'SYTYCD' Top 18 to 16 Recap: Street Protest

In last week’s So You Think You Can Dance recap/rant, I expressed concern about this season’s newly introduced Twitter Save, which allows fans (East Coast fans, that is) to live-tweet last-minute votes and save two contestants each week. I’d worried that regular ol’ laypeople wouldn’t make the right decisions. But lo and behold, this week it was the judges, the supposed experts, who got it wrong.

I don’t want to get too spoiler-y here (feel free to hit your scroll bar if you want to skip straight to the cringeworthy Team Street results), but here are a few hints: The judges chose to save a contestant who’d literally been in the worst routine of the night and had (deservedly) received the night’s harshest critiques, over a guy who’d been in the one of the best dances and had earned mostly positive feedback. Why? Either Paula Abdul has a crush on this dude, or Nigel Lythgoe OBE thinks this controversial character, with his bad attitude and pretty face, is good for ratings. Well, we shall see what the ratings are like next week, I guess. I don’t think many SYTYCD viewers were happy with this decision, judging by my Twitter feed.

Oh well. All was not lost. Thankfully, there were several stunning routines this Monday, and the first one was set to music by amazing baroque-pop maestro Perfume Genius, proving that, questionable judging-panel decisions aside, SYTYCD is still the coolest talent competition on TV.

Cue music!

Dancers: Jaja, Derek & Alexia
Genre: Contemporary
Music: “All Waters,” Perfume Genius
Choreographer: Stacey Tookey

I’m beginning to think that SYTYCD should just give the crown to Jaja now and be done with it. That way, she’d be free to go compete on the rebooted all-star season of America’s Best Dance Crew with her old buddies, i.aM.mE! Seriously, though… Jaja is awesome. This was the second week in a row when this hard-hitting krumper had to showcase her softer side, and once again, she nailed it — all while upstaging Derek and Alexia, who were actually dancing in their own style. I’m not saying that Jaja’s dance partners were slackers in this gorgeous, poignant, military-themed routine. Not at all. (This was the first time I’d seen Alexia not in grinning pageant-girl mode, and judge Jason Derulo even said this was Derek’s best performance yet.) But Jaja was just giving so much face, so much theater… she just gave it her all. I barely even looked at the other two contestants. “Jaja, you started a new show for me: Guess Who Is the Street Krumper? I would have never known… You’re proving you’re an all-around beautiful dancer,” ravel Nigel. (Side note: I would totally watch Guess Who Is the Street Krumper? Come on, Fox, get on that.)

Dancers: Moises, Megz & Jim
Genre: Hip-hop
Music: “Whuteva,” Remy Ma
Choreographer: JaQuel Knight

Unsurprisingly, Megz slayed this number, which just so happened to be masterminded by the guy who did the choreo for Beyoncé’s iconic “Single Ladies” video. Now put your hands up! This lady is a singular badass. She’s a beast. I totally covet her rad “MEGZ” jacket. And I so want to see her do a partner dance with Jaja! (I love how fierce femmes are dominating this season; if there is a SYTYCD Season 13, gawd willing, choreographers will have plenty of great female hip-hop all-stars to work with whenever Comfort is off dancing for Missy Elliott.) But I digress. My point is, Moises and Jim just seemed like Megz’s humble “backup dancers,” as Jason said. Kind of like those two nameless, black-leotarded girls behind Beyoncé in the “Single Ladies” video, come to think of it. Ballet boy Jim fared better than the irrepressibly and inappropriately cutesy ‘n’ cuddly Moises, but he was still more smiley than swaggy, more bubbly than bucc. “You guys, this is not your best number. I think you’re going to struggle with the results from this one,” sighed Jason.

Dancers: J.J., Edson & Yorelis
Genre: Jazz
Music: “Restart,” Sam Smith
Choreographer: Tavares Wilson

Edson has been one of my favorite Team Stage dancers this season, but this sassy, hip-hop-tinged jazz number did him no favors. It required him to be all sexual and seductive and stuff, and I could tell that Edson was not feeling it, even if he was more technically on point than his Team Street dance partners. Paula may have somewhat ickily called Edson a “stud,” but I thought he seemed uncomfortable in SYTYCD-himbo mode. (“Don’t be afraid to flirt,” advised professional himbo Jason.) Meanwhile, J.J. and Yorelis were giving me some late-'80s/early-'90s video-girl realness, like something out of a classic Robert Palmer vid. Maybe it was all the Lycra-layered costuming, but they were, to quote Palmer, simply irresistible. Yes, they might have missed a few marks (Paula warned them to pay more attention to their technique), but unlike Edson, they sizzled onstage. J.J. was especially electric. This is such a girls’ season!

