SYTYCD

View Date: 7/29/09

The top 6 competed tonight for a chance at the finale. Once again, Cat looks amazing and adorable at the same time. I'm quite amazed that Evan has lasted as long as he has. Our guest judge was Lil' C tonight, which is always a fun and enlightening experience. Each couple will perform two dances, then each dancer will also perform a solo and in a group number. Being the top 6, the dancing is expected to be spectacular. No matter what the decision is tonight/tomorrow, the loss will hurt like it has every year.

Guys group dance:
The guys performed a Sonia routine. It is so weird seeing only three of them there (Mom- Evan seems to be bringing it up to the level of the other guys this week. He seems to be bringing out more of his personality, too.) I love watching a group of guys dance a very powerful routine. Seeing these guys fly across and above the stage is breathtaking. The choreography was perfect with this group, and each guy brought so much of themselves. I totally agree with Lil' C in that Evan did not get lost with the other two, and really made himself visible in a good way.

Jeanine and Ade's first dance: This couple performed a Louis van Amstel samba routine. I really almost lost Ade at times in this routine with how amazing Jeanine was. They seemed to be in unison throughout the routine, and the routine definitely seemed to bring the heat desired by the choreographer, mostly because of Jeanine. Mary really ripped apart the the dancing, and it may very well be true. She only really talked about Ade's performance, so I'm unsure how Jeanine's technique really was. (Mom- They almost looked like virgins making love. They went through all the motions but didn't know how to being the sexiness.) At least Nigel complimented Jeanine's performance. Ade is really having trouble with the ballroom numbers, but he does pose well.

Kayla's solo: Haven't we heard this song already this year? She did seem to be more dynamic this week, so we'll see how she does the rest of the night.

Melissa and Evan's first dance: The couple performed a Broadway routine by Tyce DiOrio. This is very much Evan's type of dance, so the judges will be expecting a lot, but Tyce seemed to really like working with him. Honestly, I don't think Melissa could keep up with him on this one. She seemed to look stiff throughout the routine to me, and some of her movements looked like they should have been faster. It really was nice seeing Evan in his own style for a change. Now, I don't think that Melissa did poorly, but Evan outshone her.

Ade's solo: with his frenetic movements that he prefers, he should pick faster music. He can be really hit-or-miss with the slower music.

Kayla and Brandon's first dance: This couple performed a Stacey Tookey contemporary routine. This is the style for both of these dancers, so the judges will be expecting more than perfection from them. For being a relatively small guy, Brandon is just awesomely powerful. This was also the best dance of the night so far. There was so much emotion expressed from both dancers, and I could really see the story come through.

Melissa's solo: This was probably her best solo of the year. The music really suited her style of dance, and it looks like she really worked on it for this week.

Jeanine and Ade's second dance: This couple performed a Tabitha and Napoleon hip-hop routine. Both commented on just how many hip-hop they've done already this season. It's a good thing, then, that they're both really good at it. We also got our first "buck" routine of the night. This was a wonderful use of props, and especially with using some of the boxes as shoes. Maybe Jeanine should consider changing her style to hip-hop, because she really seems to excel at it.

Brandon't solo: The man wore some nu-huggers tonight, and made them look amazing. He picked the perfect piece of music, the perfect dance for that music, and the piece was perfectly timed. It even received a standing ovation from the judges, and Nigel complimented him by saying he just gave us one of the best solos ever seen on this show. He reminds me of the group of male dancers from last year that Will looked like he could have joined. It was phenomenal. It was perfect. WOW!

Melissa and Evan's second dance: This couple performed a Louis van Amstel quickstep routine. This dance style really seemed right up Evan's alley, because it is so old Hollywood. Then with his costuming tonight, He looked very dapper and quite handsome. Melissa did quite a good job too. The height difference was quite noticeable throughout much of the routine, but it worked out OK. I thought that this was one of the better quicksteps performed on this show. Side note: I can't believe Nigel just compared Melissa to Cloris Leachman.

Jeanine's solo: She is still my favorite female dancer this season. She is by far the most dynamic and shows that in her solos.

Evan's solo: Wonderful. He is an entertainer. He may not be the best dancer out there, but he is the most fun to watch, especially in his style. In that way, he reminds me a lot of Benji.

Kayla and Brandon's second dance: This couple performed a Doriana Sanchez disco routine. At least we know that Brandon can do disco, or at least he could with Janette. I know that most people look at the girls in the routines, but my eyes couldn't stay off of Brandon. It was also really nice to see the guy doing some of the partner-assisted flips and drops. Hell, it even got Nigel up out of his seat and screaming tonight.

Girls group routine: The girls performed a Sonia contemporary routine. I don't think that it was a powerful as the guys' routine, but that would be hard to top. It was performed well. I did notice that Melissa did not have a solo section while the other girls did. I wonder if that was planned that way, or if it was altered because Melissa could not hack it. I agree with Joe C, but in other words there could have been more.

The only person that should be absolutely safe tonight is Brandon. He absolutely shone tonight, brighter than anyone else this season. Looking back, his routines have gotten the only two standing ovations given by the judges all year. And it was a wonderful night for his mother to be present for the first time.

Kayla will probably be safe, because she participated in two of the best performances of the season. But honestly, I think that Jeanine is the best female dancer of the group. She is an absolute chameleon.

If I was voting, I would probably see Melissa and Ade go home. They both have had some fairly weak performances after they reached the top ten, but were always saved by another dance performed that night. Melissa's solos have been the weakest all season, and she seems really stiff in many other styles. Ade is an amazing specimen and a fantastic dancer. Honestly, this is probably the toughest decision for me. Ade is probably the better dancer, but Evan is much more entertaining when he is really on. I always look forward to seeing Evan dance, and he has proven himself to be more versatile than originally thought.

10 words or less: Tough decisions tonight, hardest of the season.