SYTYCD S6: Top 16 Elimination

It was a dramatic elimination night on SYTYCD, with an unhappy Nigel complaining that both America and the dancers were getting it wrong. Frankly, we agreed with him.

After an INCREDIBLE tribal-flavored opening number by Dave Scott (we can’t get enough of his choreo!), we discovered that Mollee and Nathan–the couple whose performance we were least excited about on Tuesday–were safe. Wrong, America. That left poor Karen and Kevin to dance for their lives, along with the other bottom three couples: Ryan, Ellenore, Pauline and Peter.

But not before an absolutely amazing performance by Clifton Brown, Linda Celeste Sims and Constance Stamatiou of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. Now THAT’S great dancing, people! And we have a serious dance crush on Clifton Brown.

We were underwhelmed by the solos that followed (maybe in part because it’s really hard to follow Ailey!), and so were the judges. In the end, we think the right people–Peter and Pauline–went home. Sad as we are that the tap dynasty had come to an end, Peter hasn’t been exciting us lately, and Pauline’s technique isn’t up to par with the other dancers’.

Where’s the magic, SYTYCD? We’re looking forward to next week, when we’re hoping the top 14 will take Nigel’s advice to heart and kick it up a notch. We know they’ve got it in them!

—Margaret Fuhrer