DWTS Season 7 Premier

The blog is back! I didn't post last night, but e-mailed to a few. Below are both Monday and Tuesday night's commentary.

Monday
DWTS IS A BORE!
I only have 3 comments about tonight's DWTS because I was so bored with the show.
1. The mystery of Mark's choreographed facial expressions is solved as his father - Dustin Hoffman from Rainman - showed us.
2. Lance & Lacey were hot! The part that sucks is that Lacey reminds me it's like 9 months from a new season of SUTUCD.
3. I am not sure I am going to continue to watch. Too many stars = boring, long shows.

Shout out to the Schecters who ran into the cast of SUTUCD in Portland at Dragon Fish on Sunday where they chatted up Twitch. I'm only a tiny bit jealous. The tour was great again this year. Hope I can get to the Burgh to see it again in November.

Tuesday
DWTS - discuss
I'll keep my opinions short and let you come to your own conclusions...
Samantha's hair - I thought she was going to fall over from the weight of that do.
Cheryl - still a crowd favorite or too much of a diva?
Carrie Ann's lisping tongue twister in front of Maurice Greene - accident?
Season 7: The Season of the Boobs
The Houghs' choreography is amazing, Karina's is spastic.
Generic score - 7
Bruce Jenner sighting #1
I didn't even see Kim Kardashian because I was laughing so hard at Mark's performance.
Misty May Traenor's face and shoulders are a bit stiff, but she can stay. Maks is HOT!
I know this isn't the proper use of the term, but Lance Bass is definitely my gay crush.

SUTUCD Finale - delayed response

Hi all. You may have noticed no post on last night's finale. I am out of town for a day and can't wait to watch when I get home tonight. I'll post after the finale. I don't really care who wins, just looking for an awesome show! Have a good Thursday.

So You Think You Can Dance - Top 6

Let's get right to it.

Courtney & Mark - Loved the viennese waltz. The choreography was fantastic and they danced it well. Still mad that Mark is still dancing, but what can you say? OK, new favorite choreographer - Sonia. Loved that jazz number. This was right up Mark's alley, but I couldn't take my eyes off Courtney. Adam is right, "that was sick!"

Katee & Josh - Not to take anything away from Joshua because he is great, but now that Will is gone, Katee should win - no question! Amazing contemporary choreography by Tyce. For me a paso doble is completely hit or miss. This one's a hit! (except the strobe lights). Maybe I take what I said back - Joshua was fabulous tonight and is definitely a front runner too.

Chelsie & Twitch - It was impossible to not watch Chelsie. They pulled off a hard mambo and Twitch did a good job of keeping up, but I didn't see much connection between them. Hope they have something that shows him off better next. Oh good, hip hop for Twitch. That was great and I loved the string version of "Control."

I absolutely love Cat. Not only does she look amazing tonight, she was hysterical when she put in Twitch's ghetto fab teeth.

Has anyone else noticed the conspicuous absence of Shane Sparks this season? Not that I'm missing him. I love all the fabulous new choreographers.

Quick show tonight and I loved it. At this point, as long as Mark doesn't win (or make the final), I don't care who wins. Maybe we can cut the phone lines in Hawaii. I've gotta give the night to Katee, Josh, Tyce and Jason.

Don't forget tour tickets go on sale Saturday.

SUTUCD - SPECIAL RESULTS EDITION

NO F-ING WAY! Stupid, stupid, stupid America. How is it possible that Will went home before that princess Mark? I don't even know what else to say. Guess I better dial up next week.

And So There Were 8

Let's start with a few housekeeping items...
1. A moment of silence for Kherington. What happened? I know she had a rough night with Mark, but...what! Letting Gev go was also a mistake.
2. Tour dates have been announced. Tickets go on sale 8/2. Portland show 9/21, Pittsburgh show 11/8. I've seen this show, American Idol and Dancing with the Stars. I won't go to the latter two again, but I'll see SUTUCD live as many times as possible.
3. Nigel and Mary...EWWWWWWW! That banter at the beginning of the show was digusting.
4. I don't think I've said it before, but the camera blocking on this show is fantastic. Sometimes the lighting is weird, but there is rarely a wierd camera angle or something important missed. I can't say the same for DWTS.
5. Happy birthday Chelsie!

On to the dancing...

