The summer's best talent competition continues apace, and some clear winners are emerging just as some clear losers are stinking up the joint. Unfortunately in last night elimination episode the judges got it 100 percent wrong, getting rid of one player who coulda been a contender (at least for Top 10) and keeping around someone who is essentially poisoning his partners on stage.

First, let me say this: I was disappointed in general with last year's Top 20. I thought Grandpa Nigel and Co. made some really awful choices, especially with the women (JOY?! Are you serious?). Season 1's group was overall much stronger, even if some of Season 2's individual dancers were better. This year I think we've got a good group in general, and at this early stage I think it's pretty wide open (whereas last year it was clearly Travis and Benji's show to lose).

But I was disappointed by Wednesday's performance show. I thought that about half of the Top 9 couples were pretty terrible, and I was furious at the judges, who were overly kind to some and way too harsh on others. I don't get the Lauren criticism, for instance; and yet they thougth Jimmy and Shauna's embarassing stomp routine was "fun." I recognize that I don't know dance, but I do know what looks good and fun. And a bunch of those people most certainly did not.

Anyway, the Bottom 3 couples ended up being Faina and Cedric (no surprise -- Cedric was awful doing the Viennese Waltz while Faina was fantastic), Jimmy and Shauna (see above), and, surprisingly, Pasha and Jessi. I say surprising only because Pasha is amazing. I officially have a passion for Pasha. And the judges loved it. They were pissed off that those two landed in the bottom, but after their solos I think their tunes might have changed a bit.

I know my opinions changed after the solos. I wanted Shauna gone; I think she's bland and barely holding on in this competition, and frankly kind of fat and ugly (for a dancer, mind you). Then she ripped that stage up last night. I don't love her, but I certainly have a new level of respect for the girl. Meanwhile, Faina really did kind of blow it in her solo (in her defense, she's a ballroom dancer, and to do her real tricks she needs to be partnered) by just shaking her skirt. BUT! She wasn't as awful as Jessi, who has no business being in this stage of the show. Go back and look at all of Jessi's pre-Top 20 performances. The oil-rubbing in the initial audition, the suitcase in the group number --- Jessi�gets through via�gimmicks. And she's done a remarkable job using them to hide the fact that she doesn't know how to dance. She can move, sure. And she's got rhythem. But as her solo showed very clearly, she does not know how to express herself through movement. Nothing is tied together. It's just a bending here, a bending there, a roll on the floor...she's essentially a stripper minus the stripping or a pole. She's done a good job mimicking in the actual performances but the woman is not a dancer. And I think Pasha is being dragged down by her a little.

But of course,�Faina goes home. Why? I'm not sure. She was fantastic Wednesday night, an the judges told her to her face that the only reason she was in the�Bottom 3 was because her partner stunk up the place. Yep, her solo was pretty...nonexistent, but it wasn't worse than Jessi's. Doesn't matter.�This beautiful, sexy, talented dancer is going home. Rubbish. At least she outlived her brother, who was eliminated first last year.

For the boys, the judges savaged Pasha for his solo, which I thought was pretty amazing. (Again, ballroom dancer. All he knows is partner dancing.) He had energy and groove --- and a hypnotic ass.�Meanwhile Jimmy came out�all spins and�leaps; it was all a bit manic. I don't�like Jimmy at all -- I don't really get what he is or what he's supposed to be doing, and he's rather unattractive -- but it at least showed some athleticism and dancing ability. And then Cedric came out with The�Cedric Shtick: his hip hop stuff where his arms suddenly go boneless and he�kind of zips around the stage. I was frankly bored with it. But that doesn't matter: Even after telling him that he's been awful both weeks. Even after telling him that he seems to be incapable of partnering a woman. Even after telling him that this show is probably not for him, they KEEP CEDRIC --- the only reason he and Faina were in the�Bottom 3! --- and ditch Jimmy. Does. Not. Compute! I think�this�was probably Mia's doing, bitching that if her Darling Ricky went home she at least�needed to make sure his sacrifice wasn't in vain or something. Whatever, Mia. Just coreograph�your amazing numbers for us, and keep your mouth shut.

That leaves us with Shauna paired with the deadly Cedric next week, which means they're both probably going home. But I really, really want Pasha freed from the succubus that is�Jessi. Imagine what it would have been like if Jessi and Cedric had gone home -- a Faina/Pasha pairing! How hot would THAT have been?