So You Think You Can Dance: “Top 20 Perform; 2 Are Eliminated”

Good thing Nigel Lythgoe’s Twitter handle is under his name at the start of this episode, because fans need to bombard @dizzyfeet with tweets letting Nigel know that his choice to have eliminations at the start of this week’s episode is the worst decision in So You Think You Can Dance history. (Yes, even worse than the Top 10 7th season.) For some insane reason, the dancers are eliminated at the top of the show and then dance their previously choreographed routines even if they’re not continuing in the competition. It completely destroys the momentum of the show, starting the episode on a depressing note and adding an extra element of sadness each time an eliminated dancer takes the stage. There’s a reason why reality TV competitions save eliminations until the end, and the rhythm of this episode is thrown way off by this bizarre decision.
The bottom six are Mackenzie, Mariah, Brittany, Alan, Jade, and Carlos, with Mackenzie and Alan being spared solos as they get saved by the judges right away. Mackenzie and Alan were in two of last week’s strongest routines so it’s strange that they find themselves in the bottom, but they prove why they were saved in their routines tonight. If the judges are to be believed, Mackenzie is a choreographer favorite and one of the most humble dancers in the competition; she has the misfortune of being so perfect that it’s reading across as haughty to the public. She plays a sexy fembot in Sean Cheeseman’s jazz routine, and she devours her diminutive partner Paul, who holds his own but can’t match Mackenzie’s precision and spark. Alan and Jasmine M.’s tango is one of the evening’s standout numbers, with Alan performing an impressive series of lifts that his partner slinks in and out of with ease. Jasmine M. gives amazing face in the sultry routine by Miriam Larici and Leonardo Barrionuevo, showing off personality and acting ability that will get her far.
Nigel is disappointed by all four of the solos tonight, but I’m calling bullshit and saying he lied to get Carlos off the show. Carlos delivers the exact type of solo the judges love, equal parts acrobatics and emotional storytelling, and it’s leagues above the boring animation routine Jade brings to the table. Nigel says the judges consider the choreographers’ opinions as well as the contestants’ performances in Vegas, but then why does Jade, a contestant who had to dance for his life twice in Vegas, stay in the competition while Carlos goes home? Was Carlos a huge bitch in rehearsals? Jade’s Bollywood routine this week is fun but sloppy, and although Malece schools him technically, the judges love his personality. It’s absurd that Jade’s average Bollywood performance would be considered stronger than Carlos’s intense Stacey Tookey contemporary routine, and maybe he would be safe if the judges waited until after the contestants danced to make eliminations. Then again, the judges have this strange obsession with animation, so maybe Jade is going to make a bunch of small, shaky movements all the way to the Top 10.
Mariah and Brittany’s solos are missing a wow factor, but Mariah’s emotionally rich performance later in the episode is much better than the forgettable Spencer Liff Broadway routine Brittany dances with Blu-Print. Liff’s literal interpretation of the song puts the two dancers in a library, and their characters fail to come to life in the prop-heavy space. Always welcome guest judge Christina Applegate tells Blu-Print that Broadway is when he shouldn’t be afraid to be as goofy and wildly energetic as he wants, and it’s clear that he’s more uncomfortable with this genre than the African jazz of last week. Brittany is talented but forgettable, hitting all the steps but failing to provide the extra spice that will keep her fresh in minds of the voting public.
NappyTabs choreographed last week’s spectacular opening number, and they continue their upward swing with two great hip-hop routines this week that show vastly different sides of the choreographers. Their sultry piece for Aaron and Jasmine H. channels Christopher Scott’s “Misty Blue” for tWitch in Sasha back in season 8, telling a deeply intimate story with tight, precise movements that translate to a quietly smoldering passion.