So You Think You Can Dance: A Night At The Museum

Tonight two more dancers are cut from the competition, Nigel decides to lecture US on the definition of America's Favorite Dancer, and we visit the best museum ever!



 Doncha just love culture? 

This! Is So You Think You Can Dance (dance........dance)!

Remember when your best friend told you not to worry, you can shorten that hideous pink bridesmaid dress, add on a raggedy little sequin tie and have yourself a brand new look?



She LIED. 

The group number this week is performed to "Aha!" by Imogen Heap and choreographed by Wade and Amanda Robson. WOO HOO!! You all know how much I love me some Wade! 







Loved it! 

Cat reminds us that we voted (well, you did) and now the bottom three couples will have to dance for their lives hoping to change the decision the judges already made this morning about who will be going home.

Cat asks Nigel if he enjoyed the routines last night. He did, he thinks the show is back on track. He thinks after some tough love last week that the dancers have realized that they have to go for it, they're in a competition. 

He says we always talk about America's FAVORITE dancer, saying it's the favorite, not the best. But Nigel would like to remind everyone that the operative word there is DANCER. We're not just voting for America's FAVORITE, we should be voting for America's Favorite DANCER. So he thinks everyone has now realized that this is a dancing competition.



Damn! I thought it was a swimming competition! No wonder Phelps didn't show up! 

Cat wonders if Mary has any words of advice for the bottom three couples.



Try not to suck 

She tells them to not get overwhelmed and to try and remember that they are there for a reason; the judges thought they were extraordinary in their own style. Take a deep breath and don't be too desperate. Whoever leaves tonight will leave celebrated dancers. Sure, their departure will be celebrated by the people NOT going home.

Cat goes over to Adam telling him that next week the couples each perform two dances. Yay! That means less filler! He says that is going to test their stamina. Their brains will be more full, they're already tired from doing the shows they've already done, so they are really going to have to buckle down. This is when things start to get really really serious. Seriously.

He wants to take a second though to tell Wade and Amanda that the opening number was really fantastic. It was awesome and amazing. All he kept thinking was the he wants to spend a night in that museum.



Time to get down to business. The first couples up are Kevin and Karen, and Jakob and Asseleigh. What a nail biter this one is going to be.



Why is Asseleigh wearing the same exact outfit she wore for last week's eliminations? 

Last night Asseleigh and Jakob had hip hop. Asseleigh actually was given dance steps to do. And, she did them! It will come as a surprise to no one that they are safe. What did surprise me was that Cat didn't make them wait until after she had gone through the Kevin/Karen spiel before telling them they're safe.

Karen and Kevin had a non Sir BitchyPants Broadway number. They sucked. They're in the bottom. DUH.



Cat asks Adam if he's shocked by this. Nope. He says he doubts they're even surprised after last night's complete and utter suckage. Well, maybe he doesn't say that whole thing, but you know that's what he meant. He says they are two of the most poised and elegant dancers we've ever had on the show. Has he been smoking crack tonight? Kevin is poised and elegant? In what alterverse?

Time for a quick break!



Did they not learn their lesson from Extreme Measures?!?!? 



My kid has already told me TEN times that he wants this movie. Kill me now.  

We're back, and it's not time for Victor and Channing, Russell and Noelle, and Ryan and Ellenore to discover their fate.



We're starting with Ellenore and Ryan. Since there are two other couples still to go after them, I think it's a pretty sure bet that they will be safe. And they are.

Noelle and Russell danced the fox trot and I loved them despite her frumptastic dress. Victor and Channing danced a Sir BitchyPants jazz number and I hated the song with every fiber of my being. Cat makes some joke about the pecking order, which earns her an "OY!" from Adam, before telling Victor and Channing that they are in the bottom three. I blame the song. And Sir BitchyPants of course.



Mary says these two are consistently really, really good, but they haven't had that star type moment or breakthrough. The only thing she can think of is maybe the audience is not connecting with them emotionally. That's exactly what it is for me with them. I wish I liked them more because they're both really good dancers.

Time for the Kathryn and Legacy, and Mowee and Nathan to find out how much America likes them. 



Shoot! I'm guessing that Mowee and Nathan are going to be saved by their idiot fans again putting Kathryn and Legacy in the bottom three. Thankfully I am wrong, and Nathan and Mowee are in the bottom!



Nigel thinks this might be backlash from last week because he doesn't think they deserve to be in the bottom three this week.  I totally disagree with him on that one. Shocking, I know. What he is pleased about is that he complained last week about the standard of the solos, but he thinks this week they are going to be fantastic. He knows these two solos will be absolutely brilliant.



So don't worry, there's no way you're going home. Not even if you feel on your knee attempting to do an aerial. You're super safe. 

This week we're being treated to more special guests from the world of dance. This time around it's going to be Nakul Dev Mahajan and NDM Bollywood Productions. I wonder what the NDM stands for.







Well, that was very sparkly. It was a fun number, very Nakul. I'll never complain about having a dance guest rather than a lame musical one. How great would it be if they actually had more of the choreographers dance on the show? And I don't mean dance like that lame ass strutting around the stage they did last season for "One", I mean actually DANCE. Remember when Lil C performed before he was a choreographer on the show? I'd love to Shane get up there, or Dave Scott. I'd even sit through Nigel tap dancing again. I'm just happy when they give us more dancing!

Before we head into a short break, Cat shows us some completely candid footage of the dancers warming up backstage for their solos.

