Chelsea Traille and Chris Jarosz became the fifth and sixth finalists eliminated from So You Think You Can Dance's fourth season during last night's live results show on Fox.
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"I just feel so privileged, it was an amazing experience," Chelsea, a 23-year-old jazz funk and contemporary dancer from Flower Mound, TX, said after her ouster. "There's a lot for me to learn still and there's a lot for me to do still so this isn't the end of the road for me. I feel privileged to have danced on this stage in front of this audience and I go home to a warm family that's just ready to cradle me so it's going to be hard leaving this people but these people are very talented and I'm just happy to have been here."
"This has been a dream come true, I can't believe I'm crying, sorry," Chris, a 21-year-old lyrical/contemporary dancer from Dallas, TX, said after his elimination was announced. "This has been like a dream come true and to see you guys, to work with you guys -- this is crazy. Just to be in the Top 20, like my parents have been going crazy, everyone has been going crazy. I love you all, thanks so much for everything."
Chelsea and Chris found themselves among the bottom three couples based on home viewer votes cast immediately following Wednesday night's performance episode.
In addition to Chelsea and Chris, Chelsea's partner Thayne Jasperson, a 27-year-old contemporary dancer from Springville, UT; Chris' partner Comfort Fedoke, a 20-year-old hip-hop dancer from Lagos, Nigeria who currently resides in Dallas, TX; and Kourtni Lind, an 18-year-old jazz/contemporary dancer from Forest Lake, MN who currently resides in Sherman Oaks, CA, and Matt Dorame, a 22-year-old contemporary dancer from Glendale, AZ; were the other members of the bottom three couples.
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Chelsea and Thayne Jasperson had performed a poorly-received quickstep ballroom routine during Wednesday's performance show.
"You don't look comfortable, you don't look in your element," special guest Adam Shankman had told the pair after watching the performance.
"The first week, you know you were on my hot tamale train, [but] this week Chelsea, I need to take you off," said judge Mary Murphy .
"I do think that you both better get your solos ready," So You Think You Can Dance judge and executive producer Nigel Lythgoe added.
The judges had also been unimpressed with the African jazz routine Chris and Comfort had performed on Wednesday.
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"I need to feel the music moving through you [and] I saw it in your bodies but I didn't see it in your face," Adam told the pair.
"I'm sorry, it wasn't off the chain of me, Comfort, and I'm sorry Chris, it is not going to get a scream from me tonight," said Mary.
"It should have been stronger, it should have been bigger, and it should have been more animalistic for me," Nigel explained.
Courtney and Matt had played comic-strip characters in a contemporary routine that all three judges had praised.
After the couples were revealed to be in the bottom three, each of the six dancers was given one last chance to impress the judges with his or her solo routine. Once the solo routines were in the books, the judges briefly deliberated before delivering their decision.
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However before they did so, Nigel had a message for all six of the dancers.
"You guys have all been in the bottom three couples now two or three weeks running," Nigel explained. "You have to realize America is telling you something here. You've got to find it -- those people staying tonight have got to bring it, otherwise next week it's going to be your turn to go home. That is tough, but it's tough love because you know we really care for you all, otherwise you wouldn't be standing here right now."
Since Chelsea and Chris were eliminated, their surviving partners will now form a new pair.
"Thayne, [this] means that you will be dancing with Comfort next week. You have a new partner -- good luck [to] the pair of you," Nigel announced after revealing Chris' elimination.
About The Author: Steven Rogers