Destination ‘So You Think You Can Dance’: Best and Worst

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Cat Deeley wore a hippie dress with bohemian earrings tonight, but that doesn’t mean the atmosphere at ‘So You Think You Can Dance’ studios was one of free love. In fact, the judges were extra harsh tonight, dreaming up colorful metaphors to bash not only perpetual denizens of the bottom three, but also, crowd favorites.

Nobody was safe from the wrath of Nigel Lythgoe, Mary Murphy, and Mia Michaels tonight. Here are some of the best – and worst – moments from the evening.

1. Most likely to drive you wild. Whoever you are.

Chelsie Hightower is as sexy as she is spunky. With her Barbie doll hair and a track jacket zipped up to her chin, Chelsie’s contradictory traits make her irresistible. Or perhaps Mia Michaels said it best: ‘I wanna stab you, you’re so gorgeous.’

2. Most sorely overlooked

Come. On. Nigel. Maybe Comfort Fedoke and Thayne Jasperson don’t have the best chemistry in the group, but taken separately, can you honestly say that Comfort’s pops and twists weren’t riveting tonight?

3. Most familiar disappointment

Poor Thayne. When the cheerful boys take up hip-hop, the results are never good. Remember Chris Jarosz?

4. Biggest ‘huh?’ moment

Was I the only one out there shocked when Mary called Will Wingfield and Jessica King’s sexy loincloth number ‘one of the most amazing pieces I’ve ever seen on the show’?

5. Gev Manoukian takes the reins!

All these weeks, we’ve watched Courtney Galiano dominate Gev, both on and off of the dance floor. Well, tonight, maybe thanks to his time-stopping solo last Thursday, Gev took control. The power shift was most evident, not in Gev’s expression, but in the way Courtney looked at him.

6. Psssst! Courtney!

Make sure you don’t go all the way to level three in the mystic tan booth next time. It’s an honest mistake. We’ve all done it. But you looked a bit – er – lipless tonight.

7. A moment of mercy

For some odd reason, the judges decided to show their soft side during Kherington Payne and Twitch Boss’ crumping routine. They all agreed that Kherington lost steam at the end of the dance, but instead of criticizing her, they agreed to let it go. ‘I’m gonna ignore the tiredness,’ announced Mia Michaels, before raining praise on the flaxen-haired favorite. What? Why?

8. Inevitable fall from grace

Katee Shean and Joshua Allen got their first criticism tonight, during their dancing-on-air, ghost-love routine. As much as I live for this twosome, I have to agree with the judges on this one. Katee, why were you smiling? You were dancing with a ghost – that’s weird! Somehow, none of the eeriness of the choreography came through in the performance.

9. Most narrowly avoided wardrobe malfunction

During Chelsie and Mark’s ‘W.O.M.A.N.’ dance – which I loved – I spent the first half of the number petrified that Chelsie’s flouncy top would not contain her. Now, I’m sure there was an elaborate wire-and-pulley system in place to ensure her safety, but I wish the costume people wouldn’t mess with my mind like that.

10. Best sport

Oh Comfort. Dear Comfort. How can you stand there, week after week, and endure these scathing critiques without ever shedding a tear?

11. Most comically unmatched twosome

Will entered the stage with some sort of gravity defying double flip. Jessica followed with what can only be described as a forward walkover. And she got stuck in her dress.

12. And you thought Nigel was bold!

Oh, Mia Michaels. You’re like the Eminem of the judges’ table. You have a way of saying what everybody else is too polite to say. Tonight, Mia sighed and looked deep into Will’s eyes. Then she said, ‘Will, you look tired of carrying [Jessica]…You look tired. You’re tired.’ Ouch.

13. Dark horse

He gave Courtney Galiano’s rear end a ‘message’ with his crotch, he did a headstand and clapped with his feet, and he delivered the best line of the night: ‘I’ve never kicked a girl. Especially in the head.’ Meet Gev Manoukian: dark horse.

14. Most pleasant surprise

Courtney and Gev’s map routine actually wasn’t awful. At all. From what I’ve seen, those prop-based routines usually tend to do more harm than good.

15. Well, you could knock me over with a feather

When Joshua and Katee picked Bollywood out of a hat, they didn’t even know what it was. Who would have thought that just days later, the ever-masculine Joshua would find his niche in a jewel encrusted stocking cap, jingling anklets, a sequin vest and beaded cuff bracelets?

But from the moment he stepped out in that light-refracting ensemble, Joshua was Bollywood. He committed to a dance that was totally out of his comfort zone, and as far as I’m concerned, he won the night for it!

16. Falling flower

I used to think of Comfort as a cactus: strong resilient, in it for the long haul. But now I’m afraid she’s turning into a falling flower. During that freestyle dance segment at the end of the show -- typically Comfort’s favorite time to show off her moves -- she could barely fake a smile.

-- Stephanie Lysaght