The challenges are almost over, but before America’s Favorite Dancer is crowned, there are a few more cuts to make. Last week, the Top 5 dancers were narrowed down to a Top 4 after a powerful performance with T-Pain. The challenge this week continued to push them physically and emotionally in the “Brand” challenge.
Opening this week’s semi-finals episode with a contemporary performance to Tate McCrae’s “she’s all i wanna be” choreographed by Tessandra Chavez, the Top 4 seemed to be blossoming under the pressure of a quickly ending season.
Cat welcomed Anthony, Dakayla, Easton, and Madison to this week’s challenges and introduced Whitney Carson (SYTYCD Season 9) and Hi-Hat as their mentors for this week. Whitney is a brand ambassador for Gatorade, helping to advertise Gatorade Water. The Top 4 were challenged to join her in that promotion. They would each be creating a 30-second brand video and collaborating on a group video. Hi-Hat would be in charge of choreographing these videos.
Rehearsals
“We’re going to be doing a little inspired house, hip hop,” Hi-Hat said of the choreography they rehearsed for the Gatorade brand videos. Day one pushed the dancers to learn new moves and for some, like Easton to confront the hurdles that come with a new style. On the second (and final) rehearsal day, Hi-Hat asked the dancers to bring the moves and the music to come together. She also tried to give Easton confidence in himself and help Dakayla pay attention to feedback. The work pushed Madison to continue to battle her hip injury from last week. Overall, the Top 4 were finding brand videos harder than they anticipated.
The Video
Hi-Hat was concerned about chemistry and personality, and as the judges watched filming, they were looking for the ways that the Top 4 represented the brand. The judges were proud of Easton’s changes after concerns about his confidence last week while Hi-Hat cheered them on from behind the camera. The ultimate challenge of the shoot would be adding water to the platform, but Easton thrived more than most on the slippery stage. Madison’s hip and a knee injuries from rehearsals had her holding back tears and pushing to get through the shoot as quickly as possible.
The group ad spot had the judges on their feet, but they might have been more excited to share the clip that JoJo and Allison made themselves. The solos garnered most of the judges feedback. Easton impressed during filming, and JoJo shouted “Finally!” in response to his progress and confidence. Dakayla’s video reminded Maks that Dakayla wouldn’t let him down. Allison praised Anthony for his authenticity no matter the challenge. JoJo reminded Madison that, despite her injuries, her videos didn’t reveal any pain. Madison is also the only dancer who had never been in the Bottom 4.
The Solos
Turns out, the bottom wasn’t what mattered this week. For the first time in SYTYCD history, the entire Top 4 performed solos ahead of the elimination.
Anthony performed his solo first. Continuing to bring in powerful moves that brought him across the entire stage, Anthony reminded the judges of his versatility. Allison said he “set the bar” for the solos. His determination continued to shine despite the high stakes of the performance.
Dakayla stepped onto stage already in tears. Not only dancing for her spot in the competition, she was performing for her father for the first time. He was seated in the live studio audience, having agreed to watch her dance after they reunited for the first time since she was a child during the show’s filming. “I don’t think she has ever danced like that before,” JoJo said after the performance.
Easton still seemed to be struggling with his confidence when he took the stage, but his technique and musicality had the crowd cheering. “I feel I can watch him dance for an hour by himself. That’s a fact, just to see what else he can do with ease and comfort,” Maks said, but he still didn’t feel like Easton he was standing out.
If anyone was fighting through the competition this week, it was Madison. Performing her solo with her hip injury and the cuts and scrapes from rehearsals and filming the brand videos, Madison didn’t bring a safe solo to the stage. JoJo was immediately on her feet watching this performance. The judges were screaming.
The Elimination
Only three dancers could make it through to the finals next week. While it seemed clear that the judges were most impressed with Madison after the solos, it wasn’t clear who would be leaving. The judges let the Top 4 speak before they shared their decision. Anthony and Dakayla shared their gratitude for their families’ support and for each other. Easton shared that he felt lucky, and Madison also reflected that the show made her feel like she was enough.
One dancer did have to go home, though. Allison revealed who would be moving on. Anthony was the first to be put through. He was followed by Madison and Dakayla. This left Easton to say goodbye to the competition. The cut had the judges and the newly chosen Top 4 emotional. JoJo thanked Easton for his work this season.
Next week, the Top 3 return for the SYTYCD Season 18 finale Monday at 9 pm ET on FOX.
