Last week before the Top 10 and this whole crazy ride shakes itself up again! Cat's looking gorgeous and Nigel and Mary are joined by Sonya Tayeh and special celebrity judge Jesse Tyler Ferguson, who qualifies because he's gay, I guess. (Hey, I'm not hating. If I ever hope to be a special celebrity judge on this show, that'll be my only qualification too.)
Sasha and Alexander: Paso Doble (Tony Meredith and Melanie LaPatin)
Melanie LaPatin, you guys! First time this season! I feel like this is the year she's finally eclipsed Tony as the dominant choreographer in this pair. Also, have you been reading her weekly critiques of the show on EW? Smart stuff with no punches pulled. Ger her on the panel already! So you know the deal with the paso doble. It's the bullfight-y battle dance, but in Sasha and Alexander's hands, it's a little slow and not as powerful as it needs to be. Kinda sloppy, kinda off-balance. She's not blowing him off the floor the way she usually does, but that's more to her detriment than his benefit this week. It's all a bit watery, to be honest, making two subpar weeks in a row for Sasha now. Of course, the judges all say they loved it, with Mary even saying that Alexander had a "breakthrough." To his credit, Alexander waits to mention that Tony and Melanie's routine was dedicated to their cancer-stricken friend until AFTER the critique.
Jordan and Tadd: Contemporary (Travis Wall)
Travis says the routine is about "women who take advantage of weak men," which translated to Jordan playing a vulture, with Tadd as a man dying in the desert. Jordan is a dead ringer for Sonya in this feathers-n-leather getup, while Tadd gets to use his acrobatics as he writes around on the ground, them leaps through the air. Jordan stalks him like a bird of prey, and it's all very animalistic and unhinged. I love it. They fight, Tadd wins (he snaps her neck), it's great. Holy shit, Jordan's legs, you guys. Holy shit, Tadd's chest and shoulders. Jesse makes a crack about the "classic boy-meets-vulture" story, and Sonya says fucked up stories like this makes her cry. Tadd walks away with the bulk of the praise as all the judges loved it.
Ryan and Ricky: Broadway (The Dreamy Spencer Liff)
The idea is that Ryan is a movie star (oh brother), in the Audrey Hepburn style, and she so entrances smooth-guy Ricky that she leaps off the movie poster as he walks on by. The result is nice, but a little dull. A routine like this this requires gallons of personality, and I'm not sure these two have it. Ricky is certainly smooth, though. Jesse likens the routine to something danced "underwater" and says it was "muted." Mary says they could've done so much more. Nigel laments that, if they were bottom 3 last week, when they were pretty great, what will happen to them this week, when they've at last started out not so great.
Caitlynn and Mitchell: Hip-Hop (Christopher Scott)
The first uh-oh moment comes when Christopher talks about the routine being about war-torn Uganda and the Congo. That's going to be a lot for one short dance to live up to. Also, I'm sure Lupe Fiasco is fine, but there was a not-insignificant part of me that was pulling for "I Am Africa" from The Book of Mormon. The second uh-oh moment comes with the pair's "Invisible Children" t-shirts, reminiscent of Wade Robson's "Waiting on the World to Change" anti-war solos from Season 3 (remember that uncomfortable moment?). Uh-oh moment number three comes when Mitchell and Caitlynn can't seem to get the synchronization down right. I mean, props for Mitchell, who really succeeds in hip-hopping himself out (hip-hop Mitchell looks like Kobe Bryant, a little). The hand choreography is sloppy and imprecise, even though they try very hard to keep their energy up. Sonya thought they had problems with being in unison, and it lost some energy for her. Nigel echoes that it didn't look like they were dancing together, though Mary allows that they both still command attention. It's not a great start for them, and I have to think they're one of the pairs who most need to pull off a stellar week in order to avoid elimination. That middle of the pack is no longer a safe place to be.
