SYD #10

Cat’s dress makes her look like she fell in a mud pit.

Randi and Kupono left last week.

Four judges this week, including Mia and Ellen Degeneres, for some reason.

Nigel has been doctorated by a UK university.

Ellen explains why she’s here: “Everything I’ve learned, I’ve learned from the streets, and by the streets, I mean I live in a gated community and there was only one street.” She goes on to win me over by being really funny during the rest of her comments.

Mia’s been nominated for three Emmys.

All the contestants are performing four times: solo, two partner dances and a group dance.

Travis choreographed the top 8 in a “rave” style, wherein they each get to also use their own styles. Travis says it “should be this huge banana extravaganza.”

Their costumes are pretty good, though – much better than the ones in the Willennium music video. They glow in the dark, for instance. The music is good for the piece, too – Lil’ Wayne.

Nigel talks Travis up, which is always a good sign. He says it was a great opening to the show. Ellen says “well, first of all, I can do that, but second of all, when Travis asked me to help with the wardrobe…” [it’s great to have a comedian on the panel at this point]. Mary says she’s going to pick on specific people, but looks at them and says “nope, nobody to pick on.” Mia asks if Ellen will wear one of those costumes with her on Thursday, and Ellen immediately agrees.

Evan picked Janette’s name out of the hat, and they got a Sonya jazz routine. (Niiiiiice.) Janette’s ballroom form helps her keep her legs and feet graceful despite it being a Sonya routine. They were supposed to get angrier and angrier, though, and I wasn’t feelin’ it.

Nigel says these two are “two little stars of this season,” and that Evan is finally giving the more Nigel’s been asking for. Ellen says “it was hard-hitting and rich and full-bodied – I’m sorry, I’m thinking of the wine I had before I came here…but you all were amazing.” Mary says they could have been “a little bit more gutsier…a little bit rougher” towards the end. Nigel covers Mary’s mouth (a reference to the routine) and Mary tells him to “pipe down, English muffin, and go sit on your degree.” Mia says Evan will never be “the freakish dancer that Sonya requires.” She says Janette is her “favorite, favorite, favorite this season.”

Kayla’s solo is to an Imogen Heap song, but unfortunately that’s the most memorable thing about it.

Brandon pulled Jeanine for the waltz first. Jeanine says she gets “to be elegant and flowy, like a brunette Cinderella,” and once again, Jeanine’s underwear is COMPLETELY VISIBLE under her rehearsal skirt. She looks like a canary in her yellow dress, which at least covers her underwear.

Nigel starts out saying it “was an extremely tough routine…not your fault, but that music felt like pulling teeth to me.” [Ellen is sitting in deadpan-attack pose next to Nigel.] The audience boos Nigel and he tells them to shut up. After a long story involving seeing Twila Thorpe from behind in line for the ladies’ room, Ellen says she thought they were fantastic. Mary says “you guys did it respectable.” Mia says “maybe if you weren’t dreaming about birds and bunnies, the performance would have been better…I expected the length and the space and the breath to be magical,” but it wasn’t.

Jason solos to a “Taking Back Sunday” song, which again makes me think “hey, I should look up this ‘Taking Back Sunday’ group” more than “hey, I should vote for Jason.” He might have been good enough to make it through the week, though, and I figured Jason was in the most trouble before this. (The tweens love an epic-seeming song with contemporary dance choreography.)

Ade is reunited with Melissa for the cha cha. Nigel says it’s “really, really good, really good.” Ellen says “I have a question, are you two carpenters, because you nailed it!” Mary says Ade has to lower his “bum” in order to be “grounded and hard-hitting,” and that Melissa was sometimes turned out too far and sometimes turned in too far. Mia says she thinks it was Ade’s worst performance this season “and you weren’t getting down and dirty.” She says Melissa did an excellent job considering her ballet background.

Janette dances, unfortunately, to a Celine Dion song – at least it’s something different for the salsa dancer, but still, it seems more “Titanic” than “Miami Heat.”

Jason picked Kayla, and they dance Broadway with Tyce. It’s jazzy in that it seems to be set in the 20’s/30’s. I like Kayla, and even though this is jazz, I like her in this.

Nigel says it was “beautiful to watch,” and that Jason’s toes were great – Kayla’s lines were great and she “can do anything that’s thrown at [her].” He says it was one of the best routines of the evening so far. Ellen says “I really just wanted to come see a taping, and these are really good seats…I want to invite you both over to the house later because I have some pictures that need to be hung, and you are both good NAILERS.” Mary says it “seemed to flow effortless.” She says Jason was “cool, suave [grunt]…and Kayla, there’s a reason why you’re riding first class. [She pulls out an actual wooden train whistle and blows it.]”

Mia says “I seem like the only sane one up here, and that’s scary.” She loved the piece and says Jason needs to open up through the chest. She asks Kayla if she sings or acts, and says she should; she “will take Broadway by storm if [she] ever decided to do that. If you checked in a dictionary and looked up ‘girl, perfection and star,’ you would see Kayla.”

Ade dances to a song by “Various Production Artists” – it’s weird and techy, and he jumps really high. He’s no Twitch or Joshua, though, and his solo lacks substance.

