So You Think You Can Dance - Episode 308 - The Top 18

Cat fashion watch: Curly hair, white halter mini-dress with jeweled embroidery, an upper arm band, and legs a million miles long. She introduces all of the dancers again. Girls strut, boys strut, boys and girls strut then split into pairs. Then she goes to the judges and Nigel and Mary are joined by Mia, who is devasted that Ricky got the boot last week. She says Ricky, Dominic and Cedric are the top male dancers and I think Mia needs to lay off the booze. Cutting that scraggly mullet can't hurt, either.

First up are Lauren and Neil and I'm going to say right now, based on the screams from the audience, that Neil will win. You heard it here first. Never underestimate tween and teen girls power voting. And that's not even including the formidable gay vote. The video packages this week are about how they got into dance. Does anyone really care about that? No, didn't think so. Lauren and Neil get hip-hop this week with Dave Scott, who says that their chemistry is getting better now that they're having more fun together. They're dancing to "The Way I Are" by Timbaland featuring Keri Hilson and D.O.E. and for some inexplicable reason, Lauren is dressed like several 80s styles threw up on her, particularly punk and Madonna's "Like a Virgin" look. Their chemistry is undeniably better and Neil has some awesome moves, but the overall routine leaves me a bit cold. Mia disagrees with me and says she loved the choreography, but points out that Lauren was forgettable. Mary loved everything about it, as did Nigel.

Jessi and Pasha are up next and they're dancing a jazz routine choreographed by Tyce Diorio. He's going for an "African, modern, contemporary feel" and I get really, really nervous. But damned if he doesn't put together an amazing routine. They're dancing to "Stiff Jazz" by dZihan and Kamien and it's very stylized and animalistic, but in a playful, exuberant yet also sexy way. It's fantastic and Pasha and Jessi have loads of chemistry. Cat goes to the judges and Mia says, "I love birds," then giggles. Hee. She praises them and tells Pasha that she wasn't on his side in Vegas, but she's proud of him now. Mary also thought it was terrific and says Pasha's partnering skills are top notch. Nigel thinks going from their Latin ballroom last week to an African-themed jazz shows how versatile and competitive they are.

Jaimie and Hok have pulled a samba for their dance and it's being choreographed by Jean-Marc Genereux and his wife, who doesn't get a name. Jaimie says Hok does really well in rehearsals even though he's never partnered another dancer. Dancing to "Bang Bang to the Rock 'n' Roll" by Gabin, their dance is energetic and sexy but they both look a little stilted, especially Hok. Mia says she must've had some "love juice" because she thinks they were amazing. Mary, however, disagrees and says it wasn't up to the standards of the competition. Nigel says they gave a great performance but agrees with Mary that the technique wasn't up to par and the choreography didn't please him. He even namechecks Dancing with the Stars, saying he likes their sambas, and I'm surprised FOX didn't edit out that reference to another show on a competing network.

Dominic and Sabra tell us that they got into dance when blah blah blah this is boring filler. They're doing a contemporary dance and are being coached by Mandy Moore. No, not that Mandy Moore, whose new album is awesome, by the way. This Mandy Moore says the dance she's created is about how men and women relate to each other, with Sabra portraying a bird and Dominic some kind of unnamed creature. Um, okay. They're doing all kinds of crazy moves in rehearsal and Dominic hilariously says if one move isn't done right, "the outcome is me hitting my wiener." HEE. They're dancing to "I'll Syand By You" by The Pretenders and they're both really, really wonderful. Also, as far as I can tell, Dominic didn't hit his wiener. When they're done, Mia asks Dominic how he's feeling and says he's scared, then adds that he wanted to show her what he could do. Mia tells him that she's glad the cocky Dominic from Vegas isn't really him and she thinks he's beautiful and what the competition is all about. Dominic looks like he's going to cry, although he claims he's not, and Mia is teary herself. Moving on to Mary, she praises Mandy's choreography and tells both dancers that they did a wonderful job. Nigel continues the lovefest and says Dominic takes this so seriously that he even shaved his toes this week because he'd be dancing barefoot. Dominic tries to hide his feet behind Sabra and looks at Nigel like, "dude, why you gotta share that on national TV?" Hee. I still think Ricky should've stayed over Dominic last week but Dominic has charmed the hell out of me tonight.

