Destination ‘So You Think You Can Dance’: What you didn’t see
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‘Cat’s looking very sexy tonight,’ announced Debbie Williams, stage manager extraordinaire, when the one and only Cat Deeley took the stage. ‘I have been in hair and makeup for an hour and a half,’ Cat pointed out, modest as ever.
The jocular vibe at the ‘So You Think You Can Dance’ studio Thursday night came from two things. First off, if you ask me, the judges already knew who they were sending home when the show began. That certainty lifted some of the usual, elimination-night pressure. Secondly, the new warm-up guy was struggling out there, and somebody had to entertain the audience between segments. ‘SYTYCD’ titan Nigel Lythgoe gladly obliged. Here’s the show you didn’t see, which was tucked between the segments that aired.
Back for more
From her seat in the audience, former contestant Kourtni Lind looked tranquil and happy. She wore a wacky outfit, even by Kourtni standards: pointy gingham boots, a gray vest, a peace symbol purse and black bandanna wrapped around her wrist.
Guest of honor
Will Wingfield’s mentor, Debbie Allen, was also in attendance, and was regarded with more respect and admiration than anybody else in the studio.
Famous by association
The loudest scream of the night came when the warm-up guy announced that ‘the director from ‘Hairspray’’ -- i.e. Adam Shankman -- was in attendance. Dude, he has probably been in the same room as Zac Efron! AAAAAH!
Where’s the hook?
The poor warm-up guy was really bombing out there. ‘Who’s got this on TiVo at home?’ he inquired. Every hand in the room shot up. ‘That’s a lot of DVR right there,’ he surmised. Huh?
Talk about ‘Hairspray’ …
It’s a good thing nobody struck a match in the studio, because the lovely Ms. Deeley might have gone up up in flames! Her hairstylist was onstage, spraying her massive mane at every break.
Joshua Allen’s happy dance
When Joshua found out that he was safe -- and that Comfort Fedoke and Thayne Jasperson were in the bottom three -- his first impulse was to embrace Comfort. Then, on his way down the stairs, Joshua couldn’t resist performing a spastic victory dance. He knocked his hat off and almost fell down the stairs in the process. Gotta love him.
And just in case anybody’s keeping score …
Not counting the Zefron-induced hysteria, the loudest applause of the evening came when quirky twosome Chelsie Hightower and Mark Kanemura took the stage.
Represent!
Joshua’s dad can’t have all the fun! Mark’s mom decided to show her parental pride tonight by toting a poster with a baby picture of Mark on it.
Useless gossip
Any ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm’ fans in the house? Cheryl Hines came to the show tonight. As far as I could tell, she wasn’t promoting anything, but was just a fan of the show.
BFF
Kournti Lind made sure to catch Courtney Galiano’s eye from the audience and give her a heartfelt wave. According to Kourtni, the two shared more than a name. They also shared a special bond -– and a room –- during their time on the show.
‘No!’
When Twitchington was revealed to be in the bottom three, the cluster of young girls behind me was not OK. Like, at all. First, there was a collective gasp. Then, a bloodcurdling shriek: ‘No!’
Nobody said we were mature
When three members of the endlessly prestigious Alvin Ailey dance troupe were introduced, an appropriate response would have been clapping. Or perhaps, awed silence. But hey, you bring three buff, shirtless men onto the stage at ‘So You Think You Can Dance,’ and the response is inevitable: ‘WOO!’
Naughty Nigel
Nigel was especially Grinch-ish tonight. When a girl in the mosh pit shouted, ‘I love you, Gev,’ Nigel rained on her parade, hushing her and saying Gev would ‘go home’ eventually. Then, adding insult to injury, Nigel yelled, ‘Gev’s in love with Courtney anyways!’
Foot fetish
Debbie Williams couldn’t help gushing about Cat Deeley’s amazing stilettos tonight (and neither could my fellow Show Tracker, Claire Zulkey). ‘You so want my shoes, don’t you?’ teased Cat. ‘It’s such a shame you’ve not bigger feet!’
Will swoon for Will
Will Wingfield’s appeal is not lost on the ladies of the mosh pit. When Will jumped offstage at the end of his solo, the girls became hysterical, and not because they thought they were going to get squished. ‘When he jumped down, she nearly passed out!’ exclaimed a stunned Nigel Lythgoe, motioning toward one particularly lovesick Wingfield fan.
Backstage banter
When the audience tried to coerce Nigel into crumping, Nigel replied that he was saving himself for a surprise. ‘Please keep saving it,’ Adam Shankman shot back. ‘Would Adam Shankman please not come to this studio and heckle,’ deadpanned Nigel.
Happy Birthday, dear Nigel …
During a break, Nigel revealed that his birthday was on Wednesday, and that to celebrate, Ryan Seacrest had taken him to a club. ‘They wouldn’t let me in,’ admitted Nigel. ‘It’s on ‘TMZ’ tonight! It’s very embarrassing.’ Nigel joked that his next series will be called, ‘So You Think You Can Get In.’
The kicker
The best backstage moment -- by far -- occurred at the very end of the show, after the cameras had stopped rolling. After Comfort Fedoke and Thayne Jasperson’s eliminations, Nigel teamed up with another member of the production to make a shocking announcement: The top 10 dancers aren’t the only ones going on tour this year ... four more dancers will be making the trek. And two of them are Comfort and Thayne!
After hearing the news, Comfort jumped in the air and hugged anybody she landed on, and Thayne just stood there and cried, swept up in the emotion of it all. Congratulations guys!
-- Stephanie Lysaght
P.S.: If you still have a hankering to talk ‘Dance,’ come visit fellow Show Tracker Claire Zulkey and me Thursday at 1 p.m., when we lead a chat right here on the Show Tracker blog.
PPS.: The couples are about to switch up, so leave your fantasy dance pairings in the comments section! I know I have mine...
(Photos courtesy Fox)