Then there's Brandon Bryant, 19, of Miami, who lost in a faceoff with Gev last year. Brandon is one solid muscle and he attacks his routine like a tornado attacks a trailer park. He makes the other dancers look like Grade 7 students at a school dance doing the side-to-side shuffle during a slow song.

Mary is actually moved to tears. "I have the greatest job in the whole world, to be able to sit there some days and witness something like that," she says, crying. As annoying as Mary can be, at least there's no artifice with her. Her tears are about actually being moved by the dance (as opposed to Sonya, who comes across like her tears are about showing how moved she can be by the dance, if you understand my distinction). Sonya loved it too, and so does Nigel, and they send Brandon straight through to Vegas. He and Natalie seem to have hit it off, and they celebrate together.

As for the choreography round? Elias Holloway? Not quite, but the judges are quite encouraging of him to learn some choreography and try again. Eight more dancers make it through, bringing Denver's total to 19.

Next week: Miami and Memphis. Cat does an Elvis lip curl!