Now only 10 dancers remain after yet another surprise elimination.
Contemporary dancer Maddie Peat and jazz dancer Stephen Perez were so close, yet so far away, to securing their place in the coveted Top 10 tonight.
After failing to stay clear of the bottom six and having the judges determine their fate, they were sent home in the fifth double elimination of the season.
They were joined by urban dancers Blond and Patric Kuo and jazz dancers Renelle Jones and Lauren Seymour. For Lauren, it was her first time in the bottom six.
This week’s twist of pairing the girls with the girls and the boys with the boys saw Maddie teamed with Ashleigh Tavares in a contemporary routine to James Vincent McMorrow’s Higher Love. With mixed comments from the judges, Jason said: “It’s interesting because I think all the partnerships have benefited in being mixed up tonight, until now. I’m not sure if that really worked with the two of you together. I didn’t feel that you were able to give your passion and emotion the way that it really needed.” For his duo, Stephen performed a technically-terrifying Argentine tango with South Australia’s country boy Sam Malseed. With a deep connection to the tango, Stephen dedicating the performance to his grandfather who passed away dancing the tango.
Shannon praised him saying: “Everyone is proud of you buddy. I saw the fire, the intensity, it was great. I’m speechless and happy that you got to do this for your grandfather.”
Each bottom six dancer was given 30 seconds to showcase their talents and dance for their lives. It was then over to the judges to make the tough decision on who to send home.
After the longest deliberation of the season, Paula made the final call to Stephen and Maddie: “We want you to leave the stage with your legacy. You’re both stars.”
On her departure, Maddie said: “It’s really been crazy. I didn’t expect it to be this amazing. The people here have been my family. I have loved it. Thank you so much.”
Leaving on a high after his stand-out performance, a teary Stephen said to his fellow dancers: “This is your competition, so go out there and show them how great you guys are. You have been an absolute inspiration and I have learnt so much from each and every one of you. Don’t let anything ever bring you down and leave it all on this stage.”
After an emotionally-charged night, we now have Australia’s Top 10 best dancers, who have swapped partners for next week’s performance. They are:
Ashleigh Tavares and Patric Kuo Eden Petrovski and Sam Malseed Lauren Seymour and Blond Renelle Jones and Michael Dameski Zoey Black and Jay Johns
So You Think You Can Dance Australia, 7.30pm, Thursdays on Ten
