So You Think You Can Dance - The Top 20 Recap

Tonight starts the REAL competition on SYTYCD. Just in case there are some newbies out there, here's what happens. The dancers are paired up, randomly (so they say) and are assigned to a choreographer who teaches them their routine. Every Wednesday is a performance night and every Thursday is an elimination night. America votes, determining which couples are going to be in the bottom three. Those six dancers will each have to dance for their life, performing a solo for the judges, and then they'll choose who's going home - but it's always one male and one female dancer. The judges have no authority in determining which dancers will be in the bottom three, that's all decided by the voters.

The night starts off with the Cat Deeley and is followed by the introduction routines, which are just super short little ditties that don't really tell you anything about the dancer. The guest judge tonight is Adam Shankman. Let's get started! First up is Phillip and Jeanine.

Phillip Chbeeb & Jeanine Mason - Hip-Hop - Choreographed by Napoleon & Tabitha D'Umo, Mad, by Ne-Yo.

Can I just say how much I love Tabitha and Napoleon?!! Because I really do, not only are they great choreographers, but they're a super cute couple, too. Jeanine is really nervous because her background is in ballet, and this type of dancing- especially since she's partnered with the Phillip, is out of her comfort range. I love how all of their routines tell a story.

Okay, so they're really good together- I had to rewind their routine, because I was rapt by it the first go round! Maybe it's because they're the first dancers on the first night, but I think they've really set the bar pretty high. They remind me of Mark and Chelsie's in their Bleeding Love routine from last year.

Adam thinks that Jeanine did a wonderful job, and she was able to hold her own. He says that Phillip is fantastic and he's a really excellent partner. All of the judges agree, Mary even does her scream. Phillip already has a following, but we don't know much about Jeanine, so I'm glad that they're partnered together. 1-888-TEMPO-01

Vitolio Jeune & Asuka Kondoh - Broadway - Tyce Diorio - Hot Honey Rag, from CHICAGO, by BP Studio Musicians. The premise is they're making their own silent film, where Vitolio is the director and Asuka is the actress.

Vitolio's mother died while giving birth to his sister and his grandmother had to put them in an orphanage. Growing up, he felt like he was worthless because he had no parents. These stories always get to me! But it doesn't matter, because I think he's adorable, although I'm not all that impressed by Asuka. His moves are much cleaner, you can tell when they are are supposed to be stacatto and when they're supposed to more fluid (legato, if you will). But I guess that the judges don't agree with me, they're more concerned with the duo's lack of personality in their performance.

For the type of routine that it is, I don't think they were all that bad. There wasn't a lot of room for inserting their personality, and that's what the judges didn't like. Adam recognizes that it was a character performance piece, and that's why it may have seemed a bit artificial- but he thinks it was a solid performance. Mary said she was disappointed, they danced a safe, "nice" routine. Nigel said the problem wasn't with the dancing, their lines were fine, but their personality failed to come through- they needed to put their own energy into it and they didnt. TEMPO02

Jonathan Platero & Karla Garcia - Cha-Cha - Tony Meredith - Poker Face, by Lady Gaga.

What a fun routine, the music selection really helps at making it audience friendly, but the choreography is great! I'm usually not very into ballroom routines, but this one really impressed me. Adam gives it is his seal of approval, but said that Jonathan needed to work on his flexibility in his hips. Mary gives a gutteral, rough scream, that breaks into a full blown one. She said she likes her Cha-Cha rough, and like Lady Gaga says, if it's not rough, it's not fun, and that was a whole lot of rough and whole lot of fun. Nigel said they're another couple who's fairly unknown to the audience, and they've just "exploded" onto the stage and onto our tonight. Well the reason they're not on our radar is because you, Nigel Lythgoe, didn't air any of their audition footage until tonight!

But he's also right, I had no clue who either of them where, but now I really know who they are. They seem like they're going to be a good pair, they had nice chemistry and their styles complemented each other. TEMPO03

Evan Kasprzak & Randi Strong-Evans - Jazz - Tyce Diorio - I Only Have Eyes For You, by Jamie Cullum. Tyce wants them to have a connection, it's an intimate and sensuous love story. Randi is married in real life, and that causes both of them to fret just a bit. This routine is one of Tyce's best, at least in my opinion.

My first thought when seeing them dance together is that they're probably not the best suited partners, they're almost the same height. I love Evan, and I am rootin' for him all the way. He really proved he was more than just a Broadway dancer, he was wonderful! I thought Randi was good too, but I think she needs a different partner in order for us to really appreciate her dancing.

Mary said that both of them were at the end of her list when the Vegas round ended, but SCREAM, she thinks they will be around for a long time, and that Evan did his brother proud! Nigel says they were fantastic, and he thinks they're a couple that people will remember and talk about- America will pick up the telephone for them! TEMPO04

Tony Bellisimo & Paris Torres - Hip-Hop - Napoleon & Tabitha - Let The Beat Rock (Boys Noize Megamix) by The Black Eyed Peas. They're wearing futuristic black and red leather outfits.

Paris was in car accident that caused her leg to become permantly numb from the knee down. Tony was jock growing up, but he always liked dancing. He finally chose to pursue it after turning down a chance to play college lacrosse, and that's what he's be doing ever since. Tony is usually a comedic popper, locker, hip hop dancer, but this routine requires him to be fierce. They do some pretty cool moves, and I think Paris is really stepping it up. Tony isn't as bad as I thought he was going to be, but I'd still prefer to have Ryan Kasprzak in his place!