Evan and Janette dance the rumba to an American Idol remake of Kanye West’s “Heartless,” which is much better than this remake. I’m distracted the whole time by this fact and fail to even comment aloud on Janette’s bustle-and-absent outfit (that is, there are parts with no fabric, and also a bustle at her back).

Nigel says the rumba is hard to get votes with, though Janette was great at it. Evan, on the other hand, didn’t “perform with [his] face.” Ellen says “as someone, who again, learned everything from the streets, I have no idea what I’m talking about – I love your face, Evan, I love your eyes. You’re a special, special guy. Janette, I love you. I think you’re amazing.” Mary says Evan was “there for her in all the connections,” didn’t lose his balance, did the lift well, and the choreography was good. Then she turns to “little miss fire and spice and flavor,” and calls her a “little Hot Tamale.” Mia says Evan is perfect the way God has made him, and that “we celebrate [him]” – she said going into his performance, “I wasn’t sure I wanted to see you be sexy…but you did it. But you did it with a Zoolander face.” She decides not to say anything about Janette because she’s said it all before.

Melissa dances to a Yeah Yeah Yeahs song in a “Center Stage” 80’s-type leotard and a high, ‘you should be wearing leg-warmers’ ponytail. Good choice, though I might have gone Cyndy Lauper or Pat Benatar with the 30-second time limit on solos. Not spectacular otherwise (choreographically).

Jeanine and Brandon dance with Laurieann Gibson to Jordin Sparks’ “Battlefield.” It’s a soldier conceit, and I kind of like Laurieann’s style, though it goes along with Jordin Sparks’ music a little too well (pop-y and hook-driven). Still, they’re good, and this is likely the routine of the night.

Nigel says “that’s all I’m asking – this is our top 8 dancers, and that’s exactly what we want. It’s finally begun this evening for me. Thank you, hooray! This is the flattest night I’ve ever experienced on SYD, up until now. Thank you, thank you, hooray, at last!” Ellen says she’s “so happy that [Nigel’s] that happy. I’m that happy too. You make it so appealing to join some kind of armed forces. I mean, there’s dancing and there’s daa-aa-aancing, and there’s da-aa-aa-aa-aaaaancing, and that’s what that was.” Mary gives a tag question and asks “do you hear it Nigel? Do you hear it Mia? Do you hear it, Ellen?” and she screams. Mia says she’s afraid to talk “after all this,” but she talks anyway. She says Lauriann Gibson doesn’t dance unless she’s “convicted to move,” and that’s what these guys did. She calls Brandon a “powerhouse.”

Evan dances a Broadway solo. He reminds me here of Benji from season 2 in terms of accessibility, which may keep him through next week.

Jeanine does her solo in, predictably, her underwear. It’s got a beat despite being apparently contemporary, which makes it more compelling than most contemporary solos, but it ends before it can really get started.

Ade and Melissa dance a Tyce Diorio contemporary routine. Melissa looks with a scarf on her head like she’s a cancer patient, but that turns out to be intentional. Breast cancer, in specific, which may be an interesting choice…they dance to Maxwell’s almost entirely falsetto cover of “This Woman’s Work.” She looks kind of like a ghost already, but it’s hard to tell if that’s intentional. An excellent song choice helps make for a pretty great performance, though it’s hard to know if the effortless leaps and catches will overtake Jeanine and Brandon’s win.

Nigel starts with “I think that that has just shown me why I love dance so much, and that is because it can express [he chokes up] so many emotions…I don’t know as a choreographer how you get the strength to do a piece like this.” He suggests Tyce will be nominated for another Emmy, says it was one of the most memorable routines from this show, and “I found it extremely touching…I can’t think of a better couple to have danced it than you two…Together, you were absolutely sensational. Absolutely incredible.”

Ellen says “I’ve been wanting to come see a taping live for a long, long time…it was just the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.” Mary is crying and says they did a great job. Nigel is turned away from the camera, probably crying. Mia is also crying and breaks down after saying “what an important piece of work.” She talks about the journey of cancer patients and their family and friends and thanks Tyce, Ade and Melissa for the dance.

Brandon is shirtless in his solo and crawls across the floor and does a lot of flips. Good move, Brandon. Cat replies “I mean, seriously! You’re like a RACEHORSE!” Nobody knows what she means, but everyone cheers.

Kayla and Jason are dancing to a Shane Sparks routine where Jason is a zombie. Kayla’s makeup is pretty scary, but their dancing doesn’t necessarily match it. Kayla’s still great, but Jason doesn’t hit the locks in the way I’d like. He kills her at the end.

Nigel points out that it’s Michael Jackson-inspired. He says to Kayla about her grandparents “when they sent you to dance classes, who ever thought you’d be a zombie mistress?” Ellen says “you two keep dancing like that and you’ll have your own talk show someday. That’s what I was trying to do during the break, that exact thing.” Mary says Jason’s been “bitten by the rabies or something,” and that she loved “every second of it, it was pure entertainment.” She screams. Mia says it was her favorite Shane piece he’s done on the show. She says the strangulation at the end of the routine “was disturbingly hot.”

Cat sums up for us, and it’s all up to the voters.