Alex + Sonja = Magic. As soon as that dance was over, before the judges said anything, I turned to Sharon and said, "That was the first "wow!" of the night." Seeing something that good this early in a season is amazing.
I think the All Stars format is going to work. They're being smart enough to give the All Stars minimal screen time, and keep the focus on the contestants. What I like about the format is that it allows me to focus on the contestant during the dance, and not split my attention.
There have been times in the past when I've found Mia annoying. But I have to admit, her critiques were thoughtful and well considered, and I agreed with them. And it's good to have a judge who's an expert in contemporary. I still kinda miss Mary, though, just for the fun factor.
I hope Melinda survives to get another chance. Jive is hard, and has tripped up any number of contestants. (I'd call it the second worst dance to have to do, right after the quick step.) I thought she handled it well overall, and I love her performance and personality. (If you could combine Melinda's performance skills and personality with Lauren's technical ability and physicality, you'd have an immediate front runner.)
Kent is, in a way, this season's Evan, the hard-working little guy that a whole bunch of people will fall in love with. And Kent may well be a better all-around dancer.
Jose definitely has echoes of Legacy, and I mean that in the best possible way. Charismatic, likeable, able to handle styles you wouldn't expect.
I felt a little sorry for Alexie. She wasn't bad, but hip-hop is obviously outside her comfort zone, and she was dancing with Twitch, who's almost impossible to not watch.
I hate to see any of them go this week. All of them are excellent dancers and all of them come across as likeable people. While Alex was brilliant this week, he had the advantage of working with Sonja, so I'm not ready to peg anyone as my favorite yet. I guess my bottom three would be Adechike, Alexie, and (reluctantly) Lauren, as they were the least wonderful of a wonderful group.
Oh, and the new director needs to sharpen her skills. Drop the useless long shots, do fewer camera cuts, and just let the dancers be the focus.
