It’s the Top 6! This season flew by, and now we are at the crucial junction where the finalists are decided. Before the dancing starts, the Nigel notes how close the competition is, and how the audience is voting based on choreography as opposed to dancers. Well said and very true, considering the Breast Cancer Contemporary is the only reason we still have Melissa.
BOYS: The show begins with a group routine by Sonja Tayeh, inspired by Willy Wonka. Common sense would tell us that the strength of Ade and Brandon would dominate, but to put it mildly, Evan kills it. I couldn’t take my eyes off of him the entire routine. He flipped, kicked, and jumped with the best of them and was phenomenal. He is growing well.
JEANINE & ADE: They start with a Louis Van Amstel Samba. I love the Samba, and I love Louis Van Amstel – he is a ballroom genius. They get a great routine, and while Jeanine is wonderful, Ade isn’t so much. He isn’t dancing it well and his Samba rolls are awkward. Ade gets skewered by the judges and Jeanine makes it out alive. They make up for it later with a NappyTabs Hip Hop about getting evicted. This is their usual very literal interpretation of a song, with props galore, but Jeanine and Ade make me love it. They both have lots of stankface and give the goofy routine a bit of edge. Even if you hate the routine or hate them, you have to admit that dancing with props is very tricky, particularly when you’re dancing in cardboard boxes.
MELISSA & EVAN: Begin their night with a Tyce Diorio Broadway routine, and it’s traditional over the top fun about a groom who as overslept on his wedding day. Tyce calls Evan the dream for this type of style, and he’s right. I’ve never been one of Evan’s insane voting fanbase, but he is working it this week. Good for him! I’m bored with Melissa. Their second routine is a Louis Van Amstel Quickstep. I looooooove Ballroom, even though it usually doesn’t bode well for the dancers in this competition. It’s a great dance, but I agree with the judges that it faltered in the middle. In my opinion, the weak link was again Melissa. She doesn’t have enough pizazz to carry off something like this. Evan gives the routine just enough flair, and Lil C says that Evan just danced the biggest he ever has.
KAYLA & BRANDON: They get a Stacey Tookey Contemporary routine about a married man and his mistress. They are flawless dancers, and Lil C comments on how this is the first time Kayla is equally matched by her partner… I just wish they could emote as well as they moved. I like Kayla but I feel absolutely nothing when she dances – or speaks. The behind the scenes snippets with them getting paired up show glimmers of personality, I just wish we were able to see it on stage. Five weeks ago. They come again with a Dorianna Sanchez Disco routine, and I begin to love them again. It’s high energy and fun. These two can’t emote but they sure can dance like they’re having the time of their lives. Well done!
GIRLS: The girls get a Sonja Tayeh routine, inspired by comic books. Is it just me or has Sonja used this theme before? A quick internet search shows me that she has, in Season 4. Either way, that routine was rather forgettable and this one isn’t. It’s a powerful piece with great costumes and imagery. They dance in unison, but while Kayla (and to a certain extent Jeanine) get their own little dance bits and times in the spotlight, Melissa doesn’t. Weird, I don’t know why Sonja would make that kind of choice in this competition and I’m glad Mary touches on it in her critiques. It’s still a spectacular routine. Nigel has an incredibly creepy moment where he openly oggles Jeanine’s breasts. He’s such a leacherous old man sometimes.
SOLOS: More of the same – Kayla flails, Ade flips, Melissa is boring, and Jeanine gets to be sexy. But Evan turns out what is probably his best solo yet. He is peaking at the right time in the competition. And Brandon brings out the solo he auditioned with, set to O’Fortuna while wearing hotpants. He gets a standing ovation by the judges and Nigel calls it one of the best solos on the show ever.
BOTTOM 2 PREDICTIONS: At this point, I know for sure that Melissa will be leaving us. Or at least I hope she does. As for the men, there’s no way Brandon’s leaving after that solo, and while Ade may be a stronger dancer, Evan did very well tonight and has a fanbase of Midwestern Moms clogging the phone lines. So it looks like Ade will be leaving us as well.
