It was the 150th episode, and Cat came out looking like a human bag of blood. The styling on her has been all over the place this year. The judges were all turned around in their chairs, and there was someone new behind the desk, it was Kenny Ortega, director of the "High School Musical" movies and the Michael Jackson documentary, "This Is It." Of all the many, many guest judges I would like to see on the panel this year (MARY MURPHY, Toni Basil, Debbie Allen, the list goes on), he wouldn't have ever entered my mind. He spent the night prattling on without doing much critiquing whatsoever, so I'm going to elect not to bore you with Kenny Ortega's thoughts on pretty much anything.

But more importantly, ANOTHER INJURY. This is getting to be ridiculous. Billy Bell turned the Alex/Ashley injury eliminations into a potential hat trick, as he was out tonight after damaging his knee. Interestingly, Nigel revealed that Billy was cleared by doctors to perform tonight, but Billy didn't feel up to dancing. I'm not sure if that speaks to his credit or not. Nigel joked that next year they're going to partner with Mark Burnett Productions to do "Survivor: Dance Edition." Don't joke, dude. Contenders getting taken out of the game due to injury are turning this season into an unsatisfying mess. You guys might want to check Kent's room for voodoo dolls in the shapes of the remaining contestants. But back to reality, Nigel said that next year they'll be working with more doctors to make sure the dancers do proper warm-ups. Seven seasons and that's just coming up NOW?!

The contestants had to dance three numbers: a solo, a number with an all-star they had not danced with, and a partner routine with a fellow S7 member. First up was Lauren and Twitch doing a Tabitha and Napoleon hip-hop to "My Chick Bad" by Ludacris and Nicki Minaj. The piece had a Wild West theme, down to the unflattering, distracting costumes (ironically, the show discovered today that it actually won this year's Emmy for costuming this morning). There were some fun tricks -- Lauren did this crazy move where she started into a worm and then did forward somersaults the wrong way. But I didn't think she and Twitch were together as well as they could have been. Lauren hit it pretty hard but it wasn't a great routine. Adam said that Lauren tore it up, and praised her musicality and the way she gets lost in the music and her character. Mia said that Lauren went "so hard," but managed to keep her sexiness despite the aggression. Nigel said that Lauren has grown tremendously over the course of the competition, which is true.

Jose picked Allison for a contemporary number by Sonya Tayeh set to the theme from "Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind." The entire number was set on the edge of the stage, meant to represent the precipice of the couple's relationship. Jose once again had that blank expression on his face - god, he's the worst. Allison, on the other hand, acted the shit out of the routine. Jose was used mostly as a fulcrum for her to dance on. Week after week he is given so little actual choreography to do. This time it was mostly flailing limbs and rolling around on the stage. Adam did his usual trick by spending a good chunk of his time directing the comments to the choreographer. He basically admitted that it was difficult to critique Jose's actual dancing - because he wasn't dancing! He praised Jose's commitment and partnering. Mia thought the piece was conceptually brilliant, and also pointed out that Sonya was smart in deliberately designing the routine around Jose's many shortcomings - she called it "pedestrian contemporary." She said that Jose hasn't demonstrated much growth over the past few weeks, but I would argue that's because the choreographers keep letting him slip by with doing very little, and the judges keep giving him free passes. Why should he have to grow? Nigel thought it was clever of Sonya to design a pedestrian routine around a pedestrian dancer, even going so far as to speculate that the relationship portrayed in the piece was pedestrian. I would say that the supposed star of the piece was pedestrian, and that colored the whole thing.

Robert got Lauren for a sexy jazz piece by Tyce DiOrio set to "Wasted Time" by My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult. The whole thing was about seduction; no story, just seduction. There were some very sexy moves in there - loved when Robert licked Lauren's leg. The two of them were perfectly together throughout the very sharp piece. Robert was indeed quite sexy - and Lauren was too, of course (when is she NOT?). I really enjoyed it. Adam said it was smokin'. He was very positive about Robert, but told him to watch his hands when they're not choreographed. Mia also had a tiny critique, saying that Robert has a tendency to jerk his head down when he goes in to jumps. Nigel liked the fluidity of the piece, and said that Lauren is one of the reasons men in America want to dance. True!

Then AdeChike's mom came on and told us how awesome he is, and he did his solo to "This Woman's Work" by Maxwell. There were lots of flips and jumps, some of which seemed to defy gravity for moments at a time. He had some very sharp, jerky moments in his upper half, and it was a decent, but subdued number.

Kent pulled Kathryn for another jazz number by Sonya Tayeh, this one set to "Tightrope" by Janelle Monae. When Kent came out the girls SQUEALED. He's totally winning this thing. The routine did not match the energy of the super infectious song, and the dancing from both of them was curiously sloppy, almost plodding. It didn't even seem like a Sonya number. Where was the weird? Adam mentioned the screaming girls, and also said that during Vegas Week Kent did this whole monologue about how he would make the show by driving up ratings. I'm telling you, this kid plays the bumpkin card, but he knows exactly what he's doing. Adam thought he kicked ass in the piece. I would disagree. Mia took Kent to task for his over-animated faces, which can make the work look too juvenile. She said the technique was solid. I didn't even really see that. Nigel said that Kent mixes really good technique with a really good personality. He also said that Kent nearly outdanced the all-stars the past two weeks. I would disagree, but I also think Kathryn didn't bring her A-game tonight.

Robert's parents came on to say how awesome he was, and to also be totally cute. For his solo he danced to "Parachutes" by Trevor Hall. It was nothing we haven't seen before. Lots of good balance moves, some lovely turns, but not a lot of content.

