Image Credit: Patrick Ecclesine/FOX
This is it. It’s down to the wire. Six enter the SYTYCD glitter dome tonight, and four will exit for the finale next week. Who. Will. It. Be?
It. Will. Be. Melanie. Marko. Sasha. And Tadd! Right? Of course it will be. Ricky and Caitlynn, adorable and talented they may be, are battling against their own woeful lack of momentum — but maybe they can finally rev things up with their performances tonight? Perhaps?
Here’s what I can tell you: The choreographers tonight will be, in no particular order, Dee Caspary, Sonya Tayeh, Tabitha and Napoleon, Dmitry Chaplin, Tyce Diorio, Spencer Liff, and Kumari Suraj. I know this because I was granted an exclusive sneak peek at this morning’s rehearsals, and from what I’ve seen, it’s going to be one fabulous evening — yes, and that includes Tyce’s number too.
So share your thoughts about tonight’s episode — including guest judges Lil C and Christina Applegate — and then be sure to check out my full on the scene report from the rehearsals. And! My recap of the show itself, as well as exclusive interviews with Cat Deeley and Nigel Lythgoe, will go up tomorrow morning. So much fun we are having!
Follow Adam on Twitter @adambvary
Read more:
‘SYTYCD’: On the scene for Top 6 rehearsals, and an apology to Tyce Diorio, sorta — EXCLUSIVE
EW’s SYTYCD recaps
‘SYTYCD’: 25 Best Performances Ever
So so much fun we are having–Adam does the BEST recaps–can’t wait to read it!
anyone else spot the actress who played Deanna Troi on ST:TNG in the audience, she was next to Melanie’s family!
I did see her. I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me. I saw Michelle Kwan, too.
I kept asking my hubby if that was her, but he is not a trekkie so he had no idea who I was talking about. I thought that was Michelle Kwan as well.
Nigel is going to give it to Melanie….although she’s boring and her dancing solo’s do not come from the soul and its not original when she dances. Other words Melanie solo’s are always typical….’
Sasha’s solo’s come from the “soul” and mostly original and unique. Like i said they are going to give it to Melanie…due to her large round face the Shirley Temple baby look. It’s sad b/c Sasha deserves the title. I will vote this time around.
What do you mean Nigel is going to give it to Melanie? Don’t you mean the voters are going to give it to Melanie? You’re not one of those conspiracy theorists are you? And if you are, why bother voting at all? If it’s already decided. Quit ragging on Melanie… you really sound like an imbecile when you are so negative towards her. Almost everybody here admits that both Melanie and Sasha are worthy of the title… most just have a personal preference. But you can’t praise Sasha without completely putting down Melanie and it makes you seem really juvenile and nasty.
Amen to that!! How has this country become so obsessed with ridiculous conspiracy theories?!! What could Nigel possibly gain by rigging the show?!
This season flew by, can’t believe only two weeks left. Still sticking with Melanie to win it.
that was the most sluggish hip hop I have ever seen come on be honest peeps
I agree. I thought it would be Melanie’s first sub par feedback. The judges adore her unconditionally!
I know! I always hear them praise hip-hoppers for being hard-hitting but Melanie, God love her, was hardly that…
I think there is bound to be ONE shocker coming into the finale… and she is my PERSONAL FAVORITE… but I have this strange hunch that sasha might get eliminated tomorrow.
Sasha will get eliminated tomorrow….they are going to give it to a less talented dancer “Melanie.”….
Sasha deserves to win, she’s original and unique..
Melanie is obvious what step she is going to do next the same old steps that previous dancers did…leg lift perot etc….Melanie has to be instructed she has no originality….But SASHA IS THE WINNER IN CHOREOGRAPHER’S WORLD….regardless of Nigel’s favorite..
Are the judges on crack!? Melanie did not do a good job, and yet AGAIN got a pass on that sorry excuse for a hip-hop. Too many excuses were given…the beat was too fast, the choreography to hard, you never done this..blah..blah..blah. That shouldn’t be a problem if she truly is a gifted dancer. That was LAME. Caitlyn did a better job with Ivan last week and got trashed for it. BOOOOOOO
I loved it.
