The selection episode for the Top 20 always leaves me feeling slightly annoyed. I get over it, of course, but typically at least half of the finalists are people we've never, ever seen before. A quarter of them we didn't even get to meet last night, as they just flashed across the screen screaming and yelling about how they made it. Who are you again? And we were even deprived of the traditional booty-shaking victory montage! Lame.

All in all it's a better-looking group than last year, although not a terribly varied one. As I predicted we have a glut of contemporary dancers - five guys, six girls - and only two hip-hoppers (both of them guys). There are four ballroom dancers (two guys, two girls), a ballet dancer and a Broadway dancer. That's...it. No swing dancers. No tap dancers, which is mind-boggling seeing as we had four notable tap auditions that we saw, and not a single one of them made the finals. That's frustrating to me. But I'm sure, like in every year, that I'll grow to love at least half of these dancers in the coming weeks, and I'm super excited for next Wednesday. So let's break down our dancers.

WOMEN:

Randi Evans (Jazz)I vaguely remember seeing Randi in her initial audition - she's the girl who Nigel went skipping off with for some bizarre reason - but I don't think we saw her at all during Vegas. She is deeply over-tanned, and surprisingly meaty for a dancer. She seems obsessed with her unitards, which Mia gave her shit for. I think she should avoid them going further, as they have a tendency to give her polterwang. She seems chipper, but I can't say as I'm terribly impressed by her.

Karla Garcia (Jazz/Contemporary) I don't remember ever seeing this girl, and I think she was part of one of the quick-acceptance montages, so we didn't even get to meet her last night. I could not pick her out of a line-up right now. Apparently she has danced on tour with "Wicked" and grew up learning Filipino folk dancing.

Caitlin Kinney (Contemporary) I'm so glad Caitlin made it - she was a favorite of mine since her initial audition - but I wonder about how she'll handle the stress. She seemed close to cracking several different times over Vegas week, which is weird since she's a former gymnast. You'd think she'd be used to pressure. She's incredibly graceful and flexible, and could be amazing in the right routines.

Asuka Kondoh (Latin Ballroom) I'm glad Asuka made the final cut this year. She's certainly impressive, although she doesn't bring the heat as much as fellow female ballroom dancer Janette.

Janette Manrara (Salsa) Janette is a crazy good salsa dancer and I suspect she'll do well in this competition. She has an incredible body and exceptionally fast legs. That said, my friends and I get a distinct cut-a-bitch vibe from her.

Jeanine Mason (Contemporary): Haven't got a clue. Seriously. Did we ever see this girl? Her bio says that she's studied jazz, acrobatics, hip-hop, and contemporary, so she's pretty well versed in the major styles it takes to succeed in this show.

Kayla Radomski (Jazz/Contemporary) Another of my early favorites. Kayla has the longest legs I've ever seen on a dancer. She is lithe and graceful and I bet she's a choreographer's dream. Even Mia, who admitted last night that she doesn't usually like female dancers (no shit; I called that Season 1), said she's impressed by Kayla. I am too. I just wish we could do something about her overwhelming tackiness.

Melissa Sandvig (Ballet) I only know her because she kept dancing around in a tutu during Vegas week. She's got a ton of professional dance experience and is - gasp! - 29, which is old for this show. Ballet dancers have typically not fared well on this show in the past, and she seems like a personality vacuum. We'll see.

Paris Torres (Contemporary) I'm irritated this girl made it. I remember her initial audition and being decidedly uninspired. She's a passable dancer - nothing I haven't seen before - and I felt she made it through by trading on her beauty pageant past and charming the judges. I get a distinct S3 Jesse vibe from this girl, and that is NOT a good thing. Based on what we've seen, I just don't think she's got it. And do we really have room for a thoroughly mediocre contemporary dancer in this competition, given the glut of lyrical girls? She better hope she gets paired with a strong male dancer or she's screwed.

Ashley Valerio (Contemporary): Here's how forgettable Ashley Valerio is. Her bio per the "SYTYCD" site: "Valerio has been dancing for most of her life. She is a graduate of Mountain View High School." Scintillating. Again: we have no female hip-hop dancers, and this chaff made it through?

