'Dance' Is All About the Costumes (or Lack Of)

For those of us still recovering from Pole Dancing Night on “Dance Your Ass Off,” last night’s episode of “SYTYCD” was refreshing. Don’t get too excited. The performance show was still a whopping 120 minutes, but solo and group numbers revived the formula, as did new partnerships.

The show kicked off with the Top 5 girls doing a Bollywood number. And get this -- the song wasn’t even from “Slumdog Millionaire”! The movements were sharp and the jumping was, well, really jumpy.

Most importantly, though, I feel that someone in power has finally championed my cause. That’s right, Nigel acknowledged what I’ve been paying attention to all along -- the costumes! He even called the divine multicolored garments “fantastic.” Bollywood Costumes: 10! Nigel: 9.

Interspersed between the couples’ performances were 30-second solo numbers. That’s even less time than they get for their gyrations on “DYAO!” While each of these finalists is immensely talented, it just wasn’t as entertaining to watch them on their own.

For one thing, it is amazing that Brandon could even fit that amount of windmill-esque spinning into a mere 30 seconds. Kayla looked like she was doing a gymnastics floor routine. Kupono had a tribal sideways-crab walk going on. And did Ade realize he was doing a fast dance to a slow song?

Backflips are impressive but are they really the best way to interpret a song like “Unchained Melody?”

I have to say that I found Evan to be the most entertaining solo dancer. Maybe it’s because I’m biased towards his Broadway style, but I picked up the phone for only the second time this season (hey, it’s not “Idol”) and voted for him. (Incidentally, I think the first time was for Randi’s and his “butt poodle” dance.) Janette’s swiveling hips also had me mesmerized.

Not so mesmerizing? The solo costumes! Randi looked like she was wearing her bridal lingerie, while Kupono made his costume himself. (It showed.) The only ones to impress in this category (once again) were Evan, who donned a tux with a white jacket, and Janette, who gets extra points for bedazzling her bra. Someone please tell Brandon that a T-shirt and pants does not a costume make.

Kayla & Evan: Of course fate would pair the tallest girl with the shortest guy, breaking up the cutest couple ever (Randi & Evan). Despite her age, Kayla is arguably the best female dancer on the show, and you already know how I feel about Evan. The flowing of the chiffon as Kayla kicked was hypnotic (in a good way). Extra costume points go to Evan for wearing lifts in his shoes.  Costumes: 9, Performance: 8. 

Janette & Ade: They had the opposite height problem, as she is the shortest girl and he is the tallest guy. For their hip-hop dance, Ade played a Funk doctor (a degree that can be earned through University of Phoenix, I think) assisting Janette with her funk issues (i.e., that she has none). Making it even more watchable was the fact that she kept losing her clothes to reveal a “funky” outfit. It would’ve been better, though, if the outfit had been a little more, you know, sparkly.  Costumes: 7, Performance: 8.
 
Jeanine & Jason: Every time you hear “contemporary piece,” you know it’s gonna be some sort of melodrama with a message. This “story” was about friends hooking up with each other for the first time. The piece garnered a standing ovation from the judges and left Mary at a loss for words (thank God). It kind of left me wondering if it was really that great. Everyone else seemed to think so. Costumes: 6, Performance: 7.

Randi & Kupono: The paso doble is one of my favorites mainly because of the drama and -- you guessed it -- costumes. As usual, this dance featured some of the most dramatic music ever. Too bad the actual dancing wasn’t up to par. The costumes kind of looked like pirates on Valentine’s Day or maybe Spanish vampires. With the music, costumes and strobe light combined, it reminded me of one of those seasonal walk-through haunted houses ... and I love Halloween! BTW … I liked the wig, judges. Extra costume points for that! Costumes: 9, Performance: 6.

Melissa & Brandon: “I smell patchouli!” I couldn’t have said it better myself, Cat Deeley! This was probably my favorite routine of the night. What can I say? I love showtunes, even if they’re about dirty hippies! The technique was amazing and the costumes were fun too. BTW … did anyone else think that Brandon looked like a hippy version of Alfonso Ribeiro from “Silver Spoons”? No? Must be the patchouli affecting me. Costumes: 8, Performance: 9.

The men closed the show with an African dance number. While impressive, it didn’t quite live up to the girls’ Bollywood dance for me. Plus, I know it’s hot in Africa, but “shirtless” just doesn’t scream “awesome costume.” Nevertheless, the guys’ movements were spot-on and the routine was fun to watch. Maybe we’ll see it at EPCOT soon along with last week’s Russian folk dance?

“TOP CHEF MASTERS”
Have a Harry Potter midnight movie hangover? “Top Chef Masters” has a cure! This week’s Quickfire challenge was to create fine dining dishes out of junk food.

Finally! This was a challenge I could finally wrap my palate around! Oh and bonus! Judges for this trial were Jeff Lewis and friends from “Flipping Out.” Thankfully, the chefs seemed to be warned in advance about Jeff’s issues with onions.

 

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