“So You Think You Can Dance” season 18 advanced to the top 10 this week, but it surprised its contestants by revealing that most of the competition would take place outside of the studio in scenarios meant to reflect a real career in dance. The first challenge was to perform in a music video. Five of the contestants performed to a reimagined version of Justin Bieber‘s “All Around Me” video, choreographed by Phillip and Makenzie Chbeeb. Watch it above.
Roman Nevinchanyi, Jaylin Sanders, Avery Gay, Braylon Browner and Dakayla Wilson were randomly selected for this contemporary number, with ballroom dancer Nevinchanyi and hip-hop dancer Sanders stepping the most out of their comfort zones. But they all had to stretch their capabilities for a routine that involved complicated prop work using a ladder. There were some mishaps during rehearsals, with Browner getting banged up a bit and Phillip Chbeeb saying to the struggling contestants, “We’ll just have to hope that this gets better.”
Things did go better on the day of the shoot with the judges observing, though it did seem as though Gay was struggling to get the hang of her choreography and her partnering with Browner. The judges and choreographers were especially impressed by Sanders’s ability to adapt and emote in a new performance style. Nevinchanyi and Wilson also impressed.
Ultimately, Browner and Gay were among the bottom four contestants when the judges announced the results at the end of the episode. They had to dance for their lives along with Easton Magliarditi and Olivia Alboher from the hip-hop team. Ultimately, the emotional grit and determination of Browner and Magliarditi kept them in the competition while Gay and Alboher were sent home. Did you agree with the judges’ choices? Should Gay really have gone home after her performance in this video? Vote in our poll below.
Be sure to make your predictions so that the contestants can see how they’re faring in our racetrack odds. You can keep changing your predictions until just before Monday night’s show. You’ll compete to win a spot on our leaderboard and eternal bragging rights. See our contest rules and sound off with other fans in our reality TV forum. Read more Gold Derby entertainment news.