WILL & COURTNEY (SAMBA/HIP HOP) - These two are both fantastic dancers and they did great tonight. I just don't think this is my favorite partnership. The samba was hot and the hip hop was smooth. Since there's not much to pick on tonight, I will say I thought Courtney was a bit stiff/mechanical at times in the hip hop. I love that Dirty Dancing inspired Will to start dancing. Does anyone else watch that movie every time it's on TV? That has to be at least a couple of times a month.

TWITCH & KATEE (CONTEMPORARY/BROADWAY) - I love that these two knew each other before the show and it showed. This was the best partnership of the night. I never really considered this before, but maybe it's Katee that is the fabulous partner. She has had fantastic pairings all along. Her stock goes up and up every week in my book. She's a total standout at this point. I don't want to forget my boy Twitch. Still love (nearly) everything he does. Loved both routines. The choreography set up these two fantastic performers to bring their characters to life. I especially loved when Twitch opened the door and Katee was swinging from it.

MARK & COMFORT (HIP HOP/FOX TROT) - I'm so over both of these two. It doesn't help that they both should have gone home last week, but I was done even before that. Didn't love their hip hop, but it wasn't bad. Looks like that fox trot might have done them in. I agree with Nigel that Comfort's solos don't have much substance. I did love Mark's solo. It was very creative.

JOSHUA & CHELSIE (ARGENTINE TANGO/DISCO) - Work those legs girl! Great footwork by both on the tango. Unfortunately the disco wasn't great. I am actually going to blame this one on Dorianna. There were too many lifts and they were so difficult that I could see them worrying about and working for them. They executed most of them OK, but it wasn't any fun. It was fun when they got away from the lifts and just danced. Bummer. That said, I just love these two and they are great together.

Great show. Kind of a rough ending, but not much to pick on. I will pick on Toni Basil a bit. At first I thought it would be fun to have an icon like her on the show. Unfortunately, she was wierd and went on and on and on. Maybe she just needs a forum to share her opinions. She should try bla-bla-blogging.

It's On!

So You Think You Can Dance - Top 10

Well, well, well...a convenient injury for the fair Jessica. Anyone else think she just wanted out?

The love fest continues between the judges and choreographers. Can we PLEASE make this show about the dancers?

Well Schech, there's your 2 Step. Too bad it was a fiasco. Possibly the worst butchering of choreography I've ever seen on this show. Kherington sure looks cute and that's the best thing I can say.

Twitch & Comfort's smooth waltz = super awkward! What's going on with Twitch. Don't lose it now buddy. And the swaying crowd is so cheesy. If reality tv history is any indication, people who are voted off and then brought back don't usually last and I think we're going to see that here.

Finally a worthy partner for Will. I've heard from lots of you - you're right. Katee is a great dancer and performer. Will, enough with the shirt. I like to see you with your shirt off, but not every episode. That's what I didn't like about Dmitri. Nigel, how could you possibly say that Will lacks charisma. He has been way more than a technician from day one.

I really like Sonia (the mohawk girl). Chelsie & Gev's contemporary was so cool. The movement was unexpected and I loved it. They were both great, but this is a perfect routine for Chelsie. She was perfect.

I've liked Josh from the beginning, but I like Courtney better every week. She is really bringing it. I think what Lil C was trying to say is that Josh dances like a man. I agree and I think Courtney does too.

Dave Scott is the bomb. I loved both of his numbers tonight, especially Twitch & Comfort. Now I'm really glad Comfort was back. Can you imagine if that had been Jessica?

Katee and Will are complete stand outs (not exactly a surprise). This is the first thing that gave me chills in weeks. And I love the Idol cross pollination. Thank you Lil C for acknowledging how hard the dancers work. And how many 10+ letter words did he use in saying that? I hated Will's high-waisted, shorty shorts. --- I've been thinking about this for a few minutes and am wondering, how is it possible that Katee coincidentally picked Will from the hat and they coincidentally picked that routine? Makes you wonder if the reality of reality TV is all it appears to be...

Nigel is such a blowhard! (I know, this comment could be inserted into any post.)

Shout out to Maggie and the women's team who got a huge treat last week when their "market travel" bus pulled up to a taping of the results show. I think most of you are with me that I'm more than a little jealous. Maggie gave me a quick run down - Mark's a diva, Gev is tiny (which means Courtney is super-tiny), everyone but Mark was really great, Cat is stunning, the dancers loved the troupe product. And the highlight...Maggie and Napoleon had a moment.