I loved it too
I didn’t think she got a pass. She had some cool moments, like the strut and some hard hitting stuff. It was overall good, not great, and the comments reflected that.
are you crazy? shes by far the best dancer on the show, and i loved it! even though it wasnt her best preformance, it still was good. She didnt exactly get a pass either, listen to the judges comments again. no hate intended
Thoroughly disagree. I thought melanie killed it, though I understand your frustration. And you have to admit that that solo of hers was…nothing short of STUNNING. Only solo I’ve ever, EVER rewound and watched again.
Obvious you are not a professional dancer or choregrapher…..When last did you do a leg lift or perrot….Only a non-dancer would say such stupidness.
Oh, and “choreographer”…. what the hell is a “perrot”? Surely you didn’t mean “pirouette”? You must not have because I’m sure you would know how to spell it (although I gather that English is not your first language).
And you are wrong when you say only a non-dancer would say such “stupidness” (also not a word) because all of the judges thought the same (if you were saying that in response to her praise of Melanie’s solo… which was stunning). I’m sorry if I’m verbose and cranky… I’m tired. But your post rubbed me the wrong way. I really shouldn’t comment late at night when my censor button is off.
Squishmar, I LIKE when your censor button is off!! LOL!
Felt the same way about this person. An actual professional dancer would know how to spell the dance moves (especially as English as a second language can’t excuse it…those terms aren’t English)!!! I prefer Sasha to Melanie but that’s absolutely no reason to eviscerate the poor girl! They are both great dancers. If this person thinks he or she can do so much better then he or she should actually be on the show………
I think you’re the only one who likes me uncensored… or at all, even. I got called “the most annoying blogger” here (though not for anything having to do with SYTYCD) and I don’t know why but they didn’t use their name when calling me that. Oh well. Do I when a prize?
I can’t wait for next week’s show. I really am going to see who moves me the most to vote. My votes are up for grabs…. but they will surely go to either Sasha or Melanie for their consistency throughout the season. (Although Marko has also been very consistent, I feel it’s a girl’s season.) I hope I can watch them live so I can vote in time! I just hate how close-minded people are. They form an opinion (sometimes based on nothing concrete… meaning, about someone’s personality… not their dancing) and are never open again to that person. And they cast all sorts of phantom things onto them from then on. I watch the show with an open mind and am welcome to just seeing and feeling what unfolds. I *like* being surprised by someone. And I’m objective enough (most of the time) to be honest when my “favourite” is not up to par. I just don’t like the hate towards any dancer because that is *never* deserved. Man, I’m verbose.
Duh…*win a prize
HA…well it’s still better than, what did that woman call me…pathetic b*tch?!! LOL! But you are far from being annoying!!! I always enjoy your posts!!! They give me hope that there are still well-educated, reasonable, & sane people left in this country!!
I really don’t get all the hate I see on here constantly. How can anyone hate someone they’ve never met or personally interacted with?! Sometimes I think they lose all comprehension that these are real people, not just characters on a TV show.
It is astounding the hate on a lot of these boards. Very occasionally you’ll find a really nice one with people just discussing some topic like reasonable beings…. like the one(s) about sad scenes from movies or sad movies overall… Very few trolls and just people excited about sharing something they like with others who feel the same way. Part of the nastiness, of course, is the anonymity of it all… and I totally admit to being sarcastic and snarky sometimes to someone who deserves it. But if I just disagree with someone, I’ll try to reasonably make them see why they are wrong…
Some of it also is maybe the cute user names (like, oh… I don’t know “Squishmar”) where it de-humanizes people somewhat. By the way, my name is Michelle.
I agree with you..Melanie is a disgrace..especially the hip hop routine she made me cry b/c she tried to destroy hip hop’s history. The not renown ‘black judge’ he wasn’t honest he just went along with the group a ‘sell-out’. I guess everyone needs a paycheck. I know they are going to give it to Melanie unless they make a deal with her and give it to Sasha. You’ll be surprise what happens back stage. SASHA is an original dancer and unique….
…..Melanie is NOT.
