SYTYCD? S5: Top 12 Dance-off

Two dances tonight, and Tyce D’iorio is the guest judge tonight.  Eeh, this will be interesting.  Apparently it’s the first time Tyce has been on the panel; hmm, I feel like he has in the past. I hope he’s less annoying than he was during the auditions.

Melissa & Ade
Disco by Doriana Torres
Oh yay, my least favorite style!  Well, disco is usually a bit throw-away (especially if it’s Doriana) but at least they had a ton of energy.  There were a few fun moments like the breakdown in the middle, and all those crazy, technical lifts.  It’s good to see them being challenged for a change, and they lived up to it.  Well, Mellissa did fall at the end, but despite that.

Kayla & Kupono
Contemporary by Mia
Mmk I think this is gonna be long!  Where do I begin with this amazing routine!  Just a couple of weeks ago I was discussing the contemp. choreographers with my friend and saying that Mia hasn’t done anything brilliant since S4 (which may not have been completely accurate but that’s a different discussion).  Well, Mia is back.  This was such a brilliant idea for a routine, with Kupono being an addiction and Kayla not being able to get rid of him.  I mean, it’s simple, but perfect, and I’m kind of surprised no one tried something like that earlier. I loved the way the idea was executed, especially the moments when she couldn’t get him off of her and ESPECIALLY the part where she tried to reach up but he kept up pulling her arm down — wow, chills! And Kayla and Kupono had the characterizations of the routine down pa.  For me, that’s key.  I can’t feel a routine unless contestants feel it and act it and show the emotions on their face. Kayla played her part well and I especially loved how sinister Kupono looked.

watch it again!

[youtube 0lt0ZcOnugU]

Phillip & Jeanine
Russian Folk Dance
Oh boy, I think this was a worse idea than the 2step last year.  Nigel even admitted that choosing this style was a mistake. Um, duh? How did he not see that from the get go?  Most of the fandom saw that when the spoilers leaked a few days ago.  It was just  a bit too simplistic, it was like being at a family reunion and staying too late and your uncle or grandma gets up and starts doing some a folk dance and then rambles on about “the old country”.

Jason & Caitlin
Foxtrot
Yay, yet another of my style I can’t stand!  This routine was alright, probably the weakest of the first round though.  Caitlin looked very old Hollywood and she was very elegant.  I thought the dance needed a bit more flow to it though, and it was missing something else.  But I’m not quite sure what it was.  It’s like that a lot with these two, isn’t it?

Randi & Evan
Hip Hop & Napoleon & Tabitha
Kinda mixed feelings on this one, it was a cute idea I guess, except the part with them not even being engaged and having a baby, which was just weird.  But what threw me off the most was how recycled the whole routine felt.   The song has a similar rhythm to “Bleeding Love” and “No Air”, and I saw a lot of moves recycled from both of those routines, especially “Bleeding Love”.   And the ending really threw me off; like Nigel pointed out, it didn’t make ANY sense for him to throw her over her head if she was pregnant.  They danced it well for the most part but I thought there were moments where they were struggling to keep up with the tempo.  It was pretty good, nothing great.

Brandon & Jeannette
Tango by ??
They used the same music that Allison and Ivan used, just a different mix.  Now, that routine was fantastic from a technical perspective.  Man, that feetwork that Jeannette did!  Amazing, loved it, especially the part at the end when he carried her across the stage.  The whole judging panel stood up for them and I can’t remember if that’s happened before.  I guess I can understand while, considering neither of them are ballroom dancers and Jeannette has never had any professional training.  But it wasn’t as good as the Black Mambo.  BUT….but….I didn’t feel enough chemistry from them.  They have a great connection and all but I don’t think they have chemistry, per se.

Melissa & Ade
Waltz by Ron Montez
A waltz to “Natural Woman” was an interesting choice.  The routine was pretty much as you’d expect.  Very pretty, neat, orderly, great lines, etc.  There really wasn’t anything else special to it though.  They bring everything in a neat little package, but sometimes I think they need to let loose more.  The judges said it wasn’t powerful enough, but they still loved it.

