I really miss the travel vagaries part of the competition.

Me, too. It's what made TAR different from the other shows and more of a real race.

SYTYCD

I thought Russell was holding back a lot trying to not overwhelm Noelle. He could've really just destroyed her on that routine and somewhere in the middle, I think he was starting to really put it on her. And then he pulled back, which I actually thought was smart. Noelle was not up to the choreography (which was excellent. Welcome back, real hip hop. We've missed you!) She kind of looked ridiculous at the beginning, and then Russell started killing it and pulled all the focus to him. I really wish the judges had commented on the fact that he danced down to her level, and it looked like a purposeful choice on his part. As for last week's Russell in the B3, Nigel can shut it. It was BS and there's nothing in this world that will ever convince me otherwise. Should've been Philip. Period.

SYTYCD: So confusing! I thought Bianca and Victor did really well, and I loved the choreography and the music, and the judges really didn't like it.

It makes me feel like one of those people who says, "I don't know art, but I know what I like."

OK, Nigel is really on my list. Why assume that Bianca has danced like that before? You know, not all black people who go to church are on the praise dance team. Ewww.

That said, I couldn't disagree with Shankdaddy. And I loved him dropping some knowledge on these kids. Preach on, Shankdaddy. Preach on. They really were just hitting steps, not embodying the spirit of the dance. Of course, the steps themselves were nothing to write home about. Tasty really seems to think that he can do Ailey-esque choreography and he truly and honestly can't. It would be criminal to say that this choreo was even a pale imitation of a shadow of Ailey's Revelations. It looked like something your middle school dance teacher choreographs for the Winter Fling pageant. In fact, I think I might've seen that dance at the last Winter Fling pageant I went to. And of all the gospel songs to choose from, Maybe God Is Trying to Tell You Something is not the one I'd ever choose. It's a great song, but it's a singers song. Bleagh. I did not enjoy.

I did enjoy Jakob, as always. But I loved Mary getting all technical on his ass. Bless. And I loved Adam standing up for fewer tricks and more dance content from the choreographers. Just because you can doesn't mean you should. Words to live by.

Man, I love Shankman!

Kevin and Karen just blew me away. That routine was fire. I have to give it NappyTab, they have really brought it with their first two routines. And luckily this week, they had a couple who could deliver. That move where she was standing on her knees shaking that booty for all she was worth? Crazy. There were even some old school Hammer moves in there. I enjoyed the heck out of that dance.

The Mollee/Nathan Bollywood was also quite nice. I need a macro for "I agreed with Shankdaddy" because the big old queen was right again. Mollee really was lovely in the quiet moments in this routine. I forgot how annoying she can be and just enjoyed the performance. And Nathan? That pirouette a la seconde into a full stop? Ridiculous control. Wow. Loved it.

Channing/Philip? Oof. Bad. Real, real bad. Oof.

Legacy & Kathryn - Kathryn carried him. Period. The judges praised Legacy, but she did most of the dancing, he did a lot of lifts. The choreographer really knew how to make him look good, IMO.

I really liked Wade's routine. I'm not sure why Mary wasn't into it.

Yeah, he was in black and she was in bright green for a reason. Still, I really enjoyed it and all of the last numbers from this one on.

eta I was replying to le nub.

They are so going to kick Noelle off this week. If I were Ariana, I would be salty. Why didn't they just cut her along with Brandon/Billy last week? That's malarkey.

ETA: Wow, the judges can still surprise. I still think they kept Noelle just to avoid the uproar that would've sparked otherwise. Noelle's solo was a hair flinging nightmare.

Philip had better go home. If I lose Victor over Tasty's crap ass Broadway choreography, I will not be happy.

As for the last couples, Stacey Tookey is such a smart choreographer. I don't think she could've gotten more b-boy moves into that contemporary. But Legacy did them well, and he did have a few nice moments. I loved the routine, but she didn't ask him to stretch very far. Kathryn is exquisite. I'm kind of falling in love with her. I loved Wade's piece. I don't know why the judges like to make him their whipping boy, but I found the piece genius with interesting movement quality. I actually liked Peter more than Pauline. He totally got the character and committed to it. Nigel complained about the high shoulders, but if you watch Wade in the rehearsal footage, that's how it was choreographed. It had a similar movement quality to his piece for Brandon and Janette last season in a lot of ways, and was a teensy bit reminiscent of his Triplets of Belleville piece for Chuy and Sarah. That hunched shoulder thing is something he wanted from the dancers. I want more power from Pauline. She's lovely, but a little light. Ryan and Ellanore were not as good as the judges made out. They were graded on a curve because of the wardrobe malfunction, which admittedly she did handle well. He was great, really solid. He's a fantastic partner. She lacked. She was very tentative throughout. I can't help but compare that to Brandon/Janette and well, there is no comparison.