shane sparks

(S03E15) It seems like the summer is just flying by. Here we are, already down to the top ten. The competition has been very tough up to this point. Still, considering the talent of the contestants left, and adding in the fact that all of the partnerships are out the window, it's only going to get tougher.

Jean-Marc Genereaux got the nod to choreograph the big opening number this week, to the tune of "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy." It was my favorite of the opening numbers so far. Lots of energy, and the period costumes were great. It's pretty impressive that, after all of the work that goes in to the weekly routine, the group is still able to come together and deliver these big numbers each week. As fun as they are though, we do tune in for the results. All the details are after the jump.

(S03E14)This week we will lose two more dancers and that will bring us to the top ten. It's not winning, but making the top ten is a bit of a feather in the cap, and it also means that you get to go on the tour. So there is a lot on the line for the dancers. In addition, beginning next week the teams will be paired up randomly each week.

Wade Robson is the guest judge this week, joining Nigel and Mary. Wade talked about what he was looking for in the dance. He thinks that given the audience for the show, the dancers have a responsibility to tell a human story. I didn't actually follow all of that, but he's Wade Robson. I give him a lot of leeway on things like that. Anyway, with the pressure as high as it has been so far this season, on with the dances after the jump.

(S03E13) Cat opened up the show looking absolutely lovely with her hair up and her blue dress. She said that after last night's performances this might be the hardest elimination yet. I didn't really think it was that tough a decision, but considering that my picks for elimination didn't pan out, maybe it was more difficult than I thought.

That led right into the big group performance, choreographed by Adam Shankman, which I'll call a modern take on the sock hop. It had a very Happy Days feel to it, if Ralph Malph had occasionally paused to do a little break dancing before telling someone to sit on it. It was a very fun performance all around.

(S03E12) After a week off for the 4th of July holiday, Nigel, Mary, and Cat are back with the top 14. Along for the ride is guest judge Adam Shankman. He is the director and choreographer of the upcoming Hairspray. The show started off by sending a small percentage of the audience into epileptic seizures as they got a look at Cat's dress, and then moved on to Nigel defending the decision to cut Jessi.

Really, I think they should have just let it go. He's not going to change any minds no matter how well thought out he thinks his explanation was. All this served to do was remind the people that didn't agree with the decision that the last results show was, as they saw it, a travesty. It's not changing, so to be fair to the other dancers, get on with it. As we should do now. Rundowns of all the performances after the jump.

(S03E06) Finally, the waiting is over. There are no more interruptions by bad dancers or mothers that want to yell at Nigel. Now we get to the real competition. And the really interesting part of that competition comes as we get to see what happens when the luck of the draw forces dancers out of their comfort zone. Being able to spin on your head is great, but not much use if you have to waltz. Much like the years of classical ballet don't mean quite as much when you land the hip-hop number. It's what makes the show so fun.

Dan Karatay joined Nigel and Mary at the judges table this week. They had a lot to get to as the final twenty paired off to do ten different numbers. There were some surprising moments, some great performances, and a couple that could have been better. More on each of the couples after the jump.

(S01E04) After the three audition episodes that seemed to plod along, spending so much time on interviews and back stories, this episode just felt odd. It was as if they stuffed two hours of show in a one hour bag. Dancers just appeared on screen with no names or introduction, whether we had seen them before or not.

It was also hard to get any idea about the judges decisions. For so many of the contestants we were only shown small fractions of their performance. Between this and the 'new format every week!' On The Lot debacle, I'm left wondering if everyone in the Fox reality department has just closed up shop for the summer. It's all very strange. But there were auditions, so after the jump a look at a few of the stories that stood out in Vegas.