Dominic and Sara Run Out of Tricks on SYTYCD

What a strange ride Dominic had on this season of So You Think You Can Dance. When the show started this year he seemed destined to be a one-trick wonder who would last at most a few weeks, especially since we've all seen what's happened in the past to B-boys on the show. But something funny happened along the way -- he got good. Like, really good. He nailed contemporary. He nailed the rumba. And all of a sudden, it seemed like he might go all the way in this competition.

Alas, that is not to be. After a couple of shaky weeks, the man known as D-Trix was sent packin' last night, along with fellow breaker Sara, who herself has had quite a remarkable journey. Billed as the only female dancer with no training (which may or may not actually be true), she pretty much nailed every style of dance that was thrown at her, completely obliterating her "exclusively a B-girl" image. Despite having less technical acumen, she was dazzling almost every week, and I am genuinely sad to see her go.

Especially when Lauren, who despite stepping up her game the past few weeks has still yet to really shine, is still around. After three straight near-eliminations, Lauren should feel very, very lucky to still be around.

As for Dominic, thought, it was his time to go. His personality, which could be charming at times, had crossed the line into a bit of obnoxiousness (leave Kat alone!), and while his solo was probably the most dynamic of the bunch, he just doesn't have the chops or versatility of Danny, Neil or Pasha. Still, a job well done, and several of his dances with Sabra will be remembered as some of the best of the season.

Time to start gettin' psyched for next week's Top 6!!

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So You Think You Can Dance Recap and Rankings: Top 14

So You Think You Can Dance, how I have missed thee.

Guest judging tonight is Hairspray choreographer and director Adam Shenkman, who, like Debbie Allen before him, has a lot to say. That"s the thing about these choreographers and directos -- they like to tell people what they think about what they are doing. Mary, on the oher hand, has completely lost her mind. A silent scream that can be heard in Tokyo? Okay, honey, time to take the pills.

On to the performances, listed in the order of favorite-to-least-favorite.

1. Dominic and Sabra
After their disastrous disco the first week, who knew I would be loving these two so much. This dance was hot, and so sharply executed that I literally sighed at the end of it. D-Trix looked mighty fine in those red pants, and his moves were extraordinary -- he looked like he was ready for a music video. And Sabra matched him every step of the way, never betraying the fact that she's not a hip hop girl at heart. Loved it.

2. Neil and Lauren
It seems as though "jazz" is being used as a catch-all to mean whatever the hell the choreographer wants it to mean. As long as the choreographer is Wade Robson, I'm cool with that. These two had a lot to prove this week, since they've only given one halfway decent performance, and last episode saw them fall to the Bottom 3. They delivered this week big time,fully committing to their characters and showing some real chemistry. I thought this was the best they've been so far, and they showed they deserve to be here.

3. Lacey and Kameron
These two entertain every single time, but I'm starting to think that has a little more to do with Lacey than it does with Kameron -- she really pops, in a way that he doesn't. Having said that, he is adorable, and he never lets her down as a partner. But all in all I loved this performance, which is a bit surprising considering disco is never my favorite style. It'll be interesting to see what happens when Kameron has to dance with a different partner -- perhaps Lacey's star is just a bit too bright for him, and when he get out of her shadow he'll really shine.

4. Danny and Anya
I would have thought these two dancing a contemporary routine would have easily topped my list this week, but as Adam Shenkman was trying to explain, there is something about Danny's demeanor that prevents he and Anya from really connecting and bringing true passion to the dance floor. Lacey and Kameron would have eaten this routine up, while Danny looked like a sensational dancer going through the motions, and Anya looked like a woman alone on the stage. It was beautiful on the surface, but it had no depth. If they keep this up, they're in trouble.

5. Hok and Jaimie
Even though I think Jaimie is dumb as a box of nails, I found her quite entertaining during her intro clip, as she hemmed and hawed over whether there was something going on between her and Hok (did anyone else notice the little kiss she gave him after their performance?). Yes, Hok was out of his element, but he was present and engaged, and I give him a lot of credit. And Jaimie was gorgeous -- the second episode in a row that has been the case. I guess I'm gonna have to reconsider my stance on this one.