Melanie and Marko: Tango (Louis Van Amstel)
As Nigel will echo in his critique, I'm really glad these two are finally being challenged with a ballroom routine. They're good enough that they don't need to be coddled, genre-wise. Melanie is just a consummate performer, always giving character of some kind. There is one eye-popping moment after the other in this one: Marko dancing Melanie to the edge of the stage as she drops one leg off and he dips her down is one major highlight. The dance closes with a dead drop to beat anything you've seen, as Melanie throws her head back perpendicular to her body, and Marko holds her steady, then through his legs, then somersaults back to the front. It's insane. When you don't have to worry about dancers picking up the fundamentals, you can let the choreography get crazy, and I LOVE what they did here. Nigel, interestingly, cops to being ready to really pick apart this dance, based on a shaky rehearsal, but he admits they really pulled it out. Mary gives us a tango tutorial, and says that while there were technical issues with the song, they really put forth a great effort. Sonya says they "make me lose my breath with your conviction" and calls them "timeless dancers." Sonya's really steady this week, and leagues removed from the auditions a few seasons ago when Nigel looked ready to kill her.
Clarice and Jess: Lyrical Hip-Hop (Christopher Scott)
This could be rough -- Jess and hip-hop? The idea here is that Clarice is insecure about her beauty, and Jess plays a cute artist who thinks she's beautiful. The song is even some feelings-y cover of that "Just the Way You Are" song by Bruno Mars. And despite my reservations about genre weirdness, this is REALLY impressive, you guys. Jess and Clarice are totally in synch and in tune with one another (certainly showing up Caitlynn and Mitchell in that regard). Jess is kind of amazing; he's still super Broadway, so if you're a hip-hop purist you may not like it, but the fact that Jess holds on to his own Jess-ness while essentially nailing this hip-hop routine gives him a really watchable quality; the two styles aren't fighting against each other, they're flowing together. Mary really gets into the self-acceptance message of the piece, while Jesse asks Clarice if she has a boyfriend. "...I do too," he says, "but we should get married." Hi, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, you are adorable at this. Nigel kind of obnoxiously chides Christopher Scott to "stick with" simple concepts like this, rather than war-torn Uganda, and while this was definitely better, Nigel kind of comes off looking like an ass for saying it.
Sasha and Alexander: Jazz (Tyce Diorio)
It's Tyce, so there's no story; just Sasha and Alexander essentially doing concurrent solos to "That's Life" by Aretha Franklin. They're two pretty great solos, and I will grant that the judges likely saw something in there that I didn't, because they all flip over themselves to praise it. Jesse calls upon season 5's Melissa in regard to Sasha -- he says her "I'm Coming Home" has defined her like the Cancer Dance defined Melissa, earning Cat's admiration as a super fan. But he says this routine is a new high point for Sasha and was his favorite routine of the night so far. ...Wow, really?? I guess I missed out on that. Sonya says this was Alexander's breakthrough (ehh?), and Nigel agrees, saying the chemistry has finally come together for these two (ehhhhh).
Jordan and Tadd: Broadway (The Ideal Boyfriend Spencer Liff)
The concept of the story is Sleeping Beauty, basically, and much as I love Spencer Liff -- and much as I was pleased to see he'd chosen "Out Tonight" from Rent -- this routine seems severely muted. Slow and cool, neither one of those in the good way. Sonya is underwhelmed, and Nigel says it could've been sillier and quirkier. Mary says it's just not good enough. Ouch, but also true. Tadd might be my favorite boy dancer this season, give or take a Marko, and I really hope this doesn't give Uncle Nigel an excuse to dump him before we get to the good part of the season.
Ryan and Ricky: Cha-Cha (Louis Van Amstel)
Why am I just now noticing Ricky's similarity to season 3's Danny Tidwell? It's all I can see now. As if I didn't already think Louis was pretty great, he choreographs this number to "Tonight (I'm Fucking You)"! The greatest parenthetical song title since "Gypsy Woman (She's Homeless)"! Anyway, guess what? I just figured out the context in which I love Ryan and Ricky. Y'all, please do cha-cha all the time, because you are awesome at it. As the judges later note, Ryan definitely gets sloppy with things once or twice, especially late in the routine, but she works the hips, and Ricky could totally pass for a ballroom dancer. He's kind of the anti-Mitchell when it comes to shaking that ass, but he's totally charming regardless. Nigel dings Ryan for "over-egging the pudding," making me wonder if defying elimination twice has now moved Ryan from the "Chosen Ones" list to the "On Borrowed Time" list, Nigel-wise. Mary says this was the "fastest darn cha-cha [she's] ever seen!" She also describes Ryan's late-routine sloppiness with her leg movements as being "not really tidy down below," which just sounds spectacularly filthy. I'm not sure if there's a precedent for this, but it looks like Ricky rides solo on the Hot Tamale Train tonight!
