A quick note to right a wrong: last night, I somehow totally forgot to mention Neil Patrick Harris, whom I love, and whose turn as a judge has not disappointed. He’s actually provided some of the most honest and useful criticism for the dancers, and it’s terrific to have him join the panel this week. Now for the results of last night's shootout:
Opening Number: Broadway – very entertaining, in a very Broadway way. Kinda like watching the final number of A Chorus Line, but cuter.
The Bottom Four (and yes, I realized only after posting last night that there would be four instead of three, and that TWO would be going home):
- Number one was no surprise. I doubt there is anyone who didn’t think Mitchell would end up in the bottom after last night’s performance. Unfortunately, another case of choreography that kinda let him down on a week when he really finally put in the effort, but there have been enough weeks of “meh” performances that it seems fair in the end.
- Clarice was also the girl I thought most likely to find herself in the bottom, in spite of a rousing Bollywood number. I just think she’s failed to connect with the audience the way other dancers have.
- Now, with Sasha, Melanie, Tadd, and Marko safely through, there were no good answers with the four that remained to choose from, but I have to admit being a little surprised that the boy in danger was Ricky. In fact, I had just been saying that he’s so active on Twitter and has fans out the wazoo, when Cat announced him as being in danger. I’m not suggesting it should’ve been Jess; I thought his duet last night was exceptional. But Ricky’s been an audience favorite, and up to now we’ve kind of been assuming that his being in the bottom couple was more attributable to Ryan – apparently not.
- As for the girls, either Caitlynn or Jordan in the bottom was going to horrify me, so I couldn’t be surprised either way. I think both danced superbly last night, and yet I could argue that either has struggled to connect with the audience the way Sasha and Melanie have. I’m sorry it turned out to be Jordan in the bottom, but I would’ve been equally disappointed to see Caitlynn there. Honestly, at this point, anybody is going to have trouble outearning Melanie and Sasha in vote-getting, so it’s just a matter of time for the rest of the girls.
Solos:
- Clarice – a much better solo than last night, in my opinion. Rich with choreography, and a lot more passion in her face.
- Mitchell – he, on the other hand, faded a little from last night, and I think the choice to use the prop worked against him. It didn’t really add anything, and instead sort of seemed like he was relying on it to give him the little extra something that he himself needed to be giving.
- Jordan – a little too similar to solos past, I fear.
- Ricky – that solo more than made up for whatever landed him in the bottom in the first place. Outstanding performance – the best of the night.
Saying Goodbye to…Mitchell and Clarice.
I’m afraid I agree with the judges tonight. What Nigel didn’t say is that to make it to that top spot—which, let’s remember, is America’s Favorite dancer—any dancer is going to have to connect with the audience. You can’t get votes without it, and you can’t represent adequately if you don’t have it. Neither of these two have really managed to do that in a way that the others in the top 10 have.
Every week’s getting harder. Now that Mitchell and Clarice are gone—the last two that I could really argue weren’t up to the caliber of some of the others—I truly don’t know where we’ll go next. Melanie and Marko were a favorite couple, but will they hold up on their own? Is Sasha going to make a meteoric rise now that Alexander’s not here to hold her back? I don’t relish losing anyone at this point. How about you?
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