Last week, I told you all why Carly is going to win this season of So You Think You Can Dance. Spoiler alert: I was wrong. She was eliminated this week just shy of the top ten. How she fell to the bottom while others like Bridget advanced is surprising, but the fact the judges saved the obnoxious Jessica instead of Carly is not.

This is a recurring theme with the judges, who repeatedly save the unlikable blonde who is perpetually in the bottom three. America has said “no thank you” and the judges’ response is, “try again please.”

This happened a couple of seasons ago with not one but two boring blondes from Utah, Lindsay and Witney [sic]. Both these girls had the same ballroom skillset and both these girls were soundly rejected by America, sent to the bottom week after week.

Such is the case with Jessica, who has the very large problem of mugging too much. Case in point:

Note how she opens her mouth and closes her mouth with aplomb. See me? I’m e-mote-ing! I know some people find her slinky sex kitten schtick appealing (most notably, judge Nigel Lythgoe), but from a technical standpoint, she just doesn’t stand out to me compared to the likes of Carly and Tanisha. Moreover she lacks the personality of a less-talented dancer like Valerie.

But rather than harp on the negative, let’s look to the positive.  I wasn’t particularly impressed with any of the couples routines, but once again the two group numbers stole the show. While Travis Wall put together an impressive routine for the guys, I find myself watching the girls piece over and over thanks to the unexpected choreography of Mandy Moore.

Just watch and observe how visually catching it is to have one girl moving forward while the rest walk upstage. It is really striking. Plus, let’s be honest, girls’ bare backs are gorgeous.

While I would, once again, like to point out how eye catching Carly is (she is the one in the lightest lilac dress whose solo section comes around halfway through, but it is worth saying that all seven of these girls are completely committed to this routine. This is part of what I love most about SYTYCD. You can tell when the dancers are just head over heels for a piece and you can tell these gals are all thrilled to pieces to be dancing this thing.

Now we move to the top ten and the introduction of the All-Star component of the competition, where the noobs are paired with fan favorites of seasons past. In other words, things are about to get good, so stay tuned.