The next couple is Faina and Cedric and tonight they are dancing a fox trot choreographed by Hunter Johnson. Cedric's lack of ballroom experience causes him some difficulties during rehearsal. They're dancing to "You're the Boss" by Elvis Presley and Ann Margret. They look incredible, with Faina in a hot pink dress and Cedric in a black suit, but Cedric's inexperience really shows. Also, he and Faina still seem a bit uncomfortable with each other and lack chemistry. Mia goes all disappointed mom on Cedric and says if he stays, he needs to step up his game with other dance styles. Mary agrees and says he let down Faina as a partner. Nigel basically parrots what Mia and Mary said. Faina stands there grinning and taking all of the praise the judges give her, not giving Cedric any support for the reaming he gets. She's so hoping they're in the bottom 3 so he'll get the boot and she gets a new partner.

Next up are Lacey and Kameron, who are still on a high from last week's brilliant performance. This week they're dancing a Broadway routine choreographed by Tyce Diorio. Oh, dear. I really don't like Tyce's Broadway stuff. Dancing to "All That Jazz" from Chicago, their outfits make them look like they're on the way to a BDSM disco ball. I think it's a credit to their charisma and personalities that I like this as much as I do because, as I feared, the choreography is rather boring. Out in the audience, Papa Schwimmer holds up his electronic sign. Yay! We also see Benji in the audience and he's dyed his hair blond. I'm still not sure how I feel about that. Going to the judges, Mia says they're the sexiest couple but she missed the "pizzazz" in their routine. Exactly! Mia is booed by the audience and she snaps, "Ew, shut up!" HEE! Mary loved it unreservedly, as did Nigel, who adds that they seem like they've been dancing together for years. That's the truth. Their chemistry is off the charts and if they're not already doing it, they will be by the end of the competition.

Anya and Danny will be dancing a Viennese waltz choreographed by Hunter Johnson. Despite being a ballroom dancer, Anya confesses with a giggle that she doesn't know what a Viennese waltz is. Hunter says it's difficult for a couple who met only recently to convey romance but I think the bigger hurdle is that Anya has the wrong type of equipment for Danny. I'm just sayin'. They're dancing to "You and Me" by Lifehouse. What? When did this become Dancing with the Stars, with the inappropriate music choices? At least this show doesn't have the cheesy band and bad singers. Anyway, they're stunningly lovely and graceful and look like they should be dancing in a Disney musical. Danny helps Anya do this one spin, that we also saw them do in rehearsals, that makes Anya look like a music box dancer. It's almost surreal how magical their dance looks. That is a whole hell of a lot of pretty on that stage. Mia fangirls Danny's hands and says their dance was gorgeous. Mary says they "stepped out of a dream" and gives her first and only shriek of the night. She also says they're her favorite couple and Nigel says everything's already been said by Mia and Mary, but points out that even those watching at home who know nothing about dance know how beautiful this dance was. It's like Nigel can read my mind! I'm scared now.

The penultimate couple is Shauna and Jimmy, who will dancing a hip-hop created by Dave Scott. Dave has incorporated a lot of stepping into his routine, which Shauna and Jimmy have some trouble with in rehearsals. They're dancing to "U Sexy Girl" by Fat Man Scoop featuring Elephant Man and Jabba. Even though I think Shauna and Jimmy are generally pretty bland and forgettable, this dance is delightful, sexy, and I think both dancers kick ass. Mia praises both of them but says she thinks Shauna is still playing it a bit too safe. Mary thinks they both stepped it up and Nigel disagrees with Mia about Shauna, saying she was just as good as Jimmy. He finishes by sending the audience into a frenzy by saying he's going to "use the 'f' word," and calls the routine fun.

The final dancers are Sara and my boyfriend Jesus, who are dancing a paso doble choreographed by Jean-Marc Genereux and his nameless wife. They're dancing to a remix of Queen's "We Will Rock You," which nearly causes me to make another rant about DwtS-type music, but somehow it works. They look hot, the choreography is hot, the music is hot, and the whole thing is so hot that I want to make out with both of them and I think my panties spontaneously flew off and hit the screen. Sorry for the TMI but it's true. Mia disagrees, though, and says she found it awkward, with the music not matching the choreography. Mary says she understands why the music would throw people but thinks the routine was amazing, singling Jesus out for his mad skillz. Nigel says it was the most stylized dance of the night with the music but thought the choreography was nicely traditional, and then he pervs a bit on Sara. Oh, Nigel. Couldn't go a whole night without being a dirty old man, could you?

Cat recaps the performances and voting numbers. I think my favorites tonight were Jessi and Pasha, Anya and Danny, and Sara and Jesus. I think the bottom three couples will be Jaimie and Hok, Faina and Cedric, and Shauna and Jimmy. All I know is that if Dominic and Sabra end up in the bottom three again, it'll be a travesty. We'll find out tonight!