Tonight the Top 20 perform and the judges eliminate 2 contests. Angie will bring you the play by play after the jump.

Going Home
Ariana and Brandon
The pressure is on! Tonight, the jidges will pick one guy and one girl to be elimated. Welcome to SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE! Cat greets us looking gorgeous in red and we get the intro dances of the Top 20. The first one we see is Brandon who we did not see in last night’s show. This is because Billy Bell had to leave the show due to illness.

Cat shimmies her way out among the dancers and tells us, the competition begins tonight…FOR REAL. The drama! Time to welcome….the jidges!! Adam, Mary, Nigel and the empty Pauler chair. Nigel announces Billy’s leaving the show and also that Noelle has hurt her knee (she’s in the audience) and will be getting an MRI to see if she can continue on the show. Bummer!

Time to get to dancing!!

Dancers: Channing and Phillip
Dance: Jazz by Jason Gilkison to Rockin’ Robin
Judges’ Thoughts: (A) Classy pairing. Phillip you did fantastic. Channing, you danced with a lot of elegance. (M) Not bad. It was good but I still want more. The legs got lazy. Fairly good performance. (N) I agree with Adam, I expected Phillip to be good. Channing you’ve got to learn to balance your weight. I think you ran out of energy. Get a little more chemistry. Good job.
Angie’s Thoughts: Wow! Great way to start the show! I thought it was lots of fun and they did a great job. Not necessarily memorable, but I liked it a lot. I disagree with Nigel in that I think they do have chemistry.

Dancers:Ashleigh and Jakob
Dance: Broadway by Tyce to Hit Me With A Hot Note from Sophisticated Ladies
Judges’ Thoughts: (A) Jakob, god put you on this earth for one reason and that is to spread the gospel of dance! Ashleigh you were gorgeous. (M) Ashleigh is more than just fine, that was phenomenal! Jakob, can I get an AMEN? (N) Nigel talked a lot about Jakob (and Billy Bell) and just a little about Ashleigh. He rambled a bit but he liked them.
Angie’s Thoughts: Jakob is so light on his feet and his leaps are amazing! I really didn’t think they had a whole lot of chemistry but they did a fabulous job!

Dancers:Ariana and Peter
Dance: Hip-Hop by Tabitha and Napoleon to Black & Gold by Sam Sparro
Judges’ Thoughts:(A) You weren’t dancing like each other. There wasn’t quite enough tension. Focus on the similarity of your musicality. Oh, I sounded like Lil C. (LOL! he then does a GREAT impression of Lil C!) (M) It got sloppy. (N) Peter got closer than Ariana did. I was disappointed. Find a little more to bring next time.
Angie’s Thoughts: I liked the choreo but they were off quite a bit. Peter was a touch ahead of Ariana for a while but I thought he did slightly better overall than she. Not bad, but they may be in danger of going home. Also? I love Shanks!! His Lil C impression was BUCC! (ha ha)

Dancers:Noelle and Russell (since Noelle is hurt, Russell actually dances with Melanie, the choreographer)
Dance: Fox Trot by Tony Meredith and Melanie to Vagabond Shoes by Vic Damone
Judges’ Thoughts: (A) You continue to defy explanation. It’s really incredible and speaks to how gifted you are. Effortless. Fantastic first show! (M) You really did a respectable job. You have an it factor. You are going places. (N) Russell you are living proof why I get on a soap box and say, ‘Please let kids experience dance in school.’ You’re lines were good. You’re an inspiration for many people.
Angie’s Thoughts: Russell held his own. He looked a little bit uncomfortable, but impressive! He’s just adorable and has such a great smile!

Dancers: Bianca and Victor
Dance: Contemporary by Travis Wall to Wasted Time by Meshell Ndegocello (did I even spell that right?)
Judges’ Thoughts: (A) Bianca you are at a disadvantage because of your style. You gotta drop your shoulders. Knees, nice. Toes, not so much. Victor, you are a revelation. You were in your sweet spot. (M) Bianca you conquered. It was your passion that sold me. The chemistry was off the charts. Victor, you took it to another level. (N) I’m watching you both grow.
Angie’s Thoughts: I love Travis choreo!! My favorite performance of the night. Victor was fabulous and Bianker (thanks Nigel because now I can’t just call her Bianca) was so much better than I ever expected her to be. Great job!