MEN:

Kupono Aweau (Lyrical/Contemporary) I didn't even recognize Kupono during Vegas week because he shaved off his floppy hair. Honestly, I kind of prefer him with the bizarre locks. It lengthened his face. Still, he's hot. And also, an avid collector of home furnishings. Who knew?

Tony Bellissimo (Hip Hop) Tony has no business being in this Top 20. I'm just going to say it. I don't think we ever saw his initial audition, but the show made a point of showing us his first solo in Vegas. I think that was a mistake. I think his "Somebody's Watching Me" number was supposed to endear him to us. It did not; it showed me a dancer who relies on cheap gimmicks and personality instead of, you know, actually DANCING. He seemed to do OK in several of the other choreography rounds, but BOMBED contemporary. Nigel explicitly told him last night that he's miles away from just about every other dancer in this competition in terms of skill level. I feel bad for whatever girl gets partnered with him. He's cute, sure, but I think he's mega cocky. He's got a lot of work ahead of him in winning me over.

Brandon Bryant (Contemporary) Brandon is the opposite of Tony. He's a powerful, well trained dancer who performed well throughout Vegas and yet several of the judges HATE him. Last night Mia and Lil C viciously attacked him and I remain completely perplexed as to why. What are they seeing that we are not? What about him sets them off so much? Mia singled out his attitude as a problem, but we've never seen anything approaching cockiness from Brandon on camera. Mia and Debbie Allen got into a bit of a yelling match over him, and then Mary just about lost it when Lil C started in on his Grade A bullshit against the guy (and seriously, Lil C is the WORST; every time he opens his mouth it's a stream of rubbish). In the end I thought Brandon handled himself with poise given the onslaught he had to suffer through. Do not understand the hate.

Phillip Chbeeb (Popping) No surprise there. Phillip was practically a lock the minute he showed up for the initial auditions this year - remember, Nigel gave him a ticket straight to Vegas without even having him perform, and the guy was invited to a pop-off at last year's finale. After getting through Phillip promised America that he'll show us things we've never seen before. Given his unique style, I believe him.

Jason Glover (Lyrical/Contemporary) Jason is talented, charming, and cute. He could be serious competition. He also apparently tapped on stage with Gregory Hines in one of the legend's last performances. So bully for him.

Max Kapitannikov (Latin Ballroom) I thought Max was the weaker dancer in his pair during his initial audition. I also have issues with the fact that he came out last night shirtless, and also, his face is a problem. I'm sorry, it's true. Note to Max: You are no Dmitri or Artem. Put it away.

Vitolio Jeune (Contemporary) Don't think we ever saw this guy prior to last night, but he used the term "diarrhea moment," so I guess he's OK. Also, he wears shorts that leave nothing to the imagination. I could work with this.

Evan Kasprzak (Broadway) This one was a heartbreaker. It came down to Evan and his brother Ryan, just as we all knew it would. And Evan got the nod. Ultimately I think Evan will go farther in this competition than his brother, even though I adored Ryan. Evan has shades of Benji Schwimmer from Season 2. He could do exceptionally well here if paired with the right girl.

Ade Obayomi (Contemporary) Another dancer we'd never seen before last night, and his bio is totally unhelpful. He once performed at Radio City Music Hall. Who hasn't? Unless you're a Rockette, I'm not impressed.

Jonathan Platero (Salsa) I know I would have remembered Jonathan if we'd seen him before, because he's button-cute. Another former gymnast, and an acrobat, he was in "High School Musical," which worked out well for S3's Sabra. And he was a World Salsa finalist in 2007, so he could have the goods. I'm excited to see how he does.

The most notable cut was Alex Wong, the exceptional ballet dancer who came out strong in Day 1 of Vegas Week. He probably would have made it (although he and Brandon might have been too similar), but he's under contract with the Miami Ballet Company. Bizarre that issue didn't come up prior to last. Nigel told him to come back after his contract's up. We'll see.