New Show Recap: SYTYCD “Top Eight Perform”

This was the episode I’ve been waiting for all season, readers. I cheered, I cried, I want to be a badass ballerina when I grow up.

The opening dance was interesting, but I liked the music more than the actual dance. I didn’t recognize the choreographer by the dance (hint: it’s usually Tyce), but that was because he, Peter Chu, was making his SYTYCD premiere. Cat was wearing a cute little black dress with a lot of lace. When did lace come back? I swear fashion is taking a turn towards 1988. I lived through 1988 fashion once, that was plenty. The guest judge was one of my favorites, the effervescent Jesse Tyler Ferguson. Since only eight dancers were left, the format changed to include both paired dances with the all-stars and solos for each of the remaining eight.

To the dancing!

Solo – Tiffany

In Tiffany’s video bit, we learned that she’s from south Florida, she loves the beach and she loves her sister. Her solo was set to a song from Glee I didn’t recognize, I’m guessing it’s from the upcoming season. The dancing was nice, for a contemporary solo.

Couple – Witney and All-Star Twitch Dance Hip Hop

Another SYTYCD newbie, Luther Brown, choreographed an East Coast hip hop number for Witney and Twitch. Witney held her own against Twitch, I was able to look away from him several times during the routine, which, as we know, is hard for me. (How can I not watch Twitch? Twitch is the bee’s knees. /100 year old slang.) Witney was wearing a hideous outfit, it looked like she ripped out the underarm seams, but as it turns out, that look was intentional. The judges loved it, Nigel was in shock that an eighteen-year-old Mormon girl from Utah was able to dance it so well. There were some uncomfortable moments in the judges’s comments we’re just going to skip over. Jesse was fun, and it was obvious he is a big fan of the show.

Solo – Will

In Will’s video bit, we learned that he was a class clown and a bit of a troublemaker. His mom told us that Will told her dance saved his life. Will is adorable. His solo, however, was not. It was a little awkward, and it seemed like he was making it up as he went along.

Couple – Cole and All-Star Allison Dance Jazz

Oh hey, it’s the addiction dance again, but set to Bjork this time. Okay, not really. Cole was playing a “souless, sadistic man” and Allison wass trying to win his black, black heart. Some of the lifts were impressive, Bjork is always a treat, but otherwise it was kind of meh. It was danced well, but it wasn’t anything we haven’t seen before. Jesse called Sonja (who choreographed it) a sick, twisted woman, but with affection. He claimed, “I’m shaking, and I need a cocktail.” Mary loved it. Nigel raved about Allison and remembered Cole at the last minute.

Solo – Lindsay

Lindsay is from a dance family, her mom opened a dance studio in Tiny Town, Utah for her and her sisters. Her solo was pretty fun, for a ballroom solo. As much as I love ballroom, it’s really made for two people. Lindsay’s dance was a sort of modified, one-person tango. She has really impressive legs.

Couple – Eliana and All-Star Ryan Dance Quickstep

Everybody hates quickstep, but I fucking love it. It’s very precise, but it can be so much fucking fun when it’s done right. Eliana and Ryan knocked it out of the park. On top of nailing it, it looked like they were both having a blast. Hell yeah, quickstep. Ryan always struck me as smarmy during his season, I think I liked him more during this sixty second quickstep than I did that whole year. The judges, predictably, went nuts for it. Jesse said, “Holy smokies, Lord have Murphy.” Heh. If Eliana doesn’t win the woman’s title, I may never watch this show again. I’m lying, this show is like caffeine to me, I can’t make it without it.

Solo – Chehon

Chehon completely won me over with his video. He misses his mom, who he’s been away from for most of his life. Having his mom in the audience had a very positive effect on both his solo and his couple dance. Readers, I may or may not (I did) tear up a little. I’m a sucker for mom stories. His solo was breathtaking, and with Eliana’s, one of the best solos of the night. Maybe even one of the best solos I’ve ever seen on the show. Cat, international treasure, teared up with him, because she’s the fucking best.

