Executive Producer Nigel Lythgoe performs with students from Debbie Allen Dance Academy.

Judge Mary Murphy performs with Season Two contestant Dmitry Chaplin.

The Top Four dancers Joshua Allen, Courtney Galiano, Katee Shean, and Twitch Boss await their fate.

Joshua Allen and Twitch Boss are the last two dancers standing.

Photos: Kelsey McNeal/FOX

Photo: Joe Viles/FOX

Photos: Joe Viles/FOX

COUPLE #1
Jessica King & William Wingfield

Dance 1: Jive choreographed by Tony Meredith and Melanie LaPatin
Dance 2: Lyrical Jazz choreographed by Mandy Moore

The second routine was definitely the stronger performance since Jessica danced it so much better than she normally does. Nigel commented that the number was the type that would make people pick up the telephone to call and vote for them.

COUPLE #2
Comfort Fedoke & Thayne Jasperson

Dance 1: Broadway choreographed by Andy Blankenbuehler
Dance 2: Smooth Waltz choreographed by Edward Simon

As with Jessica and William, the second routine was infinitely better. Comfort and Thayne are also a better matched pair in terms of height and general chemistry while performing.

COUPLE #3
Kourtni Lind & Matt Dorame

Dance 1: Hip-Hop choreographed by Olisa Thompson and Cicely Bradley
Dance 2: Mambo choreographed by Alex Da Silva

Sadly, both performances made it very clear that Kourtni and Matt aren’t on the same level as most of the other dancers at this point in their careers. The hip-hop number in particular gets my vote for the worst performance so far this season, and the Mambo didn’t fare much better. The judges pointed out faults ranging from unevenness to chemistry that wasn’t believable. I, on the other hand, thought the dancing lacked personality and verve.

COUPLE #4
Chelsie Hightower & Mark Kanemura

Dance 1: Jazz choreographed by Mandy Moore
Dance 2: Foxtrot choreographed by Edward Simon

For some reason, I barely noticed these two before the Round of 16, which is awful considering they’re so darn good. Their Foxtrot was especially fantastic and filled with elegance. Based on their comments, I think the judges liked the first routine more, though.

COUPLE #5
Kherington Payne & Stephen “Twitch” Boss

Dance 1: Paso Doble choreographed by Tony Meredith and Melanie LaPatin
Dance 2: Contemporary choreographed by Mia Michaels

The two routines on this episode were the first time Kherington demonstrated she can dance without that blinding smile of hers, and it was a very welcome change. This was also the first time I thoroughly enjoyed both partners’ work. They really did an excellent job all around, with each number a standout, and the judges agreed.

COUPLE #6
Katee Shean & Joshua Allen

Dance 1: Contemporary choreographed by Mia Michaels
Dance 2: West Coast Swing choreographed by Benji and Lacey Schwimmer

Believe it or not, the Dynamic Duo finally delivered a performance I wasn’t too fond of, namely the West Coast Swing. Perhaps if I hadn’t already seen Benji and his sister Lacey and their cousin Heidi Groskreutz in action… In any case, Katee and Joshua’s impressive versatility pulled them through and helped them pull the number off well enough for most people watching. The first routine, in contrast, was another typically weird Mia concoction, and they danced it fabulously.

COUPLE #7
Courtney Galiano & Gev Manoukian

Dance 1: Hip-Hop choreographed by Olisa Thompson and Cicely Bradley
Dance 2: Broadway choreographed by Andy Blankenbuehler

Without a doubt, the first number is what landed Courtney and Gev in the Bottom Three, simply because Courtney outperformed Gev, although hip-hop is supposed to be his specialty. Nigel’s comment that their Broadway routine was only “good enough” for him but not brilliant probably didn’t help either. I agreed, however.

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Photos: Joe Viles/FOX

Round Three Eliminations – Chelsea Traille & Thayne Jasperson

Round Three Eliminations – Comfort Fedoke & Chris Jarosz

Round Three Eliminations – Kourtni Lind & Matt Dorame

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Photos: Joe Viles/FOX

COUPLE #1
Kherington Payne & Stephen “Twitch” Boss

They tackled hip-hop choreography from Napoleon and Tabitha D’Umo. I thought it was blah and give it a score of about 4, primarily because of Kherington’s inability to execute the moves convincingly and sharply; she relied on “cutesy” instead. Since the judges are in love with this pair, though, they (unbelievably) used adjectives like “brilliant,” “hard-hitting,” and “beautiful” in their comments.

