Super Bowl Update

(DREAMS TURN TO ASH' - Another dancer I love is injured beyond immediate repair. Dance Gods, show these kids some love! Keep them strong!)

No one has truly recovered from Alex's season-ending injury last week, but here we are back again, because this show stops for no one! 7 Finalists Remain: 4 contempos, 1 jazz hands, 1 breaker, and 1 lyric dancer are ready to do two more dances for our viewing pleasure this week. Welcome... to So You THINK You Can Dance!

Here come the intros and... NO! It can't be! We're one short AGAIN! Ashley is gone! Severe rib pains! This is not exactly a lacerated Achilles, but it still is mightily disappointing. These season is tough, y'all. Bodies are breaking down. So Ashley is bottom 3, and even if she's able to continue, I somehow think she's gonna wind up eliminated.

But, listen up. We still have 10 routines to get through. There's a sequence where they all get paired up, but it's so many combinations I can't wrap my brain around it right now. The two things of note: (1) Anya is partnering twice this week, which seems crazy given that at least two all-star girls are not performing this week, and (2) there are an uneven number of contestants, so Jose gets the gold star (surprised?) and gets to dance with an all-star twice. That all-star happens to be Dominic so they happen to be doing a breaking routine. That's not stacked in his favor at all, huh?

Lauren - dancing first with Mark doing Tahitian Dance. It's the first time Tahitian is on the show. In the dance, Mark is playing Night and Lauren is playing Day, which immediately makes me think of the Pixar short that played before Toy Story 3. The thing that stands out most about the dance is the costumes, which appear to be a cross between Saved By the Bell Hawaiian Style and the Henny Penny costumes from that Golden Girls. Check this out:

This:


plus this:


equals this:

The judges like the energy and fun but have no idea how to critique it. The cultural dances are kinda hit and miss with voters... she's the only girl dancing this week... we'll have to wait and see what her second dance is.

AdeChike - it's Anya and salsa and new choreographers Liz Lira and Danny Davalos. At least they're new to me. I don't remember them. Apparently they have decided to choreograph the hardest salsa ever. Anya to no one's surprise, looks fantastic. I love her so. There first move is AdeChike flipping Anya twice and catching her in his arms. It almost doesn't work but they get through it. Such is the pattern for the rest of the dance. Nothing fails, but nothing really soars. I attribute this to the difficulty level being so effing high. They probably could've lost a trick or two and been smoother. Nigel liked it and praises Anya's strength. Mia calls out a few bumps along the way and Anya agrees. The All-Stars are starting to get more vocal! I like it! For his part, AdeChike thought he'd be bottom 3 for sure with this routine, but that looks less likely now. Adam tells him some stuff, but amazingly refrains from telling AdeChike what he will see when he watches it in playback.

Jose - partnered with Courtney doing a Joey Dowling Broadway routine. It's Mr. Cellophane. Boo. Courtney's a showgirl and Jose a stagehand - her unnoticed love! I hate this routine. There's zero partner connection. Jose looks glum and there's no technique or energy behind his movement. Why did they think this would work? It robs Jose of his smile, which is all that would get him through a style that doesn't suit him. Nigel agrees with me. Mia can't bear to tell him he sucks. Favoritism! Just tell him, Mia! She thinks he was too pathetic. There was nothing else there. Adam tells Jose he needs finish and lines. and hilariously Nigel adds "And dance lessons!" Cat and Courtney try to rally Jose from his depression over this stank routine and his lack of skills, but there's not much success by the time Cat has to read off his numbers.

