Cat looks Xanadu fabulous tonight as we prepare to lose the last two dancers that stand between us and the top 10. The smart money says those two will be Victor and Karen, but hope -- and a fickle Nigel Lythgoe -- springs eternal.
The opening group number features some pretty explicit Alice in Wonderland: Beyond Thunderdome weirdness, with the kind of limbs-akimbo gesticulations that scream SONYA. Legacy gets about twenty minutes to spin on his head, Jakob has this terrifying oversized smile painted on his face, Russell is the White Rabbitt with a Flavor Flav clock around his neck, the whole thing is out of a black-lit Joel-Schumacher's-Batman-movies nightmare. And actually, I'm totally wrong because Tabitha and Napoleon choreographed that weirdness. Wow, props you two.
You know, with only 12 dancers remaining, half of them are going to have to perform solos tonight. It'll be interesting to see which of the previously audience-supported teams fall back into danger. Nigel delivers a somewhat bizarre holiday greeting to the home audience, one that touches on the soldiers overseas and somehow ends up with him urging all the lonely people out there to go seek companionship? Way to hold on to your title as World's Creepiest Uncle, dude.
After the judges kill some time talking about how the show format changes week (new partners, America's votes determine all), Cat calls out Karen and Victor and Ashleigh and Jakob. Okay, this is some serious lions and lambs action right here. I should also mention that Victor is wearing short shorts and a ripped black tank top that looks like he got swiped at by a tiger. Hey, BACK OFF, tigers of the greater Los Angeles area. We're reminded that Victor and Karen performed a tight and impressive tango, followed by a sloppy (and sloppily choreographed, sorry Laurie Ann) hip-hop. I was so optimistic about this new pairing, but the chemistry was not there. You could tell in the judging, when Victor would keep looking to Karen for a reaction and she kept a dead stare forward. Meanwhile, Jakob and Ashleigh were flawless on a Sonya jazz routine, and then were super wicked hot with a cha-cha. They even got Mary to cry at their impending breakup. Obviously, it's Victor and Karen in the Bottom 3. I don't think Karen has made a facial expression in three weeks. Kind of over her.
The two couples are Kathryn/Legacy and Nathan/Mollee. The latter delivered a fairly surface-level hip-hop that Nigel deemed very "Dolly Dingle's Regional Hip-Hop Class 101," and thus giving me a joke I will no doubt end up repeating quite a bit. Then they did a cancan which ... was a cancan. Since nobody knows what looks like a good cancan as opposed to a bad cancan, everybody just agreed they were great. Legacy and Kathryn performed Sonya's other amazing jazz routine and then delivered a waltz that, while technically flawed, was also incredibly moving. Also, they are in love. Personal opinion. Because we are living in a just universe (at least at this second), Mollee and Nathan are in the Bottom 3. Meaning Legacy and Kathryn are Top 10! Who would have believed that coming out of Vegas? As for Nathan and Mollee, Adam notes that getting new partners (if they survive tonight) will be really beneficial to them. He also reiterated his point from last week about how Nathan is really incredibly unlikeable. Paraphrasing.
After the commercials, Ryan/Ellenore and Russell/Noelle are brought out. The former were the more consistent pair last night, but the latter had the highest highs. I say flip a coin. Noelle and Russell danced a distressingly weak samba, but then really wowed me with that Tyce contemporary routine (set to "A Case of You," one of my all-time favorite Joni Mitchell songs). In both cases, I found Noelle to be the dominant force -- she was awful with the samba but I thought she made a serious leap in her home style. Ryan and Ellenore brought the Lindy Hop back to the show (first time since Neil and Lacey in Season 3?), then razzle-dazzled in their Broadway routine. I thought they did solid B-minus work on both. Ryan's décolletage is pensive (and putting Noelle's to shame) as Cat prepares to read the results. Ryan and Ellenore are Bottom 3! Wow, I'm slightly surprised but just as slightly pleased. Nothing against them, but that Russell/Noelle contempo really knocked me out.
up, Paloma Herrera from the American Ballet Theater takes the stage and performs something from Don Quixote. Once again, it's really kind of remarkable that this kind of high-culture capital-D Dance performance is somehow sitting smack dab in the middle of FOX's weekly programming. It's almost sneaky.
Time for the solos! Karen hits the stage in a studded bra top and black-lace tutu. It's a good reminder of the thin line between what works for Dance and what would totally land you on Go Fug Yourself. Karen's good, if hampered by the usual difficulty that ballroomers have with the solos. Victor... well, if this is the last we see of Victor, I'll be sad but satisfied. First of all, he's dancing to a piece of music from the "Blood Diamond soundtrack (?) that's all severe, urgent strings. Add that to the shredded tank top and the fact that he's flying around the stage in a near-panic and this feels like a well thought-out piece of dancing. Only one pirouette, as per the judges' instructions last week. Instead, we get a lot of powerful movements that have an odd animalistic quality to them. Good work, boyfriend.
up is Mollee, whose solo is not as impressive as last week's. This one feels more like an acrobatic exercise (maybe it's the red unitard?), including a back handspring thing that felt like proof that her ankle injury isn't that bad. Nathan's solo, as it did last week, reminded me why I liked him so much in the early stages of this season. There's a varied quality to his movements that make you think he'd be more versatile than he's shown. Maybe the partner switch really will help him.
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After the break, it's Ellenore, who once again displays those quirky staccato movements that have become her trademark. But unlike her solo, this routine also puts her remarkable extensions on display, as well as showing some serious control. Very effective solo -- the best of the girls tonight. Ryan -- who did kind of poorly with his last solo (remember that ill-fated tumble?) -- just goes for straight-up Latin ballroom bombshell. It's very "stripper at the bachelorette party for Elaine's second wedding." But in a good way!
So now the judges go away to deliberate, and we get Shakira. Fair trade? I dunno, I really like Adam. Anyway, Shakira delivers more of the overproduced nonsense that has characterized this last album of hers. I want to like you, girl! Quit sounding like an idiot. Anyway, nobody's face gets smooshed into anybody's crotch, which means it's not worth talking about.
When the judges return, they line the girls up first. Nigel says this decision was unanimous. He says Mollee's solo was evidence of her "fighting" to make the Top 10 (I...guess); he can't think of any way for Ellenore to improve beyond "making contact with this planet" (i.e. getting viewers to embrace her weird ass); and while acknowledging how hard ballroom solos are, he says Karen looked like she'd given up. Agreed, and I think she's looked that way all week. And thus, it's Karen who is leaving. She has that same frozen smile and lack of emotion on her face -- when did this happen to her? She used to feel things, right?
Now the guys. Nigel says the judges were NOT unanimous here. Oh really! Don't give me a glimmer of hope, Uncle Nigel, don't you do it. Nigel compares Victor's personal growth on the show to Kelly Osbourne on Dancing with the Stars and says his solo tonight was terrific. Ryan's also grown as a dancer, even if his solos have been unimpressive. Nathan (who looks as if he may barf) stands in contrast as the one guy who has not grown across these last five weeks. Sad to say this, but I agree. Nigel goes so far as to say that his own personal vote was for Nathan to go ... but he's staying and Victor's going. Aw, crap. Cat throws us to his video journey, where we're able to re-experience his awesome Mohawk, that remarkable Travis Wall routine with Bianca, and all the times Nigel said he grew "as a person" (seriously, was Victor throwing paste at the other dancers in Vegas?). I will miss you, you gorgeous dancer.
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Joe R is officially demanding a Jakob/Ellenore pairing, sooner rather than later. Questions, comments, and unadulterated love can be sent to him at joseph.reid21@gmail.com.
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