Good heavens — what were they huffing during the commercial breaks?! Whatever it was, while this is my first choice for the Bottom Three during eliminations, the judges think otherwise.

COUPLE #2
Courtney Galiano & Gev Manoukian

The judges and I actually agreed on this one — Courtney and Gev’s performance of Tony Meredith and Melanie LaPatin’s Rumba routine was in character and sizzling. No Bottom Three here, unless they just haven’t struck a chord with viewers.

COUPLE #3
Comfort Fedoke & Chris Jarosz

In the Bottom Three last week, Comfort and Chris really needed to wow to make up for it. Unfortunately — at least according to the judges, who don’t love them as much as some of the other dancers — their performance of Tyce DiOrio’s jungle Jazz routine was “too soft” (Nigel), “fell short” (Mary), and lacked music in “their face” (Adam). Yet, Kherington supposedly hit hard during that hip-hop number… Yeah, right!

Instances like this are why I think the judges this year are deliberately trying to influence viewers’ votes by dishing out questionable, often contradictory commentary. If Comfort and Chris needed to be more “animalistic” during this routine, then the star of their eyes, Kherington, sure as hell needed some (or, if you believe me, lotsa) work hitting harder during the earlier hip-hop routine. Comfort and Chris will be in the Bottom Three tonight because that’s the outcome the judges have orchestrated, not necessarily because they should be.

COUPLE #4
Jessica King & William Wingfield

More disagreement is evident when it comes to Jessica and William’s execution of Doriana Sanchez’s always impressive Disco choreography. I thought William was fantabulous, but Jessica could not have been stiffer in her upper body if she were in a titanium cast. It was distracting, to say the least.

The judges adored both dancers, however, and I’m actually happy for the couple since they’ve endured some fairly heavy criticism on previous episodes. Still, they are my second choice for the Bottom Three, though I doubt that will happen.

COUPLE #5
Kourtni Lind & Matt Dorame

Shockingly, the judges and I saw Kourtni and Matt’s performance of new choreographer Sonya Tayeh’s contemporary routine in the same light: hideous costumes (it seems appropriate to ask what the folks in the wardrobe department are huffing, as well — they completely miss more often than they hit when outfitting the competitors), terrific dancing.

All three judges did note Matt’s tendency towards stiffness, and they encouraged him to work on it even more. Even so, if the pair ends up in the Bottom Three, I’ll be surprised.

COUPLE #6
Chelsea Traille & Thayne Jasperson

Poor Chelsea and Thayne. They’ve gone from being judge favorites during the first round to continual magnets for criticism ever since, which landed them in the Bottom Three last week, undeservedly in my opinion. All I have to say is their efforts on Heather Smith’s Quickstep routine made the number one of my three favorites of the night.

But they will be in the Bottom Three since the judges went on and on about stuff like lack of personality and falling short and not looking comfortable. Yet, Kherington hit that hip-hop routine hard at the top of the show… Sure…

COUPLE #7
Chelsie Hightower & Mark Kanemura

To borrow a signature line from Mary — Whooooo! Now Chelsie and Mark *did* hit this hip-hop routine from Napoleon and Tabitha hard, plus the choreographers gave it a very nice concept about the difficulty couples have dividing time between work and home.

As Adam observed, the performance made Chelsie and Mark the couple to beat. Too bad there was still one couple left, my personal favorite, and their performance next made this one look like grade-school assembly filler.

COUPLE #8
Katee Shean & Joshua Allen

I’ve got to start calling this duo Old Reliable because you can always depend on them to deliver. They danced Tony Meredith and Melanie LaPatin’s Samba magnificently; there’s not much more to say except the judges called this one right by agreeing. The only way Katee and Joshua will end up in the Bottom Three is if somebody rigged the phone lines or there’s massive viewer backlash against the obvious frontrunners in the competition thus far.

