Cat's hair is looking messy and unkempt and frankly not worthy of her own luminescence. I really hope that's not a bad omen.

Group number: Operatic tribal jazzy thing, set to "O Fortuna." Interesting juxtaposition, as the costumes suggest wild natives (albeit wild natives with big diapery loin-cloths), but the movement is very sweeping and grand. Robert extends his streak of being the standout in these group numbers, which continues to speak well of him. My guess for choreographer? ...Stacey Tookey? It doesn't feel dark enough to be Mia, crawly enough to be Sonya, or jazzy enough to be Wade. I wouldn't be shocked if it was a non-regular choreographer.

Aha! I was right. Jamel Gaines choreographed that number, and he's sitting next to Season 5 Melissa. Cat is still amazed at the concept of live TV, and she still hates the whole "vote people off" part of the show. Cat introduces the judges (Mia looking saucy in her Flashdance sweater, shoulder tattoo, and silver headband -- seriously, Mia has been smokin' this season), and Nigel announces some format tweaks for next week. But Nigel! I thought the all-star format was perfect as it was! I thought you weren't listening to complaints! What happened to "Nyah, nyah, nyah"? Anyway, there will be two routines per dancer: one with an all-star (and one whom they've never danced with before, sorry Robert/Courtney fans), and one with a fellow competitor. Assuming Melinda goes home tonight (and...come on), the 6-2 gender split will mean not one but TWO boy-boy routines. Somebody fetch the smelling salts. You know, I was thinking about this whole "Two guys dancing? That's un-possible!" thing earlier today, and it irked me more and more. Because for all of last night's self-congratulation, a boy-boy hip-hop isn't any different (in concept, at least) from the boy-boy dance we'd get in the Top 4 show every season but last one. The truly daring routine would be for Mia to choreograph two boys in a contemporary routine that's as passionate and romantic and emotional as anything she's written for a guy and a girl. This isn't ballroom. Traditional gender roles aren't so necessary in what Mia does. For all this show loves to do Big Statement Dances about addiction and cancer and death and war, they've completely shrank away from what may be the major social issue of our time? How does that make sense? But it won't ever happen, because Nigel wants fathers to be proud of their sons. Try not to get too grossed out at the implications. How cowardly.

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