sytycd 4 - top 14 performance show

GUEST JUDGES: Napoleon and Tabitha

JESSICA and WILL
JIVE choreographed by Tony Meredith and Melanie LaPatin - VIDEO CLIP
CHOO CHOO CH'BOOGIE by Five Guys Named Moe (Original Broadway Cast) - iTunes URL

A jive should be wildly entertaining with high energy and lots of fun IMO. If I'm being honest, I was only mildly entertained by Will and Jessica's routine. The tricks were great, but it looked like they really struggled to get through the choreography in places.

COMFORT and THAYNE
BROADWAY choreographed by Andy Blankenbuehler - VIDEO CLIP
COOL by Bernstein and Sondheim - iTunes URL

The routine was a mixed bag for me. Thayne has a flair for the dramatic, so I thought he was fantastic; however, Comfort is pretty one-dimensional and incapable of taking a performance to the next level. Their dance should have been brimming with passion, romance and drama, but it just fell flat.

KOURTNI and MATT
HIP HOP choreographed by Cicely and Olisa - VIDEO CLIP
HOW DO I BREATHE by Mario - SONG FILE

Boy, that was awkward! They were totally out of their element and it showed. Not. Good. At. All.

CHELSIE and MARK
JAZZ choreographed by Mandy Moore - VIDEO CLIP
KISS KISS by Holly Vance - SONG FILE

These two earned plenty of smooches from me! Finally, a performance to get excited about! Mark and Chelsie have remarkable chemistry together, which really accentuated the choreography. The routine had a very hip and fresh feel to it. Best of the night so far!

KHERINGTON and TWITCH
PASO DOBLE choreographed by Tony Meredith and Melanie LaPatin - VIDEO CLIP
MALAGUENA by Brian Setzer '68 Comeback Special - iTunes URL

I was so not digging the wardrobe, but the dance was great regardless. I loooved the cape action in the beginning and the slow build up of the choreography. Twitch totally got into character, albeit with hunched shoulders most of the time. Kherington was commanding in her performance, the more dominant of the two, which kind of stole some of Twitch's thunder. Overall, it was a passionate and powerful Paso!

KATEE and JOSHUA
CONTEMPORARY choreographed by Mia Michaels - VIDEO CLIP
HOMETOWN GLORY by Adele - SONG FILE

Could they have put Katee in a frumpier dress?! Bad wardrobe department, baaad. Joshua and Katee owned the stage, giving fabulous energy and depth to the choreography. I was completely captivated! As with so many of Mia's routines, the beauty is in the details, and this piece was no exception. Chalk up another tremendous performance for Katee and Joshua!

COURTNEY and GEV
HIP HOP choreographed by Cicely and Olisa - VIDEO CLIP
LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION! by Mr. Cheeks - iTunes URL

I am utterly speechless in regard to Courtney's hip hop skills! Girlfriend got her groove on! The choreography was funky fresh, and I thoroughly enjoyed the performance.

JESSICA and WILL
LYRICAL JAZZ choreographed by Mandy Moore - VIDEO CLIP
ALONE by Heart - SONG FILE

Will dancing a lyrical routine shirtless... I swoon! Omigosh, that was sooo incredibly HAWT!! The choreography was intense, and they pulled it off with conviction and passion. Great chemistry. I loooved the clever moves utilizing the shirt, and the lifts were just exquisite. Rest assured, I will be watching this routine over and over and over. Thank you, Mandy Moore. My fave performance of the night!

COMFORT and THAYNE
SMOOTH WALTZ choreographed by Edward Simon - VIDEO CLIP
HOV AREK SARER JAN by New Age Armenia - iTunes URL

What a vast improvement over their lackluster Broadway number! They maintained nice flow, with touches of romance and elegance. Comfort hit some pretty impressive lines. Good job!

KOURTNI and MATT
MAMBO choreographed by Alex Da Silva - VIDEO CLIP
BAN-CON-TIM by Super All-Star

The chemistry was non-existent, and their dancing was a bit all over the place. There was no flavor, no personality. The lifts and turns were sluggish and sloppy. These two had a rough go of it tonight and are destined for the bottom three.

CHELSIE and MARK
FOXTROT choreographed by Edward Simon - VIDEO CLIP
IT'S MY LIFE by Paul Anka - iTunes URL

A foxtrot set to Paul Anka crooning a Bon Jovi tune... that's gotta be one for the "Things that make you go hmmm" record books! To add insult to injury, Chelsea's feathery frock was totally distracting. On to the dancing... I thoroughly enjoyed their foxtrot. They floated around the stage effortlessly! Chelsie and Mark are such natural performers, and I love watching them dance.

TWITCH and KHERINGTON
CONTEMPORARY choreographed by Mia Michaels - VIDEO CLIP
DREAMING WITH A BROKEN HEART by John Mayer - SONG FILE

I loved the narrative, and both dancers were fully committed to the performance. I especially liked the part near the end when they took turns performing explosive moves on the bed amidst showers of rose petals. Awesomely amazing!

KATEE and JOSHUA
WEST COAST SWING choreographed by Benji Schwimmer - VIDEO CLIP
SHAKE IT by Brother Yusef

Their performance was tons of fun and full of tricks! I don't think it was as smooth as it could have been, but pretty good overall. What was up with the hot pink fringe? Tacky, tacky, tacky.

COURTNEY and GEV
BROADWAY choreographed by Andy Blankenbuehler - VIDEO CLIP
NEW YORK, NEW YORK by Bernstein, Comden and Green

The show ended with an entertaining little number inspired by the musical ON THE TOWN. Gev was impressive, Courtney was captivating! Some of the moves could have been bigger and more exaggerated for added dramatic effect, but I thought they did a fine job.

**MY TOP 4 COUPLES** Chelsie and Mark, Katee and Joshua, Kherington and Twitch, Courtney and Gev

**MY BOTTOM 3 COUPLES** Jessica and Will, Comfort and Chris, Kourtni and Matt

I found this episode to be underwhelming as a whole. Jamming 14 routines into 2 hours seemed completely unnecessary to me. In doing so, the producers sacrificed quality for quantity, and the result was a bunch of mediocre choreography and performances. The past two seasons, they waited until there were only 4 or 5 couples left before requiring contestants to perform two dances.

I also have an uneasy feeling about the direction of the show, in general. I mean, what I have loved about SYTYCD is that it has been more relevant, more hip than some other talent contests... namely, American Idol. The music has been more trendsetting. APOLOGIZE by OneRepublic, for example, was used by Tyce Diorio in Season 3 waaay before it ever became a hit. **SIDE NOTE: OneRepublic will be performing during tomorrow night's results show.** In contrast, tonight's show featured some downright jaded and uninspired song choices, which led to jaded and uninspired choreography... ultimately translating into jaded and uninspired performances.

Moreover, the wardrobe department reeeally missed the mark tonight. The lead stylist was on vacay, perhaps! From Cat's (misinterpretation of a) tuxedo dress to Katee's frumpy black dress to Chelsie's feathery fiasco to Katee's Pepto-Bismol fringe, the show was filled with fashion disasters. Wardrobe and/or costume should enhance, not distract!

On a positive note, I think that Napoleon and Tabitha are a fabulous addition to the show. They offered thoughtful, specific critique and not random, useless drivel. Their vibe was super positive and encouraging. I have truly enjoyed their choreography, as well as their comments while on the judges' panel.