Caitlynn and Mitchell: Jazz (Travis Wall)
Tumultuous lovers in leather thrash around to Janis Joplin's "Piece of My Heart," is essentially the concept. Caitlynn kicks off the routine with the slap to Mitchell's face (one that really connected, it seems). Mitchell has now been successfully butch TWICE tonight, which should really qualify him for a medal of some kind. Meanwhile, Caitlynn's kind of a beast with this. They both give great attitude, everything Jordan and Tadd and Ryan Ricky couldn't pull off in their Broadway routines. Mary loved it, and Sonya says it was really, really hot; but she feels like she lost Mitchell a little bit in the partnering (despite the fact that he's so reliable). Hmm. Do I need to worry about Mitchell too? I guess I can't just blithely hope that Alexander ends up in the Bottom 3 and is the obvious choice to be cut. I may end up losing someone I really love like Mitchell or Tadd, neither of whom seems to be a Nigel favorite.
Melanie and Marko: Contemporary (Dee Casparay)
The decidedly simple premise here is that Marko and Melanie -- in their LAST dance as a couple, you guys! -- dance around, towards, and away from a lightbulb hanging from the ceiling. On a very superficial level, it reminds me of Tyce's earlier routine, in that it looks like two solos performed at once. Of course, it's Melanie and Marko, so those solos are some of the greatest dancing you'll see all season, and their shared passion radiates through their bodies. I worry that they're falling victim to their own high standard a little; will I react to anything like I reacted to that statue dance? But thankfully the judges still have a capacity to be wowed. Jesse got goosebumps and Sonya calls them the future of dance ("stay humble!" she pleads, like she's writing in their yearbook). Mel and Marko get sad as Nigel talks about breaking them up, and: seriously! If there's been any clear victory in returning to the Top 20 concept, it's been in getting to see a duo like Melanie and Marko build a partnership as solid as theirs is.
Clarice and Jess: Jive (Tony Meredith and Melanie LaPatin)
Wonderful moment in rehearsal as Melanie challenges Jess with an, "Is that as high as you can kick?" I love that lady. As much as I worried about hip-hop being out of their style, jive could not be more made for these two. Jess in particular. The lifts still look labored, but that's quickly overshadowed by Jess doing a split and then bouncing -- to the beat! -- on his splayed thighs. And I could watch Jess kick for days. What a fun routine! I have to say, while Melanie and Marko are obviously in a class above, Jess and Clarice have definitely established themselves as solidly the second-best pair. Sonya loves it like ten times, and while Nigel notes the lift issues (look, people, Jess is short; some of this cannot be helped), it seems he's more concerned with giving the voters reasons not to stay complacent. Surprisingly, Mary's critical of the routine and says she missed the joy of the jive, at least in Jess's performance. Wow, really? I usually defer to Mary in all things ballroom, but I can't cosign that at all. Jesse, in his final critique, takes a moment to stump for the Emmy candidacy of one Cat Deeley, OH YES HE DID! Cat genuinely blushes; "I might actually cry!" You deserve it, lady. Jesse Tyler Ferguson, I could kiss you for that.
Rundown!
Melanie and Marko's tango
Clarice and Jess's hip-hop
Clarice and Jess's jive
Ryan and Ricky's cha-cha
Jordan and Tadd's contemporary
Melanie and Marko's contemporary
Caitlynn and Mitchell's jazz
Caitlynn and Mitchell's hip-hop
Sasha and Alexander's jazz
Ryan and Ricky's Broadway
Jordan and Tadd's Broadway
Sasha and Alexander's paso doble
Tomorrow night! Top Ten dancers! If I had to guess, I'd say Mitchell, Caitlynn, Ryan, and Ricky are most in danger, though I still hold out hope that Alexander could get dumped. And we also find out the all-stars. Gimmie Jakob! Gimmie Jeanine! Bring back Pasha and Anya!
Joe R could go on for a while on the subject of All-Star requests (Janette! Sara! Chelsie Hightower!). Questions, comments, and unadulterated love can be sent to him at joseph.reid21@gmail.com.