TVSquad

(S05E23) I think Cat Deeley looked fabulous tonight. The panel was chock-full of choreographers: Lil' C, Mia Michaels, Tyce Diorio, Debbie Allen, Adam Shankman, Mary Murphy and Nigel Lythgoe. They brought them all up on the dais so they could each choose their favorite dances from throughout the season. That means encore performances of the best of Season 5. That's not a bad way to fill two hours.

In the end, though, it comes down to Kayla, Brandon, Jeanine and Evan. Who did America love the most last night and throughout the summer? The recap actually gave me tingles. Despite a distinct lack of personalities, there were some stunning moments of dance. And I'm ever so thrilled that the new season is less than a month away. It's a long show, so hang in there.

(S05E07) I'm happy that I'm not investing money on So You Think You Can Dance. Three of the best couples last week became the bottom three, dancing for their lives.

We started off the night with a poorly shot routine. It is never good when you can see a camera man on the right taping, then switch to a shot where he magically disappears. At least try to convince America that this portion was pre-taped. Also, with the Maori-like face paint, I couldn't tell Ashley from Asuka.

Were the Vegas rounds ever this hard? I never remember the intensive dancing in previous seasons, but I feel as though the contestants were pushed really hard because they were all a lot better than the judges expected.

It's a little childish, but I laughed when Mia Michaels exclaimed, "I'm a cutter." She seems to always say or do things that are a little risqué, but her opinions are always heard. As for the other judges, Mary was sedated, Lil C only said "buck" once, and I missed Debbie Allen for being that supportive mother type.

Instead of day by day analysis, we're going to take a look at some of the hits and misses for the dancers.

(S03E10) So You Think You Can Dance, come for the dancing, stay for the drama... One of the things I really like about the show is that they stay pretty heavily focused on the competition. Sure, we get the sometimes useless backstage bits, but they have to fill out the two hours of their summer hit somehow. For the most part though, they do steer clear of the theatrics and keep the actual dancing in the spotlight. That broke down a little tonight, though maybe not as much as it could have. More on that later.

First, look over there, it's dance legend (we can call her a legend, right?) Debbie Allen sitting in as guest judge. I had heard that she was going to be making an appearance and have been looking forward to it. She didn't disappoint either. Throughout the show she was a lot of fun. Nigel and Mary were, of course, along for the ride. So, with the introduction out of the way, on to the performances... and the drama.