‘So You Think You Can Dance’ review: Can we protect Mariah Spears this time?
What a strange and entertaining episode “So You Think You Can Dance” brought us this week. There were some very strange moments that unfolded over the course of the show, even if there were other times that we wanted to smile. Although we started the show hating the fact that we learned right away that Carlos Garland and Brittany Cherry were sent home from the competition. In many ways, it felt like this ruined their chances of being able to focus, but it instead ended up allowing for at least one of them to leave everything that they had on the stage.
Let’s go through everyone who performed on the night here, and you can head over here if you want to see some more highlights from the season as a whole.
Hayley Erbert and Curtis Holland, jazz – In going into the voting portion of the show, these two basically showed us that sometimes, this is barely a family show at all. There were so many butt-grabs in here that you would almost think it was an episode of “Jersey Shore” … one where people wore leather and were really, really good dancers. An explosive way to start the night, without a doubt.
Jasmine Harper and Aaron Turner, lyrical hip-hop – These two were not exactly shown a ton of airtime going into this part of the competition, so we imagine that they likely felt more pressure on them to deliver and they have. This routine was largely a thing of beauty, mostly because of their chemistry. You can’t ignore it, and you definitely would not want to.
Malece Miller and Jade Zuberi, Bollywood – The unfortunate thing about this routine for Jade is that he, unlike his partner, did not receive a ton of screen-time leading up to the live shows. So he has to bring it, and we’re not sure the mediocre Bollywood routine does the trick. Neither one of them committed on the level that they really needed to in order to make it work.
Alexis Juliana and Nico Greetham, contemporary – Personally, this entire routine was something that was not particularly fair, given that it was a sequel to something that Kaitlin and Robert did back in season 7. So basically, you are forcing your dancers to be like other past dancers. It was slightly distracting from what was otherwise a strong routine.
Brittany Cherry and BluPrint, Broadway – This is how Brittany goes out: With a decent but not amazing Broadway routine, hampered by the fact that her partner really seemed clueless for half of the routine. The reality is here that BluPrint should be in the bottom based on this performance, but probably won’t. He’s super-memorable, a likable guy, and he probably has the support of the Cyrus fans from last year.
Jasmine Mason and Alan Bersten, Argentine tango – There is nothing wrong with the way these two dance: It’s lyrical, elegant, and near flawless from a technical perspective. What they really need to work on from here on out is trying to show something a little different when it comes to their personalities. Right now, this is what may be hurting them in the votes.
Makenzie Dustman and Paul Karmiryan, jazz – One of our two favorite routines of the night, mostly because we will forever call it the Fembot Dance. Makenzie played Paul’s robot companion like it was the role of her life, and completely took over a routine that could have been so very cheesy. Paul still feels like a ringer since he won an international version of the show, but it’s hard to complain when these two keep putting out these sort of routines.
Mariah Spears and Carlos Garland, contemporary – This is our other favorite, and it’s a sad one for Carlos. You could feel Mariah (who was nearly sent home herself) hurting for him the entire routine, and this hip-hop dancer, admittedly a longtime favorite, actually delivered the best individual performance of the night. It wasn’t just about the movement, but it was about the emotion on her face that culminated in tears at the end. This moment alone justified the elimination twist, even if it came at Carlos’ expense.
Amy Yakima and Fik-Shun, hip-hop – Nice work by the producers in following something so serious with something so fun. This was a goofy routine that started with bellhop costumes, and ended with saucy movement and a graceful use of props. Fik-Shun was of course in his element, but Amy held her own.
Jenna Johnson and Tucker Knox, cha-cha – Tucker doesn’t seem like the guy who is extremely outgoing in the club, so it was fun to see him play that character. Plus, Jenna owned her role as the saucy woman who showed him what’s what. This dance really cemented to us that they are in the top half, while we could be saying goodbye to Malece and Jade next week.
Who do you feel really stood out on tonight’s episode of “So You Think You Can Dance”? Leave us a comment and let us know who you think is going to win this season.
Photo: Fox