- Held at Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. For the first time in nine seasons, contestants were allowed to choose their own groups for the group choreography, 35 dancers remained at the close of the week.
- Held at Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. For the first time in nine seasons, contestants were allowed to choose their own groups for the group choreography round, in contrast to previous seasons where the groups were assigned. With cuts made following each round of choreography, 35 dancers remained at the close of the week.—Gordon Mason
- Auditions are done, and now only the cream of the preliminary crop has made the trip to Las Vegas. In all, 181 dancers have earned their way to the desert and will face eight "grueling" rounds, including solo, group and a handful of genres. Only 20 dancers will make it to the end of the week, "and it's not going to be easy," host Cat Deeley tells us.
Judges include Lil C, Debbie Allen, Adam Shankman, TyceDiOrio, Mary Murphy and Nigel Lythgoe. Nigel announces that solos are first and warns that people will go home if their solos don't stand up. "There are going to be massive cuts," he says.
Hampton "The Exodus" Williams, who wowed the judges during the audition rounds, makes Adam and Tyce weepy. The response is pretty positive. After the first 10 solos, a couple of dancers are sent packing, but Hampton is still in.
Janelle Issis, the belly dancer, is ready to rock Vegas. Tyce loves her immediately. By the end of the first solos, 51 dancers were headed home.
The first group dance is hip-hop, with Twitch and Komfort on the choreography. With the biggest crop of hip-hop dancers ever, it'll be interesting to see how things turn out. Hampton walks onto the stage and says the choreography is too fast for him and he's bowing out. One of the three Dragon House Crew members also leaves, despite his roommates trying to convince him to stay. Another Dragon House member, Boris, goes home. The preying mantis guy and mother of two, Bree.
Cyrus, the last remaining Dragon House member, is among the last group of 10 dancers to take on hip hop. His entire group makes it through.
The next morning, Tyce throws some intense Broadway choreography at the group and two ballroom dancers -- good friends since they were 9 -- are struggling. They get through, as do group after group.
Alexa Anderson, the last person cut last season before the Top 20, is ready to take the stage. Afterward, Adam tells her he's "getting tired of saving" her. He says she's giving them "absolutely no light." Alexa cries afterward and says she's scared the same fate from last season will fall on her again.
Teddy joins 21 dancers ousted after Broadway.
Sonya Tayeh works up a scary jazz routine, and Shafik is struggling. He's making things tough for his partner, Danielle. Rachel from Salt Lake City is in the same group. Shafik and Rachel are asked to step forward, and they're both going home. Rachel makes another plea to the judges. Nigel asks the panel if they want to see Rachel dance for her life. They all say yes, except for Adam. Nigel says he would've said no, but with a majority on her side, Rachel will get a chance at the end of the round.
Danielle gets back on stage to help a contemporary dancer who doesn't have a partner, and she's rewarded with a kick to the head. A medic checks her out.
Amelia, the silent-movie-era-inspired dancer, is excited for the jazz routine. Cyrus and ballroom dancer Lindsay are in this group, as well. Sonya tells Amelia she'd like to see her dance for her life at the end of the round. Cyrus gets a tip to get some lessons on his lines, but he makes it through.
Meanwhile, Danielle is put on a stretcher and taken in an ambulance to the hospital.
Fifteen more dancers have been cut by the end of the jazz round, and Amelia and Rachel have one last chance to do a solo. Rachel goes burlesque for her solo and gets four no votes right away, so she's out. Debbie suggests to her that she's seen as pure sex, so she should try to show more dancing and less flesh in the future. Amelia says she wants to make Sonya a fan of hers after showing what she's all about in her solo. Sonya says she totally gets it and votes yes. Mary, Tyce, Debbie, Adam and Lil C give her yes votes, but Nigel gives her a no and says she needs to be able to give as good of a performance as she did in her solo even when she's doing someone else's choreography.
The night isn't over. It's 10 p.m., and Cat breaks the news that it's the group routine. With random music and their own choice of partners, the groups need to show a performance first thing in the morning.
Ballet dancer Daniel and jazz dancers Audrey and Danielle -- who is back after eight hours in the hospital -- are in the first group. Danielle's late arrival changed things up for her team. They deliver a "terrible" performance, as Nigel puts it. He says they should all be sent home, but the judges deliberate and decide that Charlie and Danielle are gone.
Dres, Adrian and Alexa are in a group together -- and all three have just missed the final 20 in previous seasons. After the performance, Tyce pounces on Alexa again, telling her he's "not enamored" by her beauty anymore. Mary jumps in and tells Alexa she has to show something. Alex breaks down and tearfully tells the judges she's trying to show them what they want to see. They all hope this breakdown is a breakthrough and she's on to the next round.
The next morning Jason Gilkison gives the remaining dancers a smoking cha cha. Cyrus is scared, but gives it his best shot. While everyone in his group goes through, Cyrus is the last to get his result. Jason notes that Cyrus really struggled, but will get a chance to dance for his life.
Aubrey was still floating on air after Nigel called her "like a little Mia Michaels" in the group performance. Her journey grinds to a halt after she's cut. She breaks down and leaves.
Alexa watches as other dancers sail through the ballroom round and knows she has to deliver something special. She does and Jason calls her "one of the best" of the day.
At the end of the round, Cyrus gets his chance to dance for his life. He can't wait to show the judges what he can do. He brings the crowd to its feet with his intense robotic zombie routine. He gets yes votes across the board.
Travis Wall delivers contemporary choreography and the 52 remaining dancers won't know until after everyone has performed. After the performances, of which we see just a little, Nigel calls 34 of the remaining dancers to the stage. They've all made it through.
With 18 dancers left in the theater, Nigel tells them they're just not sure and asks them all to do the routine once more. One of the last couples left is contemporary dance Joshua and female crumper Mariah. Joshua makes it through to the next round. Mariah doesn't.
The next morning, as the dancers prepare for their final solos, Joshua Alexander is practicing a big backflip and lands on his head. He's motionless and is taken away in an ambulance.
For the final solos, the dancers will also get a chance to make their case to the judges. Alexa goes and Debbie says to Tyce, "This child could win." The last solo is from Chehon, who shows some huge, strong leaps that bring the judges to their feet.
Nigel calls all the guys to the stage and cuts five of them -- including Adrian.
The girls are up on stage next and Nigel tells them they're looking for uniqueness in the dancers, not always the best. With that, he announces they are not cutting any of the girls.
By the end of Vegas week, 35 dancers remain and next week will see that list pared down to the final 20.
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