The blond kid who sang Jingle Bells for his tryout really surprised me with the quality of his voice

Wasn't he? My DH and I looked at each other in a total WTF moment.

And it's awful to watch the judges treat him like he's in Special Olympics rather than SYTYCD.

word. It is really condescending.

I am interested that the two best performing, most consistent dancers (IMO) are Kent and Lauren - both aged 18. Both of 'em bore me a bit, though, and I actually have more invested personally in Adechike and Billy, despite their habitual weaknesses.

I thought the jive was actually kind of good. Billy's lightness and quickness worked for me. (Anya's corset did not.)

I was mystified by the dance with the chairs. Did they explain anything about it? Why did Adechicke have to be touching a chair at practically all times?

The prize for OMG what were the costume people thinking goes to Adechike's sheer white shirt with neon yellow trimmings. So distracting! That routine was so full of hard tricks (not all of which went right) they barely got a chance to do any dancing.

The best performance of the night was Allison's. She was so lovely!

I just watched and...yeah, didn't get the chairs thing at all. Thought the baseball routine should've been good and...somehow wasn't. I wanted it to be done with boys who looked like they might've actually played baseball sometime ever? Or something? Or maybe a choreographer who knew what baseball looked like?

The Tahitian dance...OMG MARK! "So You Think You Can Dance With Mark" gets my vote for next year. Heck yeah.

I was annoyed by the jive music, but it was sure better than that salsa. Yeesh--poor Anya was carrying herself in those moves.

And I really liked Boogie Shoes. It was adorable.

Travis' dance, and the Chicago number, I wanted to see other people than were dancing them, dance them. And with the Chicago number, I wondered if it had been choreo'd for two regulars, as opposed to an All Star, if there'd have been more interaction.

Ha ha ha! Stupidest Big Brother twist ever.

Catching up on SYTYCD: finally, dance movement I feel qualified to critique! I am fucking amazed that TBC was able to rock those fast umis like that, in a variety of positions and for a length of time. That shit is hard and exhausting and requires ab muscles most people don't know exist. The feathers accentuated the movement nicely, but she really didn't need it.

I'm going to have to watch again for half-naked Mark, I was watching her hips the whole time. I know, I'm nuts.

On a similar note, Anya's backbend was awe inspiring and she got no help with it.

I was watching her hips the whole time. I know, I'm nuts.

Not really. I couldn't take my eyes off her.

Aw, the opening number was fun!

I don't like that color on Kat.

Still catching up: omg I hope Denise Wall is okay! Allison is still a goddess. We knew Robert is no Mark; now we know he is even less a Travis.

I'm surprised Billy is in the bottom again.