Onto my predictions. The results shows are going to be really hard from now on. In trouble tonight - Mark, Kherington, Comfort and Gev. I expected a lot more from Kherington and it can't be blamed on her draw.

Tomorrow sounds great - 3 group routines including bollywood!

So You Think You Can Dance - Top 12

Wish Mia were choreographing instead of judging. I appreciate her commentary, but I'd rather see her amazing work. Also not really loving the rag Cat is wearing.

Chelsie & Mark - SALSA (Alex da Silva) - The song was called "Fuego" and fuego it was in the beginning and the end. The middle, unfortunately, was not so hot (during the footwork). It looked like they were anticipating the really hard choreography Alex gave them and lost the fire. Nice finish though. The turns sequence with the interlocked arms and the lift at the end were great. Chelsie is a great technician when it comes to latin and ballroom and Mark keeps up nicely. Eww! Nigel is sooooooooooo creepy (commentary on Chelsie's outfit). There is a daily TV review on my google homepage and here's what today's said. "Between the leather jacket, participation in group dances, and inappropriate comments about Cat Deeley's looks, Nigel is making Mary look incredibly normal this season." Couldn't have said it better myself.

Comfort & Thayne - HIP HOP (Tabitha & Napoleon) - As you all know, I've been hot and cold on Tabitha & Napoleon's choreography. I'm going with hot on this one. I really liked the choreography, Comfort & Thayne pulled it off, but I don't believe them as a couple. There is absolutely zero chemistry between them. I'm afraid it's probably the end of the road for them. There's just nothing that's going to make people pick up the phone.

Jessica & Will - CONTEMPORARY (Tyce) - Loved it! Loved it! Loved it! Love Tyce! That's it.

Courtney & Gev - CHA CHA (Anya & Pasha) - Welcome back old friends. That had Anya & Pasha written all over it. I liked it, but didn't like the end. I know this isn't a revelation, but Mary is super cukoo.

Kherington & Twitch - KRUMP (Lil C) - I'm not usually a krump fan, but I really liked it. Not sure if that's a testament to Lil C or Kherington & Twitch. I even liked her vinyl pants. Mia's right about Twitch. We've come to love his softer side, but he still really brings it in a number like this.

Katee & Joshua - VIENESE WALTZ (Jean Marc & France) - I love Joshua's personality (and his dancing). He is always so cute in the video packages. I also love what Jean Marc is doing with the Vienese waltz on this show. It may be less of a waltz in the traditional sense, but so much more accessible for this audience. I loved this choreography and they way they danced it. Both Katee & Joshua were fantastic and their connection is great. I especially liked the beginning when they almost touched, but not quite. Lots of great lifts too. They worked so well into the choreography - nothing forced.

Round 1 goes to Will & Jessica (and Tyce)! Next...

Chelsie & Mark - BROADWAY (Tyce) - I liked it - wardrobe issues notwithstanding. Did you see the repeat move at the end from Tyce's previous routine tonight? I did love it, though. The characters came through and Chelsie really knows how to work her legs.

Comfort & Thayne - CONTEMPORARY (Mandy Moore) - One for Comfort and now one for Thayne. I love Mandy Moore - she rarely lets me down and I loved this routine (music and movement). The floor partner work reminded me of something she did last year with Dominic & Sabra. Comfort & Thayne did a decent job, but I think it's to little too late. Ouch Nigel - "I would have like to see another couple perform that routine?" I've never heard anything that harsh on this show. Didn't get much better from Mary or Mia. Yikes for them!

Jessica & Will - QUICK STEP (Tony & Melanie) - Jessica's on a roll - 2 good routines. Can she make it 3? The quick step isn't really a fair dance to ask that question. This was a hard routine and they both pulled it off. Even if all the steps weren't perfect, it was high energy and entertaining. I guess it's only fair for them to get something hard to pull off and connect with, since they hit the jackpot with Tyce's earlier contemporary routine. Apparently Mia would have answered no to my question and was pretty harsh about her. "Will, you need a new partner." Well, he'll get one next week (as will everyone - I'm not saying Jessica's out).

