Tonight's opening dance is to "Run Boy Run" by Woodkid and is a contemporary piece by a new choreographer, Peter Chu. The girls are in red and black Chinese dresses, dancing with fans, and the guys are in black turtlenecks and pants. It's fun, if not terribly noteworthy. I will be the first to admit, though, that I hold all group dances up against my favorite of the whole show, "Ramalama," which isn't just my favorite group dance but my favorite dance of the entire series, period. The dancers tonight weren't quite as in sync as I would have liked, but it was enjoyable.
After introducing Peter, Cat introduces the judges; this week Nigel and Mary are joined by SYTYCD favorite Jesse Tyler Ferguson. She then tells us that this week we're learning all about who the dancers are and how they grew up.
Tiffany is from South Florida, so she grew up in a bathing suit on a boat. She started dancing when her older sister took it up, and there is a lot of cute footage of the two dancing together as kids. Her parents are super proud of her, of course. She then comes out and does a solo -- so I guess that means everyone is doing solos tonight? It's nice, lots of leg extension, but doesn't blow my socks off. Afterward, though, her mom and sister are awfully cute in the crowd, holding up posters and cheering loudly.
The first couple of the night is Witney and Twitch. I'm excited to see this -- the one issue I have with the format this year is that we didn't necessarily see the dancers do as many dances outside of their own styles and therefore out of their comfort zones as perhaps we have in years past. They are with another first-time choreographer, Luther Brown. He tells us that they are doing East Coast hip-hop and Witney seems adorably confused. They dance to "My Homies Still" by Lil Wayne feat. Big Sean. Both are wearing all black, and Witney's got a black velvet coat and some awkward semi-Hammer pants on. But she full-on COMMITS to the dance and does a great job holding her own against Twitch. It's not the craziest choreography, but she manages to get down in a way I think most non-hip-hoppers never quite manage. Nigel loves it, and Twitch is adorably proud too. The judges all absolutely adore her and give her massive credit for getting down and dirty as none of them expected from a nice ballroom dancer from Utah. Jesse and his bow tie have a fanboy moment over Twitch and he awesomely shows us that the producers have given him cards so that he will know the dancers' names and we don't have another "Titch" moment like we did with the Ballet Boys a few weeks ago. Basically, it's a massive lovefest.
Will is from Michigan, and it comes as no surprise to me that he was the class clown. He was also a chubby, awkward kid and his mom was the one who decided to try putting him in dance class. He's actually really emotional as he talks about dance allowing him to channel his energy and find a real purpose, and says that dance really saved his life. I'm constantly amazed at how he can move his body given his giant frame and I say that as a tall, long-limbed person myself. It's another good, if not earth-shattering, solo.
Cole is dancing a Sonya routine with all-star Alison and he's playing a "soulless, sadistic man" against Alison's desperate woman. They really want Cole to be Mark or Kupono, in a big way, and while he's a really interesting dancer, he's not there yet for me. They dance to "Possibly Maybe" by Björk. Alison is just stunning; her moves and body control only get better and better with each year. Cole actually does a good job being his own kind of sinister and not just a weak Mark, but it's hard for me to tear my eyes from Alison during the routine and it sounds like the judges felt the same. Jesse gushes over everything and tries to remember to include Cole as he bows down to Alison. Mary tells her it's the best routine she has done on the show and then remembers that she's not the one competing and adds that if Cole keeps it up at this level he might make it to the finale. Nigel tells Cole he always brings uniqueness to his dances but admits it was hard to watch him because Alison was so good. He's given credit as being the strongest partner she's had yet this season but really, everyone this year is in her giant shadow.
Lindsay grew up in Utah, dancing with her sisters at her mom's dance studio. Two of the teachers there are Mark Ballas of Dancing With the Stars and his mom Shirley, and Lindsay credits them with helping her dancing out a ton. Lindsay's solo is actually one of the more interesting I've seen from a ballroom dancer; it's always so hard for them to do their own thing for 30 seconds but she manages a sort of solo tango that's cool in that it's not just the normal quick Latin steps that are (understandably) what most ballroom dancers fall back on.