If there’s one thing Lil’ C is, it’s honest. I don’t care if you are a choreographer…you are also coming off as arrogant and slightly obnoxious. I love Sasha but in no way shape or form is Melanie a “disgrace.” Not in the hip-hop routine… not ever. And while I think Sasha’s routine was the best of the night (with Kent, obviously… not the whacking) Sasha is only fully in character in about half of her dances… the paso doble, that great hip-hop with tWitch and some others. Melanie is always, 100% in character and committed and dances from the tips of her toes to the top of her head and with all her heart and soul. She’s feeling and emoting (honestly) as much as dancing. I love them both… but I’ll have to wait to see them next Wednesday to make up my mind for sure… overall for the season, Melanie has the slight edge for me… but I’m totally open to Sasha… I love her too.
No they are on dope!!!
What do you mean “yet again she got a pass?” When did she get a pass before? She’s never really had a bad performance before. And Caitlynn didn’t get trashed last week.
Yeah she got a pass AGAIN. When doing dancing outside her style, the judges never give Melanie constructive criticism. Her routine was not great, very weak, and the judges couldn’t say a damn thing but you’ve been great the last couple of weeks and you can do anything. Yes, and Caitlynn did get critisized despite doing a great job. Remember, the good for you for catching up to Ivan like she did a terrible job.
She may have gotten a pass tonight, but she’s pretty much never faltered throughout the competition up to this point. So I have to disagree about you saying she got a pass AGAIN. And Caitlynn wasn’t trashed last week. They gave her compliments, however mild. Just because they weren’t ecstatic about it doesn’t mean they were trashing her. You’re overreacting.
I didn’t think Melanie was bad but I couldn’t feel any chemistry between her & Twitch…..and how do you not have chemistry with Twitch?! He just overpowered her with how strong he is!
Sasha’s leap just became the highlight of the night! Girl is just so passionate when she dances!!!
And Lil C on the judging panel makes my night!!!!!!
Sasha HAS to win, doesn’t she? That rocked.
I see the same character every tine she dances. People complain about Melanie, but with Sasha it’s the same.
I like Sasha but Melanie really is one of the best ever on the show. Of course, all my fave prior girls (Kathryn, Allison, Katee) started with b-boy/hip hoppers without classical training.
I can’t stand Sasha, I find every things she does very fake and calculated. The fact that the judges won’t shut up about how awesome she is only adds to my dislike (though that’s not her fault).
The same can be said about Melanie.
I agree – watching Sasha mug for the camera while Cat reads out her phone number has bugged me since week one, and each week it only gets more annoying!
She never seems genuine to me either. And let’s not forget how the show basically crowned her the winner before it even began with all her airtime in Vegas and such. I hate when the show does that.
I totally agree. Sasha is a talented dancer, but I don’t care how talented you are, if your attitude stinks (like Sasha’s did toward her partner Alex) I won’t be voting for you. What I like most about my favorite dancers this season (Melanie, Marko, Tadd, and Caitlynn), is that they are so darn talented AND appear to be humble about it.
I can’t stand Melanie….so what’s your point…dancers are suppose to judge according to their technique, not whether you like them or not. What did Melanie bring to the table to win. Nothing she does is unique or different. Girl, I think you better ‘rewind’ the tape..Melanie is not a fabulous dancer, but she imitates fabulously.
Sasha is original and strong and unique….Girl you better put some glass wear on your eyes.
Grow up….you’re the fake one.
I LOVE Sasha. I think she is the only dancer that pores herself into every routine, often going above what is required. Whoever called her fake is delusional and you are just choosing not to like her but trust me, she’s THAT good and she deserves to win. Team Sasha
Amen. I don’t get the hate for her. I love that she is now dancing with partners who are her equal.
Uh, that would be “pours” herself into every routine, and she does come across a bit fake and she was very much snotty toward Alex. That made me instantly dislike her. I, too, got real tired of the pimping over her and her sister in Vegas.
What’s with this ‘fake’ thing….everyone on this blog is a fake ….now what’s these people point….I don’t get it..Who the hell cares about ‘fake.’…
Sasha deserves to win and that’s all there is, case and point.
Caitlynn didn’t get trashed last week, Mary just said she thought that Ivan outdanced her (which he did, but that was a problem with the choreographers not her)… They said she didn’t sit in the pocket the same way Ivan did, but they all said she did well… not trashed though.
I can’t watch for another several hours… what dance did sasha do, and who was her partner?!?!?! (she’s my fav!)
Sasha and Kent certainly gave one of the best performances of the season. Melanie was just Ok, not as good as the judges said she was.
