SALT LAKE CITY — Utah’s dancers have had an impressive run on Season 16 of the hit show “So You Think You Can Dance.” In this week’s cut of the 10 men left in the competition, tapper Eddie Hoyt and ballroom dancer Ezra Sosa made the show’s Top Five Guys, joining Stephanie Sosa as part of this year’s top 10 dancers.
Like last week, each dancer was paired with a “So You Think” all-star to perform a duet outside their usual style. Ezra Sosa and Hoyt were both assigned hip-hop routines with Comfort Fedoke, who placed in the top eight of “So You Think” season 4.
Sosa performed second of the 10 men. A clip before his performance showed him struggling to master a difficult routine, choreographed by Luther Brown, in rehearsals.
“I’m not the most saucy of dancers, so it was kind of hard for me to get into it,” Sosa said.
“Ezra is struggling with the texture change and the rhythm change,” Fedoke, his duet partner, explained. “But he’s not going to get left in the dust.”
“If Steph and I both make it to the top 10, my family would be … so happy,” Sosa added, referencing his sister Stephanie Sosa’s advancement on last week’s episode.
Luckily, Sosa’s performance with Fedoke to Lil Yachty’s “We Outta Here!” was stellar, with electric stage presence and technically sound moves. The judges were duly impressed.
“I’m just so excited about the transition you’ve made,” said guest judge Laurieann Gibson. “You’re a ballroom dancer showing what you’re capable of doing. Well done.”
“Every time you’ve been asked to change your style, you have done that,” Nigel Lythgoe, the series creator and longtime judge, said. “Everyone can pick up steps, but to pick up a style is really, really difficult.”
Mary Murphy, the show’s fairy godmother of ballroom dancers (Murphy herself was a ballroom dancer for many years), again noted Sosa’s recent move from his sister Stephanie’s shadow. “The musicality was just off the charts,” she told him. “You may be the younger brother, but you are bringing it today.”
“Listen man, I’m just blown away every performance,” guest judge and “So You Think” alum Dominic “D-Trix” Sandoval said.
With a phenomenal performance under his belt, Sosa headed offstage to wait for the other dancers to finish.
Hoyt was last to perform. His routine, also with Fedoke and choreographed by Randi and Hef, was to “Treadmill” by LightSkinKeisha. Hoyt’s stage presence and chemistry with his partner were much improved from his last performances. Hoyt’s growth over the competition was clearly visible.
“Talk about a growth spurt from your last hip-hop piece, man,” Sandoval said. “I think this is probably one of the best tap dancing to hip-hop performances I’ve seen on the show.”
“You smashed that. Well done,” said Gibson.
“That’s the best performance I’ve seen you give on the show,” Lythgoe added.
When he left the stage, Hoyt said, “I can 100 percent say I gave everything out there.”
After Hoyt’s performance, it was time for all 10 men to gather onstage and await the announcement of the Top Five Guys for this season of “So You Think.”
The judges called Sosa to the mic, where Murphy reminded him how few ballroom dancers make it on the show and how hard his sister had to work to make the top 10. “We all think you did a tremendous job,” Murphy said. “But your time at the academy, I’m sorry, is over.”
Cutting her off, Ezra Sosa tried to thank the judges, but was immediately reprimanded by Murphy.
“Do not cut me off, young man,” Murphy said. “Your journey is continuing! You’re going in to the Top Five (Guys)!”
Sosa looked shocked as he sank to his knees and covered his face with his hands. His relief and joy were palpable. After he took his seat, he looked like he might pass out.
Finally, Hoyt’s turn came. Lythgoe was the judge to deliver Hoyt’s fate.
“Taking you through this week and through the academy, I’ve always worried about your strength. The inconsistency has really led us to a big discussion about you,” Lythgoe started. “But the very fact that you left your home to find who you are, to make yourself happier — to have the strength to do that — we believe that strength will aid you as you join our top 10.”
Hoyt was choked up as he thanked the judges and took his seat alongside the other five men who now make up the other half of Season 16’s top 10.
When dismissed, the five spilled out into the lobby area of the theater, jumping and hugging. The Top Five Girls joined them in the celebration.
“Oh my (word)! I made the top 10! I’m so excited,” Sosa said before sharing a tear-filled hug with his sister, Stephanie Sosa. The Sosas and Hoyt will be tested even further in the coming weeks of the competition for America’s Favorite Dancer, but for now, the three and their seven fellow contestants are celebrating their hard work and good fortune.
"So You Think You Can Dance" airs on Fox on Mondays at 8 p.m. MDT.