Dancers Slip But Don't Slide On SYTYCD Top 12

There were a few miscues on the Top 12 show of So You Think You Can Dance, with at least four noticeable slips during dances. Those dancers made it such, though, that those slips did not matter one bit thanks to superior dancing either before or after it.

The first to slip was Brandon, during his quicky intro solo after an aerial cartwheel. But he was on more than firm ground the rest of the night with two outstanding routines that prompted Nigel Lythgoe to say he would be shocked if he and his partner Janette were not the highest vote-getters of the night. Their Argentine tango was like watching professionals dance, and they received the first standing ovation from the panel this year. Their Wade Robson jazz routine was so in sync and so ON. Those two are so connected as partners. It's a shame that this could be their last week together.

Melissa and Ade had a miscue at the end of their high-flying disco number with her partner, with Ade unable to hold Melissa in the final pose, causing her to drop to the floor. Luckily, she was on her feet and not all the way up in the air like she was earlier. Holy crap those lifts were insane! Their second dance, the waltz, again featured some nice lifts, but some of the non-lift parts were not as impressive.

Phillip slipped twice in his jive with partner Jeanine, but, like he did when his pants tore on their Broadway number, Phillip soldiered on and barely missed a bit. The judges acknowledged Phillip's slip but also said that was his best routine not in his style all season. And Jeanine was FANTASTIC. Nigel slipped himself during the first dance, saying he's not so sure they should have had them do the Russian Folk Dance. Your own fault, Nigel. Between the costuming and the dancing, it all looked kind of cartoony to me until the end when they did their solos and then came together for that sit spin. That was pretty awesome.

Reviews were mixed for Kayla and Kupono, who shined in a Mia Michaels contemporary (which ... really? Can we try to not show such obvious manipulation, Nigel? We get it! You want these two in the Top 10!) but didn't connect in a Broadway number. The Mia Michaels piece was a very intense dance about "addiction" that really hit close to home with Kupono. He struck the perfect tone for the sinister character, and Kayla looked just a like strung-out junkie. Not a good look for her, btw. I was not as impressed with Kayla's acting as I was with Kupono's. She looked like she was acting a little too much at times. They probably should have saved some of their acting for the Broadway number, although I'd blame some of the meh reviews on that piece to choreographer Joey Dowling. I am just not impressed by her work on this show so far, particularly in the pieces of music she chooses. This piece did absolutely nothing for me, and I totally love West Side Story.

Caitlin and Jason got a little bit shafted with choreography as well, getting two routines that weren't very memorable - foxtrot and an unremarkable lyrical jazz. Both were danced well, particularly the jazz, but I don't think either will be anything that will inspire people to vote for them.

On the other side of the spectrum, Randi and Evan had two really well choreographed numbers that I wished someone else had danced. The hip-hop was too white bread to do anything for me, and their samba was too tame for the hotness of that choreography. They hit all the right moves, but they didn't exude them to the audience. At times they look like two kids having fun on the dance floor.

I see a bottom 3 of Caitlin/Jason, Kayla/Kupono and probably Jeanine/Phillip or Randi/Evan (should be the latter, and they were my faves the first couple of weeks!).

Tonight's music and dances:

Round 1
Melissa/Ade - Disco, choreographed by Doriana Sanchez ("Move On Up" by Destination)
Kayla/Kupono - Contemporary, choreographed by Mia Michaels ("Gravity" by Sara Bareilles)
Caitlin/Jason - American Foxtrot, choreographed by Tony Meredith & Melanie LaPatin ("Minnie The Moocher" by Big Bad Voodoo Daddy)
Jeanine/Phillip - Russian Folk, choreographed by Youri Nelzine & Lilia Babenko ("Kalinka" by Barynya)
Randi/Evan - Hip Hop, choreographed by Tabitha & Napoleon ("Halo" by Beyonce)
Janette/Brandon - Argentine Tango, choreographed by Leonardo Barrionuevo & Miriam Larici ("Libertango" from Forever Tango)

Round 2
Melissa/Ade - Waltz, choreographed by Ron Montez ("Natural Woman" by Mary J Blige)
Kayla/Kupono - Broadway, choreographed by Joey Dowling ("The Dance At The Gym" from West Side Story)
Caitlin/Jason - Lyrical Jazz, choreographed by Mandy Moore ("Show Me Heaven" by Maria McKee)
Jeanine/Phillip - Jive, choreographed by Tony Meredith & Melanie LaPatin ("Stuff Like That There" by Bette Midler)
Randi/Evan - Samba, choreographed by Pasha Kovalev and Anya Garnis ("Ritmo De Bom Bom" by Jubaba)
Janette/Brandon - Jazz, choreographed by Wade Robson ("Ruby Blue" by Roisin Murphy)