The all-stars ran the show on last week’s So You Think You Can Dance, dancing with and choreographing the top eight contestants, and at times earning more praise than the contestants themselves.
Regular judges Nigel Lythgoe and Mary Murphy were joined this week by Jenna Elfman, of Dharma and Greg and 1600 Penn fame. Not only is she a talented actress, but she has a dance pedigree to back up her critiques. And while she did have some wise words for the contestants, her comments were more about their time on the show as a whole, or the previous week’s performances, not about the performances she had just seen. She did earn some laughs, however, particularly when she lusted after super-handsome all-star Dmitry Chaplin.
Eliminations
The bottom four were revealed at the top of the show to be DuShaunt “Fik-shun” Stegall, Jenna Johnson, Tucker Knox, and Hayley Erbert. This was Fik-shun’s and Hayley’s first appearance in the bottom, but Tucker and especially Jenna are repeat offenders. The judges decided to have all four dancers perform their solos, as this was such an important week leading up to the finale.
Last week’s bottom four dancers may not have been a surprise, but the elimination certainly was. When the bottom four returned to the stage at the end of the show to learn their fate, Nigel wasted no time in revealing that the contestants going home were Jenna Johnson and Tucker Knox. No explanation was given, only the assurance that they would only be gone a week before returning for the finale.
In fact, the only preamble Nigel gave was that it had been a tough decision, and Jenna had danced her best performance in the competition that week. Knowing what a big fan Nigel was of both dancers, one can only imagine he finally gave into America’s peer pressure and eliminated them.
There has been vehement fan complaint about Nigel choosing to save Jenna week after week after America’s lack of votes and support have left her in the bottom. While technically talented, Jenna does not seemed to have created a connection with the viewers, who have been frustrated to see their favorite dancers go home in her place.
Tucker, however, has not been as controversial a contestant. It was surprising he would land in the bottom four after his emotional performance the previous week, but even more surprising that the judges and choreographers would choose to send him home after praising both his solo and duet this past week.
Fik-shun and Hayley are both talented, and have gotten positive reviews from the judges throughout the competition. However, Fik-shun is the weakest dancer, technically, in the competition, being an untrained street dancer. But his growth from week to week has been incredible, and his personality is magnetic and always makes for an entertaining performance. Hayley is gorgeous and a technically perfect dancer, but she seems to get lost in the shuffle between the praise and attention being thrown at Jasmine, Jenna, and Amy.
Routines
Top Eight
The top eight (sans tapper Aaron Turner, who had a shoulder injury) took the stage to kick off the show with a long-awaited Mia Michaels routine. It seems Mia has been watching Sonya Tayeh’s work this season, as this quirky routine seemed inspired by Sonya’s wackiness. It was was like a dark, sexy circus, with a lot of twerking and thrusting in black feathers and garters, all in front of a fringed curtain. Mia’s routines are predictably enjoyable, and this was no exception. Here’s hoping we see more of her work before the season comes to a close.
Aaron Turner and Chelsie Hightower
All-star and Dancing with the Stars transplant Chelsie choreographed a hip ’60s jive for her and Aaron. It was an energetic routine, with flips and stunts that were not affected by the difference in size between the two dancers. Aaron is such a delight to watch: he has so much personality, selling the dance with his face and mannerisms, you almost forget to pay attention to his dancing. The judges are able to see past his charms, however, and felt he did not perform as well in the jive as they had anticipated. But Nigel made it clear that he feels Aaron has done enough to earn a place in the finale.
DuShaunt “Fik-shun” Stegall and Alison Holker
All-star Allison drew from personal experience (her relationship with fellow all-star Twitch) to choreograph a stunning routine about an interracial couple that is afraid to show their love in public, for fear of what other people will and have said. It was a beautiful routine, and beautifully danced by both Fik-shun and Allison. Fikshun doesn’t have the training or technique, but he is crushing the learning curve, and he is incredibly compelling to watch. He showed more serious emotion in this routine than he has all season.
