I think that Brandon is the overall best dancer out of the four, but Janine is the best performer, mostly due to this:

I think Janine is the better actress and conveys the characters more convincingly.

Evan did somewhat impress me during his first dance, but looking back at it, that was probably more due to Janine (and Sonya's choreography) than to him breaking out of his rut. I thought it was his best performance since the butt dance. His "Nasty" number showed that he cannot break out of his sweet-faced persona, no matter how hard he tries.

Kayla is a terrific dancer, but suffers from that inability to connect. Her duet with Janine was probably the best I've seen her since the addiction number, but her solo was really weak.

Brandon had a bad night in terms of not shining when he has to. He did dominate "Nasty," but that wasn't hard for anyone to do. Kayla took over the "Life" number, he and Janine were nicely matched in the "paso doble" (I liked it, but I don't know if it was a "real" paso--I'll take Sail at her word that it wasn't), but his solo was a bit too frantic for my taste.

Janine just popped off the stage tonight. She made Evan look better than he has in weeks, she matched Brandon in a very intense number, and didn't let Kayla run away with the layers number. And that solo was terrific--really stood out and showed off her strengths. It was the equal of Brandon's amazing solo from last week, IMO.

Evan is the only dancer that I can think of, that the costumes make me go, "oh no, he can not pull that off". Surely there have been equally ridic outfits for other dancer, but they make it work, they wear the clothes. I feel like Evan can't morph into what is needed to make the dances believable.

That was an interesting episode of TCM.

I was relieved that Anita Lo made it to the next round.

Also, I completely misunderstood Art: I thought that he had bought rice milk and made the ice cream - not that he had bought rice milk ice cream.

He totally should have gone with a sorbet and the almond brittle all made by himself.

TC: I was super annoyed with myself last weekend when we walked by Fleur de Lys just after dinner! Ah well.

Wait, what?

Oh, in Vegas, I suppose.

ETA: I mean, I would be pissed if you were a couple blocks from me and I didn't know.

I think Nigel is right in saying Brandon or Janine.

One of the things that I noticed tonight is how Sonia really brings out the best in her dancers.

I love me some Evan, but I think that everyone's right who says that he can't break out of his sweet persona. I think that he did a'ight in the Nasty number, but I kept thinking how if Ade and Brandon had done that number, it would have been phenomenal.

I think it's safe to say the judges did everything in their power to send Evan home empty-handed. I just wish they had been more honest about his dancing earlier.

I think Kayla's an amazing dancer, but her solos have always sucked.

I sincerely hope either Brandon or Jeanine takes it, with a slight preference for Jeanine because the women were so strong this year.

I voted for the first time ever.

the crowd chanting Evan was so odd to me.

Ugh. I am so scared that Evan is going to win.

I would be happy with either Brandon or Jeanine, who I thought really brought it tonight, but Ugh.

Even though Brandon and Kayla were amazing. I thought Bye Bye Love was not a good dance for two people. It needed more people, especially on that big a stage.

I am about to vote for the first time too.

Just saw the paso and if one of those two don't take this I may cry. I think Jeanine was a little too strong and not quite "capey" enough, which was not helped by the fact that she was in the same color as Brandon, but I think that was the most paso of any paso doble they've had on this show.

I am so scared that Evan is going to win.

You need to be. I'm convinced he is going to win. Much to my own terror.