Courtney & Gev - JAZZ (Mandy Moore) - Mandy is so great at (1) partner work, (2) musicality and (3) using her dancers' strengths. I loved this routine. It was fun and full of great movement. I was afraid the map and safari costumes could have made this hokey, but not so. Great dancing and connection by Courtney & Gev.

Kherington & Twitch - SMOOTH TANGO (Jean Marc & France) - What's a smooth tango? And didn't they already tango? Or was that a paso doble? OK, I see what a smooth tango is. I didn't love it, but didn't hate it. There were a couple cool shapes and moves, but not that memorable.

Katee & Joshua - BOLLYWOOD (Nakul) - I don't really know if that was good or not since I have no knowledge of bollywood, but I was entertained. They seemed to be doing the same thing and it looked hard, so I think it was good.

I don't know if there's any clear winner tonight, but unfortunately there is a clear loser. I don't even know if we need a results show tomorrow since it seems to be a forgone conclusion that Comfort & Thayne are going home. I will give the consistency award to Courtney & Gev tonight.

I really might not watch tomorrow - I have no interest in hearing Katy Perry sing about kissing a girl and I always want to like Alvin Ailey performances, but usually don't.

Until next week...

SUTUCD - Top 14

Yea! Two dances tonight. When I saw the show was 2 hours, I was afraid we would have to endure extremely long video packages and judge rambling. Lucky us - it should be the opposite if they are to get through this much dancing and pay the bills.

Jessica & Will - (JIVE) Nothing new here. Will is great and Jessica sucks. Boring! The trick where she did the flip over his back and through his legs was fantastic, but otherwise not good. Again, looked like she learned the steps and executed them, but with no performance quality. Nigel said what I've been saying all along - she's going to be in big trouble without Will in a few weeks.

Comfort & Thayne - (BROADWAY) New partnership and a new choreographer. Their motive is to not be in the bottom 3 anymore. I don't think they did it with this one. It really did nothing for me and I love broadway. There was nothing unique or exciting about the choreography or their performance. It needed to be bigger. Not getting me to pick up the phone (not that I ever really do).

Kourtni & Matt - (HIP HOP) Hello Mr. Awkward. This was horrible for Matt and I hate saying that because I really want to like him. The bandana under the hat made it even worse. Even though the music and tone of the routine was soft, they still needed to have punch and energy. Nothing popped or hit hard. It was just boring.

Digging Nigel tonight. He and I are completely on the same wave length. And he's less creepy than usual. Can we please raise the bar now?

Chelsie & Mark - (JAZZ) Loved it! Between Mandy Moore's fantastic choreography, Mark's amazing movement quality and Chelsie's all around likeability, what's not to like? These two are so hot and they always deliver. Maybe I will pick up the phone now, but only if they don't do some cheesy gestures when they put their numbers up. Oh well, wishful thinking.

Kherington & Twitch - (PASO DOBLE) Is this the dance that's going to bring them down? Nope. Like Chelsie and Mark, they can do no wrong. This was hot, passionate and powerful. The costumes were very cool - I loved Kherington's boots and gloves (and Twitch's bare chest).

Katee & Joshua - (CONTEMPORARY) Well, I hope they made Mia proud because it was fantastic. I have loved Joshua from the beginning of this competition and loved him tonight too, but Katee totally blew me away. This was a stand out performance for her. She was amazing. She completely surrendered herself to the choreography and to Joshua. It might be too early to say just yet, but this might have been Mia's dance of the season. It's almost like winning the lottery for the couple who gets one of these routines from her. Loved the music - Hometown Glory by Adele. Oh yeah, I love Katee's hair.

Courtney & Gev - (HIP HOP) I don't really have anything to say about this. Maybe that says something in itself.

This is an interesting season. The 7 dancers who are good are amazing, but the others are completely forgettable.

ROUND 2 - ding! ding!

Jessica & Will - (LYRICAL JAZZ) Fantastic partner work and the best performance we've seen yet by Jessica. Thank you Mandy, great choreography and there's nothing wrong with a shirtless Will.

I SPY BENJI SITTING BEHIND MANDY - IS THERE A LITTLE WEST COAST SWING COMING OUR WAY?

Comfort & Thayne - (SMOOTH WALTZ) Nothing much to say here either. It was nice, but not that memorable. Think they need to prepare their solos.

