'So You Think You Can Dance' recap: What a Difference a Week Makes

I'd start taking this personally, if I were you. I mean, it happens every season: Adam, your beloved SYTYCD TV Watcher suddenly decides after months of American Idol indentured servitude, and weeks of the Dance machine that he's TIRED and he needs a break. So what does he do? He goes on vacation! Don't get me wrong, we share an office wall, which means he gets a double shot of my daily viewing of Judge Judy, so, you know, there's love. But if a man I was seeing on a weekly basis suddenly left me in the unsteady hands of foster bloggers, I'd have to wonder if he was really that into me. I'm just sayin'.

(Oh, sheesh, kidding. He loves you. He misses you. And he'll be back in two weeks with presents for all of you — at least, that's what he told me.)

But really, what a change last night was from last week. Then: Phenomenally skillful performances from what is clearly the best group of dancers (collectively speaking) the show has ever had. Now: Uh oh. Take people out of their comfort zones and fissures appear. While most dancers had the luxury of performing in their genres last week, they were forced to mix it up this time. Some soared to the occasion (I am casting a shocked eye in your direction, Jonathan), and some struggled painfully (oh, Phillip!).

Before we get to the good, the bad, and the Randy Jackson (explanations later), can we talk for a second about the clothes? Nigel looked brunch-on-the-yacht dashing as per usual, and Mary was fine in her riverboat-queen green, but someone has to talk about this look Lil C (and just about every other hip-hopper in the world) is pulling off. With that skewed baseball cap coordinated to the dapper three-piece-suit-minus-the-jacket, he seems to be sporting something of a sartorial mullet: party on the head, business on the bod. I'm not saying it's wrong, I'm just saying I don't understand. (See? I don't automatically shoot that which befuddles me.) But oh, we have to address that issue Cat had on. Something wasn't quite working with that asymmetrical red frou-frou, and I just can't decide if she did some stitch witchery on one of Mrs. Roper's house dresses, or if she pulled a Scarlett O'Hara with her best Christmas tablecloth. Either way, it was not her best look. But enough about her, let's get to the dancers. First...

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