So You Think You Can Dance-Top Ten

I fell away from posting a weekly 'rundown' on this show for no particular reason other than a busy summer. It's still my favorite show on tv and the competition is still anybody's game. I am shocked by how evenly matched some of these dancers are, especially when it comes to the men. I'm fairly certain at this points that the winner will be either Will or Twitch. It strongly depends on the next few weeks.

Here is my take on last night's show, ranking the dancers individually now since that is how America votes from this point on:

1. Will-He is far and away the most 'trained' dancer on the show but he caps it off w/ great sex appeal and an actual personality (unlike Danny from last year). Last night he did a 'Broadway' routine and a ballet routine with Katie-both of which were entirely different and equally impressive. The latter was one of the most moving things I've seen on the show. His solo was spectaular and highly acrobatic. I think the competition is his to win.

2. Chelsea-This girl has been my favorite girl since the beginning. She has such passion in her face and such phenomenal technique,no matter what style she is given. That crazy blonde hair only adds to the appeal and her gams are fantastic-like Leslie Caron. Last night she did a jive (the most fun routine of the night) and a contemporary piece with Gev. She outshone him on both. And her solo was brilliant. She holds her own with Anya and Heidi, other great ballroom dancers from seasons past.

3.Katie-I have always thought she had a little less energy than Carrington or Chelsea, though she has been the judge's favorite girl from the beginning. She knocked it out of the park last night. Her broadway and ballet-style routines with Will were two of the night's best and her solo was extremely moving. I loved the fingers. I only rank her below Chelsea due to my personal preference of the latter's dancing style.

4.Twitch-Always the showman, Twitch definitely did shine last night. His Waltz with Comfort was lacking and showed their lack of skill in this particular style, but when she and he were assigned a hard-hitting hip-hop routine later in the program, both of them pulled out all the stops. It was the highlight of both of their time in the competition, in my opinion. In addition, Twitch's solo routine was one of the best memorable of the night. He's fantastic, no doubt.

5.Josh-He has done exceptionally well from the beginning, due partly to his partnership with Katie. But each style he was given was surprisingly well-danced. Last night he danced a Ramba and a Hip-Hop with Courtney. They seemed to mesh well as a couple and their sizes suited one another. He was stoic and strong with the Ramba, sexy and cool with the Hip Hop. And his solo was marvelous, really showcasing his athleticism and soul.

6.Courtney-did a fabulous job last night as well. Her Rumba and Hip Hop routines with Josh were fantastically sexy. She was very evenly partnered, I felt. Her solo was stunning...absolutely beautiful. It was nice to see her dancing alone again after the auditions.

7.Comfort-Not one of my favorites from previous weeks, Comfort came into her own last night, mostly thanks to two opportunities to perform her own style. She didnt do well w/ the Waltz but it wasnt horrible and her hip-hop with twitch was incredible. Also, her solo hip hop was really energetic and fun. She almost didnt come back because she got voted off last week but with Jessica's injury, she won another chance. And proved she deserved it.

8.Gev-Not my favorite but he surpassed some of my favorites this week. He did very well with both his Contemporary routine and his Jive. He is so little that he doesnt make the impact that someone long and lean like Will does, but he does a good job with every style he is given. I was not as impressed w/ his leaps as Mary but I am not a dancer and I only go by what looks good to me. They seemed sloppy. His jive was much more to my taste, though of course it paled in comparison with Chelsea. His solo was a typical breakdancing routine. It was mostly tricks with very little rhythymic movement.

9.Mark-has a great style-almost birdlike in nature. Kind of a cross between hip-hop and jazz and his quirky looks add to the appeal. Though his solo was great, I didnt feel it showed off his style to its best advantage and since his technique isnt as developed as Will's, for instance, he really has to make up for that with charm. The two routines he did with Carrington, the Western Two Step and the Jazz routine, were both only okay. I rank him higher than she however because I still love his style and in the Two-Step, he was the stronger of the two.

10.Kherrington-dissapointed last night. She has always had the most luminous face and such a great technique as well. She is young (19 or so) but her stage presence has always been strong. Last night, she and Mark (one of my favorite guys) had a Western Two-Step, which bombed, and a jazz routine that seemed a little trite in the choreography department . Both looked meandering and lacked energy. She couldnt connect w/ her partner and seemed out of her element...but her solo was still stunning, even if it didnt seem to match the music.