy Moore jazz - Admittedly, I was a little skeptical about the ability of these two to convince me that they could smolder together. Maybe that's why they really didn't for me, and I was a little surprised the judges didn't agree. Now, individually, yes: Ryan was fiery, although I thought there was a little camera-mugging that I couldn't quite gauge as to whether it was part of the style of the dance (I feel like jazz does that sometimes) or Ryan's supersize smile. Ricky was downright convincingly smokin', but I sometimes felt like he was looking through Ryan rather than at her. But I wasn't entirely convinced there was chemistry between them (just like the tension between Nigel & Mary indeed!). So, although I thought they danced it superbly, I'm not so sure about a total rave. The "kiss of death" first position probably won't help them any more than it did Tadd & Jordan, so we'll see if the viewers thought the routine was enough to keep them aloft.
Caitlynn & Mitchell, Stacey Tookey contemporary - Well I always expect big things from Stacey Tookey, and this is why. Caitlynn started breaking my heart the second the lights went up, and Mitchell--thank God he didn't go home last week!--was a pure delight. And they even bled. It doesn't get much more dug in than that. LOVED IT.
Missy & Wadi, Jean-Marc Genereux cha-cha - I'm with Nigel and Mary on this one. Missy rocked it, but I still think Wadi looks a little unconvinced that he should be there. Technically, it looked pretty darn good (from a non-ballroom expert’s point of view) overall, but I could see that Wadi looked a little mechanical and I get the judges' points about his technique. My chief complaint though: the chemistry was "meh" at best, but not for lack of effort on Missy's part. I don't think she could've knocked that out any better, mood and all, and she sort of excelled in spite of him, but she just couldn't overcome his basic pallor of discomfort. Sorry, Wadi, because I adore you, but I suspect you're likely to be in trouble tonight after the voting. Then again, sometimes it's the underdogs who bring out the voters, so we shall see. (Loved the Ke$ha song for this cha-cha, by the way.)
Iveta & Nick, Nakul Dev Mahajan Bollywood - Here’s what I loved about this dance: it made good use of Nick’s lankiness, and it showed Iveta being whimsical, which is just not something I would’ve thought was possible. Technically, I think they danced it pretty well, but not outstandingly. They were occasionally off-synch, and each missed a few little things, but really, for being such an out-of-the-mainstream dance style, they did just fine. Well enough to not be in danger? That’ll depend on the next six routines…
Robert & Miranda, Nappytabs hip-hop - Hm. I’m really back-and-forth on this one. I was actually thinking Robert would benefit from being back in his own world (once again catching a helpful break), but I actually think Miranda danced it better. That said, there was something just a little…off. Maybe it’s that Miranda looked a little awkward trying to be “bucc,” or that Robert had a little trouble hitting the finer points of the dance while holding his swagger. Not really sure, but I have a sneaking suspicion that these two could end up in the bottom again, even though this was a considerably better dance than last week. I liked the routine in terms of its angle (Napoleon & Tabitha are just jaw-droppingly creative), and that just might be enough to get them through…but not for me, I’m afraid. (And I’m sorry Nigel, but Season 7’s Lauren Froderman was the best contemporary dancer ever to do hip-hop, conquering the wild, wild West - how soon they forget!)
Clarice & Jess, Stacey Tookey contemporary - TWO Stacey Tookeys in one night?! Oh, I just can’t STAND it!! That was another lovely number, Stacey, and both of them were great (pooh, Nigel!). Wait, Jess is not a contemporary dancer, right? For a moment, I forgot all about his big Broadway personality, because he was beautiful in this dance. I think Nigel was WAY off where the chemistry was concerned - I actually thought they looked a little cuddly and nuzzly beyond what the dance required. Not sure what he was watching, but that's why I write my OWN blog. For me, Clarice is redeemed, and I hope that the audience disagrees with Nigel as much as I do.
Jordan & Tadd, Jean-Marc Genereux Viennese waltz - When I heard “Viennese waltz,” I thought "Oh NO!", worried that this wouldn’t be the dance that would bring them back from last week’s brink. Boy, was I wrong! That was one of the more stunning dances of the evening. Jean-Marc managed a routine that didn’t feel as ballroom as just floating on air, which suited Jordan’s contemporary-ness, and yet even Tadd--the Bboy, might I remind you--managed to be positively fluid. It was just dreamy, and I am thrilled that Nigel & Mary agreed.
Melanie & Marko, Mandy Moore jazz - Melanie: part Ginnifer Goodwin, part young Ally Sheedy = all adorable. She’s going to be one of those dancers who looks good doing whatever she’s doing. Marko – love him, dropped hat and all. Not the best routine they could’ve gotten, but they did as much with it as could be done. I am guessing that’s why Mary & Nigel focused on them rather than the dance; they know that sometimes the dancers are better than the dance they’re given, so much so that the dance doesn’t really matter. That was my feeling about this routine and this couple, who I just adore. Go M&M!
Sasha & Alexander, Nappytabs lyrical hip-hop - The brilliance of Nappytabs just cannot be expressed in words – that’s what dance is for, I guess. I thought it was terrific, although I will concede to my husband that Sasha outdanced Alex a smidge. Still, I can’t fairly say that Alex wasn’t in it with her. I think this was the killer routine tonight. It had the advantage of a timely and poignant story, and two tremendous dancers to tell it. I do not expect to see these two in the bottom tomorrow night. I say that as much as a command as an observation.
Ashley & Chris, Spencer Liff Broadway - I was trepidatious about this one, because Spencer Liff is, admittedly, not my favorite choreographer. In fact, I was trying to remember the other day who that guy was a few seasons ago whose stuff I didn’t really like that I felt relieved not to have seen in awhile, and as soon as I saw his face tonight, I knew who the guy was! To that end, I would say tonight’s routine was in line with my expectations in that I didn’t care for a concept that so limited the dancers’ movement around the stage, and I was grateful to be able to watch it at home with camera angles to help me see what I would’ve missed if I’d had to watch it from the audience. That said, I thought Ashley and Chris did it really well. I think Chris is yet another example of a Bboy who totally exceeded all expectations and demonstrated incredible versatility. Ashley was great, and made the most of her dress and the music, which is important when the dance is so potentially limiting. I don’t think they’ll be in danger, which is good, because I thought they were a little unfairly quashed last week by the judges for a smashing hip-hop routine.
So, who ends up in the bottom tonight? Funnily enough, I think that's a hard call, even though I think this show overall was nowhere near the caliber of last week's. It feels like the dances were all good but not stellar (as compared only to last week), and yet there still aren't really standout stinkers. I'm going to make a guess though, because that's the job:
1. Ryan & Ricky - less because they deserve it than because they're in the worst possible spot in the lineup, the one everybody's forgotten by the time voting rolls around.
2. Clarice & Jess - it's totally undeserved, so I'm hoping people come out for them as underdogs since Nigel was so harsh on Jess, but more often than not, those comments tend to hurt come voting time.
3. Missy & Wadi - I can't be the only one (besides Nigel) who noticed Wadi's lackluster performance, and I think it's going to be the deathknell for him this week.
Wildcard: I will venture to say that Iveta & Nick could turn out to be in the bottom in lieu of R&R or C&J. I think the novelty of Bollywood only goes so far, and I don't think they did an exceptional enough job in light of some of the other routines to ensure their safety.
This one's hard to call, and only time will tell. Who will be in the bottom, and what two lucky souls will the judges opt to save? Tune in tomorrow!
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