Adam says they did a good job, but he felt their outfits were distracting. He also said they both need more rebound after their stops, some of them were kinda mushy. Mary said it won't be a memorable routine/performance and the audience wanted Tony to prove he was a serious dancer, but what they just did wasn't very good. Nigel agrees with Mary, he said that there's room to grow this season, and Tony needs a lot of growth. He felt they were both just doing steps, that it wasn't real, and it didn't feel real. TEMPO05

Jason Glover & Caitlin Kinney - Bollywood - Nakul Dev Mahaja- Jai Ho - Slumdog Millionaire Soundtrack.

Everyone remembers Caitlin from the audition rounds, but I don't ever remember seeing Jason- he lucked out getting Caitlin as his partner. Bollywood is so fun and I love to watch it, which probably influences my impression of them, but I thought they did a great job. They incorporated some of Caitlin's gymnastic moves into the routine, and Jason was excellent! I thought he really out-danced Caitlin, he was just ON.

Adam agrees with me about Jason, and says that he's going to be a force of nature on this competition. Mary is glad that Bollywood has come to Hollywood! She liked Caitlin's handstand and leg work, but Jason gets the scream because he he just has that charismatic appeal. Nigel said they "brought it!" and it was a beautiful routine that was beautifully danced. TEMPO06

Brandon Bryant & Janette Manrara- Foxtrot - Louis Van Amstel - Come Fly With Me, by Michael Buble. I think they're an odd pairing, but hopefully it won't be an issue. Janette is a ballroom dancer, so she looks right at home. Brandon looks pretty dapper himself! You can really see his strength and power on display during a lot of the lifts. I guess I was wrong, they look pretty good together.

Adam jokes about how America is probably sad that Brandon is dancing with clothes on, but it seems to be working for him- he was great! Some of the judges had thought Brandon would have a difficult time bring his personality into his dancing (and making sure it was a likeable personality), but he had no problem with it tonight!

Mary said Janette was channeling Ginger Rogers and that anyone who can't see the immense talent that Brandon has is C-R-A-Z-Y!! Nigel said that Janette has a very impressive, graceful carriage and Brandon needed to work a little on dancing within in a frame, but that it was "a wonderful routine. TEMPO07

Kupono Aweau & Ashley Valero - Jazz - Wade Robson - Felt Mountain, by Goldfrapp.

Ashley has auditioned for SYTYCD every year, and every year she's been cut. If anything, I'm already impressed with her perseverance. Wade's routine has them being crash test dummies. They each have different personalities - Kupono's playing the dummy who's been blown up a million times and put back together, and Ashley is a brand new dummy who's intrigued by Kupono. Wade says the theme of the routine is living life like you've never been hurt. His routines are always a little cracked out, so I'm sure it's going to be a little odd.

They're actually dressed like crash test dummies, and looking very futuristic and odd. I don't really know very much about this style of dancing, so I don't know if it's good or not. I think Ashley looks a little too "ballet-y" but that could just be part of the routine/character.

Adam seems too agree with me too, he had a hard time discerning their dancing from their routine, but he thought they were great. Mary loved the routine's concept said they were marvelous and entertaining. Nigel says that Wade is such a genius, and you never know what he's going to come up with, but he always creates memorable and "talked-about" routines. He thinks that both Amanda and Kupono became their characters and kept him immersed in the Crash Test Dummy World. TEMPO08

Ade Obayomi & Melissa Sandvig - Contemporary - Mandy Moore - Right Here Waiting For You, by Richard Marx. Mandy says the routine is about that moment when you first fall in love. Melissa compares it to a dirty game of Twister, haha!

Melissa's background is in ballet and Ade's in in contemporary. He loves music and deejaying, and he hopes to one day become a sound engineer. Ade reminds me of Twitch Boss a little bit in this routine. I really think it's beautiful, they do some impressive moves, and they have great chemistry! This was one of my favorite routines tonight.

Adam tell them they get to see a lot of okay and a lot of good, but today, they got to see something special! Melissa is 29 years old, and Adam says that he knows she's only gotten better as she's gotten older. Mary gives them a shrieking SCREAM. She says that Melissa is spectacular and Ade is living up to her expectations of him- he is a Gentle Giant, A Powerhouse, A Mortal Among Gods. Okay, she didn't go that far, but she loves Ade. Nigel continues to praise them, compliments Mandy Moore on her great routine, which was reminiscent of a pas-de-deux, and tells them they'll be sticking around for a long time. TEMPO09

Maksim Kaptiannikov & Kayla Rodomski - Samba - Louis Van Amstel - Jum Bah Day, by House of Gypsies

Kayla has never done ballroom before, lucky for her, Maks is her partner. He's a lot of fun to watch, with his quick fancy footwork moving across the floor. I think Kayla is pretty good too, especially considering she's never done this type of dancing before. For some reason I keep comparing her to Chelsie Hightower from last year.

Adam says that Kayla is proof that God exists, because only He could have created a creature such as her. He also says that she only looked as good as she did because of Maks' ballroom skills. Mary puts them on the Hot Tamale Train. Nigel said that it had everything they look for in a routine and that Kayla is one of those dancers who can just do anything. Maks doesn't get the kind of effusive praise that Kayla got (Shocking!) and Nigel tells him he needs to work on making some of his moves a little bit sharper. I liked the routine and I thought they did an excellent job, but I don't think it was as good as the judges made it out to be. If they had done that dance in the beginning of the night, I'm pretty sure they judges' reactions would have been a little less Hot Tamale Train-esque. But that's my opinion! TEMPO10

I don't like to predict to who's going to be in the bottom three, it just makes me feel bad, so here are my Top 3 Couples for the night.

• Ade Obayomi & Melissa Sandvig - Contemporary Pas-de-Deux
  
• Phillip Chbeeb & Jeanine Mason - Hip Hop Routine to Ne-Yo
  
• Jason Glover & Caitlin Kinney - Bollywood