Agreed on both counts.
I agree. I adore Melanie, but Sasha has come on very strong over the past few weeks!
I thought Melanie was AMAZING. Her solo and that dance with the mirror—awesome!
bawling AGAIN!! and from tyce?!?!?! that number was something else. sasha is wonderful and boy did i cry during that number.
I must have been distracted or something but I was not feeling the Sasha/Kent routine. Sasha was great but there was something cloying/”trying to hard” about the routine.
Well common sense will tell you if you are not there to do your best or hardest…then pick your things up and go home. Are you there to watch dancers do their weakest…????
I didn’t enjoy this piece at all. Sasha meh, she even made Kent look meh although I’ll have to lay some of the blame at Toasty Oreo’s feet. Man that dude’s got.to.go!!
I don’t get the adoration for this routine. It was much better than most Tyce stuff, but it was really more a well-acted dramatic scene than a dance. It was a cool trick when Kent lifted Sasha up so she propped herself against the wall, but otherwise, there wasn’t much dancing. Seems to me it suffered from the same problem as the chandelier routine – they boxed the dancers into too tight a space.
I feel like Melanie and Marko both are off their game this week.
I think Marko made it back in his Sonya routine and killed it. Melanie had a really rough week at the absolute worst time. If I had to pick a winner tonight (and I’ve rotated through Sasha, Melanie, and Marko all season long), it would absolutely be Sasha. She has the most range and was often better than the choreography she was given. Melanie, who I adore, just showed that she’s a brilliant contemporary dancer but when pushed out of her comfort zone (which she finally was tonight), she doesn’t keep up. If there’s a shock to be had, I’m afraid it would be Melanie losing out because her bad week came on Caitlynn’s very best.
I don’t think Melanie’s less than stellar hip-hop routine can be blamed on her. We’ve seen her do other genres on the show and she always kills it. Even Twitch looked like he was having trouble with the choreography. I just think they got stuck with a bad NabbyTaps number. I think I’m pretty tied between Melanie and Sasha right now. I loved Sasha’s contemporary piece, but Melanie’s broadway number was great and her solo completely floored me. I do think Caitlynn did her best this week, but I don’t think it’ll be enough to get her into the finale.
i thought their solos were both amazing, but they did seem off. My money is still on them being the top two though!
I HATE to say this but Tyce should stick to contemporary. Most of his pieces this season have been pretty damn good and the piece for Sasha and Kent was no exception. So beautiful.
I’d agree with that! His Broadway can’t compare to his contemporary!
Am I the only one that thinks that Napoleon & Tabitha’s choreography was so lame and their music choice so boring that they even made Twitch look bad?
I was not a fan of that routine either.
It wasn’t even the music — the whole routine didn’t work. As we’ve seen in the past, when the choreography and music is off, regardless of how talent any of the dancers maybe, it just comes across as bad.
I agree. It either didn’t go far enough or went to far to go with the music.
I love — and I do mean *LOVE* — Twitch, could watch him do anything and would love him, but I found that routine didn’t capitalize on his charisma or his talent. It was very disappointing, especially after he and Sasha set my tv on fire a couple of weeks ago
Yeah, it didn’t work on many levels. I didn’t feel like it showcased Melanie or Twitch, but I think you could tell that melanie wasn’t feeling it.
i usually love their routines, but i agree this time. i was like “woohoo, melanie and twitch!” but i didnt think it reflected how well they can both dance at all.
Agree.
Just getting in here… I’m on the West Coast but I can’t wait!
It’s good so far! I’m especially loving this week’s all-stars!!!
It was great seeing Elinore and Janette again.
I love Elinor! They really are bringing a whole bunch of people back this year!
This season’s all-stars have been incredible!! It’s so great to see so many great dancers back on the show!
Am I alone in wishing we had a Mark & Ellenore routine from Sonya??!
A Mark and Ellenore routine from Sonya would be perfection! I just recently re-watched two Sonya dances… “The Garden” with Mark and Courtney and “Tore My Heart” with Ellenore and Jakob. I watched them both several times (although “The Garden” has the edge, definitely). But a Mark/Ellenore routine would be fantastic. They both seem to respond so well to Sonya’s choreography. We can dream….