It is time to say goodbye to two of the dancers. It’s one of the toughest cuts because this will determine who gets to go on tour. But before we say goodbye to two of our dancers….

It’s Emmy Nominee for Best Reality Show Host, Cat Deeley!!! I love love love that Nigel and the judges gave her a huge shout out and standing ovation. She got a little misty. They also showed a small clip package of the nominated choreographers’ routines. It was very lovely and I send a huge congrats to everyone involved with SYTYCD for their 8 total nominations. (American Idol received 10, by the way, so it was a pretty good morning for Nigel Lythgoe!)

So the bad news first: Alex Wong snapped his tendon on his left foot, so he will not be coming back as an All-Star as originally planned. (Jesse Tyler Ferguson said he would be stepping in…. HA)

All-Stars:

Melody Lacayanga – Contemporary/Jazz (S1 – Runner up)

Allison Holker – Contemporary/Jazz (S2 – Top 8)

Pasha Kovalev – Ballroom (S3 – Top 6)

Stephen “Twitch” Boss  – Hip-Hop (S4 – Runner up)

Comfort Fedoke – Hip-Hop (S4 – Top 8)

Chelsie Hightower – Ballroom (S4 – Top 6)

Brandon Bryant – Contemporary (S5 – Runner-up)

Kathryn McCormick – Contemporary (S6 -3rd place)

Robert Roldan – Contemporary (S7 -3rd place)

UPDATE: After the show tonight, Nigel Lythgoe announced that the All-Stars will change every week. There is hope for some of my favorites after all!

Most of these should not be a surprise as a lot of them (Robert, Pasha, Kathryn, Brandon, Twitch) have been seen in the audience throughout the season. While I’m excited for this group (especially Robert, Twitch, Chelsie and Allison) I’m very sad that Lauren Froderman, Lauren Gottlieb, Kent Boyd and Neil Haskell are not All-Stars. I miss my adorable little Kent from Wapakoneta.

I really enjoyed the tap company Jason Samuel Smith and Anybody Can Get It. While tap rarely translates well on this program, I love that they still highlight it often with professionals. When it is done well, it is an amazing style. And it was nice to see SYTYCD alum from last season, Melinda Sullivan back where she should be – in tap shoes.

Bottom 3 Couples:

Caitlynn & Mitchell

Ryan & Ricky

Sasha & Alexander

The solos were very telling. Caitlynn was beautiful. Sasha’s was odd and not as technically difficult as it should have been, but you could feel that she was putting a lot into it. Ryan’s solo just felt frustrated. It was almost difficult to watch. Mitchell’s was a very solid solo and reminded me a lot of some of Brandon’s solos in season 5, but not with the same conviction. Ricky was AMAZING. Seriously he was not going to go home after that solo. It was perfect. Alexander did an okay solo, until right at the end when it went really bad. He did a series of pirouettes and at the end he faltered. It is a shame for him because Ricky had just been up there doing a similar series of pirouettes and nailed it. Given how weak Alexander has been in past weeks, he needed to be perfect, and I think that one falter may have been enough to tip him onto the side of going home. (I love the cut to the 4 judges in the back and Sonya just standing there with the “thinking pose” watching everyone talk. She is so cute. And scary.)

As you may have guessed, I was not surprised by who went home. And neither are they, by their reactions:

Ryan & Alexander

This is the first time a non-couple has been sent home this season. But who cares? The couples are being split anyway. And on that note: No more Melanie & Marko! Sob! (I’ll be okay, honest.)

How do you feel about who went home? Which All-Stars are you excited about? What pairs are you hoping to see next week?

And before I go, here is one more bit of excitement to follow up from last night: Neil Patrick Harris is the Guest Judge NEXT WEEK. I honestly apologize in advance. It can’t be helped. I’ve had a crush on him since before almost all these dancers were even born! But I’ll attempt to keep it together for all you lovely readers!

Written by Melissa Miller. Find her on Twitter @serrae

Read Small Screen Scoop for all of your So You Think You Can Dance Season 2011 goodies.

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