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Ah yes, the top twelve. Also known as the last opportunity for the judges to actually have an impact, before it all falls upon the shoulders of you, America. As our host Cat Deeley puts it every week, they need your votes. Another reason for our top twelve to try even harder: everyone in the top ten gets to go on the tour.
This'll be a special recap. Since we figure no one really cares about the pile ofuseless garbageadded content that the show gives us on Thursday evenings, we figure we'll just roll the results recap into this one and give you the quick-and-dirty results.
Our judging panel this week has our usual suspects, Nigel and Mary, and a name dear to all So You Think You Can Dance fans, Wade Robson. He's looking for the human aspect this week. We still don't know what that means, but hey, In Wade We Trust.
The Meaningless Question Of The Week is: tell us something about your partner. After all, they'll be split up starting next week, so it'll be the last chance for the dancers tothrow their partner under the busgive some nice words of encouragement. This could be... interesting.
First up is Sabra and Dominic. She likes his sense of humor, and that seems pretty spot on. To quote Sabra: “he's crazy.” He likes the fact that she's reliable, and chemistry is never a problem. That, and the Hair. Their problems with each other have everything to do with lifts. She doesn't exactly appreciate the fact that she gets dropped a lot. It's a theme we've noticed. Meanwhile, Dominic does not like the fact that Sabra doesn't quite trust her. Maybe she would if you dropped her a little less. And we get a montage of that.
They'll be doing the jive this week. Dominic is at a loss of words to describe the jive. Literally. According to Tony Meredith, it's a fast-paced dance that does not stop. Sabra is happy that there aren't that many lifts, although there is one big one. Sabra, if dancing doesn't work for you, a Tylenol endorsement would be in order.
As promised, it is a high-energy number. As expected, the chemistry is excellent. Every now and then, they don't seem quite in sync, but it's very entertaining. The lift we saw in rehearsals is there, and gets a pretty good reaction from the crowd, and it ends with Sabra mock-kicking Dominic right off the stage. Great way to start the show.
Wade praises them for their 100% commitment every week. He says they're having fun every week, and it goes out to the audience too. Mary likes it, although she has a few technical quibbles. Nigel says no one really expected them to grow as much as they did, saying they might be the two best partners they've ever seen work together. Plenty of praise all around.
Next up is Jamie and Hok. Jamie really likes the idea of Hok, whatever that means. And, apparently, Hok is more than just a dancing partner: he's also Jamie's personal chef. He likes... her hair. It's soft, he tells us – and compares it to a dog's. I'm sure Jamie is real flattered. Jamie's complaint about Hok is also hair-related: his braids get in the way. Hok puts his gripes in Japanese: she's taller than her when she's in heels.
Broadway will be their game this week, and Tyce Diorio will be in charge of their choreography. (His assistant? Travis Wall. Is the dancing world so small that they have to keep bringing back contestants from previous seasons?) He says this piece will be all about the style, and it has to look effortless. Apparently Hok is supposed to be some sort of old guy, and Jamie is his spirit. Or something like that.
It's a vaguely contemporary-ish number, and to be frank it's not impressive. The description we have from Tyce doesn't fit, and there are no big “wow” moments. To be frank, it's dull. Maybe even boring. So what did the judges make of it?
Wade says to Jamie that in the last couple of weeks, she's become noticeable and there's been some growth. However, he didn't think either one got the story very well. Mary has more of the same – praise for Jamie, but not so much for Hok. Nigel says it was much ado about nothing for Hok, but the usual excellence from Hok. Wade tosses in at the end that he thinks it's the nerves that's affecting Hok.
Third for the evening is Pasha and Sara. Sara is thankful that Pasha has such good partnering skills, and we folks at home are too. It's a joy to watch. Anyway, what impressed Pasha most about Sara is her strength – literally. She did lift him up in the cartwheel and slide him along the floor. As for the complaints, well, Sara says that Pasha takes a little too much time to get ready – more than the girls, in fact. Pasha says it's just the other way around. Hmmm. That's a mighty crowded toilet there.
Many Moore will be taking this pair through... jazz. For some reason or another, she's fixated on “jazz hands”, which to us look like just extending your hands out wide. Really wide. We really have no idea what to expect.
In any other context, the costumes would be downright ridiculous, but it fits the theme here. So does the song: Body Language. It's just that. We're not quite sure how it fits the jazz theme, but what the hell. It's pretty good, not quite as good as last week, but still good in its own right.
Wade liked the number, and praises both of them for their versatility, even if the number is a throwback to 80s jazz. Mary likes it, but she's not sure if it will keep them out of danger. Nigel isn't sure if it would connect with viewers at home, saying it was a bit too stylized.