6. Pasha and Sara
Honestly Benji? Get a job. I'm a little over seeing you on the show every week. And can I just say how pissed I am that Heidi was not acknowledged during the whole segment (except briefly by Kat at the end). I realize she didn't win the contest, but she did come in 4th place, and the viewers probably remember her. Just rude. Anyways, I didn't like this performance. Maybe it's because the only people I've ever seen do West Coast Swing are Benji, Heidi, and Lacey, and these two didn't look anything like them. Whatever the reason, it seemed rushed and awkward to me, and quite frankly I can't understand how the judges got so worked about it. Sorry Benji, not my thing.

7. Cedric and Shauna
I think the judges are trying to use reverse psychology with the viewers, because what I saw was absolutely horrible. I was starting to like Shauna after her Mia Michaels performance, but she brought her game down to Cedric's level tonight, and that's not a good thing. I mean, it looked like the final performance in a local amateur class. Yes, by the end they had stepped it up a little, but the whole thing left me disappointed in Shauna and just blatantly annoyed that Cedric is still in the competition. Please, America, do the right thing and send this boy home...or at least to Debbie Allen's dance academy.

Individual Rankings:
1. Dominic
2. Neil
3. Lacey
4. Sabra
5. Lauren
6. Jaimie
7. Kameron
8. Anya
9. Danny
10. Hok
11. Pasha
12. Sara
13. Shauna
14. Cedric

Check back tomorrow morning for my thoughts on who will go home.

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So You Think You Can Dance Top 16 - Who is Going Home Tonight?

Another Thursday, another elimination. After two straight weeks of surprises (Ricky and Faina, we hardly knew ya), who's it going to be this week?

You can read my full recap and rankings of last night's show here.

Bottom 3 Couples:
Sara and Jesus
Neil and Lauren
Shauna and Cedric

While it's entirely possible Danny and Anya could slip into the Bottom 3, I'm guessing the fact that Sara and Jesus performed first might put them in jeopardy tonight, along with the still underperforming Neil and Lauren, and the trainwreck that is Cedric. What could save Cedric? Mia Michaels' brilliant choreography, for one, along with the fact that about five minutes of time last night was devoted to debating the merits of keeping him in the competition. Will Debbie Allen's generous offer to provide him with a scholarship to her dance academy mean people won't feel bad about sending him home, or will it mean that they'll want to keep him around for his uniqueness and the drama he brings to the show? If somehow Cedric and Shauna manage to avoid a Bottom 3 showing, expect Danny and Anya to fall to the bottom.

Eliminated Boy: Cedric
As long as he and Shauna are in the Bottom 3, he's going home, no two ways about it.

Eliminated Girl: Jessi
Who knows if baby oil girl will have recovered enough to make it back for tonight's elimination show? Even if she does, I'm guessing she's going to get the boot tonight. If, somehow, she manages to recover in time and save herself, prepare to say goodbye to Ms. Shauna.

Read my full recap and rankings of last night's show here.

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So You Think You Can Dance Recap and Rankings: Top 16

Another evening of great dancing on So You Think You Can Dance, with some drama thrown in on the side. Gotta love Wednesday nights!

Debbie Allen is on the panel tonight, and she's got lots to say. No seriously, a lot to say. Is it just me, or did the woman go on and on? No matter, really, since (a) she was in Fame , (b) she was pretty entertaining, and (c) she even offered Cedric a scholarship to her dance academy (although something tells me he reamed Nigel out for prompting her to do so on the commercial break).

As a side note, I kind of love the judging panel on this show. Choreographers are used to having to explain what works and what doesn't work, so there is an eloquence that is completely lacking on American Idol. So bravo, Nigel, loopy (but remarkably coherent) Mary, and the rest of the gang.

As for the drama -- Jessi Peralta has been rushed to the hospital, and Nigel, in a weird, sinister way, reports that her EKG was not normal. Oh yeah, and if she isn't better in 24 hours she's cut from the competition. This is the dance world, people -- no time for feelings.

Here's my rankings and comments...check back tomorrow morning for my prediction of who will go home.

1. Pasha and the old fat lady
Ok, to be fair, she's probably not fat, she just seems rotund compared to the Barbie dolls on this show. But enough about her -- how about that Pasha? Ooh baby, baby. He was clearly in his element here, and was sexy as all get out. I was never really into Dimitri last year (the European ballroom archetype), but I am most definitely into Pasha. And I hope Jessi is better by tomorrow -- as much as she is not my favorite, this would be a pretty shitty way to leave the competition.

