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‘So You Think You Can Dance’ is not a good show for multi-taskers. Those of us who like to wash dishes, clip coupons or flip through catalogs in front of the TV are forced to put down our other projects as early on in the show as the introduction, since we viewers risk missing something amazing if we look away even for a moment.

It was evident that Wednesday night’s show was going to be good when Debbie Allen, ‘Fame’ dance instructor diva (and, of course, sister to Phylicia Rashad) sat in as a judge. Is it weird to want to hire her as a professional life coach? Or at least to invite her out for a drink, maybe with Cat Deeley? It seems like hanging out with the two of them would do wonders for the self-esteem, or at least be good for a laugh. Who doesn’t like a famous woman who isn’t afraid to admit that half the hair on her head is fake?

But of course, there was also dancing. Last Friday, a commenter noted that this Show Tracker was a bit short on actual dance commentary, but keeping track of the performers can be a little daunting early in the elimination process. We are judging couples on their dancing, their chemistry, how they work together and apart. It’s easy to spot great performances but somewhat difficult to track the frontrunners.

They became more evident last night, though, as Ms. Allen pointed out that Anya Garnis and Danny Tidwell were the hot couple of the competition. The pair performed a cool hip hop routine, but more than just their technical chops, their collective poise has been emerging. They can dance, they look good together and they know it. Also leading the pack are Dominic Sandoval and Sabra Johnson who have the same confidence and talent but in a tinier, cuter way. Hok Konishi and Jaimie Goodwin also gave a noteworthy performance in a unique jazz piece, but they were coming off a less impressive showing last week, so whether they’ll maintain their high is not definite yet. Other dancers are developing their own ‘signatures,’ but more as individuals: Shauna Noland for throwing herself into her performances and Sarah VonGillern for her swagger. Jessi Peralta and Pasha Kovalev, now, also stand out, the former for an illness that made her skip Wednesday’s show and the latter for his sexy (although perhaps a bit Ricky Martin-esque?) dance with a substitute partner. We’ll have to put down whatever we’re doing on Thursday night to see whether that’ll be the last thing they’re known for on the show.

-- Claire Zulkey