Robert - hit the jackpot this week with Allison, Travis and contemporary. Travis created a piece for his mom, Denise (who is also the adoptive mom of Season 3 standout Danny Tidwell) who who is recovering from surgery. Allison is Travis's mom and Robert is Travis and if Robert is in the bottom 3 this week, I'll kill everyone in America who picked up a phone and didn't vote for him. It starts off with Allison looking very weak, and I immediately fear it will turn into Cancer Dance 2, but pretty soon it busts out as mother and son are back in their prime and it's totally joyous and there's this one moment where they are kinda skipping backward and Robert looks so excited and Allison flicks her head back to look at him and it's the highlight of the whole dance for me. In the end, Allison's back to her weakened state, and Robert gets up behind her and she walks on top of his feet, with his strength pushing her along. Robert looked so fresh and strong and graceful in this routine. And Allison was her usual awesome self. Oh this was so good! The judges stand and clap, Cat is crying, which never happens! Did I mention the song they danced to was Coldplay? A song which emotionally makes me want to scream out "No! I don't want to fix anybody! Why must people need fixing?!!" but I have my own mom-illness issues. Nigel loves Robert, so I love Nigel this season. Mia is an expected mess, since her mom died recently, but eventually manages to tell them they were great. Adam tells Travis if he doesn't get an Emmy nomination for the routine, "there is no God." which seems awfully extreme. Please send your award wishes to Jeebus, Adam. He handles those types of requests. Also Adam blows a snot bubble. Which is awesome. Robert gives a shout out to his momma in the audience. Yay for moms. Yay for Robert.

Billy - Anya back again and this time we get a visit form Louis Van Amstel to bring us The Jive. Billy needs to connect with his partners, but the power of ANYA makes him nervous in rehearsal which results in him laughing A LOT. ANYA! does not suffer nervous laughter well. They are performing to the most butchered version of "Paradise By the Dashboard Light." that you ever did hear. Billy does really well though. He doesn't seem like a particularly aggressive fellow, which is what is usually missing in his partner dancing but you can tell he's making an effort here. The judges applaud him, Cat says the word "sex bomb" and everyone thinks she says "sex bum" and they all talk about that for roughly five minutes.

Kent - has got Neil and Tyce doing a baseball-themed routine to Shoeless Joe from Damn Yankees. Neil's the seasoned vet and Kent's the wide-eyed rookie. The routines a lot of fun and reminds us that Neil used to be the young kid with all the acrobatic tricks and look what he developed into. Kent wouldn't mind such a trajectory i think. Kent really delivers on this one. Great fun. Hilariously, at the end Neil tries to give Kent a chest bump and Kent grabs Neil in the air in a huge hug. Neil's like "..yeah, ok. that works too, kid." Priceless. Shockingly, the judges all hate it. I'm just kidding! Of course they love it. Adam especially thinks Kent's ready for Broadway.

Are we only half done? God this show is so long. I love it, but I'm exhausted just watching it. No wonder the injuries are piling up. B

Billy and Lauren - Mandy Moore returns with some jazz. The routine focuses on magical shoes, like when Lisa relies on shoes designed by Professor Frink to make it look like she can tap dance? Sadly, no. It's a very fun and groovy routine. Billy and Lauren have a great friendly chemistry between them. I have to say though, I saw an LXD routine at Radio City Music Hall featuring the Asian Kid from Glee and his magic-shoe-centered dance routine that was far more inspired than this routine. I'm just saying. This concept could go much farther. During judging, Adam floats the idea of Lauren being a dark horse for the season win, but I don't believe it. He was pushing Ashley that way a week or two ago, and now she's most likely going home this week. Regardless of where she finishes she's doing a great job these past few weeks.

Jose and Dominic - the show's first ever B-boy routine feat. choreo by NappyTabs. Legacy and Murder Mike make guest appearances at rehearsal. The routine is a battle for the Sword in the Stone, with the sword taking center stage. It's a fun routine, but I totally Dominic's movement outshines equal there. Sorry, Jose fans, that's how I see it. All the judges scream and shout about how much this dance proves, but I swear it proves nothing. We KNOW he can b-boy! It's the other dances where he lacks technique! Before the numbers come up, Dominic runs off with the sword positioned like a giant penis. The judges beg for Cat to acknowledge it, but she's not indulging them on this request.

