Two Dancers Leave So You Think You Can Dance

After a strong show of performances Tuesday, it was up to America (with the judges merely assisting now) to determine which of So You Think You Can Dance’s talented top 10 would be the first two to go.

After the votes were counted, Noelle Marsh, 18, the contemporary darling from Sandford, N.C., and Nathan Trasoras, also 18, of Downey, Calif., received their walking papers.

“America got it right this week,” a satisfied Nigel Lythgoe said backstage after the show. “I think they’ve looked at the whole of the time that these kids have been on the program [and] not just the routines that they did [this week].”

Nathan, an early favorite, might have stuck around longer had he had a personality coach, according to Lythgoe.

“The sad thing is that Nathan’s solo tonight was probably the best he’s ever done,” the judge said, adding that smug comments post criticism may have contributed to his elimination.

Meanwhile, he complimented Noelle for her winning attitude even though she really never had a chance to grow on the show. “Noelle I thought was absolutely mature beyond her years when she said, ‘I’ve never looked on this as the ultimate prize … I’ve looked on it as the process and that journey.’”

Joining Noelle and Nathan in the bottom four were ballroom dancer Ryan Di Lello, who has had a tough time with solos, and Kathryn McCormick, whose spot there clearly shocked the judges (while Mollee Gray managed to separate herself from the stigma of her former partner Nathan).