Was last night perfect on SYTYCD. No. But was it the best show so far this season? ::Waving hand!!::

I didn’t always agree with the judges, but I don’t think I cared as much. We have 8 dancers left. And we kinda sorta know who is going to end up in the final four. Ish. So in what order the other four go…does it really matter? So I decided to just get over the fact that they will never send Jordan home until all that’s left is Marko, Sasha, and Melanie.

I read a lot of criticism about Gaga’s judgery last night, but I was okay with it. Mostly because she pretty much kept Nigel in check. And I adored Rob Marshall. I thought, overall, the choreographers shone last night, mostly because of Mandy Moore and Sonja Tayeh. There were many highlights last night, as there should be with quality talent like this, plus the All Star’s chiming in. All in all, I thought the All Star paired performances were stronger.

Of the Second Round of contestant/contestant routines, the only real super slam dunk was Sasha/Melanie. And…duh. I loved that they paired them up. Now, to be honest, the music, for me, though strong/eletronic stuff, was too…electronic. It kind of killed the power of the piece, rather than enhanced it. Your mileage may vary on that, but I wish it had way more musicality to off set their amazing athletic prowess. It was very industrial, almost overkill with the music there too. But I did very much enjoy watching the two powerhouses duel it out. For me? Melanie was the hands down victor, but both were compelling to watch. Second best of this round was Marko/Ricky. I, like Gaga, was a little over the props, but I very much enjoyed the fun they had. It wasn’t a long-term memorable routine, but infectious and fun while it was going on. And I loved Marko in this!! That’s entertainment, folks.

The waltz with Tadd & Caitlynn was a little too slow, but I couldn’t take my eyes off the uber suave Tadd, so I managed to get through it. I loved the Gaga continued to try and get Caitlynn out of Pageant Girl Mode. I think she’s in the Bottom “FIll in the Number” tonight. We have no idea who is sending how many home. And we don’t really care, because it’s not Melanie, Marko, or Tadd.

That leaves the Jess/Jordan rhumba, which didn’t move me, but I did enjoy Jess, and it’s great to see, readign the bb’s today, how much of a following he’s developed. I loved that Rob Marshall lauded his career on Broadway, and, for that matter, lauded Broadway, itself. Love that guy.

Now, the wowza stuff of the night was to be found in the All Star First Round pairings.

Middle of the road for me was Pasha/Sasha ballroom. Fun to watch, because, duh, Pasha, but otherwise, in the middle. Anya/Ricky ballroom was fun to watch, nice to see Anya, and poor Ricky trying to keep up with her. Entertainment, but not Top 3 material. Caitlynn/Ivan hiphop I really enjoyed….because of Ivan. So, that ends up in the middle, but really fun to see him again. Jordan & Ade…now the judges went ape over this. I thought the choreo was really, really random (Tyce) and Nutbush City Limits tanked any good this routine had going for it. Seriously, I do not get how that song was ever popular, even for Tina Turner. So, while Jordan once again proves she’s Human Gumby Girl, and it was great to see Ade…I didn’t go nuts for this like they did. In fact, I had to refrain from fast forwarding when it never settled into to any real pace/style. Sorry.

Jess/Lauren’s hip hop was in the top half for me. Well delivered, compelling to watch and I really thought Jess did a good job with this. Then we watched Tadd suave all over the place in his cat burglar meets Michael Jackson dance, and it was fun seeing the Other Lauren, too. Enjoyed both of those and thought they were solid pieces.

But then…then we had the ones that made me remember why I watch this show. Melanie & Neil to Bonnie Tyler? I literally have goosebumps on my arms, as I type, remembering that launching leap into his arms. And half naked Neil only sealed this as one of my favorites for the season. Truly tremendous routine and performance. Love you, Mandy Moore. And then Marko & Alison? They were SO evenly matched/paced/marked all throughout that dance. For the complexity of it, that was truly amazing. I thought it was wonderful and Marko matched up with the powerhouse Alison really well.

Top Three Performances, were the two just listed above and Melanie/Sasha, but the middle pack was truly enjoyable. For me, if Bottom Three comes from the pack of 8, gender non-specific, then it would be Jordan, Caitlyn, and…Ricky. Top Three Dancers this week would be Melanie, who was the only one who really owned both performances, followed by Marko, who owned the Alison-paired piece and did a damn good job in hip hop for a contemporary guy. Third place would be Tadd, who did well with his part in both his routines.

Which leaves Ricky and Sash in the middle (and I know most would place Sasha much higher, but, for me, not based on both performances last night. I would even go so far as to say, that though she has mondo stage presence and madd skillz, that Pasha and Melanie truly elevated her “shine” in both performances…. But that’s just me.)

Who goes home? If it’s just one dancer, for me Jordan. Though will probably be RIcky. Possibly Caitlynn. Any order there is okay by me. And sorry, Ricky, you’re adorable, but you won’t win up against the Tadd/Marko team, and Jess really has a foundation going.

What say you Blog Babes? Who do you want to win? (Melanie all the way for me…most overall deserving.) Who should go home? What did you think about Gaga? AND! Most important, who is tuning in to the season launch of Project Runway tonight? Are you still all on board, even after they let Wretched Gretchen win last year over Mondo?? I am watching…but with one eye on the door. I still love My Tim.

Don’t forget to enter the Free Stuff Friday contest! See Monday’s post for details. Winner announced here tomorrow with all the Project Runway & SYTYCD recap rant you can stand!

But for right now? DISH!!

Tags: Writing //