Kourtni & Matt - (MAMBO) Needed more snap. It just seemed like they were sort of going through the motions. The lift in the beginning had so much potential, but didn't deliver.

Chelsie & Mark - (FOX TROT) That was a surprise - Paul Anka doing Bon Jovi. Very good fox trot. Obviously, this is Chelsie's style so she was great and if you give Mark a character to play, he will deliver. And he did.

Kherington & Twitch - (CONTEMPORARY) Wow! Mia is really on tonight. Loved it and I love them. Their connection is so great and the camera blocking was perfect for that routine. I love that their connection continues after the music ends. Yes, Tabitha - awesome, awesome, awesome, awesome, awesome, awesome. Oh, I love the costumes too.

Katee & Joshua - (WEST COAST SWING - Yea!) Whoa! Who let the air out of Katee's tires? She was so low energy and super tentative. That was a total let down. I would have loved it if Benji and Lacey were performing it. OK, clearly I saw something completely different than the judges here.

Courtney & Gev - (BROADWAY) Didn't love it, didn't hate it. Didn't care about it. How could Mary possibly say they are headed for the finals? Maybe because she's an idiot.

Nigel, if you're listening, everyone hates Mary. Please sack her (and her "massive chompers").

Bottom 3 - Comfort & Thayne, Kourtni & Matt, Courtney & Gev. Matt is definitely going home - the judges won't tolerate him anymore.

BEST SHOW THIS SEASON!

Happy birthday Lynnie! Hope you had a good birthday. This is the cake I would have baked you if we were in closer proximity. Happy 4th everyone. Enjoy the long weekend.

So You Think You Can Dance - Top 16

Let me start tonight by saying a tearful goodbye to Susie the high school teacher who is not even a good club dancer and her geometry student Marquis. Did anyone else think that was a bit of a sick pairing?

Judges - I love Adam. I'm glad Mary's wearing something that covers her boobs. Nigel has giant fake teeth.

Kherington & Twitch - Well, so far I'm not a big fan of Napoleon & Tabitha's choreography and this didn't help me like them any more. Side note - did anyone see that they have a show on TLC where they choreograph crazy wedding dances? How many episodes could that concept really have in it? Back to Kherington and Twitch. Did Kherington take face choreography lessons from Mark Balas? I didn't love the routine, but they pulled it off. I do love this couple, though. I actually think it's a little bit of an unfair pairing (but that doesn't mean I don't want to see more of them). They are both so good individually and unbelievable together.

Courtney & Gev - I didn't really like much about this awkward rumba. I didn't like the music, her costume, their stiff performance. I actually did like the choreography, but it was hard to see.

Comfort & Chris - The secret Chris should have revealed about Comfort is that she can dance -beyond hip hop or krumping. I thought she was fantastic and out danced Chris (again). Loved the choreography, loved the performance, but can it keep them out of the bottom? Not sure.

Apparently the judges are not in agreement with me so far tonight.

Jessica & Will - Oh, that was unfortunate. A bit of a train wreck. Before the huge mistake on the missed lift, then the complete dismantling after that, I thought Will looked like he was dancing in a disco having a good time and Jessica looked like she learned some choreography and did the steps. I just don't see in her a dancer I can get on board with. He will continue to carry her, but first chance she gets to be eliminated, she should be gone.

Am I watching the same show as the judges? Feel free to tell me I'm smoking crack if you disagree with me because I'm confused right about now.

Kourtni & Matt - Hello Sonya. Welcome to the show. I think I like you. This was really fun and they performed it very well. They had good energy and captured the character of the routine. I haven't really cared for this couple until now, but I really liked them tonight. More Sonya please.

Chelsea & Thayne - That was really hard choreography and they did a good job. I thought they were appropriately in character and looked great. But did they survive the kiss of death? Few fare well on a quickstep on this show.

Chelsie & Mark - What kind of contract to Tabitha & Napoleon have here? Do they only work in twos? That said, same reaction I had to them the first week. Didn't like their first routine, but loved the second one. I loved the characters and emotion, the mix of the song, the choreography and I loved Chelsie and Mark. I didn't love Chelsie's costume. Wardrobe needs to be careful with her - there's something strange about her body (not bad, but strange). I was really wrong about Mark the first week. He is fantastic and they are great together.