Eliana is paired with Ryan from Season 6 and they get the dreaded quickstep, choreographed by Jonathan Roberts. (This is quite the heavy DwtS segment.) The story of the dance is that Ryan is a businessman and she's a bored housewife, which is seems to be a not-uncommon theme for choreographers. They're dancing to "That Man" by Caro Emerald. Eliana is magic and I know that because she makes this quickstep look amazing, when often I watch this particular style cringing from behind my hands because it is so difficult and very often goes very badly. I don't think I've ever given Ryan credit for being great at his own style, either. We'll see what Mary has to say about her footwork, but to me, this is phenomenal. While she has a couple of quibbles about her frame, that's the only tiny thing Mary can nitpick about because she was otherwise completely amazing. Jesse: "Holy smokies, Lord have Murphy!" He remembers Eliana from her audition and basically adores her above all others. Nigel is super impressed and says that technically she was about as good as any non-ballroom girl on the show thus far. She was already my favorite dancer and this routine only cements that even further.
Chehon gets the package; he was born in Chicago where his parents adopted him and his two brothers. He went abroad to dance at 14 and his parents missed him but knew he had to go try it out, and he wants to make them proud. There's more emotion in his voice in those few sentences than we have yet seen from him all season. His solo is absolutely beautiful and earns him a standing ovation from the audience and judges. When he's finished, he's crying because his mom is there for the first time all season and he's so emotional that even Cat gets teary.
Lindsay is paired with one of my favorite dancers of all time, Alex, for another Sonya routine that Lindsay tells us is full of sexual tension. They are dancing to "Somebody that I Used to Know" by Gotye featuring Kimbra, and honestly I'm surprised it took so many episodes for someone to use this song. I'll try to pry my eyes away from Alex's abs for long enough to talk about the dance, which is really great. Sonya has finally figured out how to keep her quirky sensibility while mellowing out and giving us things with a slightly different feel, and to me, this is the best job Lindsay has done outside of her own style this season. Nigel applauds their technique, but admits he didn't feel the sexual tension between them; I will actually agree with that because they were great together but there wasn't that extra layer of electricity. Mary agrees that they didn't have the chemistry, but their dancing was fantastic. Jesse gives the most critique I think he ever has, admitting that he agrees about the lack of emotional connection but gives them an A+++ otherwise for the dancing.
Will is now up for his partner dance with Lauren, doing a Christopher Scott hip-hop. Will is dancing his pain away and Lauren is... his mind? We'll see how this actually works on stage. The real challenge is that Will has to be serious during this dance. He starts out on a giant sofa as "Dance My Pain Away (District 78 Remix)" by Wye Oak starts up. Lauren appears behind the couch, mirroring his tortured movements. He can't help pulling a few faces but he actually does a really great job. I think his faces distract me from his talent sometimes but this time, with it under control, he is awesome. Mary loved the routine and thought his moves were precise and perfect rather than all over the place like he usually is. Jesse appreciates seeing him get serious for a moment and uses Will's story from earlier to reiterate how important the arts are in school. (He's right!) Nigel thought he did a great job too, but all the judges are so subdued that I fear this might be the last week for Will. We'll see.
We head back to Utah to learn more about Witney. She has three siblings and a huge extended family and has been dancing from the time she was tiny. She admits her dad finds it tough to see her be sexy and grown up and her mom adds that he's really not a fan of the "Hot Tamale thing." I'm with him, though for me it's because of my eardrums. Of the ballroom dancers, Witney is my favorite this season, but her solo is unremarkable. (With the caveat that her solo is technically fantastic and more than I could ever imagine doing myself, but in terms of 30-second solos... it's just fine.)
How did Cole develop his unique style? He was a shy kid in Hawaii -- though crazy cute, his pictures show -- and after he suffered bullying, his parents put him into martial arts to learn how to defend himself. He won a silver medal in the Junior Olympics and then later got into dancing because he wanted to be an actor. From there he came up with his "fusion" style, which he shows off in his solo. It's not super dancy, but it's really different, and I like it that it's something different than most of the other solos we've seen a million times.
Cyrus is up in an all-Atlanta routine with last year's winner Melanie, doing a Mandy Moore jazz number that is promised to be very fast. They're dancing to "Badder Badder Schwing" by Freddy Fresh featuring Fatboy Slim. The funny thing about this dance, which is really funky and sometimes slo-mo and fun, is that Cyrus doesn't actually hit all of the moves as cleanly as Melanie does. And given his style, I'm shocked by this -- I almost wonder if he's just thinking ahead too much? He's good, but not as good as I wanted him to be. Jesse loves him, and tells him that he is going to be associated with the show forever, which I think is totally true. I do love Cyrus because he's just soaked up all of the styles and learning and has this hunger for dance in any form that's a pleasure to witness. Nigel reminds us that people are voting for their "favorite" and not the "best" dancer, so that there isn't a collective coronary if Cyrus winds up winning it all. He does advise Cyrus to do some homework about dance history so that he learns things like who Bob Fosse is, especially since this dance was Fosse-esque. He also gives Mandy and Melanie well-deserved shout-outs. Mary admits his steps weren't perfect but gushes about how hard he's trying and how well he's doing so far outside of his own style.
