'So You Think You Can Dance': Ashleigh's injury leaves Russell partnerless in Semi-finals

Tonight's "So You Think You Can Dance" semi-finals were a mixed bag but at least everyone got a moment to shine. Well, almost everyone...

I'll be subbing for birthday girl Liz today. Since I haven't shared my thoughts with you since the Top 20 was announced what feels like forever ago, I'd like to summarize my feelings up to now:
1) The baseball-playoff-non-voting eliminations were a travashamockery that served only to eliminate many of the people I was most looking forward to seeing.
2) Tyce D'Orio Broadway numbers remain the most insidious of the Dances of Doom since the judges will never, ever criticize his choreography when it is redundant, derivative, and/or lackluster and instead heap blame on the dancers.
3) Putting Nathan and Mollee together was a bad idea. They're both very young and couldn't push each other to grow as much as other couples. I disagree with Nigel and think Nathan out-shined Mollee on a regular basis. I also believe that Nigel broke him as he looked very sad that last episode, essentially waiting to be torn apart at every turn. Poor thing.

Ok, now that that's out of the way, on to tonight's show! In the ever persistent weirdness that is this season, tonight is the semi-finals. With eight dancers. Weird.

Speaking of weird, where's Ashleigh during the intro? Also, Cat is rocking yet another "Xanadu" outfit. Mmm...gold lamé. After introducing the judges (as always Adam Shankman, Mary Murphy, and Nigel Lythgoe), Cat brings Ashleigh out on stage...and she's got her arm in a sling. Seems she dislocated her shoulder in practice and popped it back in. Argh! Despite feeling ready to dance, the doctor told her no and that she has to wait for an MRI. Aw.

1. Katherine & Ryan
Dance/Choreographer/Song: Disco/Doriana Sanchez/"Last Dance (Samantha Ronson Remix)" by Donna Summer
Wow. That's quite the outfit Ryan's wearing. Those sequined pants...that see-through shirt...wow. The lifts were plenty and well-executed, they maintained high energy throughout, and it looked like they had fun. It was entertaining but not quite Brandon & Janette's Disco last season. I really like Katherine's outfit though. The number put a smile on Adam's face, Mary shouted that Katherine peaked at the right time and Ryan had perfect partner work, and Nigel disagreed slightly saying Katherine looked great but was not picking up what Ryan's shirt was putting down. He also thought Ryan was a little too stiff, especially his arms, but Mary counters by saying that's what it looked like in the club.

2. Mollee & Jakob
Dance/Choreographer/Song: Viennese Waltz/Jason Gilkison/"Ordinary Day" by Vanessa Carlton
Ah...the first Dance of Doom of the night. I really like the choreography and I think the storyline came through (Jakob helps Mollee out of a funk). Jakob is consistently ridiculous so of course he was fab. I thought Mollee did a nice job too but it's really hard to outshine (or sometimes even match) Jakob. She looks fab though. Adam could've watched it for two more hours, Mary says there's nothing ordinary about either the dancers or the number, and Nigel says it was beautifully crafted and had a constant flow of movement. He found it breathtaking.

Solo: Ashleigh
She was supposed to dance here but can't so, instead, Cat brings her out on the stage and tells us the phone number to call if we want her to stick around.

3. Ellenore & Legacy
Dance/Choreographer/Song: Contemporary/Travis Wall/"Machine Gun" by Portishead
This is already amazing and I haven't even seen it yet. The story is that they're married assassins that have been hired to kill each other (sort of like "Mr. & Mrs. Smith"), attempting it at dinner. The choreography very much played to their strengths but was challenging too, very athletic. It had a lot of wow moments, many of which could go utterly wrong but fortunately didn't. They both nailed their characters and danced with a lot of aggression. I dug it. Adam says they murdered it, Mary loved the concept and thought they were both amazing, and Nigel loved that it was a fantastically dangerous routine, adding that he thinks Travis might get an Emmy nod out of it. Cut to Travis looking absolutely gobsmacked.

Solo: Jakob
Song: "When You Say My Name" by Mario Spinetti
His extensions are so impressive. I didn't find it to be a particularly exciting solo but it was pretty.

4. Russell & Shane's Assistant Rachel (aka "Replacement Ashleigh")
Dance/Choreographer/Song: Hip Hop/Shane Sparks/"Too Much Booth 2 (Bobby J Remix)" by Soundmaster T & Jah Rista feat. Korveil
So Russell is in a familiar position - dancing while his partner is injured and unable to perform. During the rehearsal footage, Shane says emphatically that this is not a lyrical routine, it's, to quote Lil' Kim in the Shakespearean classic "You Got Served," "straight hood." Russell killed it. Plain and simple. And I've got to give it up to Rachel for coming in at the very last minute and performing well. Adam acknowledges how hard it must be to dance without his partner but, regardless, says Russell smoked it - he had high-energy and was hitting hard throughout. Mary says that she's fallen in love with Russell and that he laid it all on the line. Nigel says Shane didn't compromise and pushed him and Russell delivered, adding that he has a feeling he'll be in the finals.