Katee & Joshua - Hot! Hot! Hot! I love Joshua. He continues to amaze me - this week, the way he moves his hips. And Katee, is she a hustler or what, playing all innocent in the video package. She was totally sexy. Did they miss a lift toward the end? If not, there was some weird choreography there. What is Mary yapping about? Lady, shut it!

Good finish. I was not too keen on the show early on tonight.

Danger zone: Courtney & Gev, Comfort & Chris, Chelsea & Thayne.

SUTUCD - Top 18

OK dance fans, tonight is a special night. I am in Pittsburgh watching with a couple of guest bloggers - apparel rep of the year Lynnie G, Katie B, Lynnie's man Dustin and a newbie on loan from Asia Pacific Brooke L (not me, another Brooke L). So I can't take credit for all these comments.

Wow! Mary Murphy - Betty Rubble live. All she needs is a bone in her hair. Did she just walk off the Bunny Ranch? And a comment from our newbie about 3 dances into the show, "she's really annoying. How have you watched 4 seasons of her?" Couldn't have said it any more simply.

How is it possible that Cat is getting skinnier?

Thayne & Chelsea - Man up Thayne! Not Mandy Moore's best. It was a little low energy for the opening number of the night. Awesome costumes, but that's the only nice thing I can say. Kat: "Now that the judges have ripped you apart, how do you feel you did?" How are you possibly supposed to respond to that?

Mark & Chelsie - Nice rebound Mark. Last week I thought he was too soft, but he killed it this week. He was totally into this from the footwork to the face. Would have liked to see more intensity on Chelsie's face, but the footwork and overall intensity was great. Hey Chelsie, where did those boobs come from? We love Alex da Silva.

Will & Jessica - Surprised contemporary Will is that good at hip hop. Jessica was way too soft - Mia put it best, a little cheerleader-y. Mia said she wasn't even on the stage, I wish she wouldn't be after this week (but I'm afraid Will is going to carry her through until they get split up).

Matt & Kourtni - If they don't kill this fox trot, Mr. stick up his butt deserves to go home. Well, he was very upright. I think he was good tonight. It was graceful and elegant except Kourtni's limp arms.

Gev & Courtney - Thanks Gev for modeling the dancer's belt for us. Loved it! Loved it! Loved it! Chills all around except Dustin who doesn't really like contemporary. Mandy was right that Gev was probably an underdog, but he delivered. This year's Dominic. I'm not a big Courtney fan, but liked her in this dance and her hair looks better wavy. I do not, however, like Mandy Moore's haircut.

Joshua & Katee - What is Nigel doing marching around? And what is Mia doing with Mary's cleavage? Joshua is so fabulous (word - thanks Dustin). What can't he do? Katee is good, but will continue to be overshadowed by him. My BF Tyce delivered an amazing routine once again. I love broadway and I love Tyce.

Marquis & Susie - If I didn't know better, I would never guess Susie is a salsa dancer. She looks awkward and uncoordinated. Cool and very difficult lift. Great choreography by Alex as usual, but I don't have any other positive stuff to offer. Booooooring.

Twitch & Kherington - Other than the fact that that wasn't a waltz, I really liked it. She is so graceful and beautiful. Because of that, Twitch needs a little more extension. What he doesn't need more of is manliness. He's going to win this thing - personality, versatility, skillz. They are georgous together. Nigel + Kherington sittin in a tree... He loves her.

Chris & Comfort - Chris seriously needs to man-up. Maybe they should find a song with a few less swears. Also, it's too slow. Pretty much what you would expect from these two krumping. She looks good and he looks completely awkward - like a tall, lanky white boy doing something new that is out of his comfort zone, no pun intended. Nigel's comments and crotch grabbing were unbelievable.

I might have to start having viewing parties, because this is so much more fun watching with other fans. Thanks for the guest commentary everyone. Thanks for the hospitality, super-yummy pizza and healthy snacks Lynnie and Dustin. I'm going to have to start spending as many Wednesdays as possible in Pittsburgh.

So You Think You Can Dance - Top 20 performance

OK people, it's here...the stage show finally begins. Let's just skip my bitching that Dan Karaty is one of the judges tonight and get right to the contestant introductions and dancing.

