The top 20 performers paired up and danced last night for the first time this season on So You Think You Can Dance.  We at home had our first opportunity to vote for our favorites last night.

Tonight, we'll find out who will sail on through to next week and who will have to dance for their lives.  I'll be here providing you with live thoughts throughout the entire hour.

The hour begins with a group performance, in which some punk rocker-type dancers kidnap Nigel Lythgoe, bound and gagged, and drag him to the stage.  It's very weird.  (No wonder - Wade Robson choreographed it.)  I almost thought that the whole opening segment was a mistake.  Cat Deeley prances on stage and shoos Nigel back to his seat.  She introduces our ... joodges!

The first three couples take the stage.  Kherington Payne and Twitch Boss are safe!  Chelsea Traille and Thayne Jasperson are ... we don't know yet.  Chelsie Hightower and Mark Kanemura are safe!  And so are Chelsea and Thayne!  We're three for three so far.  Cat shooshes us and waves us into commercials.

After the break, Matt Dorame and Kourtni Lind are the first couple in the bottom three.  They'll be dancing solos later on in the show.  (Aside: is it me, or is the sound technician falling asleep on the job tonight?)  Susie Garcia and Marquis Cunningham are safe.  Comfort Fedoke and Chris Jarosz, and Rayven Armijo and Jamie Bayard get their results.  Rayven and Jamie are in the bottom three and Comfort and Chris are safe.

Next up, Katee Shean and Joshua Allen are safe - yay.  This means that the final couple in danger is going to be either Jessica King and William Wingfield, or Courtney Galiano and Gev Manoukian.  Gev and Courtney are safe, but Jessica and Will must dance for their lives, in the bottom three.  Dan Karaty doesn't think that they deserve to be in the bottom three.

So now, we know which six dancers are in danger.  It's about half-way into the So You Think You Can Dance results show, which means we have our first guest dance performance.  Popin Pete and Shonnie from The Electric Boogaloos take the stage for some good, old-fashion popping.

Time for some product placement and bad dancing (read: time filler).

Kourtni L. dances the first solo.  She generally has great technique, but as she goes down to planche from an arabesque, she hesitates a bit.

In Matt's solo, he exhibits impeccable technique and lots of pointed toes, but he could have worked harder on choreography.

Rayven has great choreography, combining a rock sensibility with classic ballerina, but it's interesting that she doesn't go on pointe.

Jamie is the first ballroom dancer to do a solo, and I also find the ballroom solos to be kind of funny.  He does a good job, but maybe I'm just mesmerized by his shiny, shiny shirt.

Jessica dances with an ankle brace on her left foot, and I don't know if that is affecting her, but she is, in my eyes, the weakest of the female soloists.

Will begins his solo with a hugely fantastic leap, and is just super awesome.

While the judges deliberate, The Pussycat Dolls take the stage.  I really don't get this group.  There is a whole lot of gyrating, vinyl-clad T&A, but precious little good singing, if any.

And the results: The judges are unanimous with the girls.  Nigel announces that Kourtni was great, and will be back next week.  He then echoes my remark about Rayven going on demi-pointe instead of pointe, and he thinks that Jessica's routine wasn't strong enough as a solo.  But Jessica is safe, and Rayven must now say good-bye.

And the boys.  The judges are unanimous again with their decision.  Will is safe, and Nigel gives him tips on not rushing through his performance.  Nigel compliments Jamie on his personality and Matt on his technique.  It's not enough on So You Think You Can Dance, he explains, to just have one or another.  Tonight, they are going with technique over personality, so Matt is safe and Jamie is eliminated.



-Debbie Chang, BuddyTV Staff Writer
(Image courtesy of FOX)