Shirtless Twitch

I'm blogging SYTYCD with my sister Amy today from Minnesota. During the intros:
"Ooh, Josh just winked at me!"
"Courtney always starts with that super cheesy grin, it's so cute."
"Wait, what is Gev doing? What? WHAT? DAMN!!"

There are 14 dances tonight, so less goofy packages, more dance. Yay!!

1. Jessica & Will, Jive: Will can do anything, and this is no exception. He makes everything he does look so easy. This was a lively and fun number, and that lift through Will's legs? You know the one? That was crazy!! And they nailed it! That said, Jessica is still heavy on most of the lifts. Amy was wondering if maybe Will wasn't partnering strong enough; I think maybe Jessica needs to throw herself into her lifts and tricks more, and that's why they come across as heavy. In their critique, Mary & Nigel show that, while they may be crazy, they are dance experts and their critique here is really helpful in pointing out was was wrong and right with this routine.

2. Comfort & Thayne, Broadway: Or, at Cat says, "Broooodway." Amy & me: "She looks great in red." "Totally." "He could be hittin' it harder." "She's kind of killin' it, though." "He should be killin' it." "Yeah, he LOOKS like a Jet." "He has really big hands. Did you ever notice that?" "I notice it now!" I'm not super crazy about the routine. It was reasonably well done, and their chemistry is good, especially for a new couple, but given the music it should have been a little tougher and more intense, which I'm starting to suspect is a tall order for Thayne. I don't agree with Nigel that they'd get boo'd off a Broadway stage, though. Harsh, dude.

3. Kourtni & Matt, Hip Hop: Two out of two sisters in this living room agree--Matt was super suave and awesome, and totally out-danced Kourtni for the first time on this show. The second half of the routine was better than the first, for sure. The smooth choreography was nice, and I thought they were really together most of the time. Amy thought it was good and I do too, but I think Kourtni could have just brought a lot more.

4. Chelsie & Mark, Jazz: I love these two, and I'm starting to believe they can do anything. They really throw themselves into every style which makes them so much fun to watch. They're totally great here. Their chemistry is sensational, their performance is fantastic, and we totally loved it.

5. Kherington & Twitch, Paso Doble: The first slide down with the cape is a little rough. The capes are kind of distracting at the beginning, and I guess this was supposed to be "cape work?" I wasn't feeling it. Their moves feel a little fake in this routine. Like their personalities don't suit the dance, or something. Amy was saying that she would have loved to have seen it with Chelsie instead, which isn't a great sign. We thought Twitch was good, but it's entirely possible we were just distracted by his bare chest. Ahem.

6. Katee & Josh, Contemporary: We hate Katee's hair, with the big bubble of bangs on her head. WE LOVE THIS ROUTINE. When it ended the hair on my arms was on end and there was a tear in my eye. The routine was crazy awesome, the moves were so creative and genius (Mia Michaels), and they committed and nailed it and performed the hell out of it. I loved how the big moves were breathtaking, and the tiny moves, down to their fingers, were dynamic. Just sensational.

7. Courtney & Gev, Hip Hop: Amy: "Yay! Gev gets hip hop!!" So, Gev looks like he's just doing this for fun, like it's completely effortless for him. Courtney's working hard and selling the crap out of it. They really could have given Gev a lot more to do--I think this was just way too easy a routine for him. The judges are hard on them, but I think this is where the judges got it a little wrong. The routine was flawless, but Gev just needed a lot more to do, and needed to sell it a bit harder.

8. Jessica & Will, Lyrical Jazz: The camera work on the beginning of this was a bummer, because we missed Will's big leap, and some other key moves. Everything else was great. This routine was sexy and fantastic. This is the best Jessica has done all season, and even the lifts were great. Will was genius, again, and their chemistry was fantastic. Amy & I also agree with the high-pitched "Eeeeeee!"s in the audience, re: the Hotness of Will, because. OW. Yeah. He's fabulous.

9. Comfort & Thayne, Smooth Waltz: This was lovely. Very light. They really seemed to dance it well. Comfort was light and beautiful, and I thought Thayne was very well suited for the style, and really kept his frame nicely. And stayed in character really well. The whole thing was dreamy and fabulous.

10. Kourtni & Matt, Mambo: Well, they look great. And Matt's working really hard, again. I think he's trying really hard this week not to end up voted off the show. Kourtni seems to be having a bit of a hard time time out there. We liked Matt a lot better than the judges did. We think maybe Kourtni was sick? Or had a bad headache? She just wasn't as "up" & lively as she usually is.

11. Chelsie & Mark, Foxtrot: First, costumes. Mark looks so handsome all suited up and slicked back. Chelsie's dress is kind of overwhelming her. The routine is fun and sexy. I wish we could have seen some of Chelsie's lines a bit more. I love these guys, though, and I thought the whole thing was fantastic.

But, seriously folks: Who peed in Nigel's Wheaties? He's just all kind of cranky & impatient this show.

12. Kherington & Twitch, Contemporary: So, this starts with Shirtless Twitch laying on the bed, and we're just kind of like, "Okay." Kherington didn't get to do enough, and why was she stuck behind the bed so much? We didn't get to see her lines. Twitch was good, though. Very strong, and really comitted to this style. I liked Mia's other routine so much more. The other one was way more dancing; this was way more drama. Not that we mind watching shirtless Twitch laying on a bed, of course. I just wish there'd been more dancing.

13. Katee & Joshua, West Coast Swing: Choreographed by the Schwimmers! So the music sucks, and their costumes suck. The choreography is cute, but the dancing is just okay. I'm so bummed, 'cause you know I love these guys. It should have been a whole lot bouncier, and a lot more fun. I'm surprised that the judges weren't harsher on them. I would have really loved to have seen the Schwimmers dance this, but, again--that's not a sign of a strong routine.

14. Courtney & Gev, Broadway: I LOVE these costumes, and I love the song. This was so much fun. We think these two, especially Gev, worked really hard on this one. The performance was great, the dancing was good. Plus, really, these two just could not be cuter.

Predictions:
Like Amy said just now, I think at this point it's more about the top four couples, and less about the bottom three. I also agree with her, that at this point, some couples are these popularity juggernauts, and others just "marked." I think once those marked couples are eliminated, though, certain couples (Twitchington, Courtney & Gev) are going to have to step up to keep up with the top dancers on the show. That said,

Staying:
Chelsie & Mark, Kherington & Twitch, Katee & Joshua, Courtney & Gev

Bottom Three:
Jessica & Will, Comfort & Thayne, Kourtni & Matt