SYTYCD Thoughts

Poor Thayne.

No one can say that the results of this week were unexpected, but there is one term that I believe completely applies...bittersweet.

But before I talk about tonight's results, I'd like to give my thoughts on the performances yesterday. I would say that overall, last night's show contained the best choreography of the season. I have had routines really stand out to me each week, but there were several yesterday that had me applauding.

Let's start with Chelsie and Mark. First off, did anyone else think Chelsie looked gorgeous last night? It didn't hurt that she pulled off their first routine flawlessly. They did a Salsa that was fabulous. A few times in the past I felt like Chelsie wasn't all that impressive in their ballroom routines for being a ballroom dancer, but yesterday changed my mind. She was technically sound and beautiful. The Broadway routine they did was really good, but not necessarily anything to write home about. Mark did a good job at standing out in that routine, which I think he needed to do because he danced very quietly in the Salsa.

Next, Comfort and Thayne. Their first routine was a Hip Hop that got torn apart by the judges because of the couple's lack of a connection. I can't disagree with the judges' assessment there, but I thought that Thayne did a remarkable job at overcoming his shortage of Hip Hop experience. Comfort should have been "in her element" but was nothing special. The Contemporary they did made me so sad for Thayne. You could tell that somewhere under Comfort's flexed feet there was some special choreography, and the poor guy was never given a chance to uncover it. BTW, bravo to Mia Michaels for the comment she gave Comfort: "You can only fake technique so long."

Jessica and Will began with perhaps the best choreography of the season, rivaling Mandy Moore's Contemporary that was performed by Gev and Courtney. Before I go into the performance, WHO KNEW that Tyce Diorio could create that?! It was simply beautiful. You saw such a connection between the two dancers, you believed what you were seeing, and you were left amazed at the creativity displayed in the movement. I hesitate to say more lest I do the routine injustice... Second routine, Quickstep. Who likes the Quickstep, anyway, right?

I love, love, LOVE Courtney and Gev. Their Cha-Cha was hot, their Jazz was entertaining. How can you not love these guys? The Jazz choreography made me very happy. I feel like some of Mandy Moore's routines struggled at the beginning of the season and I'm very glad to see her back in her groove.

Kherington and Twitch had their first "off" night of the season in my opinion. I hate Krump routines and the Smooth Tango didn't really do anything for me. I thought that the Mr. and Mrs. Smith idea was so clever, but I failed to see it fully realized on stage.

Katee and Joshua were solid as always. Their first routine, the Viennese Waltz was nothing spectacular. Katee seemed too "big" in some of the smooth movements and, sadly, I think Mia hit it on the head when she commented that Joshua looked like a football player trying to grasp the movement. Their Bollywood routine, on the other hand, was so much fun! I mean, you can't really say much about the choreography when you've never before seen that style of dance, but I can say that I enjoyed it.

With all of that said, I left yesterday impressed by the choreography, confident that Comfort would be gone, and hoping for a miracle to keep Thayne around. I knew it was a long shot, by Thayne has been high on my list since his audition, and I can't help feeling like he deserved another partner. The miracle I was pulling for was that Chelsie and Mark would find themselves in the bottom 3. Nothing against Mark, but he's never stood out to me as bad or good, and since I love Thayne, I would have been fine seeing Mark go home. But when they announced Mark and Chelsie were safe, my hopes for Thayne were shot.

The solos were danced and I was disgusted, once again, by Comfort. Knowing that my time on the show hinged on those 30 seconds, I can't see myself standing in a dance studio to choreograph my solo thinking, "Okay, I'll start out with the jazz splits...always a crowd favorite. Then maybe I'll just run around the stage for half of my solo. If I run on the very edge of the stage--right by the audience--that should make it interesting, right? Oh and then...maybe I'll try out those jazz splits again!" Then to hear Nigel say "You really pulled it out with your solo." I was like, "WHAT??? Are watching the same SHOW???" Thank heavens he came to his senses and voted the girl off.

When I watched the boys' solos, I found myself thinking I'd be okay if Twitch went home. I know he's a crowd favorite--heck, he's a Wendy favorite!--but I still couldn't keep myself from hoping for Thayne to stay. But the results were given and I think Nigel was sincere when he said he wished they could have kept all of the guys this week. :(

Bittersweet--The bitter loss of Thayne and the oh-so-succulent farewell to Comfort.

Poor Thayne. Another Utahn gone. Another beautiful contemporary dancer gone. Another reinforcement of what keeps this show on the air...It's thrilling, intense, frustrating, heart-breaking, and wonderful.

Agree with me? Disagree completely? Let me know! I know that several of you watch this show too, so put me in my place by leaving lots of controversial comments. I welcome them!