1. Rayven & Jamie: Hip Hop choreographed by Napoleon & Tabitha
Rayven is a contemporary ballet dancer and is super old at 28! Jamie is a west coast swing dancer with sad hair and a sad girlfriend/partner who didn't make top 20.
I was really hoping for a lot from Napoleon & Tabitha. Unfortunately, it was a lot of crotch grabbing and a sad pants-dropping incident. Jamie is no Marky Mark and unless you look like him in his underwear, you shouldn't drop your pants in the middle of a dance.

2. Susie & Marquis: Smooth Waltz choreographed by Hunter Johnson
Susie is a latin dancer and high school teacher. Even in Miami, I can't imagine having a high school teacher who looks like her. She is super hot. I expect she takes a lot of crap for her looks at her job. Marquis is a contemporary dancer and just a baby. Why did he bad mouth his mom on national TV?
Nice, but forgettable. They were fine except the rough lift transitions at the end. Yes Nigel, the audience did notice they messed up the lift. I expect they are good dancers, but nothing much really shined through.

3. Kourtni L & Matt: Jazz choreographed by Mandy Moore
Both very tall contemporary dancers and neither revealed anything interesting in the video package except that they are tall. Matt is super cute, though, and he has really good teeth.
I love Mandy Moore. She always delivers with something nostalgic or fun, and creative. That said, I don't think the dancers brought much punch tonight. Maybe everyone is just nervous on the first week, but I'm kind of bored.

4. Chelsea T & Thayne: Cha Cha choreographed by Tony & Melanie
More contemporary dancers - Chelsea from Jamaica and Thayne from SLC (holla!).
She was so hot in the first 5 seconds that I was afraid he might disappear, but...he stayed with her. Best dance so far! They had energy, spunk and sass. The good choreography didn't hurt either. Can't wait to see more from them.

5. Chelsie H & Mark: Contemporary choreographed by Mia Michaels
Chelsie is the cute blond ballroom dancer Lynn keeps calling out to me. Mark is a contemporary dancer with a pretty unique style. Whoa - Mia is not diggin' Mark...
Wow! Mia does not disappoint. From her description in the video I was not sure what to expect, but it was fantastic from the choreography to the costumes and lighting. I loved it and absolutely loved Chelsie! She was amazing. Mark is lucky - he is going to get through a lot of this competition because of her. Thank you Mia for bringing something that great to the first show (again...I haven't forgotten what she did with Lacey and Kameron on the first episode last season).

6. Kherington & Twitch: Broadway choreographed by Tyce D'Orio
Not a pairing I was expecting, but I can't wait to see it. If nothing else, they should have a lot of energy. I think Twitch has a serious advantage here. The audience already knows him from last season and he has an infectious personality. Kherington is a very cute contemporary dancer and soccer player. Let's see what Tyce has in store for them.
Loved it and love them! They nailed it. Too bad she was molting.

7. Comfort & Chris: Jive choreographed by Tony & Melanie
Comfort is a hip hop girl with a bit of attitude and Chris is another contemporary dancer without much personality so far. In some shots, Chris looks 40 and in others he looks 12 - go figure.
Hmmm...I was afraid of this. She was a fish out of water and he danced circles around her. She did an OK job of keeping up with the steps, but there was no snap to it. Turns out she might just be a jive talker. Apparently the judges saw it a different way.

8. Katee & Joshua: Hip Hop choreographed by Napoleon & Tabitha
Katee didn't come off very good at the end of the top 20 announcement. I hope her persona rebounds this week. Joshua is a hip hop dancer who has shown he can do a lot more than that. I expect a lot from him. Let's see.
A little more of a play at the beginning than I cared for, but I liked the choreography and tone so much better than the earlier Napoleon & Tabitha routine. Joshua is a really strong dancer and Katee's not bad either. I loved that move where she pulled him off the floor. Amazing! They both did a great job and they are a great pairing. Oh, and cool jacket trick at the end.

9. Jessica & Will: Tango choreographed by Hunter Johnson
Both contemporary dancers. Will is Debbie Allen's protege. Thank you Will for keeping Debbie off the show for now. Tango is not an easy task for week one. Let's see how they handle it.
It's hard for me to get excited about a Tango, but they did a great job, looked great together and I expect they'll be here next week with no problem and I hope to see something I like better then.

