So You Think You Can Dance 4, June 25: Beautiful People

We’re down to our top eight couples, and I think Cat is wearing a nightgown. Not that those two things are related. I just thought you’d like to know.

Our guest judge this week is Adam Shankman, who directed Hairspray and dropped by a couple times last season. I’m glad he came back. He jokes that he almost wore the same outfit as Cat, then makes puns using her name. Adam has just finished shooting Bedtime Stories with Adam Sandler, and tells us that Lacey Schwimmer and Travis Wall are in it. Mary thinks this is going to be an unbelievable season. At this point last season it was a little easier to tell who would be eliminated early on, but this season it’s harder. There’s screaming.

Cat mentions the passing of Cyd Charisse, whom Nigel once danced with (and was yelled at by). Nigel encourages people to rent the movies she was in, which he and Adam name. Singing in the Rain would be the most well-known. And then we go to commercials, because seven minutes is way too long to be on the air without anyone telling us what to buy.

Tonight’s video packages are about secrets each dancer wants to tell us about his or her partner. Um, okay.

Kherington & Twitch – hip-hop – Napoleon and Tabitha

Kherington tells us that Twitch sounds like a bear when he laughs. Though she doesn’t know what bears sound like when they laugh. Thanks, Kherington! Twitch reveals that Kherington has a “huge shopping problem.” She’s bought 427 shoes since they’ve been there and she needs an intervention.

Kherington thought they did great last week with a style they weren’t used to. Twitch says his body and brain were disconnected. This week Twitchington will be dancing hip-hop with Napoleon and Tabitha. Kherington’s nervous. Twitch thinks the judges will be tough on him because this is his thing. Napoleon and Tabitha tell us the routine is about a prison break. There are moves that have to be staccato and smooth at the same time. Napoleon doesn’t want Twitch to come down to match Kherington, he wants her to push it and match him. During rehearsals, Tabitha tells Twitch that Kherington’s kicking his butt. Twitch admits that she’s a “gangster who likes to shop.”

The routine is to Busta Rhymes’ “Don’t Touch Me,” and it is indeed a prison break. The dancers have to wear orange jumpsuits. Kherington’s very happy to be out of jail, it seems. The two are pretty in sync, and Kherington is definitely doing well for a contemporary dancer. There’s a funny moment where she wipes sweat from Twitch’s forehead. At the end they try to hide out in the audience. It’s a very fun routine. I like watching them no matter what they do. Kherington’s wearing fake green glasses when they come up for their comments. Heh.

Nigel starts with the positives, saying that Kherington & Twitch are both great dancers and have great spirits and energy that go beyond dancing. He praises the choreographers and tells the dancers that they got to show their personalities and tell a story. They also danced well. As for the negatives, Nigel pulls a Mary and says he can’t think of any. Mary herself thought the jumpsuits would hinder the moves, but they didn’t. She also thinks Kherington did great with a new style. The screaming starts again and Twitchington are too busy celebrating to cover their ears.

Adam, now deaf, cringes when he thinks Mary’s going to scream in his ear, then kisses her instead. He doesn’t have much to add, other than suggesting that Twitch should work more with Kherington on her stops in case they get hip-hop again. Adam notes that both have learned when to hit and when to hold back a little, which is something really great dancers know. He also warns Kherington to never drop character, which he thinks she did very briefly. It doesn’t matter to him, though.

Courtney & Gev – rumba – Tony Meredith and Melanie LaPatin

Courtney tells America that Gev looked like a little girl as a child. Gev says that Courtney was going to school to be a special-ed teacher, which he admires. I bet Courtney regrets not being more serious now.

Courtney tells us that she was more nervous about having her style last week than having a new one. She’s proud of the way Gev did. This week Tony Meredith and Melanie LaPatin are choreographing a rumba for Courtney & Gev. Courtney says the only thing she knows about that style is making figure eights with your hips. Melanie tells us the dancers will need to have a lot of nonverbal communication. She and Tony keep telling Gev, “Grab her butt.” Interesting. They think he enjoyed it.

The song is Rose Royce’s “Wishing On a Star.” Wow, Gev has a nice ballroom-dancer carriage. I know about as much about the rumba as Courtney, but it looks pretty good to me. They do a lot of quick turns that look well-executed to me. I’m not sure the chemistry’s really there, though. I think I’d like to see these two paired up with different people, just to see how they do. At the end Cat notes that the butt grab got a big cheer.

Nigel is happy with the performance and thinks Courtney & Gev are a good couple. He felt Gev’s passion tonight, unlike last week. “He felt it, too,” Cat says. Heh. Nigel says that Gev reminds him of Dominic, who’s in the audience. He likes Courtney’s outfit, and you know it’s because she’s showing a lot of skin. Stop being weird, Nigel. Mary loved the performance as well, and says that Tony and Meredith gave Courtney & Gev a lot to work with. She agrees with me about their good turns. She disagrees about their chemistry, though, and thinks they were believable.