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Chelsie H. and Mark - Salsa - For the first time, I felt that these two were equal in their partnership. I was drawn to watch them both. However, I think they were both too tentative and were thinking about the steps rather than about each other. "Careful" is not great in any dance, but it's especially troubling in a Latin dance that should be more about abandon and passion. Disappointing…

Comfort and Thayne - Hip Hop - I thought they pulled off the steps extremely well, and they really brought the music to life more than most of the hip hop routines we've seen this season. That being said, neither of them is all that interesting as a person, so I found myself paying more attention to the moves on their own than to the performance as a whole. I don't blame it any more on Comfort than on Thayne. I just don't think that either of them is electric, at least with each other.

Jessica and Will - Contemporary - I thought they did a very, very good job executing this choreography. Some of the body shapes and lines were truly gorgeous. The only thing keeping it from being excellent was that there were a few little bumps in the transitions from one move to the next. A balance problem here, a bobbled weight shift there… If they had only smoothed those out a smidge so that each move flowed into the next, it would have been extraordinary. I disagree about how stellar the judges said the choreography was, though. It kind of felt like a collection of contemporary-dance clichés to me. Still, Jessica and Will elevated it with their performances and their interaction. I have to say, though, that Will's new facial hairstyle is one of the most absurd things I've ever seen. Shave, dude!

Courtney and Gev - Cha Cha - I agree wholeheartedly with the judges, here. I found the performance delightful, despite any shortcomings in the dancing. Gev seemed to have very little asked of him, technically. If he hadn't filled it out with performance and attitude (I LIKED the lip thing he did), then he would have looked quite silly. As it was, though, he created the through line with his palpable desire for Courtney. She had more to do, but was a little sloppy with it, especially with the final moves. Still, though, the partnership worked and that made the dance work.

Kherington and Twitch - Krump - Was Kherington "buck"? Well, technically, Bambi is a buck, so I guess so… This routine, particularly Twitch in it, probably came closer to what krump is than anything we've seen on this show, but it still lacked the kind of speed and "how the hell did he do that" that real krumpers have. Without that, what's the point? It's not a pretty dance. It's not a particularly entertaining or moving dance. No, the raison d'etre for performing a krump routine for an audience is to blow their minds. Nothing in this routine even came close to being mind-blowing. They really need to retire this genre!

Katee and Joshua - Waltz - Katee was truly extraordinary, here. There was an inevitability to her movement that made it seem effortless. She was like a feather being blown on a breeze. Joshua, despite his best efforts, was not able to match that style. He's simply not built for it. I think he did just about everything he could do, but it came up short. I will congratulate him for his strength and control on the lifts. Part of the reason why Katee looked like a feather is that Joshua was able to handle her like one...

Chelsie H. and Mark - Broadway - When Tyce choreographs Broadway, he has a bad tendency to go over the top and the dancers end up looking cheesy. That didn't happen here. The reason that it didn't happen is that Mark has SO much personality and he fills the movements so much that despite the fact that they are exaggerated, they come organically out of character. I was blown away by him in this performance, and I think that individually, it was one of my two or three favorite performances of the season. I'm not sure what deficiencies in technique Mia was seeing, but I don't really care. If he can sell it so that I don't notice the technique, that's even more of an accomplishment in my book. Chelsie was very good. She supported what he did quite well, but HE was the star on that stage, no matter what Nigel may say.

Comfort and Thayne - Contemporary - The judges were pretty dead on with this. The choreography was fascinating, but I ended up watching it rather than the dancers. There was so little heart or connection in what they did. Comfort was mostly to blame, I believe. She is so closed off and her face becomes immobile. I saw Thayne trying to connect, but he couldn't break through her wall. It wasn't bad dancing, but it was a bad performance. And following the hot connection between Will and Jessica earlier, they couldn't afford a bad performance.

Jessica and Will - Quick Step - Again, I thought Nigel was 100% right. There was so much in this routine that was NOT quick step, and on those elements, these two were very successful. They faltered, however, when they tried to execute the quick step. It wasn't very quick, and even at the reduced speed, it wasn't nearly light or fluid enough. Mia, sucked, though. Yeah, the dance didn't work, but it was no less Will's fault than it was Jessica's. She didn't deserve to take the blame, here.

Courtney and Gev - Jazz - I thought this number really succeeded in a way that their Broadway routine last week failed. Both dances were supposed to come out of characters making a fun scenario out of being out of place in a foreign "jungle" (although last week, the jungle was Manhattan). The difference is, this time, they played it honest instead of corny, so it had much more impact and was funnier and more fun. Mandy did an amazing job of incorporating their strengths into the choreography. Gev has really, really grown, and I'd put him ahead of even Jessica as most improved in the competition.

Kherington and Twitch - Smooth Tango - I actually liked this routine - particularly Kherington's performance - more than the judges did. Part of it was her outfit. I thought the way that dress elongated her torso was VERY flattering and actually made her sexy in a way she has never been for me. She also made the shift from lover to fighter quite successfully. Twitch was more one-note throughout. He was alright, but not much more.

Katee and Joshua - Bollywood - Wow! I abso-freaking-lutely LOVED this number! It was such an amazingly difficult, physical piece of choreography, but they threw themselves into it and made it look not only easy but also fun. I was delighted to see how they nailed the innate goofy innocence of the style, and from the moment Joshua gave his infectiously shy smile at the beginning, I was hooked. Other dances on this show may have moved me more, but I can't remember any that have made me smile so giddily!


My Rankings:
1. Katee and Joshua - Bollywood
2. Chelsie and Mark - Broadway
3. Courtney and Gev - Jazz
4. Jessica and Will - Contemporary
5. Courtney and Gev - Cha Cha
6. Kherington and Twitch - Smooth Tango
7. Katee and Joshua - Waltz (more for her than him)
8. Chelsie and Mark - Salsa
9. Comfort and Thayne - Hip Hop
10. Jessica and Will - Quick Step
11. Kherington and Twitch - Krump
12. Comfort and Thayne - Contemporary

Comfort and Thayne were the worst couple, again, but Kherington and Twitch certainly deserve to be bottom 3 this week. Will they be? I don't know. Jessica and Will should also be there, IMO, but I won't be surprised if Chelsie and Mark find themselves there because they went first or Courtney and Gev do because they have already been there. The one couple I know will be safe (and deservedly so) is Katee and Joshua.