Kayla & Kupono
Broadway by Joey Dowling
The music was from West Side Story, and the routine was about love at first sight.  The judges felt like they didn’t put enough of a character into it.  Something was missing, for sure, it was a major throwaway, especially compared to their first routine.  I still don’t get why we need broadway routines every week. *sigh*  Tyce’s routines are blah, that guy from last year was awful, and this new girl is 2 for 2 in terms of fail so…there you go.  Plus they’re going to run out of musicals eventually!

Jason & Caitlin
Jazz by Mandy Moore
I think Mary got it right here; great routine, good execution, but not necessarily memorable in the long run.  But for tonight, it might keep them out of the bottom 3….but that’s a really big might.  I think one of the reasons why it wasn’t memorable is because we’ve seen routines really similar to this, even from Mandy herself, even though she did a good job with it (I especially liked the music she used).  And like the judges made not of, they don’t have the most chemistry.  I do think they showed a better connection than usual in this routine!

Jeanine & Phillip
Jive by Tony Meredith
Now that was cute and so much fun to watch!  Jeanine did an awesome job, not only her technique but she played that sexy, teasing part really well.  I think she’s been underrated so far, I just hope she can stick around without Phillips fanbase.  And like the judges said, this was the best Phillip has done outside his style.  Really, his footwork was surprisingly good.  I thought he seemed to loose just a little bit of steam in the second half, but overall, great routine.

Evan & Randi
Samba by Pasha and Anya
Yikes, uh, that kinda sucked?  What a waste of a good routine, it’s really a shame.  Evan was okay.  He tried his best it seems.  But Randy was a hot mess, my gosh.  Her movements were off and spazzy, it bugged me the entire time.  Or maybe I’m just nit picking because Mary seemed to like it.  Hmmm. They placed most of the blame on Evan  and I don’t think he deserved that.  If they’re in the B3, he could end up getting cut because of his height.

Brandon & Jeanette
Jazz by Wade
So this routine had the two of them as robbers and it started out on the stairs.  It wasn’t your usual out there, conceptual routine, and it’s nice to see Wade do something different (even though I like his overly complicated stuff).  The routine was definitely jazzy and it showed off their musicality a lot.  It was fun to watch, not as great as their first routine but definitely good!  Like Nigel touched on, they’ll probably be #1 in the voting this week because they’re the only couple who really nailed both routines.

Rank

1. Kayla & Kupono Contemporary
2. Brandon & Jeannette Tango
3. Brandon & Jeanette Jazz
4. Jeanine & Phillip Jive
5. Jason & Caitlin Contemporary
6. Melissa & Ade Waltz
7. Melissa & Ade Disco
8. Randi & Evan Hip Hop
9. Kayla & Kupono Broadway
10. Jason & Caitlin Foxtrot
11. Evan & Randi Samba
12. Jeanine & Phillip Russian Folk Dance

Predictions

B3: Evan/Randi, Caitlin/Jason, Melissa/Ade
Should go: Evan & Caitlin
Will Go: Evan & Caitlin

I think we can assume Brandon/Jeannette will be safe, as well as Kayla/Kupono.  The b3 is gonna be  a toss up between the other four couples.  I’m giving he edge to Jeanine and Phillip because they ended with a great routine, and because his fanbase is so small.  Melissa/Ade haven’t made a misstep so far in the competition and I think that could hurt them; I don’t think they have a huge fanbase, and they were pretty middle of the pack this week.  But there’s NO way tptb wouldn’t want them on tour.  I mean, come on.

Evan’s height is probably going to be a problem, especially if it’s up to the public vote, so I think the judges are just going to nip that in the bud tomorrow night.  And that could be the only thing that saves Jason, but he’s still on the chopping block as well.  Between Randi and Caitlin, I don’t care for either one, but the judges love Randi and it really is Caitlin’s time to go.  I don’t think there’s any way she’s escaping elimination.