Just past the halfway mark, and next is Lauren and Neil. Lauren, well, she's just a wee bit shallow. What does she like about Neil? He's good-looking. The reverse, by the way, is true. And their dislikes about each other all revolve around his jokes. Lauren says they're terrible; Neil begs to disagree. He's pretty confident that they're all funny. Uh-huh.
This week, they drew contemporary. Guess who their choreographer is? Yep, it's the one people either love or hate, Mia Michaels. Really, that's all you need to know about the rehearsals.
We're not members of the Mia Michaels fan club, but for our two dancer this should be easy. They both do contemporary, after all. The choreography is trademark Mia, but it's reasonably well-executed. However, they seem to be out of sync in some spots. It's a little... strange. And did we mention the costumes?
Wade compares Neil to Jamie, in that he's “come alive” of late. He says the same thing we're thinking: it was well-executed. Mary doesn't quite understand what it was about, but liked it, saying it was “really good”. Nigel says it was the hardest routine of the night, but says because he didn't understand it he's not sure if people will find it enjoyable.
Second to the last are two-time bottom three residents Anya and Danny. What Danny likes about Anya is her costumes. Specifically, her solo costumes. Hmph. Some people have zero taste, it seems. Anya likes the fact that Danny was... good-looking. Okay. Danny's beef is that Anya makes them practice really late. Her dislike is that sometimes Danny seems to be a little easily distracted.
They'll be doing the foxtrot this week, with Jean-Marc Generaux as choreographer. Anya is not too happy with the jumps, particularly since she hurt her ankle last week. Danny, in turn, says it was harder than it thought it would be. With one ballroom dancer in the group, this should turn out well.
To be fair, it does turn out pretty well. Anya tends to overshadow Danny a bit, but that was to be expected. This is something that's closer to her turf, after all. The intro is a little... unusual, but after that it's very elegant and well-done. Not quite as flashy or attention-grabbing as the others, but still a solid performance/
How did the judges view it? Wade had previously never been moved by Danny, but he was surprised tonight. Since this is a ballroom dance, Mary lets out a laugh that, while by mild by her standards, is still pretty loud. She was pretty impressed, saying it was fantastic, the best of the night, and then unleashes The Voice. Ouch. As for our producer, in his opinion it was the best foxtrot on the show so far. And he takes a shot at that other dancing show, Dancing with the Stars. Someone's in a fighting mood.
The last couple, recipients of the Pimp Spot, are Lacey and Kameron. According to him, her skills and experience, particularly in partnering, are very helpful. As for Lacey, well, she pulls out the “good-looking” card. Again. Kam is another one with a hair peeve. We didn't know this, but apparently weaves can't be washed daily. And Lacey has one. Too. Much. Information. Lacey joins the TMI club by complaining that he sweats too much. Right through the sweatshirt. Eww. Again. We didn't need to know about their personal hygiene habits, did we?
This time they drew hip-hop, and Dan Karaty returns to take care of this pair. Far as we can tell, the story for this is Lacey is a somewhat-dirty girl and Kameron is the nice, clean guy chasing her. Kameron claims that it's a role reversal, as it's usually her chasing him.
Well, let's say this: Lacey's outfit definitely suits the role. Call it a schoolgirl outfit from a porn movie – not that we'd know what those look like, of course. (And the song from Fergie further accentuates the theme.) Overall, it's pretty good. It fits the theme well, and it's definitely a sight to see Lacey pulling Kameron by his tie. Pretty good way to close the show. Oh, and did we mention that Kam ended the routine by pulling out an audience member as his girl? Priceless.
The judges, though, don't like it so much. Wade puts Kam under the gun; he says his dancing is too heavy and the musicality wasn't there either. As for Lacey, it was a great performance as usual. He warns, though, that her performances are always professional, but not always personal. It was just okay for him. Mary sees what Wade was saying, and says “I agree” in so many words. Nigel goes back to what Dan said in the top 24 show about Kameron being just a prop, and says that his solo during the routine wasn't good enough. He goes as far as saying this pair should be in the final three based on how they did tonight.
So that's it for the performance show. How did it go down with the viewing public? Our bottom three couples ended up being: Anya and Danny (again), Hok and Jamie (ditto), and Lauren and Neil. The exits are, well, pretty shocking: fan favorite Hok and many-time inductee to Mary's Hot Tamale Train Anya are both shown the door. Mary can't have been too pleased; we wonder if Wade and Nigel can still hear. That backstage area must have been very well soundproofed if we folks at home didn't hear anything.
And so ends the rather cheesy “deliberations” by the judges. Now it's completely up to the votes. This could be... interesting. Stay tuned, dancing fans.
Currently organizing a class-action law suit against Mary Murphy for loss of hearing. To join, drop us a note here.
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Originally Posted by Leo 
Thanks for the recap and terrific job! 