2. D-Trix and Sabra
Ok, I am officially on the Dominic bandwagon. That rumba was hot! And D-Trix looked mighty fine filling out those tight pants, I must say. I can't figure out what to make of Sabra -- I love her when she is dancing, but I can't connect to her when she's not. Regardless, this rumba hit all the right spots.

3. Hok and Jaimie
Last week these two were my least favorite couple -- tonight, they blew me away. Shows what a different style of dance and a fierce choreographer can do. Wade Robson said he wanted to create his own kind of ballet, and he did -- it was pretty genius. Hok was spellbinding, and Jaimie, who is probably my least favorite in the competition, was, I must admit, beautiful to watch. Can Wade just choreograph all the dances?

4. Shauna and Cedric
Actually, Wade can choreograph half of the dances and Mia Michaels can choreograph the other other half. Loyal Idol Thoughts readers know I am kind of obsessed with Mia Michaels (I even signed up for her mailing list at miamichaels.com), so any dance she has created I am most likely going to love. And she did not disappoint tonight, bringing a beautiful story of goodbyes to the stage. Shauna was luminous (I even had visions of last season's Allison while she was dancing), but Cedric once again dropped the ball. He was emotionally moving (his crying moment was quite nice), but he just didn't match the energy and level of technical prowess Shauna was bringing to the stage. All in all, though, a beautiful piece.

5. Lacey and Kameron
Quickstep is boring. Yeah, I said it. However, for a quickstep, this performance was surprsingly enteraining. Both Lacey and Kam looked especially dashing tonight, and I am starting to think that while Danny and Anya may have the most technical prowess, these two are the most versatile -- they haven't faulted yet.

6. Sara and Jesus
I expected Sara to excel at this style, but Chuy was a very nice surprise. I bought him as a crumper, and I enjoyed this performance. I'm worried that because they performed first in the evening they may get lost in the shuffle, though, and find themselves dancing for their lives tomorrow night.

7. Anya and Danny
Last week's number one couple took a dive this week, finishing just outside of last place. What happened? They weren't bad, per se, they just were completely un-believable as a hip hop pair. Danny's dancing was beautiful, but I didn't buy for a second that they weren't a contemporary and Latin dancer attemting hip hop. I don't think they are in danger of going home, but I also think they've shown they are fallible.

8. Neil and Lauren
I want to love them so bad -- Neil is absolutely adorable, and Lauren clearly has tons of potential. So why haven't they dazzled me yet? Neil showed signs of life last week during hip hop, but this tango, while technically well-danced, was far from sexy. And it wasn't for lack of trying -- they were making the faces, but the soul of the dance wasn't there. They need some contemporary, so they can show what they can do. Otherwise, I'm afraid they might not last.

Individual Rankings:
1. Pasha
2. Dominic
3. Hok
4. Shauna
5. Sabra
6. Jaimie
7. Lacey
8. Jesus
9. Kameron
10. Sara
11. Danny
12. Lauren
13. Neil
14. Anya
15. Cedric

So You Think You Can Dance Recap: Top 18

First, some random thoughts that entered through my mind during the first 5 minutes of So You Think You Can Dance:

-Ya know, Cat Deeley is really growing on me. I'd put her at #3 behind Seacrest and Probst on the list of best reality show hosts. Yeah, I said it, Phil Keoghan -- what are you gonna do about it?

-Yay, Mia Michaels is on the judging panel! Boo, that means no Mia Michaels choreography! But, Yay Mia's brutally honest, unfiltered, brilliant thoughts!

-Really? Their "inspiration for dancing"? Gag me.

Okay, on to the performances...

All in all, it was a pretty fantastic night of dancing, with last week's top teams (Lacey/Kameron and Anya/Danny) repeating their previous successes, and a couple performances that were marked improvements over former showings (D-Trix/Sabra, Neil/Lauren). A couple teams stumbled, but most were so good that it was fairly difficult to rank the performances.

Difficult, but not impossible. Here goes...

1. Anya and Danny (Viennese Waltz)
These two literally took my breath away tonight. Independently they are brilliant -- together they are magical. Okay, that was really dramatic, I admit, but seriously, they were dazzling tonight, especially considering they were dancing a style that could be a real snooze. I would not be surprised if these were the last two standing 8 weeks from now. I can't wait to see what they do next.