Dancers: Marissa & Asaf
Genre: Cha cha
Music: “+1,” Marvin Solveig feat. Sam White
Choreographer: Jean Marc Genereux

I expected disaster from B-boy Asaf, aka the “Hebrew breaker” who struggles to pick up choreography and pouts like a brat every time he is asked to dance outside of his chosen style. Well, my expectations were basically met. He was convincing enough in his “rock star” role (although the vivacious and dazzling Marissa was much more convincing as his “groupie”), because, unlike the above-mentioned Edson, Asaf was not afraid to flirt or tap into his sexuality. But his himbo personality and cheesy facial mugging were not enough to compensate for his overall stiffness and tentativeness onstage, and despite all of sexpot Marissa’s efforts to really sell this routine, there was absolutely no chemistry between these two. (Paula said Marissa didn’t seem there for her partner, and Jason told them, “The relationship seemed fake.”) Nigel commended Asaf for trying, but told him, flat-out: “That was not good.” Jason warned Asaf: “To put it bluntly, you have to flex your muscles to get some votes. You’re going to have a tough time. Good luck.”

Dancers: Gaby, Burim & Ariana
Genre: African jazz
Music: “Gorilla,” Lord KraVen
Choreographer: Sean Cheesman

Now this was more like it! This is when the episode finally picked up. This creepy-crawly routine, during which the dancers extended their limbs with weird prosthetic canes, was not only awesome because it reminded me of this obscure '80s music video by the Europeans, not only because it gave Ariana a chance to redeem herself after she was in the bottom six last week, but because Burim took things to a whole new level. Maybe he wasn’t quite at Gaby and Ariana’s level, but to see this Scandinavian B-boy scampering about on cane-extended, body-painted all fours with a frightwig of Edward Scissorhands hair was still remarkable. He was transformed, and I was transfixed. That being said, in keeping with that whole “girls’ season” theme I mentioned earlier, this routine really was all about the women. Gaby and Ariana danced with wild, thrilling abandon, like lionesses let loose from their cages. This was SYTYCD at its roaring best.

Dancers: Kate & Neptune
Genre: Contemporary
Song: “Promise,” Ben Howard
Choreographer: Justin Giles

A classic parting-is-such-sweet-sorrow SYTYCD routine — a little bit “Bleeding Love,” a little bit “No Air,” a little bit “Heaven Is a Place on Earth,” and a whole lot of awesome — this was another highlight of the week. Kate was gorgeous and radiant, of course, but hip-hop freestyler Neptune was the real surprise, and the real star of this number. Paula called Neptune “one of my favorites,” and I understood and shared her enthusiasm. Neptune completely immersed himself in this emotional piece, showing such depth and such a connection to his partner. The chemistry between these two was in fact so hot (or maybe “chilling,” as Jason put it) that Jason practically accused them of being a real-life couple. And you know, I kind of wish they were a couple. I’m a total “Katune” shipper, after seeing these two together.

Dancers: Hailee & Virgil
Genre: Hip-hop
Song: “Runnin’,” Noahplause
Choreographers: Pharside & Phoenix

It’s funny that this routine was set to a song by an artist named Noahplause. This one got all the applause! It got a standing ovation, actually. Dressed like Svedka Vodka or Bjork “All Is Full of Love” robots in sleek titanium armor, Virgil and Hailee were such consummate performers that they stayed in animatronic character even throughout their post-dance critique. Virgil, possibly the best performer on the show (and possibly the Season 12 winner if Jaja doesn’t take the title), killed it as usual, and he looked adorable while doing so; he was the cutest damn robot since R2D2, or at least since Furbies were all the rage during the holiday shopping season of 1998. Hailee also hit hard; it was no shock to find out that this jazz dancer actually has hip-hop experience. This was number was magnificent, and just tons o’ fun. “I think in 20 years’ time when they do the So You Think You Can Dance 20th anniversary special, this routine will be on there,” said Nigel. (Side note: I really hope there is a So You Think You Can Dance 20th anniversary special — and that it’s longer than the measly one hour the series got for its 10th anniversary last week.)

And now, finally… the aforementioned annoying results. The bottom three street dancers were Asaf, Burim, and Ariana, and the bottom three stage dancers were Moises, Edson, and Kate. Viewers got it refreshingly right when they Twitter-saved Ariana and Kate (I’m telling you, it’s a girls’ season!), and the judges were right to save Edson. But then, for Team Street, the judges saved… Asaf. And Nigel’s Twitter mentions exploded.

Keep in mind, Asaf was an alternate contestant, not even picked for the top 20 in the first place. And his closest rival, fellow B-boy Burim, showed much more growth this week (and has had a better attitude all season long). So I think this was a mistake. I have a feeling that Asaf will end up in the bottom six again next week; if he does, I wonder if the judges will make this mistake a second time. Asaf better start flexing his muscles, and his (East Coast) fans better have their Twitter-fingers ready to go, just in case.

But who else will be in the bottom six? I’m predicting Ariana (just because she’s been there twice before) and Yorelis for Team Street, and Derek, Edson, and Jim for Team Stage. Really, it could be anyone. We'll find out next Monday, but in the meantime, here’s your weekly SYTYCD playlist:

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