 

Can you all get in a little closer? Great! Don't look at the camera! 

After the break, it's time for the solos. Up first is Karen dancing "Break On Through" by The Doors.



Lame. She did more strutting around the stage trying to give Nigel a boner than she did actual dancing. On second thought, well played Karen, well played.

Up next is Kevin.



I know it's not the same exact solo he did last week, but it sure as shit feels that way. So I'm left feeling meh.

Channing's turn.  



Eh. Lots of reeeeeaching and kicking and turning. I'm not overly impressed.

Let's see how Victor does.



Too many turns. I actually just figured out what I don't like about Victor's turn while watching his solo: he overarches his back causing his butt to stick out too much. But he does have some pretty amazing feet, so I may be able to forgive his swayback. Maybe.

Time for Mowee.



UGH. There was way too much acro in there, and I swear it looked like she feel on that second aerial attempt. I'm anticipating a nice little reaming coming her away, especially after Nigel & Co. cut Pauline for being too conventiony.

Last but not least, it's Nathan.



Ha! I love how he kept bowing and Cat had to tell him to head on off the stage! This one didn't really do it for me either. I don't know what Nigel's definition of brilliant is, but neither Nathan or Mowee came even close to my definition of it. 

Another week of unimpressive solos. Yawn.

Now the judges are off to deliberate on the decision they've already made. But before Cat sends them away she wants to know if Nigel is pleased with the standard of the solos tonight. Yeah, with a few of them He also says with some of them we've seen stuff tonight that we've never seen before. Example? Mowee's aerial cartwheel onto the knee. Okay. First of all, that's gymnastics, not dancing. Second? It's called FALLING, Nigel.

GIF OF HER FALLING

Brilliant I tell ya! 

Cat sends them off and tells us it's time for another very special guest. Don't get too excited, it's not another dance guest, this time it's a musical guest: guitarist Orianthi. Who? I've never heard of this chick before. Cat tells us she's played with Carlos Santana, Carrie Underwood, and Michael Jackson. 



Two things she's got going for her: no backup dancers, and it appears that she is actually singing instead of lipsyncing. Certainly not the worst musical guest we've ever seen on this show.

Time for the judges' decision. As always, the ladies will be going first. Nigel tells us both decisions tonight are unanimous. He said it wasn't easy because every one of these dancers was good enough to be in the top twenty, and really they're good enough to be in the top ten, expect two really aren't because they're getting cut.

He reminds them again that the decision really has already been made and they use the dance for your life segment as a way for the dancers to possibly get them to change their minds. No one changed their minds tonight.

Mowee, step forward please. He says she really proved tonight that she can dance like a woman, and she really showed everyone in this competition what dancing for your life means. Huh, I thought it meant actually dancing, but I guess it means doing a lot of acro, some of it badly. Go sit down, Mowee.



Can I go potty first? 

He now turns his attention to Channing and Karen, telling them that this is about performance as well as about technique. They know how difficult it is for ballroom people to do a solo. He leaves out the fact that Karen's solo blew giant chunks. He tells Channing her technique is terrific, but they feel as if her personality is coming out as much as they'd like to see it. He said they need to be careful that she doesn't become just a great technician who becomes a great teacher; she needs to be a performer too.

With Karen they feel that is a performer, and they believe that Karen is a star of the disgusting fantasies that go through Nigel's mind every night, That is why they have decided to keep Karen and boot Channing out the door.



Sorry darling, you're just not boner material. 

After her goodbye montage Cat asks her what she's going to remember the most, what's going to be the thing when she's a little old lady that she tells her grandkids about this experience? She's going to tell them about the people she's met and how much she loves each and every one of them. Except for Nigel, he's a perv.

Now it's the guys' turn. Nathan, step forward please. Nigel thinks Nathan learned a hell of a lesson and he thinks tonight he proved his ability and what a good dancer he is with his solo. They'll add that together with everything they know about him and he's not going home. Whatever, Nigel. I didn't think his solo was that great.

He tells Victor they always talk about growth and how he's grown as a man, they think his solo work tonight was strong but he needs to be careful not to put pirouette after pirouette after pirouette in it. After all, this is not called America's Favorite Pirouetter. 

Kevin. They think he always feels a little uncomfortable in the routines he's in. He's certainly a terrific dancer, and well deserved of being in the top twenty (UGH! Stop!) but they're looking for growth. Even though just by doing the routines he's growing, they still feel as if there is a long way to go. And so, bye bye Kevin.



After his goodbye montage Cat asks him what he's learned most while he's been here. "That if you put your mind to something and you work real hard it'll always be done. And put god first, anything is possible." Except staying in this competition.

And there you have it, Gasmi. What did you think of these eliminations? I really wanted Mowee to go but I knew it was never going to happen. I mean, shit, Nigel pretty much told them they were safe before they even danced. Out of Channing and Karen I thought Karen's solo was shit. But I don't like Channing enough to be too outraged. It was definitely Kevin's time to go.

Are you looking forward to two dances for each couple next week? Only one more week to go and we have our top ten! It will be interesting to see who sticks around and who goes once America decides.

So. This upcoming week is Thanksgiving, but the show is still on. Damn you, Nigel! Just a heads up that I may be late in getting my recaps done. I have company coming for Thanksgiving, and I don't want to be rude and kick them out too early!



Or EVER! 

Anyway, I will do my best to get the recaps up as soon as possible. I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving! Gobble, gobble!

SWAK, PottyMouth