Couple – Lindsay and Alex Fucking Wong Dance Contemporary

These two danced to another Sonya number, set to that Gotye (in my head, it’s Goatse. Don’t Google that if you don’t know what it is. Trust. [Haha, me too. -PoM]) song that was everywhere this summer. It was very passionate, but, as the judges later noted, there wasn’t enough rawr-chemistry between the two dancers. The moves were all technically perfect, but it should have been more titillating.

Couple – Will and All-Star Lauren Dance Hip Hop

Will is dancing his pain away, with his imaginary friend Lauren G., to a routine by Christopher Scott. As the judges noted, it’s the most mature we’ve seen Will dance. Lauren G. is again wearing stupid silver booties. It should be a rule that the only people allowed to wear silver shoes are sweet little old ladies on a cruise. The dance was a little different than most we’ve seen on the show, Lauren was mirroring Will while standing behind him, so they never actually connected through the whole routine. I really liked it, but I was already wondering if this was to be the last we saw of Will. Jesse called him an adorable puppy covered in other adorable puppies. I want a puppy covered puppy. I think it would be great to reduce stress.

Solo – Witney

It’s another ballroom solo for Witney, and it’s pretty good. Her video bit is a lot like Lindsay’s, because they might very well be the same person. Witney’s dad doesn’t like to watch her do sexy dances, which he makes very clear throughout the interview. Too bad, because her solo was smoking hot. Like Anya hot. I didn’t know she had it in her.

Solo – Cole

Cole was bullied when he was a kid, which led him to martial arts, which led to him creating his hybrid dance style. His mom spilled the beans about him starting to dance because he wanted to be an actor. I can see him having an acting career. His solo was fantastic, Cole has an incredible amount of control over his body.

Couple – Cyrus and All-Star Melanie Dance Jazz

It’s Melanie! I love her, even though I still think Sasha should have won last season. Cyrus is scared of jazz. This is straight-up jazz, too, the kind it’s easy to distinguish from contemporary. The routine was a LOT of fun, and it was easy to tell that both dancers were having a lot of fun dancing it. Cyrus got a little lost a couple of times, but overall he held his own. Plus, he was wearing houndstooth pants. The judges loved Cyrus more than they loved his dancing, but they all mentioned how clear it is that America loves him.

Solo – Eliana

I love her. I love her so much. I can’t even talk about it. Eliana’s story was a bit similar to Chehon’s, she’s had to spend a lot of time away from her mom. Her solo made me ache inside, it was beautiful.

Couple – Chehon and All-Star Anya Dance Argentine Tango

Oh, shit, this was good. I don’t know where this version of Chehon has been all season. He claimed he knew nothing about tango before he started, but it appears he picked it up pretty quick. It was beautiful, technically gorgeous and really, really hot. Nice work, Chehon. If I voted for reality shows, he would have earned my vote. The judges, especially ballroom expert Mary, loved it as well. Mary even put him on the train. Jesse, who may also be an international treasure, put him on his “hot jalapeno bus.” Hee.

Solo – Cyrus

Cyrus came to us from Texas, and lost his dad when he was only ten. He, like Chehon and Eliana, gave his mom a lot of credit for helping him get where he is now. I cried. Moms are awesome. So, in fact, was Cyrus’ solo. I could watch him all day. His mom, in the audience, went adorably nuts when he was finished.

Okay, I had to hit mute on this one. Celine Dion’s “Power of Love” makes my ears literally bleed. I loved this song when I was ten and Jennifer Rush sang it. I do not love Celine. Anyway, the dance was great on mute. AdÃ© was a great partner, and it was great to see Tiffany on her own, instead of being confused about whether she was Tiffany or Audrey. Mary called it her best dance of the season, and I have to agree.

Eliminations

Cat called all the dancers on stage, where Eliana, Tiffany, Chehon and Cyrus were safe. Lindsay, Witney, Will and Cole were in trouble. The judges decided to save Cole and Witney, sending Lindsay and Will packing.

A new episode airs tonight, where the top six will perform and two more will go home. See you then, SYTYCD fans!