Solo: Mollee
Song: "Heartburn" Alicia Keys
This was definitely one of her best solos. It fit the song, she didn't try to do too much, and she performed well. It wasn't super exciting but it was enjoyable.

5. Katherine & Ryan
Dance/Choreographer/Song: Cha Cha/Jason Gilkison/"Put Your Hands On Me" by Joss Stone
In the rehearsal package, Jason called his choreography "unrelenting." While it wasn't super-fast, it did have a lot of complicated stuff going on and it was fan-freaking-tastic. Clap it up for Jason tonight. Katherine had easily one of the best performances on a Latin dance of all the female contestants this season. She had good hip action, fast feet, and she totally lived her character. Ryan did fantastically too, something that was expected since this is his genre. But it's the character work that most impressed me. Their chemistry was palpable. Great job. Adam said it was one of the best Ballroom routines they've had on the show (I agree), that Katherine is surging both as a dancer and performer, and they were hot. Mary loudly declared the routine was on fire and put them on the "Hot Tamale Train" in first class. Nigel agrees with Mary that Katherine looked like a Ballroom dancer and said Ryan looked magnificent and partnered her perfectly.

Solo: Legacy
Song: "Fancy Footwork" by Chromeo
He's always amazing and, though this wasn't the most mind-blowing solo he's ever done, it's the most exciting solo so far. I mean, going into a headspin while holding a prop phone in one hand is just plain impressive.

Solo: Ellenore
Song: "I Got The Feelin'" by James Brown
I liked seeing her dance to a song I normally see b-boys dance to. She was quirky and interesting as usual but it was also fun and had good technique. I just really, really like her.

Solo: Russell
Song: "Holiday Buckness" by Tha J-Squad
I already love it just based on the song name and the fact that Russell skipped out on the stage wearing a Santa suit and carrying a sack. He's just...ridiculous. I mean he danced out of his shoe! I really, really like him too.

6. Mollee & Jakob
Dance/Choreographer/Song: Broadway/Joey Dowling/"Easy Street (Samantha Ronson Remix)" from the TV remake of "Annie"
Joey's story is that they're con artists starting a get rich scheme, Jakob being the smarts and Mollee being ditsy. This is probably my favorite number from "Annie" and I'm so happy they did it justice. It's a big stage and sometimes she doesn't bring enough energy but Mollee matched Jakob's performance level much better this number. There was no fault in the technique, they matched their movements almost perfectly, and Joey's choreography was really good. Can we keep her? Adam likened Mollee's performance to the legendary Ann Reinking and said that Jakob's one of the best dancers they've ever had on the show. Mary thinks they were perfectly suited for the number. Nigel thinks Mollee should go to Broadway and Jakob reminds him of Joel Grey.

Solo: Katherine
Song: "Shadowfeet" by Brooke Fraser
Really, really good solo. It had great lines, interesting movements, and grace. One of her better solos for sure and one of the best of the night.

7. Ellenore & Legacy
Dance/Choreographer/Song: Hip Hop/Tabitha & Napoleon/"People Are Strange (District 78 Remix)" by The Doors
The premise here is that Ellenore and Legacy are Hip Hop dancing aliens, essentially a molding of both of their natural tendencies. They have silver masks on the back of their heads. It started off a little slow for me but the last half of it was really strong. That's where the majority of the tricks and interaction was. The combo Tutting section was a big highlight as was all of partnering stuff (Legacy did a flare on her back!). Ellenore did really well and Legacy's now a pro at learning other people's choreography. I kind of wish that they would've gotten Shane tonight - that would've been very interesting. Adam didn't think it pushed them enough but thought it was good. Mary likened the intro to an awesome coming attraction for a movie that was lackluster leaving her a little disappointed. Nigel thinks the concept overshadowed the dancing.

Solo: Ryan
Song: "Din Da Da" by Kevin Aviance
A very good solo I think - he threw in a backflip into a split which he hardly does. When Cat started saying his number, he held up one digit and pleaded for people to vote for his wife before getting choked up.

8. Russell & Nakul's Assistant Alicia
Dance/Choreographer/Song: Bollywood/Nakul Dev Mahajan/"Spirit of Rangeela" from the Original Soundtrack of "Rangeela"
Nakul didn't put a storyline to the dance, instead opting for straight up dancing. Russell looks like he's a pro. His movements were big and precise, the character was spot-on, and he didn't run out of steam. This dude is unbelievable. Adam said Russell's execution was excellent and he exuded joy, adding he thinks he's "in there." Mary gives him extra props for dancing with three partners this week and made a very difficult dance look fun. Nigel said that, despite dancing with a professional, his eye was drawn to Russell.

Well, at least we got to see a smidge of Ashleigh dancing thanks to some rehearsal footage played during the voting numbers montage. I'm not sure if she'll be able to make it into the finals but what I do know is that Katherine, Russell, and Ellenore better be in there.

Katherine & Ryan's Cha Cha, Legacy & Ellenore's Contemporary, and Russell's Bollywood were the best of the night for me - what about you? Did Ryan's plea for Ashleigh help or hurt? Are those who should make it into the finals the same as who will end up in the finals? Share my friends, share!