Kevin: Happy 100th SYTYCD!! Thank God you came along… the hours and hours of sheer enjoyment you have given us have been amazing.

Anyway, so let me fill you all in on how these articles usually work… Daniel and I write up all our notes/comments/whatever and then Daniel sends his to me and I mash them up together. This week, however, Daniel decided write a novel- so in the interest of brevity, I’ve opted to just interject a few comments into his verbosity.

Daniel: So before I even get into the hoopla of tonight’s SYTYCD 100th Episode, I have to take the time to congratulate Joel Ferstay (oh I’ve obtained the rights to use full names) for wrecking both my night and the episode by texting me at precisely 10:01 informing me who was kicked off the show. Unfortunately for me I wasn’t watching the show on cable, like our poor friend Joel, and instead was only a few minutes into my PVR’d episode.

Needless to say the thrill was definitely gone for me, but as I mentioned above, this is the 100th episode and the line up was one for the record books, including the eliminations.

Kevin: Stephen and I were in a similar boat in terms of watching the show hours after it aired. We were celebrating our one-year anniversary. (Thanks for not ruining it for us too Joel- you’re a pal.)

Daniel: To celebrate this centurion in style, SYTYCD took a look back at the past five years, celebrating past winners and other amazing dancers that have danced their way into our hearts. The montage was tear-jerking for any passionate viewer that has been following the show for the past five years (I’m definitely one of those nerds). Unfortunately Ellen wasn’t available as a guest judge for the eliminations show; however, the night opened with a brilliant Mia Michaels Broadway-inspired routine to One from A Chorus Line. The dance was typical Mia excellence with intricate movements, all white costumes and broken mirrors, all atop a red carpet. Stunning.

Kevin: I completely agree with everything Daniel just said. The routine was fabulous and Ellen was conspicuously absent from the judging panel, which is unfortunate. Great montage though for sure.

I WE FRIGGIN’ LOVE THIS SHOW!

Daniel: Before getting to the eliminations, Cat Deeley thankfully reminded us that tickets go on sale this upcoming week for the SYTYCD American tour, and tickets information can be found at www.fox.com/dance.

Kevin: If you haven’t gone to see one of these shows live yet, I really encourage you to do so. Mary (Daniel) and I went with some of the other boys to the Season 3 show in Everett, WA. It. Was. Brilliant.

Daniel: The girls were first to the stage to learn their fates, with all four finalists lined up. Up first was Melissa, who flew through to safety thanks to her brilliant performance in Tyce’s contemporary number. Kayla was next in line and once again sent to the bottom two. That left Janette and Jeanine to learn their fates. Thankfully America got this decision right sending Jeanine to safety and Janette to the bottom two.

To break up the tension, the first Emmy-winning performance was rehashed from season three. Wade Robson’s amazing ‘The Hummingbird and the Flower’ routine, danced by Hawk and Jamie. I remember this dance being unbelievable the first time I saw it, but I think the camera work this time around didn’t capture the essence of the piece. Overall it was still gorgeous; I just wished we had seen it from a more zoomed-out perspective.

Kevin: I agree- and having seen this number live at the aforementioned show… this performance really didn’t do it justice.

Daniel: After this brief few minutes of peace, the boys took to the stage to learn their fate. Ade was first in line, compared with Jason; one guy was safe and one in the bottom three. Not surprising, Ade was sent to safety while Jason was sent backstage to prepare for his solo. That left Brandon and Evan, an unlikely pair that nine out of ten people would have wagered a bet on the outcome. Thank goodness this isn’t Vegas and I don’t have money riding as Brandon was in the bottom three with Evan sent through to safety! Dang – those old ladies must be dialing up a fury to keep him in the competition!

Kevin: Completely shocked. When Brandon was sent to the bottom two I nearly fell off the couch. I knew then that either Daniel or I would end up in tears at the end of the show.

