(S05E09) Oh my god, a group number? Who knew?

Group Number - "I Know You Want Me (Calle Ocho)," Pitbull
(Hip-Hop, Dmitry Chaplan and Napoleon & Tabitha) Cat got a more dramatic entrance after this busy little number. I found myself enjoying the piece as we got into the middle of it. The beginning seemed overly long with the close-ups of the dancers undulating around in the dark. It was more posturing than dancing at that point. But when we got into it there were some nice moments, though no particular breakout stars.

Which actually sums up some of the problems with this season so far. Brandon is a force to be reckoned with, and I like Ade but I think by this point last season I was already seeing a lot of fun personality from Twitch, Joshua, Katee, Chelsea, Courtney, Gev and so many more. Where are those strong dynamic and unique performers this year? We have a lot of great dancers, but a real dearth of stars.

(S05E07) I'm happy that I'm not investing money on So You Think You Can Dance. Three of the best couples last week became the bottom three, dancing for their lives.

We started off the night with a poorly shot routine. It is never good when you can see a camera man on the right taping, then switch to a shot where he magically disappears. At least try to convince America that this portion was pre-taped. Also, with the Maori-like face paint, I couldn't tell Ashley from Asuka.

(S05E07) Shane Sparks, you sly devil. Somehow he managed to choreograph two routines and allow his face to be shown. That's great because Shane has provided some of the best hip-hop choreography this show has seen. Unfortunately, this episode didn't show any of it.

Cat Deeley starts off the show on an odd note. I didn't know that wrapping my living room drapery over one shoulder is fashionable. The order of the show threw me off, because they put the best performances in the middle and the bad ones on the ends.

(S05E06) The show opened, as usual, with the group number. And because The Black Eyed Peas' "Boom Boom Pow" isn't getting enough airplay, So You Think You Can Dance threw the band a bone and used it for this Shane Sparks piece. Unfortunately, with 20 dancers on stage it's hard to make the piece not look like a bit of a mess. Sparks' choreography was pretty good, but I don't think the dancers were all equally up to the task.

When the majority of your dancers are not familiar with the style you're using, it must be even harder to put these things together. This isn't to challenge them, nor is it for votes, it's just supposed to be for entertainment. Unfortunately these numbers aren't as impressive until later in the season. At least they're superior to those awful group numbers they force on the American Idol contestants.

(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.