Dancers: Karen and Kevin
Dance: Cha cha by Tony and Melanie to Push It by The GLEE (!) cast
Judges’ Thoughts: (A) Karen..yikes! I was like popeye with my eyes popping out saying AOOGA! And for those of you who know me, that really isn’t my thing. Kevin good for you. This was her world and you were definitely visiting. The last lift series was awkward. (M) Karen, you were sharp, rhythmical and sexy and i have to put you on the hot tamale train!! Kevin, you were rhythmical and sexy and you are ever so close to being on the train. (N) Kevin, I thought you danced that very very well indeed. The foot action could be better. Karen is outstanding in this style. Your eyes light up when the music starts. Karen is a vision.
Angie’s Thoughts: Not sure about cha cha to Push It but somehow it worked!! Also? It was from the Glee soundtrack so…LOVE! Karen was better than Kevin. He had some awkward moments.

Dancers: Ellenore and Ryan
Dance: Contemporary jazz by Sonya to Arcadia by Apparat
Judges’ Thoughts: (A) Things just got exciting for me. It was totally beautiful and unique. Bravo. (M) I thought the chemistry was just crazy! WOOO! Both of you were so deep in the character. (N) What you brought here is a completely new style to us. I enjoyed it. Ryan, you took me by surprise.
Angie’s Thoughts: Didn’t love Sonya’s choreo, but they did the best they could with it. I like these two a great deal. They really wowed the jidges, so I am sure they are safe this week.

Dancers: Pauline and Brandon
Dance: Smooth Waltz by Jason Gilkison to You Light Up My Life by Whitney Houston
Judges’ Thoughts: (A) You had some beautiful performance moments. (M) It was dynamic and believable but not necessarily the best, Brandon. Pauline you were elegant and beautiful. (N) I love you both. It felt a little bit like a prom couple. It wasn’t strong enough. The chemistry was lovely.
Angie’s Thoughts: Hey..I never knew Whitney Houston remade that song. Anyway, the dancing looked awkward and a little forced at times (which means the jidges will love it!) but there were some nice moments.

Dancers: Kathryn and Legacy
Dance: Hip-Hop by Dave Scott to On and On by Missy Elliott
Judges’ Thoughts: (A) This is HOT! This is how you meet in the middle. Your chemistry is fantastic! You have an opportunity to learn from each other. Good job! (M) WOOOOO! Pebbles and Bamm Bamm were bustin’ a move in the cave tonight! WOOOOO! So precise. So in character. (N) You certainly brought this to life. I look forward to you both developing.
Angie’s Thoughts: LOVE!! Loved the choreo, loved the dancing. Loved it all! And Mary? I love her in all her dorkiness!

Dancers: Mollee and Nathan
Dance: Disco by Doriana Sanchez to Turn The Beat Around by Gloria Estefan
Judges’ Thoughts: (A) Your energy is infectious and bright. You did some sexy lifts and none of it seemed dirty somehow. I was a big fan of that number. (M) You guys really pulled it off. You are going to be here for a long time. (N) You guys bring the fun to this competition.
Angie’s Thoughts: Whoa. That was a hot mess. It didn’t flow at all. Mollee was just awkward at times and Nathan struggled in transitions to lifts. I didn’t like that at all, though I like the choreo. I really like Nathan a lot so I am glad he will stay.

Nigel chooses Ariana, Russell, Brandon, and Pauline to dance for their lives. NOOOOO! I love Russell!

Ariana–Her solo is pretty and powerful. Very strong.
Russell-He makes me like krumping! As Lil C would say…bucc!
Pauline- Fun but not much to it. Not as strong as Ariana.
Brandon- Again, not much dancing but lots of arm movements.

The jidges will decide during the break. I wonder…will they meet at the Great Stairs of Decision as in previous seasons??

The decision has been made. We start with the girls. Nigel says it was unanimous. Ariana is going home. Huh? Whatever.
Time for the guys. Nigel says, again, they were unanimous. Brandon is going home with Nigel saying he would like to change the rules to allow him to come back next season. Really? Wow.

So, what did you think? Leave comments!!
Until next week… ~Ang~