Ashley & Max with Cat Deeley

Ashley & Max with Cat Deeley

Max (Maksim) Kapitanikkov was eliminated from So You Think You Can Dance during the Top 18 week, which was surprising to many viewers. Just the week before, Max was on the Hot Tamale Train, and this week he performed a pop jazz routine that the judges liked. On a press call the morning after Max’s elimination, he said that he wasn’t too surprised about the elimination. He also doesn’t have any regrets, stating, “Looking back, I think I did the best that I could.” Max is at peace with the results and said he predicted it because he thinks Jason and Kupono are great dancers.

On Wednesday’s show, Max’s partner, Kayla, revealed that Max is the “house dad” who cooks for his roommates. Max isn’t worried that someone will assume the role as house dad in his absence.

Max always remained composed while on stage. He says he stays in a focused zone while he’s up there. Max’s trick is to “visualize the routine before you’re going to do it, and just go for it.”

Growing up in Moscow until age 13, Max used to go with his mom to the dance school where she used to teach. This early exposure gave him a great background in dance.

It’s often tricky for ballroom dancers to perform solos on So You Think You Can Dance, but Max said he doesn’t think he was at a disadvantage. Knowing he only had 30 seconds to dance for his life, Max chose to perform a jive routine because it is a style of dance that shows off a lot of aspects of dance and performance.

Max is thankful for his So You Think You Can Dance experience. He said he learned so much and hopes to not only take all of that with him, but build on it too.

Ashley Valerio made it on to the show after trying out four times. The judges saw her persistence and noticed an improvement in Ashley over the years. Just a few years ago, Ashley moved to the Hollywood area from Arizona to pursue her dance dreams. She has spent that time auditioning for SYTYCD and teaching dance.

Although Ashley was eliminated after two weeks on the show, she is in good spirits and said, “I think the show will open many doors, and I’m really excited about that.” During her last week on the show, Ashley performed a Shane Sparks’ hip hop routine with her partner, Kupono. After watching the dance on TV, Ashley believes that she and Kupono performed the best they could and she has no regrets about the performance. In addition, Ashley’s solo to fight for her spot in the competition was more of a performance that showed off her personality than her dance moves. Ashley stands by her solo choreography and said, “I just really wanted to be me, and that’s what I do and I loved it. It was fun.”

Now that Ashley and Max have been eliminated, their partners, Kupono and Kayla, are a couple. Ashley said she thinks “Kayla and Kupono are going to be phenomenal together.” She said that Kupono is a great person and partner, and that she thinks he’ll bring out the best in Kayla.

Ashley mentioned that she’ll come out of this experience as a better dancer, but after these past few weeks, it’s the friendships she knows she’ll take away. She also got to accomplish some dreams while on the show by working with choreographers she has always admired. “Right now I feel like I’m on top of the world because I got to work with two of my favorite choreographers in the world, Wade Robson and Mia Michaels, and they both pushed me past my limits and I feel like a stronger person and a stronger dancer, and I’m excited to take on more things.”

The years of auditioning for Dance have paid off for Ashley. “This is what I’ve been working for…I couldn’t ask for anything more.”

Here’s a video recap of their elimination week: