SYTYCD - Week 1

SYTYCD is one of my favorite TV shows as is painfully obvious to anyone who knows me well. I really wanted to do a weekly recap last year, but was too busy with moving and other stuff to sit down and do it. I'm going to give it a shot though for Season 5. No spoilers until the end, and I'll put a big spoiler alert up before I reveal my thoughts about who was sent home.

Phillip and Jeanine - NapTab Hip Hop: What a way to kick off the real meat of the show! Obviously, Phillip is a master at his particular style of hiphop, but I loved how Jeanine kept up with him and Phillip didn't try to outshine her. The mark of a real partnership right there. Loved them, loved this number!

Vitolio and Asuka - Tyce Diorio Broadway: How can two people with so much personality off-stage be completely flat on-stage? Tyce gave them a cute routine to work with and their lack of personality left it totally flat. Disappointing.

Jonathan and Karla - Tony Meredith Salsa: It was alright. They both showed a lot of energy, which was good, but I thought it was really unmemorable. We didn't know much about either contestant before tonight and this didn't do much to make me want to pick up the phone and vote. Meh.

Evan and Randi - Tyce Diorio Jazz: Completely believable - they are another brillant partnership in the making. I totally agree with Adam Shankman in that they dance like they're 8 feet tall. Tyce gave them a beautiful and difficult routine and they danced the hell out of it. Gorgeous lines, stunning lifts. Loved it!

Tony and Paris - NapTab Hip Hop: Huh. Well, the choreography was good, but the dancers didn't sell it. It was just okay, nothing memorable. Meh.

Jason and Caitlin - Nakul Dev Mahajan Bollywood: After the amazing Bollywood routine Katee and Josh performed in season 4, these two had a lot to live up to. I wouldn't go so far as to say that it was better than last season's routine, but it was pretty awesome. Great choreography, fun song and they really went for it. Loved their energy and the connection they had with each other. I also really liked that they utilized Caitlin's gymnastic ability and had her do an 8 count upside down. So cool! Two thumbs up.

Brandon and Janette - Louis van Amstel Foxtrot: Not the most fiery routine, but I thought they did a beautiful job with giving it as much personality and flare as they could while still maintaining the structure and feel of the dance. The lifts they performed were hard, but them definitely made them look easy - a real tribute to Brandon's strength and Janette's flexibility. Good solid performance.

Kupono and Ashley - Wade Robson Jazz: So quirky and cool. Loved it! Maintaining a character like that for an entire routine and making it believable is hard, but they killed it! Even with all that makeup, Ashley is delightful to watch and her personality came through bigtime. Kupono did an excellent job being quirky cute as well. I think part of the reason why it was so seamless was that not only did they stay in character, but they danced it perfectly. So awesome.

Ade and Melissa - Mandy Moore Contemporary: Gorgeous. That was such a difficult routine, especially the lifts, and they executed it beautifully. Another great partnership in the making. Loved it.

Max and Kayla - Louis van Amstel Samba: Okay, so this was fiery! ;)I wasn't quite as in love with it as the judges, but they sold it - Kayla was especially impressive seeing as how she has had no previous ballroom training. Nice choreography that showed off both of their strengths.

Overall, I think this might be the strongest group of contestants right out of the gate. I feel like everyone, the choreographers and dancers, are really bringing their A game, which makes this show so fun to watch.

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I think America absolutely got it right on who was in the bottom 3. As for the solos, frankly, I wasn't impressed with any of them. I don't know if it was nerves or what, but they're gonna have to dance a helluva lot harder than that if they're in the bottom 3 next week. I think it's pretty crummy that Paris basically got sent home because the other contemporary dancers are better than her, instead of strictly comparing her to Asuka and Karla, although none of them really had me fired up. I figured that if Paris was going home, then Tony would follow. They tend to send home whole partnerships in the early weeks, and since none of the guys were all that great, it made sense that Tony would be out of there.

Meh. Not too upset by the cuts this week. I predict that it'll start getting particularly tough come week 4 or 5.