Season 4
Readers of my SYTYCD TV Watch from last season already know about the warm, well-upholstered spot in my heart for Mark, and this is the routine that put it there. Which is actually kinda odd, since it's really quite bittersweet: A heartsick woman (Chelsie) tries to keep her workaholic lover (Mark) from leaving, but instead he steals her heart and then walks out the door. One of the biggest complaints about season 4 is the time the judges spent heaping endless praise upon the choreographers rather than discussing the dancers, but in the case of hip-hop choreographers Napoleon and Tabitha Dumo (i.e., NapTab, now and forever), that praise was well-deserved. The couple brought a lyrical storytelling sensibility to their routines that transformed hip-hop from hard-hitting abstract steps to something far more emotionally engaging along with Mark, they were my favorite SYTYCD discoveries from the season. ABV
Image Credit: Fox
As season 8 heats up, here are our picks for the best routines to date, from Twitch and Lauren's Hip-Hop to Brandon and Janette's Jazz to Travis and Heidi's Contemporary -- and our No. 1