Round Three Top Pick – Katee & Joshua

Round Three Second Pick – Chelsie & Mark

Round Three Third Pick – Chelsea & Thayne

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Photos: Joe Viles/FOX

Round Two Eliminations – Chelsea Traille & Thayne Jasperson

Round Two Eliminations – Susie Garcia & Marquis Cunningham

Round Two Eliminations – Comfort Fedoke & Chris Jarosz

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Photos: Joe Viles/FOX

Sabra & Neil – Table Dance

COUPLE #1
Chelsea Traille & Thayne Jasperson

Chelsea and Thayne, spectacular last week during their Cha-Cha number, performed a dull Jazz routine choreographed by Mandy Moore. The judges all thought Moore’s concept was great and the dancers didn’t execute it well enough, while I though the exact opposite, namely that the dancers did the best they could with what little they were given. Since I don’t believe the dancers were at fault, I wouldn’t put them in the Bottom Three.

COUPLE #2
Chelsie Hightower & Mark Kanemura

Chelsie and Mark performed an Argentine Tango choreographed by Alex Da Silva. As with the first performance, I saw an entirely different routine than the judges did. They gushed about and praised the couple to high heaven for their sensuality and brilliance, but I was left unimpressed. Although I agree that Mark at least tried to show a little personality, the dancing was unbelievably bland for the most part, thanks largely to Chelsie, making the couple a nice candidate for the Bottom Three in my book.

COUPLE #3
Jessica King & William Wingfield

Jessica and William, in the Bottom Three last week, tackled a hip-hop routine choreographed by Olisa Thompson and Cecily Bradley. Mia and Mary called Jessica on her cheerleader-like and powder-puffy demeanor, while Nigel thought that both dancers were good considering hip-hop isn’t their normal style.

As far as I’m concerned, if the execution had been any softer, it would’ve melted. It initially seemed that Will would be able to step up, but after mere seconds, I started fantasizing about how good the number would look if authentic poppers were executing the moves and hitting them sharply. The final presentation was okay enough to keep the pair out of the Bottom Three, but I won’t be surprised if they end up there anyway.

COUPLE #4
Kourtni Lind & Matt Dorame

Kourtni and Matt, also in the Bottom Three last week, took on a Foxtrot number created by my favorite choreographer based on personality alone, the utterly lovable and always amusing Jean-Marc Genereux. Mia thought the pair, distinguished by their relatively great height, looked like Cyd Charisse and Gene Kelly in Singing in the Rain, although Mary felt the performance was more of a mixed bag, with some technical strengths but poor footwork. Nigel had a few minor complaints, as well, regarding breathing properly and avoiding pulling faces.

I thought the performance was just okay. It was pretty and seemed very in-sync, but Kourtni appeared to be holding back, as if she’s afraid she’ll look awkward instead of graceful if she gets into it because she’s tall. From one very tall girl to another: get over that right now; height is an asset, not a fault, even in dancing.

COUPLE #5
Courtney Galiano & Gev Manoukian

Courtney and Gev performed a Contemporary routine choreographed by Mandy Moore. Mary and Nigel thought both dancers were great, and they were also clearly impressed by hip-hopper Gev’s efforts. Contemporary master Mia, on the other hand, was “so proud” of Gev but felt Courtney needs more purity in her organic movement. I know what that last part means, but I wonder how many viewers do — thanks Mia!

It was clear to me that Moore choreographed the routine so Courtney would have to do 90 percent of the work. That’s a common and wise tactic used to downplay a partner’s weaknesses, but I’m surprised the judges didn’t harp on it the way they’ve done in the past. I guess a new day dawns on SYTYCD, fortunately for Gev, and all in all, the routine was nice enough to keep them out of the Bottom Three.

COUPLE #6
Katee Shean & Joshua Allen

Finally, the couple to beat arrives! Don’t be surprised that they’re also my favorite couple. Katee and Joshua brought the roof down with a Broadway number choreographed by Tyce DiOrio. It’s saying a lot that I think the couple rocked, despite choreography I consider blah.