Eliana is another Florida kid, and after her parents divorced, she lived alone with her mom until she moved to New York when she was 16 to go to the Joffrey Ballet school. Her mom seems completely awesome and so supportive and proud. Eliana's solo is breathtaking and Cat rightly tells her she's going to inspire a lot of little girls to become ballet dancers.
Chehon is doing a tango with Anya and claims from his first audition that he has no idea what he's doing. The music is "Breathing Below Surface" by Jesse Cook. Chehon is able to fake it somewhat because he can lift Anya, and Anya is, well, Anya, but he doesn't impress me with his own dancing. I guess I'm in the minority because the judges give him a standing ovation and everyone gushes that they got chills. Mary actually calls this her favorite performance of all night, and then puts Chehon on the Hot Tamale Train. Sigh. I dislike that train as much as I like hearing her actual expert take on ballroom. Jesse loves it, no surprise there, and tries to make his own "Hot Jalapeno Bus" happen. Okay, I actually kind of love that. Nigel applauds the choreography and says that they have the connection everyone else was missing. I suppose the result of this is that now I know I really am cold and dead inside, I guess.
The final hometown visit is with Cyrus, who grew up in Dallas, Texas. He shows an amazing picture of his dad from the '70s (I'm guessing) and they look EXACTLY alike. His dad passed away when Cyrus was ten but Cyrus gives his mom credit for being there for him through that and supporting him and his dancing all the way. His solo is what it always is -- full of crazy, unbelievable movements and the judges go bonkers for him.
The last routine of the night is a Mandy Moore routine for Tiffany and Ade to "The Power of Love" by Celine Dion. I missed Ade; it makes me so happy to see him again. I have the same reaction to Tiffany that Joe does -- I really like her but just somehow keep forgetting she is on the show. I'm sorry, Tiffany! You're crazy talented and deserve better! The dance is great -- there are all sorts of insane lifts and Ade just throws her around with ease while she's got amazing control and makes it look flowing and effortless and beautiful. The judges give her a standing ovation, and she's in tears before they even speak. Jesse can't even believe the crazy lifts and he's ready to leave so he doesn't have to cut anyone this week. Mary tells her that it was her best routine this season. Nigel expected this pairing to be great and tells them that it absolutely was. He compliments Tiffany's humble nature and heaps deserved praise on her for her performance.
But now, it is time to bring everyone back and see who is safe and who is not. Cat reminds us of each of the routines that the girls did last week and then has Lindsay and Witney step forward to tell them that they are the bottom two. Witney looks for one moment like she might vomit, while Lindsay seems unsurprised and is able to give a smile. Cat then goes through the boys' routines and has Cyrus and Chehon step forward; in a twist from the way she announced girls, those two are safe while Cole and Will are on the chopping block.
First up, Cat has the girls with her and after Witney comments that this feels like déjà vu to be standing up there together, Nigel reminds us that these two have danced together and known each other for years. After praising them both, he announces that they are keeping Witney. She's stunned. Lindsay, on the other hand, again seems unsurprised and incredibly gracious about the outcome even though she is sad.
After her highlight package, she gets a standing ovation from the judges and a big hug from Cat. Cole and Will are then called up and Nigel notes how opposite the two of them are from each other. Not least of which is the fact that Cole only comes up to Will's shoulder, which is kind of hilarious because I really hadn't realized just how wee he is until now. Nigel then announces that they are going to save Cole and Will also seems unsurprised. He also gets a huge round of applause and ovation and Cat reminds us all that we have to vote.
As the credits roll, the other dancers (all-stars included) grab Will and Lindsay in big hugs that seem to say that these two were really genuinely liked among the group.
Lauren S is a writer and TV dance show enthusiast who lives and works in Atlanta and fears that she will turn into a slightly giddy fangirl if she ever runs into Melanie on the street. She wants everyone to know: "The views expressed in my recaps and anything else I might write on TWoP are my own and do not necessarily reflect the views of my employer."