Season 10’s top 20 contestants were revealed last night, and they showed their stuff for the first time in an exhibition episode on the SYTYCD stage.
The 33 contestants remaining after the Vegas rounds came to L.A. to walk the notorious green mile, to find out if they would be a part of season 10’s top 20, and dance on the SYTYCD stage to compete for the title of America’s favorite dancer. There were emotional eliminations and routines, but the result was the most varied top 20 in the show’s history.
Hip hop
Du-Shaunt “Fik-shun” Stegall has been a stand-out from the very beginning, so it’s no surprise that he was the first to make it into the top 20. Though the judges did say they are taking a chance on him, because while his personality is great, his technique needs work.
Emilio Dosal also stood out in his first audition, and has been impressing the judges ever since. They chose him for the top 20, but it was later revealed that after the selection, he was injured and had to withdraw from the competition.
This is not Marcus Shields‘ first time auditioning for SYTYCD, and as he walked the green mile, all those memories were coming back to him. Unfortunately, it was bad news again, as the judges wasted no time in telling him this was the end of his journey.
Mariah Spears was like a ghost all through the audition rounds: they kept showing her repeatedly, mastering dance after dance, but they were always talking about her partner at the time, or showing her in a montage of dancers that made it through. They never focused on her directly, but the judges certainly did, as she’s the first female hip-hopper to make it to the top 20 since season 4’s Comfort Fedoke.
So Fik-shun and Mariah kicked off the top 20 showcase, representing hip hop with a Luther Brown routine to “Ball” by T.I. feat. Lil’ Wayne. The performance ended up being more of a showcase for their personalities than their dancing. It wasn’t a very difficult routine, which gave them a lot of opportunities to play to the audience and the camera.
The judges have been raving about Fik-shun’s personality from his very first sudition, but Mariah proved to be the standout in this routine, as not only was her attitude a surprise, but her dancing was stronger than Fik-shun’s. The judges made it clear to Fik-shun that he cannot survive in this competition on personality alone, and that his dancing will have to be stronger.
Keep reading to find out if there’s a spot in the top 20 for any contemporary dancers.
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