The judges thought different about DiOrio, of course. They agreed that Katee and Joshua are super bad, and they felt DiOrio’s work was, too. The pair also gets my vote for ugliest costumes of the night; still, they better not end up in the Bottom Three.

COUPLE #7
Susie Garcia & Marquis Cunningham

I felt bad for Susie and Marquis, who did a Salsa routine choreographed by Alex Da Silva, because they both should have been infinitely better. It’s not clear why they weren’t, either, although I think Susie was just intimidated by Da Silva’s phenomenal choreography — I would have loved to have seen him dance it himself with his partner the way it was supposed to be danced.

All three judges agreed for the same reasons: bigger expectations since Salsa is supposedly Susie’s specialty, lack of fire, and just too many mistakes in general. As a result of the disappointment in the face of such great potential, I would pick these two for the Bottom Three.

COUPLE #8
Kherington Payne & Stephen “Twitch” Boss

Kherington and Twitch’s Viennese Waltz was arguably the performance of the night, not only because they nailed it, but also because of the routine’s sentimental value to choreographer Jean-Marc Genereux. He created the number especially for his daughter, who suffers from an ailment that has left her severely disabled. According to Genereux, she loves to watch dancing, however, and she reacts when she sees something she likes.

Mia wasted a little time complaining about Kherington’s continual smiling throughout the number — which I understand because the girl has a million-watt smile, and she likes to shine it on high at all times. Otherwise, the performance was about as close to perfect as the night saw.

COUPLE #9
Comfort Fedoke & Chris Jarosz

This was another big disappointment, simply because I really like both Comfort and Chris, who attempted a Krump routine choreographed by Lil’ C. Since Comfort is a hip-hopper, she had no excuse for doing less than spectacular.

Chris did have a plausible one, though, because some people just aren’t made for that style of dancing — and, no, it doesn’t have anything to do with being white these days, as the number of outstanding non-black hip-hop dancers should make immediately clear. The stereotype that white guys can’t dance that kind of dancing stopped applying a looong time ago.

It also doesn’t help that I like Krumping about as much as I like waltzing, which means almost never. The judges more or less saw things my way, and while I wouldn’t want my other favorite couple to wind up in the Bottom Three, it wouldn’t shock me at all if that’s what happens.

Round Two Top Pick – Katee & Joshua

Round Two Top Pick – Kherington & Twitch

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Photos: Joe Viles/FOX

BOTTOM COUPLE #1
Rayven Armijo & Jamie Bayard

I completely agree this couple was one of the most disappointing pairs during the Round of Twenty. Although I initially believed their performance was subpar primarily because of ineffective choreography by hip-hop specialists Napoleon and Tabitha D’Umo, watching the routine several more times made me realize that Rayven and Jamie justs didn’t bring it, probably because they don’t really have it when it comes to this style of dance.

BOTTOM COUPLE #2
Kourtni Lind & Matt Dorame

I said it in my earlier overview — while I really, really wanted to love Mandy Moore’s jazz routine, Kourtni and Matt’s dancing left me feeling unsatisfied, I think because they didn’t connect properly with the music and the story the dance was supposed to tell. The people who called in to vote seemed to feel the same way.

BOTTOM COUPLE #3
Jessica King & William Wingfield

This was a severe shocker to the judges because they thought Jessica and William’s performance was one of the best of the first round of competition. I thought so, too, but I understand why voters didn’t support the couple.

First, Jessica was mighty shaky on her feet at several points, and when the judges called those mistakes out, it probably confused audience members who wondered how she and her partner could still get such praise when other dancers didn’t make the same very obvious mistake but were received less enthusiastically by the judges.

Second, the show needs to stop pointing out that William is Debbie Allen’s protégé. Yes, that’s a wonderful thing and a huge accomplishment. But the more it’s mentioned, the more it looks like William is getting undue, possibly unfair, attention from the judges.

Round One Eliminations – Rayven Armijo

Round One Eliminations – Jessica King

Round One Eliminations – Kourtni Lind

Round One Eliminations – Jamie Bayard

Round One Eliminations – Matt Dorame

Round One Eliminations – William Wingfield

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Photos: Joe Viles/FOX