AdeChike and Kent - we've got a Dee Caspary contempo routine with a guest appeance by Ikea chairs! My own Ikea chairs gather round the screen to support. Concept time: Kent's in a bad relationship with a chair, see? AdeChike is his friend trying to help him break it off for good. I make fun, but the routine's really strong. Guys, overall this season has been very very good. If we could just get past the weekly injuries, we'd be firing on all cylinders. The dance is emotional and strong and shows off both of their skills set well. The judges all love it. Nigel declares Kent the frontrunner to win. We'll see how that affects his Show-mentum going forward. Mia calls AdeChike a "Giselle," instead of a "gazelle." Everyone laughs and laughs.

Robert and Kathryn (subbing for Ashley) - time to disco with Doriana Sanchez! This is a fun routine, but it's not a great showcase for Robert. You can see on his face that he's thinking about the tricks and not dropping his partner and Disco is all about fun at all times. There's no time to worry if Kathryn's gonna slam her head into the stage! Robert's shirt also looks tacky to my eye. Nigel again supports Robert during his critique. Mia says it was too thin. Nigel is all "bitch, PLEASE. I am trying to get this guy support and you're calling him GAY. He was masculine!" and Mia's all "no... i like him too, but what can i say... oh, i know! The TEXTURE was thin!" Nigel responds, "NO." Cat turns to Adam and he's all "yeah, whatever! sure, it was masculine! Robert's great." With that we're done.

Here's How I liked 'em tonight:

Robert and Allison, contempo
Kent and Neil, Broadway
Kent and AdeChike, contempo
Billy and Lauren, jazz
Billy and Anya, the jive
AdeChike and Anya, salsa
Robert and Kathryn, disco
Jose and Dominic, B-boy routine
Lauren and Mark, Tahitian
Jose and Courtney, Broadway

Bottom 3 won't really matter because Ashley will likely bow out, but my other two in the bottom, I guess are Jose and... maybe AdeChike?

Results Show; Opening Dance by Tyce and I really like it. The stage is filled with All-Stars which makes me look for who's missing. I note that Pasha is not there. Twitch and Comfort are not there. Allison is not there. Courtney is also not there, I don't think. And CONTESTANT JOSE literally walks out at the very end! He didn't do the dance! WTF?

Okay, so then Ashley's in the auto bottom. Then joining her are Billy and Jose. What does Billy have to do, people? I guess I will vote for him next week. There is a performance by little kids from Mary Murphy's school. They are cute, but then Cat tries to talk to the girl and the girl's like "I thought i was just here to dance!!" And so the cute little boy has to save the whole bit. Nice work, kid.

Then the All-Star routine is Twitch and Comfort from Season 4, which is cool since neither of them got to do anything else this week. The routine is so sharp and good. They flash the "4 Real" sign several times throughout, but it makes sense because they're dancing to "Forever" and that season always had a lot of pride as a group. It's great to see them revisit this. Oh, how i love All-Stars!!

The solos are good. And then we get on to a live performance by Christina Perry of "Jar of Hearts" by previously unknown. This song was featured in that Stacey Tookey routine a week or two ago and since then it caught fire on iTunes. So they're bringing it back. Plus Allison and Neil are dancing to it! Neil had a big week this week, y'all. This is the kind of song where there are things I love and things I don't, but overtime I'll become kind of obsessed with it. When it ends Neil and Allison look unbelievably hot. I mean even hotter than usual. Damn, that's a good dance.

And then we're back and Ashley is eliminated. Man, Results Shows are so much easier to recap! Ashley needs several weeks of rest. She's not coming back next season, but she will be back on tour! Which I think I'm definitely gonna have to go to this year. Ashley cries and apologizes for the injury, but no apologies necessary, my dear! Nobody knew who you were 5 weeks ago, and you lasted so long! You'll be missed. Rest well!

Next week: PLEASE no injuries! Also, it's gotta be Lauren, AdeChike and Jose in the bottom, or i think Billy (Elliot/Jamie) Bell is gonna get axed.