So You Think You Can Dance: L.A. & Chicago Auditions

(S03E02) I'm really not sure what the programmers over at Fox are doing. 90 minutes last Thursday, two hours last night, and an hour coming up tonight seems rather random. That's just one of the fun bits of the summer television season I suppose. As strange as the scheduling is, Nigel and Mary were back with a couple of their judging pals to see a ton of contestants in Los Angeles and Chicago.

After a premiere that was too heavy on the lesser contestants, this second episode had a much better selection. There were some great dancers and some really interesting stories. Of course, we also had a selection of auditions from people that obviously were not going to be moving on. This group was much better than the one we saw last week though. After the jump, a look at some of the highlights.

Nigel and Mary were joined by Wade Robson for the L.A. round of auditions and things got off to a great start.

Lauren Gottleib kicked off the show. Just 18 years old, Lauren's enthusiasm is infectious. She's a cute girl with a fun story about teaching Toby Maguire to dance. She's also quite a dancer. It wasn't the kind of performance that I was expecting from her, but it was very impressive. Wade thought that her lines were really nice. Mary liked her choreography. Nigel said that she was a beautiful girl and a beautiful dancer. Straight through to Vegas for Lauren.

Jessi Peralta was up next and she said she was looking for an honest opinion. That sounded like the soundbite set-up for what would be a scary performance. Fortunately for Jessi, and for the viewers, that wasn't the case. She was very good, even using some slight of hand to make baby-oil appear on her stomach during the dance. Wade thought she was really interesting and a great dancer. Nigel liked the baby oil. Mary called it a sensual little number. Straight through for her as well.

And then came the audition that would be the big story for this episode. E.J. Sierra. I believed E.J. in his interview. He seems like a good guy that came to the show knowing it was a long shot, but giving it his best. He certainly didn't look like what we have come to expect from contenders in the competition. But his audition was actually very impressive. This wasn't just someone showing up to screw around and get on TV. He might not be good enough to make it to the next round of the show, but you can tell that E.J. has put in some time. That's where things got a little hairy though. As E.J. got cheers from the crowd, Nigel called the cheers patronizing. Saying that the people were only cheering for him because he was fat. And he really shouldn't have said that. There is being honest, and there is being mean. This was mean. Wade said he was dancing like a girl who can't dance. Mary was horrified. Nigel was delighted with some of his moves, but said he wasn't right for this. EJ took it all very well. He didn't get to move on in the competition, but it was a good showing.

Olivia Usey has a sad story. Her mom has cancer, and she asked her to audition for the show so she can see her dance again. Medical issues have kept her from dancing for the last few years, so she wasn't as polished as some of the girls we have seen in the competition, but she has talent. Nigel thought she danced very nicely. Mary thought it was over-danced. Wade thought she was a bit shakey, but a great dancer. She was sent to the choreography round where she impressed the judges, earning a ticket to Vegas.

The heartfelt moment for Olivia was tempered as we met Gold Inferno, the self-proclaimed champion of American jump-style. It was a train wreck from the get go, added to by the fact that Gold Inferno refused to remove his wrestling mask. For some reason though, the judges found it all very amusing, so they sent him through to choreography as well. There, his jump-style skills fell short and he was sent home.

Kurt Myers and Dia Beck were a strange couple. He's had the hiccups for seven years, and she has an almost creepy facial tic that has her winking constantly while she dances. That's all very odd, and made even more so by the fact that they are actually very good dancers. Mary couldn't contain herself and drug Nigel along with her in a laughing fit. They eventually got around to sending the two of them to choreography, where both of them managed to make it through to the next round.

Jesus Solorio was back for a second go at the show. I found it interesting that he mentioned that he makes wine. It reminded me of Nigel's other reality show about his own vineyard, Corkscrewed, which is a crazy show. He didn't need to rely on his knowledge of wine though, because Jesus is a very good dancer. Nigel wanted to put him straight through. Mary agreed, calling him a shining star. Wade thought he was wonderful.

Also returning for a second shot was Hok. He couldn't go past Vegas last year because of immigration issues. It was a very fun performance that even managed to work in a few signature moves from some of the season two performances. He won over the crowd and the judges. Nigel only needed to see his work permit. Mary was very pleased. Wade called the interpretation of the music ridiculous, in the best way. They sent him to the choreography round first, but he passed that test and will be back when they get to Vegas.

Brianne Healey went to Miami at 18 to dance on a cruise ship. She's a cute girl with a spunky personality and had a very nice audition. Wade said she was beautiful and praised the way her spirit came out in her dancing. Mary called her an inspiration. Back for choreography for her as well, and like Hok, she also got her ticket to Vegas.

Closing out the Los Angeles round, season two champ Benji Schwimmer was back to dance with his younger sister Lacey in her audition. As you would expect, they had a great performance. Very fast, very well choreographed. Nigel thought it was terrific, but warned her about her expression. Mary thought she was great. Wade called her playful and sexy. Straight through to Vegas for Lacey. It was a nice group of auditions for the Los Angeles half of the show.

Then it was off to Chicago, where Nigel and Mary were joined by Shane Sparks.

They started off with Morgan Larson, a high school student from Wisconsin that was ready to freak out. Morgan is very spunky and you can't help but like her. She's also a very good dancer and had a great audition, even prompting Nigel to remark that he had never seen one of her moves before. Mary called her a little firecracker. Shane loved her energy. On to Vegas for Morgan.

Philip Chbeeb told the cameras he was here to do something different. He was not kidding about that. His popping routine was amazing. The rubber arms and the floating head were just crazy. Shane Sparks was beside himself with excitement. He was actually moved to tears by how good Philip was. He said, "I'm not impressed by nothin' too much... You just made my day." Mary said he had some wicked moves. Nigel had some reservations about whether that was enough to get him through to the next round, but in the end, it was.

Yesenia Gomez was one of the bigger surprises of the night. The pre-audition segments set it up to look like this was going to be a bad audition, even showing her falling over trying to spin. When she finally did get to dance for the judges though, it was pretty impressive. She's not your typical SYTYCD body type, but she does have talent. Shane was blown away, calling Yesenia a star and saying it was perfect. Mary and Nigel didn't like it quite as much as Shane, but hey moved her through to choreography. There, she shined, and they moved her on to Vegas. She was very excited and it was a nice moment.

The Lindy-hopping duo of Eva Arce and Michael Jagger were up next. I was very impressed with the audition, although I am curious to see what happens when they are taken out of their element. They are very good at what they do, but it is such a specific style that I'm not sure how they will adapt to another genre. We'll get the chance to find out because the judges all loved it. Nigel said Eva was tremendous. Mary and Shane both praised their choreography. On to Vegas for the Lindy-hoppers.

At first glance Janet Bombard looks like yet another of the pretty girls that are auditioning on the show. There is something quite different about her though. She lost her left arm in a car accident, but she has one of the most realistic prosthetics I've ever seen. Even in high-def I didn't catch on to it until it was pointed out to us. Nigel was impressed that he couldn't tell that she had the prosthetic. Mary said that there was a light inside of her. Shane called Janet the brightest star in the building. She had to make a stop off at the choreography round, but got her ticket to the next round.

This episode had a much better balance than the last one. They still managed to fit in some of the comedic auditions, but in a much better way. They didn't drag the episode down with too much time wasted and we got to see a lot of very good performances. Next stop is Atlanta, Thursday night.