So You Think You Can Dance: Top 20 Perform

(S05E06) Not to be a hater, but my favorite thing about this first performance episode was the complete and total lack of Mia Michaels anywhere on the show. Now I actually enjoy some of her work as a choreographer, but her horrendous judging and her personality, in general, are becoming very off-putting to me. But we don't have to even think about her tonight because we got the delightful Adam Shankman on the panel instead.

I like Adam because he's got such an upbeat personality, but he's not afraid to criticize when necessary. And when he does, he gives constructive criticism to generally improve the dancers. Tonight he revealed that Katee, Joshua, Ivan and Twitch all have roles in the new movie he's working on: Step Up 3-D.

THE BEST
Jeanine & Phillip - "Mad," Ne-Yo (Hip-Hop, Tabitha & Napoleon)
What a way to open the show. Phillip couldn't have been luckier to pull hip-hop to start his run on the show, and Jeanine couldn't have been luckier than drawing Phillip as her partner. The choreography was just beautiful, and you can see the beginning of what could be a very powerful pairing. Jeanine hung in there and Phillip? Just ridiculous!

Melissa & Ade - "Right Here Waiting," Richard Marx (Contemporary, Mandy Moore)
A good contemporary performance is all about selling emotion and story. If done right, you'll barely even notice that there's some amazing dancing going on, you'll just feel it. There were some genuinely beautiful moments in this performance. Melissa had a few ballet lines throughout, which seemed a bit out of place, but otherwise, it was very moving.

Kayla & Max - "Jum Buh Day," House of Gypsies (Samba, Louis van Amstel)
Well, you knew Max was going to nail this, and he did, so I found myself following Kayla more throughout. Other than a few footwork issues, I was very impressed that she was able to keep up with such a frenetic pace. I was hoping she would shimmy her shoulders and head down to the ground, but otherwise, it was great.

DISTRESSED
Asuka & Vitolio - "Hot Honey Rag," Chicago (Broadway, Tyce DiOrio)
I'm not sure why, but I really didn't like this performance at all; I found it rather boring. There was a chance for that magical spark of fun in this, but there was nothing dynamic happening up there. I wasn't drawn into the story they were telling. The choreography was rather bland and "safe," as well, offering very little in complexity.

Paris & Tony - "Let the Beat Rock," The Black Eyed Peas (Hip-Hop, Tabitha & Napoleon)
How did both of our hip-hop dancers score hip-hop in the opening week? Is "the fix" in? I enjoyed this about halfway through, and then they kind of lost me when Paris & Tony lost each other briefly in the choreography. Even worse, Paris out performed Tony through most of that.

THE REST
Janette & Brandon - "Come Fly With Me," Michael Buble (Foxtrot, Louis van Amstel)
Thank goodness for Brandon that Mia and Lil'C weren't in the building. That contemporary dancer was very fluid and elegant in this, with a ridiculous lift-spin combination coming out of the routine. Damn, he's strong. Both of them nailed the mood of this foxtrot and worked together beautifully.

Randi & Evan - "I Only Have Eyes for You," Jamie Callum (Jazz, Tyce DiOrio)
[Missed this entire dance, people were being blown out of their trailer parks across the Midwest, and I had to watch the brightly colored maps to confirm it.] The judges loved it, though.

Karla & Jonathan - "Poker Face," Lady GaGa (Cha-Cha, Tony Meredith)
Our first foray into ballroom is always nerve-racking, but these two pulled it off well. I was pleased to see that they were given challenging choreography for this first week. I thought both were sharp in their steps, sultriness and overall technique. This is another partnership I'm looking forward to watching grow.

Caitlin & Jason - "Jai Ho," Slumdog Millionaire (Bollywood, Nakul Dev Mahajan)
When I think of Bollywood, I think of Joshua & Katee last year. Unfortunately, this didn't live up to that at all for me, with Caitlin struggling from the very beginning. Jason was much better, but I kept being drawn back to her next misstep. Overall, I completely disagreed with the judges on this one, so maybe it was me that didn't get it.

Ashley & Kupono - "Felt Mountain," Goldfrapp (Jazz, Wade Robson)
[First things first, the weather forecaster has his suit jacket off, so this is serious business. That took up half of the dance.] When I joined this dance in progress, I thought I was seeing the Super Friends Wonder Twins. Too bad, I missed the majority of the dancing, as apparently, it was a weird crash test dummies type of thing.

BOTTOM LINE
How the hell did this happen? Unless I'm misremembering former seasons, this is far and away the strongest Top 20 we've ever seen. While there were a few people who faltered here and there, no one was particularly dreadful to watch. Either they all got styles they were relatively comfortable with, or the producers strategically gave everyone styles they could excel in to make a great first performance episode. Either way, we're in for some tough voting decisions. I have no idea who's going home tomorrow.