Lauren's parents talked about her, and then her student-teaching class all said how much they loved Miss Lauren. Adorable. She danced to "The Waves" by Elisa. It was a frantic dance, joyful, with her rolling around the stage and throwing her head back - not much actual dancing, but evocative.

AdeChicke got hip-hop with Comfort, choreographed by Tabitha and Napoleon. The piece was about a destructive couple that knows it has to break up, but keeps getting drawn back together, set a little too literally to Alicia Keys' "Fallin'." The number started with Comfort sitting on the side of the stage throwing clothes into a suitcase, and then AdeChike stormed in and the two of them were off. This was a very raw number; parts of it reminded me of "What's Love Got to Do With It," the Tina Turner biopic. Comfort really acted the shit out of the number, and I felt like she danced AdeChicke off the stage, too. She has grown SO MUCH since her season. I couldn't take my eyes off her, which I think was an error on TabNap's part. There were some cool moves where AdeChike kept trying to catch up to her, but he was always a few seconds behind. To my mind, the best number of the night. Comfort and AdeChicke were actually crying at the end! The judges all said how raw and real the piece felt, and Mia thought it was simply unbelievable, calling it the "highest level" of dance. Mia had a really lovely moment praising AdeChike - it was sincere, and she needed that, given her recent controversy - and then she called Comfort Mary J. Blige as a dancer. Nigel said that it was difficult to critique the actual dancing given the heavy emotional content, and hoped that Alicia Keys saw that dance, since so many people butcher that effing song.

Jose's solo, which meant checking in with his family. He looks so much like his mom, it's crazy. He danced to "Give It Up or Turnit A Loose" by James Brown. Lots of hand wavingi and quick stepping. Some laying on the floor. Some quick turns. Not a bad solo, but when I compare him to our previous b-boys, he lacks speed, he lacks style, he lacks power, he lacks attitude.

Kent's parents remind me of the Palin family. Take that as you will. For his solo he danced to "End of the Road" by Boyz II Men. Lots of energy, flips, spins, He really does throw himself fully into his dancing, I'll give him that. I think it was between him and Lauren for best solo of the night.

The contestants then had to partner with other contestants: Robert and Lauren got a samba by Season 2's Dmitry It was beach-themed and set to "Drummer Boy" by Debi Nova. Lauren was the real star for me. So much smolder, charisma. Very sharp, very flirty. Robert came into his own when they did their side-by-side work. There was one hold that I don't think was executed properly - it didn't go anywhere. Robert also seemed to have issues getting her off the floor during his assisted spin. Adam praised Robert's lines and his connection to his partner. He thought Lauren's retractions and footwork were unbelievable, and that she could have a future in ballroom. Mia was pleased with Robert's performance, saying that he looked like a samba dancer. But she didn't dig Lauren's dancing, which she thought was heavy. I felt totally the opposite. Nigel said that Robert's upper body reminded him of Dmitry's broad chest - dude, he wishes -- and that he did himself proud all night. Nigel said Lauren has shaken everything that is possible to shake during the course of the season, and that it was enjoyable because she made great contact with the audience as well as her partner.

Jose and AdeChike pulled the paso doble, also by Dmitry, who was assisted by S6's Legacy. Since they couldn't do the standard man/matador, woman/cape paso set-up, the boys were two men with capes fighting for dominance. Jose lacked intensity right from the start, but he seemed to build steam as the routine went along. To me it was his best performance in weeks. Unfortunately it kind of fizzled toward the end, when it was just the same moves repeated over and over again. There was really nothing going on there; what a wasted opportunity. Adam loved how committed both of them were. Mia was nonplussed about the technique, but liked the intensity. Nigel called out the diplomatic takes of the judges, and argued that Jose and AdeChike weren't even close to the attitude or ability of the people who actually perform that style. Consider that we don't make allowances for anyone else at this stage in the competition, but here we are again, making more excuses for Jose. Blargh.

For the final number Kent and Billy pulled an entirely new style for the show, step by Chuck Maldanado. Wow, that's ambitious, especially for two of the whitest white boys in the show's history. With Billy out due to injury, Twitch took over for him in the number, set to "Pro Nails" by Kid Sister. Kent absolutely held his own, even during the a cappella section. Yeah, he was over the top with his faces, but he had swagger and hit the moves hard. It seemed to me to be more of a combo hip-hop/step routine, but I really liked it. I would totally be up for more stepping on this show if it was as exciting as this routine. Adam said that Kent shocked him by how much he killed the number; Adam didn't know he had it in him. I agree. Mia called it disgusting, gross, and amazing, and loved the chemistry between Kent and Twitch. And she said point-blank that Kent is the one to beat. Well, duh. Nigel argued that step HAS been on the show, with Nigel's "Five Guys Named Moe" routine. Oh, Nigel. Shut up. That hardly counts. He also said that he regretted that Billy wasn't able to dance the routine, because he's been growing so spectacularly the past few weeks. I don't think Billy could have pulled that off, and I wonder if part of the reason he sat this one out was so that he wouldn't have to embarrass himself.

Predictions: Billy's definitely in trouble. AdeChike saved himself with that outstanding hip-hop number. Lauren had a solid night and, as the only girl left, is pretty much guaranteed a spot in the Final 4. Jose HAS to be in the bottom at this point, right? He just has to. And I think Robert may join him, as I don't think his performances were anywhere near as strong as the judges proclaimed them to be. Kent, of course, is golden.