Ladies and gentlemen, start your engines! The SYTYCD stage is once again set for something resembling a sci-fi spectacular: the control room of a spaceship burning in brilliant orange and cloaked in dry ice. The futuristic feel is bang on for what you're about to witness – who will continue their journey in this, the future of dance.
Sunday night's show saw our Top 20 wrap the nation round their little finger with ten powerhouse performances, in styles ranging from bare-bones Boogaloo, to lovely Lyrical Contemporary, to sexy Salsa. Now, the votes have been tallied and the journey is about to end for two of our dancers.
But not before one seriously cool group performance, set to the strains of the Grammy award-winning 'Lovestoned' by Matt Lee's popstar lookalike, Justin Timberlake (it's all about the Trilby, y'all). This funky'40s-inspired jazz routine was choreographed by Kelley Abbey, and started the show with a bang the size of Texas. But the upbeat vibe was quickly replaced with the sobering reality of the evening's agenda…
The air was thick with nerves, pulses racing like wild horses. So let's get back down to the facts: the first safe couple was announced to a knife-edge audience as…J.D. and Rhiannon. And the first bottom three couple… Courtney and Hilton, with Camilla and Sermsah safe for the next week.
The second safe couple was soon after announced as (drum roll please) Kassy and Graeme, and Jemma and Rhys. The second bottom couple was announced as… Vanessa and Henry, with Stephanie and Marko safe for next week.
And which of these three couples – Laura and Anthony, Demi and Jack and Kate and Khaly? The third safe couple was announced as Kate and Khaly, making the other two couples safe. Now its time for these six individuals to show Australia why they were part of the Top 20 made it in the first place, and Dance For Their Lives!
Blink and you'll miss them. The first soloist was Courtney, burning up the stage but commenting she felt scattered with all the emotions, nerves and excitement, followed quickly by partner Hilton. Did he dance for his life? "Hell yeah!" grinned the cheeky 18-year-old.
Vanessa reminded us just how beautiful Lyrical Contemporary is while partner Henry busted out some hip swiveling Latin Ballroom moves. Another couple of nerve-racked contestants, wondering if their moves would keep them in the competition.
The gorgeous Kate looked nothing short of incredible with her high-powered Contemporary routine, before the ever-cheeky Khaly demonstrated some of the most amazing b-boy strength moves we've seen yet in the competition.
Tonnes of good things come in pairs - cherries, socks, sequels and The Veronicas. Australia's favourite single-egg-which-became-two-embryos (i.e. twins) hit the stage like they've just sucked down a double shot of Red Bull and dynamite. While the judges deliberated over which dancer would leave the competition, the duo plus band slammed out 'Untouched', soundtrack to Stephanie and Marco's pop-punk Jive yesterday.
Last night you guys all voted for your fave Breathtaking Moment right here on this site – who walked away with the honour? Matt said it was beautiful and a breath of fresh air. Bonnie said it was stunning and smooth, while the biggest praise came from Jason, who said it was lovely, light, luscious: his favourite routine of the night. We are of course talking about Jemma and Rhys. Congratulations guys!
Crunch time. The girl going home was decided as the vivacious Courtney. And the boy leaving us, the lovable Khaly. If you want to save your fave dancer next week, you must vote!
Stay tuned next Friday for your Top 18 performance night!
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Ready to Watch So You Think You Can Dance Australia, Season 1, Episode 7?