10. Courtney G & Gev: Disco choreographed by Dorianna Sanchez
Contempory/Knicks dancer meets B-Boy from Khazikstan. I spy a gold lame bra in the vegas footage. Gev reminds me of a cross between Kameron and Dominic.

Well, they are no Neil and Sara (oh, I miss the old gang already), but not bad. The energy started out a little low, but it got better at the end. Weird side note - between the camera angles, stage lights and light shiny costumes, I had a hard time seeing them for much of the routine.

A few judge comments:
Mary came out with every corny line possible tonight. I might have to eat crow - I actually agreed with more of Dan's comments than I'm comfortable with. Kat looks super hot.

Predictions for tomorrow's results: Rayven & Jamie, Kourtni & Matt, Courtney & Gev and maybe Susie & Marquis are in trouble. If that's the right bottom couples, I think Rayven and Matt are in the most trouble.

I can't wait to see more from: both Chelseas, Twitch & Kherington, Joshua & Katee and Will.



What do you think?

SUTUCD Audition Wrap Up

So, the auditions are over, top 20 are chosen and the stage show starts next week. (Insert Mary Murphy scream here)!!!

It was simply more than I could take on to comment on all the audition episodes, but there are a few call outs I should make.

• SLC - REPRESENT! Hey Dustin, A LOT of great dancers (hello, me included) come from SLC, so don't knock it! Let me just list a few notables - Sabra, Julianne and Derek Hough, Ashley Del Groso, the kids who won the DWTS junior competition, and I'm going to go ahead and count Benji and Lacey since they're Mormons (even though they are from California).



• Award for the most crazies goes to Charleston. You should be so proud.



• A lot of good poppers in the auditions this year. How will they fare going forward???



• Did anyone even see what the girl with the ribbon was doing? I couldn't tell because I was mesmerized by her outfit. I am sure she got that gold lame leotard at American Apparel, but what really confused me was the shorts with the gold lame strip on the crotch and up her ass - it was kind of like chap shorts.



• Where does Dan Karaty get off saying "I think we've seen this before?" He says the same thing all the time and his boring choreography is the same every time. Hey Dan, I think I've heard this from you before.



• How about the guy who did Kevin Bacon's warehouse routine from Footloose? I'm pretty sure it's the exact choreography, just without Kevin Bacon (my hollywood crush since Footloose came out). I love it when I type something, then one of the judges says the exact same thing!



• Ahhh, Milwaukee...the land of the toe touch.



• So glad Debbie Allen can't take part in the show while her protege is in. Where is Dan's protege?

OK everyone. Are you ready to pick your pony? You get this week's shows to assess the talent before you make your pick. Watch carefully and be ready for a little healthy competition.

Congratulations to Lynnie G, Mayura and MBB on your awards at sales rec. We've got greatness in our midst. Holla!

Seacrest out. (I wish he still said that)

SUTUCD Season 4

It's BAAAAAAACK!!!

After a long, cold winter my favorite summer reality hit is back. I want to officially declare this the best dance show on television. I still like DWTS, but it's on so much that I don't miss it when it's off the air. I tried to watch "Step it Up & Dance" - the Bravo show with that skank Elizabeth Berkley hosting. The dancers were pretty good, but it follows the exact formula of all the other Bravo shows. I think I stuck with it for 4-5 episodes and never really got a feel for what kind of dancer any of the contestants were.

OK. Back to SUTUCD...If you missed the Monday show, don't worry, it was a repeat of last Thursday. Hope the other shows this week are new.

Things I hope to see more of: Wade Robeson, Tyce D'Orio, Mandy Moore, former favorite contestants back as choreographers, discovery of fabulous new music.

Things I hope to see less of: Nigel lecturing contestants. Nigel pointing out the obvious. Dan Karaty. (A girl can dream, can't she?)

Shocking, Sex and his mom are back. Please stop giving this guy air time! But, if you haven't deleted the premire episode, check out how big his feet/shoes are.

Love the soccer girl. So glad Twitch is back and had a great audition. That popper at the end was absolutely amazing. I have never seen anything like that and I can't wait to see more. I like how the 1 minute audition turned into about 6-7 minutes.

Did anyone else think it was a bit creepy how Dominic was oogling all the cute girls?

SUTUCD Auditions