Daniel: Another break from the tension followed suit as a second Emmy-winning performance was relived; Mia Michaels’ ‘Bench Dance’ from season two, danced by Heidi and Travis. This routine WAY BACK WHEN made me fall in love with both SYTYCD and Mia Michaels. The way Travis slides down the bench is indescribable in my eyes. I have tried to recreate that scene on park benches, on random people’s couches, lawn chairs, stair cases, alas to no avail. I keep thinking, one day…

Kevin: Again, I agree. This routine in an SYTYCD classic that will always make its way back to the show, whether in stories, flashbacks, whatever.

Daniel: The next few minutes of the show were dedicated to the bottom two guys and girls to showcase their solos, as performed from the previous night. I’ve come to the conclusion that I don’t mind that they aren’t creating a new solo for the eliminations night as it really has no affect, so would just be another weight on the dancer’s shoulders. I understand now, and accept it. The one exciting thing to note was Cat Deeley’s random announcement of Kayla’s nickname, “White Lightning”. I don’t know what it means but I LOVE IT!

Kevin: “White Lightning” is such the perfect nickname for Kayla, and this is why we love Cat Deeley so much more than Leah Miller from SYTYCD Canada.

Daniel: The third Emmy-winning performance of the night was another Wade Robson routine, this time the group routine from season two. This time around Wade himself decided to join the dancers on stage and integrate into the performance. For years I have always said I wanted to see Wade dance one of his own routines, and I’m so thankful that he is as brilliant in dance as he is at choreographing.

Kevin: This is one of my all-time favorite group dances from the show. Not much more can be said about Wade Robson outside of the fact that he is a choreographic & dancing genius. His performance last night was phenomenal. Hot. Hot. Hot.

Daniel: The next ‘treat’ of the night was to be a live performance by Katie Holmes in recognition of her involvement with the Dizzy Feet Foundation; a newly formed organization to help troubled and underprivileged youth obtain dancing opportunities formally not available to them. I was stoked to see how this all played out on the SYTYCD stage. The pre-performance video described the routine as an homage to Judy Garland’ with Holmes both singing and dancing. It was no surprise that the whole number was pre-recorded in a studio, complete with no microphones and lackluster lip-syncing. Lame. Way to half-ass a push for charity. Super frustrating; HOWEVER, I still think the foundation is a brilliant concept, and therefore everyone should check out their website and do whatever you can to get involved: www.dizzyfeetfoundation.org

Kevin: As opposed to Daniel, I wasn’t bothered by the pre-recorded singing for this number. SYTYCD is a dancing show so the singing was already secondary. In addition, Katie Holmes- while very talented- wouldn’t have been able to pull off a stellar performance had she been required to do that dance & actually sing at the same time. I think the pre-recorded track was the way to go. I also appreciated the fact that they made it clear she was lip-syncing by not pretending to give her a microphone and all that. That said, I do agree with Daniel about the Dizzy Feet Foundation and encourage everyone to do what they can to get involved.

Daniel: All that was left in the night were the inevitable eliminations. With my predictions already out the window and Joel ruining every element of surprise, all I had left to do was pray that lightning would strike him down so this could never happen to me again. The girl leaving the competition was Janette, who I thankfully wasn’t too upset about. As for the boys, either is a HUGE loss to the competition, and sadly Jason was sent home. Thankfully I am free to console Jason, whenever he needs it, so please just call me, day or night and I will get you through this tough time.

Seriously, call.

Kevin: Joking aside, I feel bad that Daniel had the show ruined for him, and Joel should really watch out the next time he sees Daniel. That bitch is vindictive… you mark my words. (Just kidding, we don’t call him Mary for nothin’…) At any rate, the eliminations had me on the edge of my seat. I am sad to see Janette leave, but think her solo really did her in and wasn’t surprised when it happened. When it came to the boys, I just kept praying it wouldn’t be my boy Brandon. Thank God it wasn’t! Sorry for your loss Daniel…

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