It was an emotional night on Wednesday as the contestants on season 6 of 'So You Think You Can Dance' learned who was making the Top 20 and who was going home.The final roster includes several firsts: the first krumper (Russell Ferguson), and not just the first tap dancer, but all three tappers left in the competition. "Sometimes history is made on this show," said judge Mary Murphy; producer Nigel Lythgoe called this season "The Year of the Tap."
Married couple Ryan and Ashleigh Di Lello both made the cut, although Ashleigh only made it after Paula Van Oppen turned down the spot because she'd landed a role in the Christina Aguilera movie 'Burlesque.' BFFs Mollee Gray and Noelle Marsh, who bonded as roommates in Vegas, are both going on; as is Pauline Mata, the hip-hopper with the injured ankle. Billy Bell, the Juilliard student who made Adam Shankman cry with his performance, gets to keep dancing and keep his scholarship.
Among those cut: Amber Jackson, whose dancing Lythgoe thought was tremendous, but whose comments on her performance were bleeped; and ballet dancer David Hovhannisyan, whose elimination stunned the other dancers.
The Top 20 will be featured in a "Get to Know Your Top 20″ episode next Monday, October 26. They'll perform live on Tue., Oct. 27; however, due to baseball, there will be no fan votes nor a Wednesday results show. Instead, the judges will eliminate one male and one female dancer at the end of the Tuesday show.
Rumored first week pairings, according to Rickey.org:
Philip and Channing - Jive
Nathan and Mollee - Disco
Billy and Pauline - Smooth Jazz
Jakob and Ashleigh - Broadway
Russell and Noelle - Foxtrot
Karen and Kevin - Cha Cha
Victor and Bianca - Unknown
Reader Comments (4)
pannadolce at 3:58PM on Oct 22nd 2009
Cutting Amber Jackson was a mistake. Her technique was flawless and while her performance personality (personally I was watching her incredible lines not her face-perhaps the face is what you look at when there are no lines to distract or enthrall you) was not high on the WOW meter in the judges opinion at least it wasn't hokey, insipid or fakey like some of the top 20. Should have let her through and let her sink or swim based upon the viewers reaction If others less technically sound got the chance to grow on the show and prove their stuff she certainly deserved that chance as well.
solomeeo at 3:49PM on Oct 22nd 2009
I never know when this show is on. It is not advertised much?
mindy at 5:47PM on Oct 22nd 2009
Russell doing the foxtrot? Way to kill his chances of moving along in the competition! He's great. If he makes it through this, he might make it all the way!
SophieJ at 8:06PM on Oct 22nd 2009
The thing that annoys me about this season is that the judges and contestants keep saying they've never had a tapper make it. That is not true. Sandra from season one was a tapper, but she was voted out the first week (back when the judges picked the three bottom couples and then let the viewers vote for which contestants they wanted to keep). I destinctly remember watching her solo and thinking that tapping was a mistake, because it didn't have the same excitement to it that the other solos had.