Tucker Knox and Courtney Galiano
Season 4 all-star Courtney made an outstanding comeback after an MS diagnosis (for which she earned a standing ovation) with a contemporary routine based on the classic tale of star-crossed lovers: Romeo and Juliet. It was not a classical routine one might expect for Romeo and Juliet, as it was set to Zedd’s “Clarity,”. It was fast-paced and fun, with a lot of impressive lifts and stunts. In one particular stunt that earned praise from the judges, Courtney hopped up on Tucker’s shoulders and basically used his head as a Sit ‘n Spin.
Paul Karmiryan and Comfort Fedoke
All-star Comfort had her work cut out for her, getting ballroom dancer Paul to forget everything he’s learned in ballroom for this hip-hop routine. Paul and Comfort portrayed graffiti artists, and it was a very fast routine, which was an extra challenge for Paul. But he managed to stay in the pocket and keep up the pace, and the judges were impressed. Paul effortlessly handles anything SYTYCD throws at him, and Mary called him “one of the most versatile dancers on this show.”
Hayley Erbert and Dmitry Chaplin
Dmitry is no stranger to choreographing for SYTYCD since his season 2 appearance as a contestant, but he has faced some criticism from Nigel this season for lackluster routines. That wasn’t the case with the rumba he choreographed for Hayley, which was sexy and sensational. They make a beautiful pair, and were portraying a newly engaged couple, with Hayley’s character having just found out that her fiancé has been cheating on her. They really captured the emotion of the routine, and Hayley’s technique was flawless, as always.
Jenna Johnson and Mark Kanemura
Lady Gaga’s number one dancer and season 4 all-star Mark blew the judges away with his first ever try at choreographing, with contestant Jenna. Anyone who remembers Mark from previous seasons had to know that we were in for a treat, and he certainly didn’t disappoint. The routine was a fantastically weird glimpse into the mind of the man himself. Jenna, as always, took to the routine beautifully, even with the added challenge of dealing with a first-time choreographer with an offbeat style. The routine drew a standing “o” and bountiful praise for Mark’s choreography from all three judges, bringing the pro to tears.
Jasmine Harper and Stephen “Twitch” Boss
Twitch brought his goofy geeky awesomeness to the stage with a superhero-themed routine for front-runner Jasmine. They were Super Twitch and Flexi Girl, and they were both fighting over the same crime scene, trying to out-do and one-up each other with every move. They were a perfect couple: both so charismatic and able to bring a smile to your face, on top of being incredible dancers. It was great to see Jasmine in such a fun, light-hearted turn, as so many of her routines are more emotional. Nigel admitted that after losing his favorite girl Makenzie the week before, Jasmine has stolen his heart.
Amy Yackima and Travis Wall
Contestant Amy was lucky enough to close the show with the SYTYCD all-star most celebrated for his choreography on the show: Travis Wall. An amazing dancer during his time on season 2, this time he got to combine his dancing and choreography skills into one routine, and it was wonderful. The routine portrayed the games we all play when first entering into a new relationship.
While the judges have called her the beast of the competition from the very beginning, Amy has drawn mostly light-hearted, fun routines, which her bubbly personality has been perfect for. But she proved her versatility with her every move and expression in this emotional routine. For his part, Travis was rightfully called a genius by Nigel, who believes he will go on to exceed even his own wildest expectations.
Last week’s show served as such a remarkable showcase of everything So You Think You Can Dance has to be proud of. The show has produced some of the most talented and successful commercial dancers in the business, and this week proved that their talents extend into choreography as well. But the most wonderful thing is the sense of community that exists between the contestants, the all-stars, the judges, and the choreographers. Once you are a part of the show, you become a part of the SYTYCD family as well.
Not only do the dancers support each other’s careers, but even executive producer Nigel Lythgoe, who certainly has enough on his plate, obviously keeps track of all of the former contestants: their professional achievements and their personal struggles. He and fellow judge Mary Murphy truly seem to care about each and every dancer, and that’s certainly not something we see on every reality competition show.
Tune in this week, when the top 6 dance for returning guest judge Jesse Tyler Ferguson from Modern Family. The SYTYCD finale airs Sept. 3, with dance legend and unhelpful judge Paula Abdul returning to reveal America’s favorite dancers.