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PHILIP & CHANNING - Philip lucked out getting a style that works so well with his specialty - not just in terms of the footwork, but also with the exhibitionistic (some may say cheesy) style. He was fairly successful. Channing, not so much. She dances heavy, and never keyed into the light and quick style the jive requires. I agree with Adam that during the tricks and lifts (not just the one time, either), they fell out of character. This was just okay.

JAKOB & ASHLEIGH - I agree with Nigel that Jakob may be one of the most gifted technicians they've had, but I'm not so sure about him as a performer. What he did felt quite insular - he didn't connect as much as I would have liked with his partner, the audience or the camera. Any second of that routine frozen in a still photo, Jakob would have been unbelievable. His lines are impeccable (those toes!). Still, there was something missing in motion. I didn't feel any passion from him. Ashleigh was a little more successful on the performance front, but she is not nearly as technically proficient. He literally and figuratively danced circles around her.

PETER & ARIANA - Once again, I agree with Adam. These two were not dancing in the same style. Ariana was much more crisp and Peter was more fluid. Neither is wrong, per se, but I would say that with the android story, Ariana was more successful. Peter danced through the beats rather than hitting them. It's a bit surprising, coming from a tap dancer, as tap is all about hitting the beats. This was better choreography from Nappy-Tabs than we've gotten recently, so I was pretty pleased about that…

RUSSELL & NOELLE MELANIE - It's great to finally see somebody who is a born performer. Russell is going to be great at a variety of styles, not necessarily because he has a lot of training or experience in them (although he clearly has SOME), but because he is a really, really good ACTOR, and he can take on the character required by the different styles of dance. What I loved about it was that his character was so specific. He wasn't just some generic version of debonair elegance - he had a sly, slightly malevolent attitude towards his partner that brought some great electricity. He is also clearly blessed with the strength, control, and flexibility that he will need throughout. That kick over his head was unbelievable. It may not have been quite as good as a contemporary expert like Jacob may have been able to do, but it was at least 95%.

VICTOR & BIANCA - OMG, I love Travis as a choreographer even more than I loved him as a dancer! And that's saying something! This piece was sheer magic, and proved that the success of his piece with Jason & Jeanine last year was no fluke. Nigel was so right that the success came from the fact that, although they were playing characters who were disconnected, the connection was ON in a truly exciting way. Victor was astonishing, but Bianca really kept up, and from a performance standpoint, it was very much a team effort. I disagree with Adam that it was Victor's moment, because they BOTH made the piece work.

KEVIN & KAREN - Okay, here is where the judges and I part ways. I don't know what they were watching, but I thought this was horrific. First of all, I had a hard time paying attention to the dancing at all because of Kevin's ridiculous schoolmarm bun. Honestly, it looked to me like Karen was dancing with Margaret Hamilton! Honestly, Nigel thought that VICTOR'S hair was going to be a distraction, but he had nothing to say about Kevin looking like an elderly spinster?! When I was finally able to pay attention to the dancing, I was totally underwhelmed. Kevin was awful and the partnering was completely awkward. Even Karen, who is supposed to be so good at this, seemed sluggish and occasionally off balance. Giving her the benefit of the doubt, I will assume that this was because she had to dumb it down for him, but still, it didn't warrant a ticket on the lukewarm cornbread cart, let alone the hot tamale train!

RYAN & ELLENORE - I loved Sonyah's choreography. It almost reminded me of a Wade Robson number (or her best piece, "The Garden"), in the way it introduced new elements to the vocabulary of movement. The execution wasn't quite as impressive, though. I have nothing bad to say about Ellenore, but for me, Ryan really dragged it down. He never succeeded in getting into character, and I always saw him thinking about the choreography rather than releasing himself into it. He also looked bulky and clumsy, and didn't ever extend his lines (as we know he can do in ballroom). On a side note, if I were Ashleigh, I'd be tearing Ellenore's hair out. What was with her insistence on keeping her hand practically on Ryan's crotch through the judging?!

BRANDON & PAULINE - I certainly wanted to love this piece based on the story of what happened with this pair. In the end, I actually did like it, particularly under these circumstances, although I see many of the problems the judges pointed out. I thought Pauline was absolutely lovely and ethereal. Brandon didn't really adapt as successfully to the waltz persona, but as the dance went along, I found myself enjoying the sincerity of watching him dance as himself rather than in a contrived character. He looks so slight and frail, and yet none of the lifts felt awkward or out of proportion, and I agree that the chemistry was quite good. As was the overall performance, especially given the backstory.

LEGACY & KATHRYN - I went into this not liking either of these dancers, and I was pleasantly surprised. I thought Kathryn's isolations were surprisingly good, and I liked how she performed. Legacy also performed at least well enough that he didn't distract me with his annoying persona. Like the other hip hop routine (although not as pronounced), there was a slight dichotomy between their styles. Legacy had a very strong core, while Kathryn's was more fluid. It made a few of their synchronization near-misses stand out more, as she usually had a different body position with an arched back, while his core was straight and flexed. While this problem was noticeable, it didn't take too much away from my enjoyment of the dance.

NATHAN & MOLLEE - These two really are sickeningly adorable. Disco proved to be a great style for Mollee, whose energy and enthusiasm bubbled over. Nathan was not as successful. He failed, in my opinion, to convey the power and confidence needed, and as a result, I was actually scared watching some of the tricks. I needn't have been, as he was physically more than capable of doing what needed to be done, but I needed to see that capability more in his demeanor in order for the dance to be fun.


Pairs Rankings:

1. BIANCA & VICTOR (by a mile)
2. MELANIE & RUSSELL
3. KATHRYN & LEGACY
4. ELLENORE & RYAN (although Sonyah and Ellenore get the credit, and Ryan is lucky to have had them)
5. MOLLEE & NATHAN
6. ASHLEIGH & JAKOB
7. PAULINE & BRANDON
8. CHANNING & PHILIP
9. ARIANA & PETER
10. KAREN AND KEVIN


Now, I am completely outraged by the dancers they chose to be in the bottom 4. Only one of them deserved to be there. The bottom four should have been Kevin and either Peter or Ryan, with the Wicked Witch getting melted. Channing and Arianna should have been in the bottom for the girls, with CHANNING being sent packing, instead.

In point of fact, though, I don't think they should have sent anybody home tonight. Instead of bringing Brandon back at all (since the fact they had him dance for his life against RUSSELL showed beyond any doubt that he had no chance of staying), they should have had Pauline do the waltz with choreographer Kevin. They could have said that both Noelle and Billy Bell were out for the night, and if they couldn't be ready for next week, then both would be out (even though they already knew Billy wouldn't be back). Then, if Noelle makes it back, they could cut somebody and show it to us in a video clip. As it is, I'm guessing that it's highly likely that Noelle WON'T be back, and that Ariana will be brought back next week, anyway…