So You Think You Can Dance Recap Review: Season 11 Episode 9 “Top 16 Perform, 2 Eliminated”

So You Think You Can Dance Recap Review: Season 11 Episode 9 “Top 16 Perform, 2 Eliminated”

Tonight on FOX, SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE continues with a new episode. On tonight’s episode the Top 16 dancers perform, but two contestants are eliminated. Misty Copeland is the guest judge. Also: Lucy Hale (“Pretty Little Liars”) performs “Lie a Little Better” from her debut album, “Road Between.”

On the last episode of SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE, this season’s Top 18 finalists performed for the nation again and after the last dance by Rudy and Tanisha, elimination came up. The judges decided to go with America’s vote from last week so that means Stanley and Jourdan were going home. A bit unfair however neither of the dancers were able to convince the judges to let them stay based their performances. So goodbye to the girl that made a love connection and the guy that’s done the highest jump any of the judges have ever seen on So You Think You Can Dance’s history.Did you watch the last episode? If you missed it we have a full and detailed recap, right here for you.

On tonight’s show this season’s Top 16 finalists perform for the nation again, before learning which dancers will be ending their journeys. Tune in to see if your favorites make the cut and who is sent home.

A new episode of So You Think You Can Dance Season 11 airs tonight at 8PM and you don’t want to miss it. Celeb Dirty Laundry will be live blogging the show each week, so don’t forget to come back to this spot at 8PM EST for our live recap!

Tonight’s episode begins now – Refresh Page for Updates

Tonight’s show begins with the remaining top 16 dancers performing  to Annie Lennox’s Take Me To the River choreographed by Mandy Moore. Misty Copeland is chilling with regular judges, Nigel Lythgoe and Mary Murphy and the show launches right in to who is in the bottom after last weeks’ performances.  Bridget, Marcquet, Brooklyn, Serge, Tanisha and Zack are all in the bottom and in danger. They have to kill it tonight in order to stay.

Valerie and Rickey are paired up this week for the season’s first high energy Bollywood routine. This thing was way fast and I’m impressed at how well Valerie kept up. I just didn’t expect it. Ricky is my favorite guy so far this year and I expected him to kill it- as he did. Mary was also impressed by Valerie and she couldn’t believe how strong Ricky was. Nigel points out that there was no time to breathe and he thinks they are both sticking around after this week. Misty comments on all of the complicated hand movements and how each motion actually means something.

Bridget and Emilio are up next with a Travis Wall routine. It is a concept piece about moving through the past to have a future. This was just quite probably the best thing we will see all night. They perform around a bed frame and Emilio is trying to get up out of bed and away from his past, Bridget. She is stunning and this was right up her alley but Emilio’s growth in this was crazy. Nigel loves that she grabbed this opportunity to show what she can do and ran with it. Misty loved how Bridget didn’t overshadow Emilio but instead highlighted him as well. Mary loved everything about this. She said that when you see special you know it and that’s what this was.

Tanisha and Rudy are lucky enough to pull a Dave Scott hip hop routine out of the hat. They perform to Usher’s Good Kisser and I have to say it’s easy to forget that they are technically ballroom dancers. It was sexy and hot, the kind you can’t ignore but not overdone. Misty thinks they were great at not outdoing each other. Mary thought that they were incredibly believable. Nigel loves that Dave Scott created a great routine for them and the performance was on.

Jessica and Marcquet both lost their partners last week so they are now paired together for a Dimitri Chaplin foxtrot. It’s a classic version of I Put A Spell on You and it was okay but not fab. Mary says that she can’t cheer for it. There were great moments and she loved the quality of movement from Jessica. Nigel didn’t think the routine flowed enough. This is the second time he has dug into Dimitri for choreographing too hard. Misty always gives a bit of critique so that they both have something to work on.

Carly and Serge get to take on a Mandy Moore contemporary piece to Jewel’s Foolish Games. Serge is basically the rat who is playing games with Carly’s heart. It was stunning and they are clearly growing as a dance couple. Nigel praises both of them and Misty loves how emotionally charged they were. Mary calls Serge the most improved dancer and that’s what the show is about.

Teddy and Emily are being challenged with a salsa routine. It was high energy and Teddy really stod out. Misty praises Emily for bouncing back after a slip. Mary reminds us that they were way outside of their comfort zone and they got through it. Nigel tells us that Emily dislocated her shoulder this morning and their blips were probably absolutely just erring on the side of caution.

Jacque and Zack get to do a Sonya Tayeh routine. It’s about a couple that had a fling in the past and

want to rekindle it. The best Sonya pieces create moments and snapshots and this was all of that. The transitions are just as great as the lifts. These two create great characters and they were smokin’ hot. Mary absolutely loved it. Nigel thought that they danced remarkably and Misty wanted Jacque to shine more. Nigel points out that Misty is tougher on the girls than the guys this season.

Brooklyn and Casey are dancing to a wildabeast hip hop routine. It wasn’t great. She was hitting harder than Casey, who I normally love. Nigel comments on how they both needed to get down and dirty more. Brooklyn attempted it well and Misty thought this is the most confident we have seen her.

Sonya choreographs a piece to Bjork’s So Broken for half of the cast that is just beyond words. Misty gets techical and says they functioned as a unit but let me get real and tell you that everyone had their moment in this. Broken people, odd positions, crazy lifts that froze overhead- it was all in their and it’s exactly why we love her.

The remaining 8 dancers get to do a group piece with Travis Wall. They are gangsters causing trouble to OneRepublic’s Love Runs Out. It is amazeballs. Ricky is highlighted and I’ll be stunned if he doesn’t make it to the finals. Nigel thinks they are all Emmy worthy. Misty thinks they were all incredible but does single out Ricky. Mary does what she had yet to do all night, screams and puts them all on the Hot Tamale train.

I get that Lucy Hale is finding her way with performing live and all but her back up band is way more excited than her to be on this stage tonight. Stiff, uptight and just awkward to watch.

It’s time to send two people home and Nigel says that America hasn’t made it easy. It’ll be worse next week when 4 people leave. Nigel tells the bottom 6 that all of them stepped it up and stood out. Brooklyn and Marcquet are leaving tonight. Tune in next week for the top 14 dancers on SYTYCD!

THE END!