Season 16 of So You Think You Can Dance is in full swing now that the Top 10 dancers have been chosen. This week, the top guys and girls were paired up for duets by some of our favorite choreographers. The show opened with a group performance choreographed by Mandy Moore, but somehow that wasn’t the most exciting thing about the Top 10’s first time on stage. Nigel dabbed during the judges’ intro. Prepare your reaction GIFs, people. That’s a moment you won’t want to forget.

Bailey and Mariah

 

The first match of the evening was Bailey Munoz and Mariah Russell. These two dancers performed a jazz duet choreographed by Mandy Moore. After they were done bringing the Love Shack to the stage, Nigel told them, “You may be small in stature, but you are enormous in talent.” These two definitely set the bar high for the rest of the competition going forward.

Stephanie and Gino

If the last performance was heating things up, the stage was got icy when Stephanie Sosa and Gino Cosculluela performed a hip hop routine choreographed by Luther Brown. For Nigel and D-Trix, this performance fell short of their expectations. While Stephanie stole the spotlight, they thought that Gino needed to loosen up a bit more and really “let it go”. (Can we blame Nigel for making Elsa references about an Ice Princess routine!?)

Anna and Benjamin

“You are the best hip hop girl I’ve ever seen do ballroom on the first show,” Nigel said to Anna Linstruth after she and Benjamin Castro performed a quick cha cha routine choreographed by Emma Slater and Sasha Farber. With Benjamin dancing comfortably in his own style and these two rapidly building chemistry, the judges were impressed.

Madison and Ezra

Madison Jordan has been showing off her ability to bring real emotion to contemporary performances since the beginning. So, when she and Ezra Sosa, who has been steadily proving himself to be a mature and capable contestant, were paired up for a contemporary performance choreographed by Talia Favia, the judges were happy to see them both leaning into the growing they’ve been doing. They were even impressed by the mistake the pair made during their performance! Talk about smooth recovery.

Sophie and Eddie

The final pair introduced this week was none other than Eddie Hoyt and Sophie Pittman. These two took on jazz funk with choreographer Brian Friedman. Sophie continued to enjoy taking on characters that don’t match up with her personality, but Eddie still seemed uncomfortable on stage.

The Top Girls

The last two performances of the night were group performances. First up were the girls with a contemporary piece choreographed by Travis Wall. In true Travis Wall form, this piece was deep and emotional. The girls brought it, and even though the judges didn’t get a chance to comment, they seemed impressed.

The Top Guys

The final performance of the night was a hip hop performance choreographed for the guys by Luther Brown. The guys brought the heat to the stage–literally. “This is not a drill,” Cat said as these five firefighters took the stage. The judges were all screaming “Fire!” after this performance.

Hopefully, you cast your votes for your favorites! Next week one guy and one girl will be sent home, quickly narrowing the contestants down to the Top 8.

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Veronica Good has been with Showstopper Magazine since 2016. When she isn't keeping you updated on the latest trends, she is at home with her many pets or probably playing The Sims 4. Veronica has a BA in English and an MA in writing from Coastal Carolina University. She is also a writer of fiction and poetry, and her work can be found in Archarios, Tempo, and Scapegoat.