SYTYCD: Top 16

Here we go - the first round of America voting for their favorite on SYTYCD. Tonight's show was jam-packed, so let's get to reviewing:



Kevin & Karen - The Hustle: Karen is usually pretty smoldering, but I really wasn't feeling it tonight. The whole dance seemed a little blah and, dare I say it, cheesey. The judges commended Kevin on some of his moves, and while they are good considering his lack of technical training, they're not good compared to a lot of the other dancers. This definitely won't be one of my favorites for the night.

Ashleigh & Jakob - Jazz: When I first saw the costumes before the break my immediate thought was that Jakob looked like Douche Wussypants, but I gotta say that they were perfect for the dance. I really enjoyed Jakob in this one. The tricks that were choreographed in for him were well thought out and actually fit with the number. Adam loved Ashleigh, but I think she only appeared so good here because she was choreographed well. She didn't have any major tricks (or really any major dancing) to do. Her personality was better in this than it has been in previous weeks though and I'd like to see how she grows next week.

Pauline & Peter - Quickstep: Ugh, a bit of a mess. I was hoping for these two to succeed. I really like the both of them, and loved the story of the dance. As the judges said, their personalities and charisma will pull them through, but the dancing itself was not so hot. I think they both have enough fans to not be worried about going home though. And awwww... how sweet is Peter's volunteer work?

Kathryn & Legacy - Broadway: So darling! This number had me smiling the whole way through. In my opinion, Kathryn's dancing was phenomenal and kudos to anyone who can pull off those high-waisted shorts! The judges thought her dancing was childish, but I think that's mainly a result of the choreography since she hasn't danced that way in the past. I initially was not a Legacy fan, but he's really growing on me. He's taken every dance style thrown at him and really worked it. I look forward to seeing these two next week.

Channing & Victor - Contemporary: Lucky kids to have gotten their own style, especially for their first dance together! Both of them have such amazing lines and Victor's jumps are phenomenal. Victor is quickly becoming a favorite of mine. His emotion always shows so clearly on his face, but never seems fake. And Adam hit it spot on when he pointed out that Channing seemed much softer and more feminine tonight. I can sort of understand Nigel's point about needing to be fantastic at their own style, but I think they did well enough to not be in danger of going home.

Ellenore & Ryan - Hip Hop: This had potential to be absolutely awful. And it pretty much was. As expected, Ryan danced like the whitest of white boys. His moves were a little too finished and over-the-top for my liking. And the two of them together just weren't a good partnership this week. They got off each other (and the music) several times and just danced it in totally different ways. I do love Ellenore though - she's just so adorable. But she was absolutely lost in the awfulness of Ryan on this one.

Mollee & Nathan - Salsa: This is quite possibly the worst showing I have ever seen on SYTYCD. These two were totally ice cold instead of red hot like they needed to be. Their lifts were really awkward and basically just a jumbled up mess. Nathan, who I was a fan of near the start of the season, looked like a 12 year old boy. I think it was a combination of the dancing and the styling that did him in. And Molleee just seemed as young and goofy as ever. I'm not a fan of either at this point.

Noelle & Russell - Afro Jazz: I didn't get the whole frog and princess vibe throughout the dance, but I did enjoy this number. I think both Noelle and Russell kept their energy up throughout and that alone is impressive. They danced together as a partnership better than I expected they would and did a good job at bringing some life back to a show full of less than stellar numbers.

The Bottom: Well, it'll truly be a crap shoot now that America is in charge. It's hard to know who's ahead in the popularity contest thus far, but based on dancing alone I think the bottom three couples should be Karen & Kevin, Ellenore & Ryan and Mollee & Nathan. And of that grouping I'd be sending Ryan and Mollee home.

Sidenote: I'm not loving Kat's look tonight. Between the grey reptile ombre fabric and the horrible faux-hawk, she looks like she's auditioning for the role of an alien on Star Trek.


So... what did you think of this episode? Who are your faves and who do you think should be sent packing?

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THE RESULTS: Hmm, well aren't I looking like quite the amateur, not even placing the two outted dancers in my bottom six. I will say though, and this is being completely honest, I almost had Pauline & Peter in my bottom three couples, but at the last minute swapped them out for Karen & Kevin. I didn't expect either Pauline or Peter to get that far, so I'm not totally disappointed, although I am a little shocked that Mollee & Nathan went breezing through. Nigel is right that they got by this week on popularity alone, because their dancing really stunk. Here's hoping America places more emphasis on talent next week.