Couldn't we get, just for starters, JUST the new people? Before cluttering up the stage with the All Stars?? It made it hard to focus, sometimes.

This was my problem with the set-up, too. The newbies were getting lost in the numbers -- half the time they were positioned in the back, behind the all-stars, or just generally out of focus. Sometimes I could barely see Kent, and Jose was in the back of the line half the time. Shouldn't the point of the episode be to highlight the new batch of contestants and not the returning dancers?

I don't have a problem with the all-stars idea in theory, but I will miss seeing partnerships develop. If this had been the concept all along, we never would have had Brandon and Janette. And we'll miss out on those long-awaited pairings, like Jakob and Ellenore.

I agree. But they didn't have enough dancers to do small group dances by genre. One ballroom specialist, one hip hop dancer...so I guess they had to do this mix of oldtimers and new.

I just don't think the new format is going to work for me.

I wish they wouldn't ask people that question.

or if they asked it, ask who their ideal partner is. that allows them to answer the question romantically or as a dance partner.

I think that we all know that Kent is going to lose his virginity in the next 6 weeks. I just hope that he's gentle (Travis, I'm looking at you)

I liked the dual latin number (and not mad about shirtless Pasha).

Vortex,

hee hee. yes, a reworded question might work a lot better. I just cringe when someone says he is looking for a woman like his mother! Poor thing.

I just cringe when someone says he is looking for a woman like his mother!

I know, I just shook my head. And then when he screeched "or Beyonce!", I sighed a very big sigh.

or the Blessed Virgin Mary! Or Judy Garland! Or CHER! Yeah, CHER!

Or Lady Gaga!! Or RuPaul! ...wait...

Poor Kent. And during his home visit, his family looked so comfy with him and who he was, which is not a person who wants anything from Beyonce other than gossiping about hot guys. Poor form SYTYCD.

I thought last night's episode didn't work at all as a launch for the new top 11. Alex, Billy and Robert were the only ones who managed to really break through and make an impression. Robert tore it up in Wade's opening number. He was a monster. And Billy and Alex in Mia's number were just insane. Mia was really the only choreographer who shaped her piece to really showcase the two new kids. I thought it was very savvy of her to cast Ade as the old man in that piece which of necessity meant that he would be working with a limited range of motion. And she played to Billy and Alex's strengths just beautifully. I adored Billy as the child, especially the flexed feet. The flexed feet were amazing. (I'm all about the feet) And Alex as the grown ass man? Forget about it. Majestic. That's what he was. Majestic. Anyway, I wish the other kids had had a better launching pad. They deserve it because this group is really talented.

I thought the choreographers (NappyTabs) did okay with Jose, too - the whole routine was about him joining the crew, and highlighted him, and he held his own.

Cristina came off the worst, trying to compete with Anya who has a longstanding relationship with Pasha. That poor girl is going to be first to go.

Alex is a beast of dance. I wish we could see him once where he didn't look about to cry.

I just don't like NappyTab's choreography in general. I find them uninspiring and not nearly innovative enough. When you look at what some of the best hip hop choreographers are doing, their work just comes up way, way short. I think Twitch and Dom could've choreographed a much stronger routine on their own than what NappyTab came up with. I do think they tried, more than the other choreographers, to give Jose his moment to shine. Sadly, Jose did not step up. I thought he was by far the worst of the four on the stage last night. His tricks looked very labored, and in the actual choreo, well, there was no comparison. In her style, Comfort is an absolute wonder. The best hip hop girl they've ever had on the show. She was tearing up that old school set. Twitch is magic and Dom, even though I hate pretty much everything about him, is a really great b-boy.

Poor Cristina. She was set up to fail from the jump as it would be very hard to touch Pasha and Anya. Also, salsa is not one of the latin ballroom dances, so she was technically not dancing in her style. She was bound to come off badly. I thought she hung in there really well, all things considered. My bet for first boot is Ashley. She was totally lost for me in that Sonya piece. The costuming and hair and make up didn't help. (She and Courtney looked like twins) but her dancing didn't pop at all.