So You Think You Can Dance: The Top 14 On Point

We're down to seven couples -- only one more week to go before we a. get our Top Ten and b. start splitting these pairs up!

The guest judge this week was Mia Michaels, in her first turn at the table since Vegas.

Quick note before I get into the dancing -- did you know that Cat Deeley is blogging this season for Entertainment Weekly? I didn't, but I'm glad to know!

- First up were Janette and Brandon with a Jean-Marc and France Genereux cha cha to the Pussycat Dolls' "Hush Hush; Hush Hush". This was a very well-done cha cha, with lots of energy and good footwork. I thought they might have missed a trick at one point (when it looked like Janette was supposed to kick or dip or something in front of Brandon), but maybe not. A nice start to the night, since sometimes the first dance isn't very strong.

Bottom line: They haven't hit the bottom three yet, and I don't think they will this week, either.

- Next were Kayla (or as Cat says it, "Kayler") and Kupono doing a Sonya Tayeh contemporary to "Eyes on Fire" by Blue Foundation. The theme was vampires (of course!), and since "Eyes on Fire" is on the Twilight soundtrack, there ya go. Both Kayla and Kupono have had the chance to do pop jazz (Kayla) and Wade-Robson-jazz (Kupono) already, so I was a little surprised to see them doing another quirky-contemporary already -- we're only at week four! But it's their specialty, and they did a good job; Kupono was the vampire who wanted to bring Kayla with him for eternity, and their movements and energy were strong throughout. I'm not sure how memorable it was in the end, though.

Bottom line: I think they might be in trouble, but if only because it might not stick in voters' minds when it's time to call in.

- Randi and Evan took on a Joey Dowling Broadway routine to "Rich Man's Frug" from the musical Sweet Charity. Yay, new choreographers! I always like to see new choreographers. This was definitely Fosse-esque, as the judges pointed out, and I felt it was something that would be realistically seen as part of a whole musical. The dancing itself was slightly under the level it needed to be -- I would say about an eight, when you have to push to try to get as close to ten as you can every week. I agreed with Mia to the point that they weren't projecting as much as they could have; she said it was because of their height, but I don't think it's so much height as just not extending their movement out to the level we expect of them.

Bottom line: They may be taking their first trip to the bottom three.

- Caitlin is an alien! Jason is the last man on Earth! It was a Brian Friedman pop jazz to "Creator" by Santigold. Yes, that was the theme of the dance -- Caitlin was an alien who destroyed all humanity except for Jason, and now they have to breed (and dance). It was definitely different and cool. This really was a dance to showcase Caitlin's skills and strengths, though, and I don't think she got it done as well as she should have. I enjoyed Jason's performance, and overall I liked it, but I could definitely see that it's not everyone's cup of tea, as it certainly weirded Mary Murphy out.

Bottom line: I think opinions on this one will be split, and unfortunately that means people probably won't pick up the phone for them.

- Jeanine and Phillip got another Tabitha and Napoleon hip-hop, this time to Kanye West's "Love Lockdown". Again, I say, really, we're already at the point where we're repeating styles *and* choreographers? Week Four! Plenty of dance styles to go around before we need to double up on NappyTabs. That said, it was a really creative concept, of a chained partnership, whether in the context of the SYTYCD pairs or in a relationship, and they had to dance with a big old chain swinging between their ankles, under their feet, wrapping around their legs. For something that could have been really gimmicky or troublesome, it worked out for the two of them.

Bottom line: This is Phillip's specialty, and Jeanine rocked it out too, so they're particularly safe this week.

- In a SYTYCD first, Melissa and Ade did a classical pas de deux, with Melissa on pointe, to the Romeo and Juliet ballet by Prokofiev, choreographed by Thordal Christensen. (I didn't note down the exact movement -- sorry!) It was really nice of the producers to give Melissa a chance to show what she can do -- yes, they had a lovely contemporary at week one, but this was showing off her pointe work, which I don't think any of the other girls can do (or at least not to that level). Ade's strength was also showcased nicely in this piece -- he had a run to center stage where he dropped his frame a little too much, though. Overall, well-danced, well-done. (Still waiting for the hip-hop for these two!)

Bottom line: It wasn't a showstopper, but it was lovely and I hope they'll be safe.

There was a big break here where many of the judges and choreographers introduced the Dizzy Feet Foundation, created by Nigel, Adam Shankman, Carrie Ann Inaba, and Katie Holmes, to provide scholarships and opportunities for underprivileged dancers. Debbie Allen in particular pointed out that the arts suffer first when funding is cut, and so the foundation is there to help dance reach those who can't afford it. All well and fine, but it was right in the middle of the dancing, and so it threw off the rhythm of the show. Bad form!

- Finally, to finish the night, the new couple of Karla and Vitolio had a Jean-Marc and France Quickstep to "Puttin' On the Ritz" as sung by Rufus Wainwright. This had two little strikes for me against it off the bat -- the quickstep is a "dance of death", as the judges and Cat all reminded us, but "Puttin' On The Ritz" will never escape the shadow of Young Frankenstein for me. Putting both of those aside, though, this was a fun and clever take on the Quickstep with the dance taking place in a museum, and the music choice turned out to be an excellent one. Karla's dress flipping from a black-and-white polka-dot sheath to a more traditional gown in sunset pinks and oranges was a fun twist (I may have squealed out loud a little), and I was impressed at how Vitolio's frame and leading abilities have improved since the waltz with Asuka in the top 18. I was nervous for them, but I think they did much better than I originally expected.

Bottom line: They may have pulled it off!

So what's my final conclusion? I'm trying to stay away from my conspiracy theories, so...

My picks for the bottom three would be:

- Kayla and Kupono
- Randi and Evan
- Jason and Caitlin

All three couples did a *good* job, but we're now getting to the point where being good just isn't enough to keep you on the show. And so I think that, if these are the bottom three couples, Caitlin and Kupono will be going home.

Next week is our top twelve! We're already almost halfway there -- what do you think of the season so far?