Season 10’s Vegas week proved to be just as harrowing as ever, with all the blood, sweat, tears, injuries, and shocking eliminations we’ve come to expect.
The contestants came to Vegas ready to prove to the judges that they could handle anything the show had to throw at them: choreography, different genres, partnering, and performing under pressure. Some early favorite contestants didn’t even make it to Vegas. Taylor Ward wasn’t able to continue after dislocating her knee in her audition. Hampton “Exorcist” Williams was injured in a car accident before the Vegas rounds, but his partner Darlesha Goggans was able to continue without him.
First round: Dance for your life
The contestants weren’t able to rest easy for a moment, as before they could even check into the hotel, they had to dance for their lives, in order to prove that they belonged in Vegas. Director/producer/choreographer Adam Shankman, all-star Twitch, and Jason DeRulo joined Nigel Lythgoe and Mary Murphy at the judges’ table, but the judges did not give any feedback after the performances. Certain contestants, like Malece Miller and Du-Shaunt “Fik-shun” Stegall, really stood out from the pack. Unfortunately, other favorites, like energetic Donovan Gibbs, nerdy Caleb Brauner, Katlyn Rodriguez, who got help from her brother, and Exorcist’s partner Darlesha Goggans were all eliminated. In total, 53 dancers were cut before even checking in.
Second round: Hip-hop
Choreographers Napolean and Tabitha choreographed a routine for the dancers, and told them that if they were doing it right, they should want to puke by the time it was over. This was the first chance for the untrained street performers to prove that they could handle someone else’s choreography. Many of them, including a confident Jade Zuberi, rose to the challenge. Mongolian bowl dancer Shanshan Qiao-Rothlisberger was way out of her comfort zone, and even though she didn’t nail the routine, she had enough swag to move on in the competition. Some tappers, like Tyrone Cobham Jr., and Alexis Juliano, and some ballroom dancers also stood out.
Third Round: Jazz
Sonya Tayeh is a tough choreographer, and she was not pulling any punches with this jazz routine. She encouraged the dancers to “stop talking, start feeling, and start looking.” After rehearsing for the allotted hour, Sonya did not feel they were good enough, so they were given the night to rehearse, to return the next morning and perform for the judges.
Malece Miller and her partner, ballroom dancer Armen Way, were rehearsing the routine one last time when Armen lost his grip and Malece slipped and landed on her head on the cement floor. She was taken to the hospital overnight for observation, but she came back to perform the next morning, with a sore neck and a possible concussion. After their performance, the judges loved Malece, and put her right through. Ballroom expert Mary had to fight for Armen, and reprimanded him, telling him no matter how good a dancer he is, you can’t put anyone at risk. Armen looked shell-shocked, and felt terrible, saying he would “fix everything.”
Sonya encouraged the dancers to love their partners, and rely on them. Hip-hopper Jade‘s statuesque partner Sidney did not listen to this recommendation, and when she asked to switch partners, Sonya reemed her out in front of the group. Sidney and Jade stuck together, and after their dance, Nigel asked Jade to dance for his life, and put Sidney through, after commending her for fighting for her place in the competition. Jade blew the judges away in his solo performance, and they put him through.
New Girl‘s Hannah Simone joined the judges’ panel for the jazz auditions, and was quickly blown away by the incredible talent. Early favorite contemporary dancer Amy Yackima got an “ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!” from Adam Shankman, and Fik-shun continued to surprise. Some dancers, like sweet Shanshan, were sent home, but 68 dancers in all were put through to the next round.
Fourth Round: Ballroom
Past contestants Dmitry Chaplin and Chelsie Hightower served as choreographers and judges for the ballroom round. Ballroom dancer Jenna Johnson shined in her chosen genre, with the judges saying she is “the whole package.” After his difficulties in the jazz round, the judges called Armen the best male performer of the day. Standouts Fik-shun and Jade made it through, though dance teacher Tommy Tibball, and Jade’s former partner Sidney, were sent home.
Fifth Round: Group night
Group night is a dreaded and miserable time in any reality show, and this one is no different. The dancers were put in groups of five or six, drew a song at random, and had to spend the night choreographing a dance to that song, and learning the dance to perfection. One group, including ballroom dancer Jenna Johnson, chose to pay tribute to the heroic acts during the tragedy in Boston earlier this year. The dance brought many of the judges to tears, not to mention the dancers themselves.
Another group, including early favorites Jennifer Jones, Tucker Knox, Amy Yackima, and Mariia Lebedeva, got no sleep, as they worked and argued their way through the night. Their routine was contemporary, not incorporating all the the dancer’s strengths, including ballroom dancer Mariia. Mariia was struggling to keep up with her teammates, and unwilling to go along with some of the choreography and lifts they had planned, because she didn’t feel comfortable. After working through the night, their unique chair routine won over all the judges, and the whole team made it through.
Sixth Round: Contemporary
54 contestants made it to the contemporary round, learning choreographer Stacey Tookey’s routine. The story behind Stacey’s routine is a girl who has put up with too much from her boyfriend, and calls it quits just as he’s seen the error of his ways. This round proved to be a tough one for eliminations: including Jennifer Jones, and her last-minute partner Misha Smagin, Misha’s audition partner and Jennifer’s groupmate Mariia.
Tapper Curtis Holland was unhappy with his performance, and started crying before he even completed the routine. He continued to cry until the judges called him to the microphone. They asked him how he felt about his routine, and he could barely get a word in before bursting into tears once again, unable to stop. As Curtis sobbed onstage, the judges were all either crying or laughing. In the end though, Curtis made it through to the next round, so all his tears were for naught.
Animators Jade and BluPrint both performed poorly in the contemporary round, but Nigel gave them the opportunity to dance for their lives, in a dance-off. Choreographer Stacey was given the responsibility of choosing one of them to move on to the next round. It was an even match, and in the end, Stacey chose to keep both of them for the next round.
Stacey’s routine struck very close to home for contemporary dancer Jasmine Harper, whose ex-boyfriend is last season’s contestant Cyrus. She was very emotional during her performance, and it made her performance even better. Nosy Nigel pried into their relationship, asking who dumped who, and sent Jasmine through to the next round.
The dancers weren’t safe quite yet though, as the judges called them into a line onstage, and made them each step forward to say why they wanted to be a part of the competition. There was your typical, “dancing is my life,” “I belong here,” crap, and Armen Way told the judges that this competition, and their guidance, has changed his life and made him a better person. Unfortunatetely, it wasn’t enough, as the judges brought out the 5 remaining male ballroom dancers, and eliminated only Armen.
There are 33 dancers left, and next week, the dancers will walk the green mile to find out if they will be a part of the top 20. We’ll also get our first look at the top 20 in an exhibition performance.