2. D-Trix and Sabra (Contemporary)
This performance really surprised me on a couple of different levels -- I wasn't confident D-Trix was going to be able to handle a style that didn't call for him spinning around on his head, and I had sort of written Sabra off as a boring dance-girl. But there was serious emotion in this performance, a real connection between the two dancers, and some really moving moments. Sabra is no longer ignore-able, and I don't think we can call D-Trix a one-trick pony any longer.

3. Lacey and Kameron (Broadway)
I definitely have goodwill left over from last week's sensational Mia Michaels creation, and it's true, Kameron is providing some stiff competition for Neil as my SYTYCD boyfriend (in the tradition, of course, of Travis and Nick Lazzarini), but I loved this performance start-to-finish. I thought it had plenty of pizzazz, and some really sharp movement, and it was totally in the spirit of Fosse's Chicago. Lacey surprised me yet again, showing a sexy side I didn't think she had in her, and Kameron's slow-mo backflip made me gasp out loud. I'm definitely a fan.

Oh and by the way, who knew Lacey had abs like that?

4. Pasha and Jessi (Jazz)
I forgot to include Pasha on the list with Neil and Kameron -- he's getting more adorable by the week. And it certainly helps that he danced his ass of tonight, entertainingly throwing himself into Tyce's wacky choreography, which I loved every second of. Jessi was really good, too -- the second week in a row that has been the case. I still can't say I'm completely in her corner, though -- there's something about her that just bugs me, I'm not sure what it is. But let's just say I am firmly in Pasha's corner.

5. Neil and Lauren (Hip Hop)
Lauren disappointed me a bit (I wish she had hit her moves just a little bit harder), but Neil blew me away, really embracing the role of the hip-hopper, and pulling off the moves with aplomb. I agree with Mia, I almost wish Lauren wasn't even there so I could just watch Neil -- he was that skillful and entertaining. I know Lauren has it in her, I just don't think we've seen it yet. But Neil definitely did not disappoint.

6. Chuy and Sara (Paso Doble)
So, I agree with the judges the the music threw off the dance. But still. Sara is a b-girl, and she ripped it up in the paso doble. Okay, sure, Faina or Anya probably could have danced it way better, but she really held her own, and she was committed through and through. I really respect her, and I hope she sticks around for awhile. And Chuy was awesome! Strong, masculine, sexy -- he had it all.

7. Shauna and Jimmy (Hip Hop)
This is probably my least favorite couple of the night, but I can't fault the performance itself -- it was, as Nigel said, fun, and, to be truthful, more skillful than the two pairs in the numbers 8 and 9 positions. Problem is, I just don't care that much about either Shauna or Jimmy, in part, of course, because we don't know anything about them (unlike, say, Hok, who has had easily 30 minutes of screentime over the last two years). But, having said that, they haven't yet done anything to stand out or endear themselves to the audience. Their dancing was fine...so what?

8. Faina and Cedric (Fox Trot)
There's a reason why I put this pair in the #8 spot and not in last, and it can be summed up in one word: Faina. She was absolutely dazzling tonight -- gorgeous, sensual, playful, elegant. I loved her. Of course, she was dancing with Cedric, who was awkward, uptight, and uncomfortable to watch. Not exactly a match made in heaven.

9. Hok and Jaimie (Samba)
I love Hok -- I think he's charming and spirited, and he's a surprisingly good dancer for a b-boy'er. But this dance tonight was a hot mess. I can't pinpoint exactly what didn't work, but on the whole, it just was a bust. And is it just me, or does Jaimie come off as a little vapid to you? I love Hok, and I admire his effort, but Jaimie strikes me as a kind of soulless dancer. Definitely my least favorite of the night.

Individual Rankings:
1. Danny 2. Anya 3. Faina 4. Neil 5. Pasha 6. Lacey 7. D-Trix 8. Sabra 9. Chuy 10. Kameron 11. Jessi 12. Sara 13. Lauren 14. Shauna 15. Jimmy 16. Hok 17. Jaimie 18. Cedric

What do you think of this list? Does it resemble yours?

Check back tomorrow morning for my prediction of who will be going home.

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