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Originally aired on Wednesday, July 12, 2006 Episode Rating: **** (4 stars out of 5) Episode Overview: We are down to 12 performers on So You Think You Can Dance and all six couples show off their considerable dancing prowess in varying routines. Episode Highlights:

• Musa and Natalie continue perform sex-filled dances with an exciting Hip/Hop routine.
• Ivan and Alison dance a ballroom routine that makes judge Mary Murphy cry.
• Donyelle and Benji get Broadway and knock it out of the park.

Recap: We are down to the final twelve and, thankfully, that means we are down to a condensed on hour version of So You Think You Can Dance. Which means...no filler! Thank God. One straight hour of dancing. Our judges tonight are Nigel Lythgoe, Mary Murphy and Brian Friedman. Cat Deeley comes on stage to kick it off.

Natalie Fotopolous and Musa Cooper - Hip/Hop Musa finally receives a dance that is to his strengths after weeks of having to quickly adapt to genres that are foreign to him. Dan Karaty choreographs a routine that features Musa as a "player" who is trying to pick up Natalie, playing a "tease". They are playing characters here, and they do it quite well. Natalie is sexy as always and Musa absolutely dominates the dance, doing a number of highly athletic moves and jumps. Nigel loves it, but Mary calls it a "strikeout", further solidifying her position as a moron. Brian gives some more subtle critiques. I loved it. Heidi Groskreutz and Ryan Rankine - Cha Cha A crazy Frenchman named Jean-Luc is VERY enthusiastic about the Cha Cha he has drawn up for Heidi and Ryan. Ryan struggles in practice, but once the performance begins, he looks good. Heidi dances in heels and a barely-there sparkly outfit. She, especially, is great and Ryan is solid too but, I hate to say it, he needs to be more masculine. The judges love Heidi, but all agree that Ryan is missing "something". Real insightful, judges. Well done. Allison Holker and Ivan Koumaev - Contemporary Allison is psyched to receive a dance up her alley, while Ivan is ready to learn. The choreographer is worried about the couple's maturity because, both dancers being 18, they tend to be a little silly. However, the maturity is there when they perform. Allison is spectacular as always, in possession of a sexual maturity far beyond her years, and Ivan keeps surprising us with his savvy and adaptability. I'm not a contemporary dance fan, but this routine was sick. Nigel adores it, says Allison will be in it at the end of the season and he is astounded by Ivan's growth over the season. Mary, however, is in tears over the dance. Yes, tears. Ivan's journey and performance made her cry. (Okay, this needs to be discussed. Mary Murphy must have pictures of Rupert Murdoch in a Thai brothel, because she is AWFUL. Truly a horrendous presence. She is either making inexplicable critiques of good performances or yelling with her nails-on-a-chalkboard voice. I hate her. How can FOX reasonably keep putting her on the air? I don't care if she's a choreographer. She is not insightful, she constantly makes blanket statements that a four-year -old could make, and her annoyance factor is up there with the likes of Carrot Top, Joan Rivers and Stephen A. Smith. Someone put her out of her misery. And, yes, the view is nice from up here on my high horse.) Ashlee Nino and Dmitry Chaplin - Pop Described by Dan Karaty as a "watered-down version of Hip/Hop�?, this dance is in Ashlee's wheelhouse but should prove to be difficult for Dmitry. The performance is solid, but the dance itself is a tad boring. Nigel agrees, saying the routine was very forgettable, but doesn't blame them, because even he doesn't really know what "Pop" is. Mary loves it. Brian makes some snarky comments about the quality of the choreography, obviously putting down former judge Dan Karaty's routine. I think Brian and Dan might hate each other. Which is cool. Martha Nichols and Travis Wall - Foxtrot Travis is initially devastated that they received another ballroom routine, but after meeting Crazy French Choreographer, he becomes enthusiastic. Not being a rabid fan of the Foxtrot, I found the dance boring, if not technically proficient. The judges all like their performance, but aren't too excited about it.



Donyelle Jones and Benji Schwimmer - Broadway To a song from "Hairspray", this routine is a marathon, requiring constant motion and energy throughout the span of the dance. It's a bit of a farce though, a melding of different cutesy dances all stacked on top of one another. Of course, the golden couple of So You Think You Can Dance is good, synched-up very well, but nothing transcendent. The judges obviously adore it, the critiques turning into another ass-kissing session. Great dancing again, the quality remaining ridiculously high. The judges have some rough decisions coming up. However, I think this week will be easy. Dmitry and Ashlee are a notch below the other five couples, neither of them really putting on a great performance during the couples routine. I guess we'll see tomorrow on So You Think You Can Dance on FOX. -Oscar Dahl

Source: BuddyTV.com