SYTYCD Top 18 Power Rankings

It’s that time again for me to rank the 9 couples that remain on So You Think You Can Dance. Remember that these rankings aren’t a ranking of who danced the best last night. It’s not based upon their technical dancing ability. It’s not based upon their talent. It’s not even based upon their popularity. It’s based upon all of those things. At least that’s the goal. Take a look at this week’s So You Think You Can Dance power rankings or look back at previous SYTYCD power rankings to see changes.

1. Randi Evans and Evan Kasprzak – Looking through the list, I tried to find the couple that deserved the top spot in this weeks power rankings more than Randi and Evan. However, Randi and Evan just couldn’t be topped. They had a solid performance. No doubt the Jive was the perfect platform for these 2 fireballs. Evan reminds me a bit of Benji Schwimmer as far as fan following. I think that Benji’s performance ability was a little bit broader and more appealing than Evan’s, but the fan following for Evan is very Benji like. Randi isn’t quite as popular, but all the Utah fans will be voting for her. No doubt they deserve the top spot this week.
2. Kayla Radomski and Max Kapitannikov – The judges were completely right about Kayla. She fully embodied her performance this week. I think Kayla and Max were ranked a little lower last week since Max got his own style. In a nice surprise, Max really showed America that he can do other styles quite well. Kayla and Max also lucked out to get Brian Friedman’s choreography. As a side note, if you liked Kayla’s costume in this dance, check out the second video down on this post. My only fear for this couple is that Max might not be popular enough to stay at the top. However, between their strong dance and Kayla’s popularity they deserve the second spot, for now.
3. Jeanine Mason and Phillip Chbeeb – Some might wonder why Jeanine and Phillip are at number 3 on my list after such a poor performance. Phillip wasn’t good at all in this, except for his face. I thought Jeanine was serviceable. However, they are both so popular, I couldn’t drop them any farther. I wanted to put Melissa and Ade above them, but compare the personalities of Jeanine and Phillip and Melissa and Ade during the judges comments. It’s like a night and day difference and something about Jeanine and Phillip draws people to them. They are just great on camera.
4. Melissa Sandvig and Ade Obayomi – Another really strong performance by Melissa and Ade. They were lucky to get Sonya’s choreography, but they also executed it so well. I wanted to rank them even higher on the strength of their performance, but I just don’t see America falling in love with Melissa and Ade yet. Plus, America likes the underdog and Lil’ C gave Ade the kiss of death by calling him a favorite this early.
5. Karla Garcia and Jonathan Platero – These two created what will be one of those memorable SYTYCD performances thanks to new choreographer Stacey Tookey and the most popular song of the evening, “Falling Slowly” The Frames - The Cost (Deluxe Edition) - Falling Slowly. There performance wasn’t flawless, but there were a few moments in the dance that just left your mouth open. Performances like this should really help Karla and Jonathan in the popularity department as well.
6. Caitlin Kinney and Jason Glover – 2 really lovable and popular dancers, but their performance last night was just off. Something just looked off when it came to Caitlin’s legs. I’m not sure if she was flat footed or didn’t bend them enough to really get into it. It just felt off at a number of times. Caitlin is super flexible though. Wow! I did expect these 2 to really connect on this performance like they did in Bollywood, but they didn’t.
———————Line of Death….Known as the Bottom 3———————————
7. Janette Manrara and Brandon Bryant – I may regret putting these 2 in the bottom 3 since they are quite popular. I just don’t think people enjoy the disco performance much at all. I really think Janette outshined Brandon with her disco like facial expressions. Her smile could be seen even from the long camera shots. Janette does deserve major credit for the amazing V leg lift. Another Wow!
8. Ashley Valerio and Kupono Aweau – I still think people aren’t buying Ashley (which makes me want to vote for her) and Kupono hasn’t been as strong as I would have expected. Their performance was just off. It had to be dead on synchronized and it just wasn’t. It’s too bad, because this performance synchronized would have been pretty good.
9. Asuka Kondoh and Vitolio Jeune – The judges gushed over this performance. Mary even cried (not that I believe anything she does is really that authentic). I enjoyed the performance. They had some nice lines and moments. However, it wasn’t a memorable waltz like when Jean Marc Genereux did one for his children (I think it was LaceyKherington and Twitch last season). That’s 2 weeks in a row that I think they got unlucky with their draws. If these two are in the bottom I think it’s a sure thing that Asuka goes home. Since the judges gushed over Vitolio’s story, he might survive another week.

Those are my thoughts. Let’s hear yours in the comments.