Tonight’s results show starts with a Mia Michaels piece about angels, featuring boys in dresses and halter tops. The ridiculous costumes completely detract from the dancing, which isn’t all that good in the first place. Definitely not one of the better group performances we’ve seen.
 
As we learned last night, Alex was injured during rehearsals this week and was unable to perform. This means he’s automatically in the bottom three, and if he survives tonight and is still unable to perform next week, he’ll be eliminated from the competition.

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Tonight, things change up a bit with the top 8. Each dancer will perform twice- once with an all-star they’ve never performed with before, and once with a fellow contestant. And sadly, Alex is out of the running for at least this week due to an injury during rehearsals. It’s a suspected ruptured achilles tendon, which would be bad news. This week, Alex will not perform and will automatically be in the bottom three. If he survives elimination but isn’t capable of performing by next week, he’ll be eliminated from the competition.
 
The first round is contestants dancing with all-stars. First up are Lauren and Pasha with a cha cha. We don’t like that they’re dancing cha cha to Lady Gaga, but besides that, this is really good. Their chemistry leaves nothing to be desired, and the timing is practically perfect. The whole thing is really entertaining. Our rating: 9/10
 
Jose and Lauren’s contemporary is much more true to the style and much more graceful than we expected. Jose has skated by on personality for two weeks, and this is a huge improvement on those past two performances. He really holds his own here, and we’re impressed. Our rating: 8/10

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Tonight’s results show begins with what is possibly one of the dullest group performances we’ve ever seen. We’re not sure what’s more painful- the boring choreography, or the music of doom. Either way, we’re happy when it’s over.
 
Before we start hearing the results, Nigel informs us that things will be changing a little next week. Each dancer will perform twice- once with an all-star they have never worked with before, and once with a fellow competitor.
 
To start off the results, Kent, Adechike, Ashley and Alex are called to the stage. Alex gets his results first, since he’s so obviously safe. Ashley and Adechike are also safe. We’re ready to revolt, until we learn that Kent is safe as well. All three spots in the bottom three are still open.

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It’s that time again! Tonight, the top 9 compete for our votes and try to avoid the bottom three. Also, we’ll see all 9 contestants dance solos tonight.
 
Adechike starts the night off with his partner, Lauren. They dance a Dave Scott hip hop routine, which means they’re actually dancing jazz to a hip hop song. But besides the choreography, the whole attitude seems wrong. Everything is peppy and happy and bouncy, and just seems very contrived. We’re not impressed. Our rating: 5/10
 
Ashley’s partner is Ade, and they’re dancing a contemporary piece. It has a nice ethereal quality and is incredibly graceful. In fact, it’s the best we’ve seen Ashley so far this season. This is incredibly impressive. Our rating: 9/10
 
The first solo of the night comes from Billy. It’s very unique and fun to watch. We really like him. This solo definitely does not disappoint, and sets the bar for everyone else. Our rating: 9/10

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Last night they performed for our votes, and tonight spells doom for one more dancer. But first, a group performance choreographed by Sonya Tayeh. We would have guessed it was actually Wade Robson choreography, just because it’s so off-the-wall. But it’s a lot of fun to watch.
 
For the first round of results, Cristina, Adechike and Kent are called to the stage. Kent gets his results first, since he’s pretty much the most obvious- he’s safe. Adechike is also safe, which means Cristina is in the bottom three. Which is ridiculous, considering she was one of the best last night. We’re beginning to think Nigel’s fear of all the girls being eliminated before any of the guys may actually happen.
 
The next group to get their results is Jose, Melinda, Ashley and Alex. Alex and Jose are both safe, which isn’t a big surprise to us. Ashley is thankfully also safe, which means Melinda is in the bottom three. Hooray! We can’t stand her.

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The top ten are getting ready to perform for our votes again. They’ve got new partners every week now. All-stars Neil and Twitch weren’t picked by anyone this week, so they won’t be performing.
 
Cristina is up first with her partner, Pasha. They’re dancing paso doble. The whole thing is really dramatic, and we can’t decide if that’s more because of the dancing or the music. But either way, it’s a ton of fun to watch and we really like it. Our rating: 9/10
 
Adechike’s partner is Allison and they’re dancing a contemporary piece. Last week, the judges called Adechike on his lack of personality and emotion while he dances. It seems to us that he’s vastly improved upon that this week, but the judges still aren’t all that impressed. Oh well, we like it. Our rating: 8/10

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Tonight is the first night we can vote, and it’s also the first time we’ll see the new changes in the competition take effect. The contestants are now partnered with a different all-star every week, instead of being paired with each other for the first several weeks. We like this, we think.
 
First up is Billy, who has been paired with Lauren this week for a jazz routine choreographed by Tyce Diorio. It’s “Footloose,” so of course we expect it to be campy and fun. And it is. Billy is full of personality as well as being a great dancer, and that’s really important on this show. Our rating: 9/10
 
Cristina’s partner this week is Mark, and they’re performing a Sonya Tayeh jazz routine. It’s really weird and creepy, and we can’t quite decide if it’s weird and creepy in a good way. And for Sonya choreography, this isn’t all that impressive. It all seems a bit lackluster. Our rating: 6/10

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Tonight we’ll get our first look at the top 11. There will be no voting after the show, and this isn’t part of the competition. We’re just getting to know the dancers, and seeing the all-stars again for the first time in a while. We have some judges here to comment anyway, though- Nigel Lythgoe, Adam Shankman, and Mia Michaels.The show starts off with a group performance by the top 11 and all of this season’s all-stars. It’s choreographed by Wade and Amanda Robson, so of course it’s entertaining. At first we’re not sure how we feel about the weird croquet theme, but it works. This is pretty good. Our rating: 9/10

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Since there are new rules this year, only ten contestants will be making the final cut after the Vegas round is complete. Past contestants will be returning to dance with this season’s crop, so individual dancers, rather than couples, will be voted on. Also, for the first time, the judges will be visiting the dancers at home to tell them whether or not they’ve made the top 10.
 
But first, we’ve got to get through the rest of Vegas week. We start with the Broadway round, choreographed by Tyce Diorio. But before this round even starts, Ida decides she’s going to quit the competition. She claims it’s because she has too many other commitments, but we see right through the excuse, since she got some negative feedback from the judges in earlier rounds. Nigel calls her on this very thing when she makes her announcement to the judges. He’s not happy, and we don’t blame him.
 
Several dancers make it safely through the Broadway round. Among them are Adrian, Lauren, Melinda, Jose and Alexie.

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Tonight we’re visiting our last two audition stops, and then heading to Vegas for more cuts. First stop, Dallas. Joining us here as judges are Nigel Lythgoe, Tyce Diorio and Toni Redpath.Ida Saki dances and the judges nearly pee themselves over her. We don’t get it. We don’t really see much of anything special, but they love her. She makes it straight through to Vegas.Robert Rolden is quite graceful and really commands the stage. We enjoy watching him. So do the judges. He’s going to Vegas. Same goes for Rebecca Hart, thanks to her great portrayal of emotion and use of her music.Next is Haylee Durbin, who lost her father to colon cancer. Before she even starts dancing, there’s something about her attitude that we don’t like, and it comes through in her performance. She’s not a BAD dancer, but she rubs us the wrong way and we can’t get past it. The judges ask her to stay for the choreography round.

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