No more Mr. Nice Judges on 'So You Think You Can Dance'

Just when we were starting to think they were the nicest people on reality TV, the "So You Think You Can Dance" judges got a little feisty on Thursday night.

In Dallas, they accused Haylee, a girl who was trying out in memory of her late father, of having a "stank face" when she dances. "Stank face" got one more chance to loosen up, but in the end, she didn't make the cut. But stank face was Baryshnikov compared to the guy who auditioned on skates, aka "Scooter Rocket." Scooter Rocket described his style as "scooter style" and called "scooter rocket" "a way of seeing the world." Huh? Were we the only ones who had no idea what he was talking about? The judges actually laughed in his face and did not back down when Scooter tried to draw a connection between his style and the economy.

"This has nothing to do with the economy," guest judge Tyce Diorio said. Our thoughts exactly! Nigel even compared Scooter to "Clay Aiken's younger brother" — ouch!

Things picked up a bit with Nicole — and by up, we mean way up. Nicole had her hair piled high in a Marge Simpson-style bun, which oddly enough became a liability for her in the competition. Tyce went so far as to say she had the kind of talent that "comes along every 100 years" — but later, they needed to her perform again WITHOUT the bun to make a decision. Who knew that hair had such an effect on a person's dancing? Nigel got in another good line at the expense of Deroccius, whose routine to Britney Spears' "Toxic" was straight out of our step aerobics class. "You might make the Dallas cowboy cheerleaders," but you're not right for this show, he reasoned. Please, Nigel — we really don't want to see Deroccius in a miniskirt. Next up, a real-life Mafia princess. Gorgeous Marcella, the daughter of a convicted mobster, revealed that guys were too scared to date her in high school, even though she's a dead ringer for Shakira. We actually loved her audition, but the judges sent her to choreography, saying she needed to find her "passion" or Fuggedaboutit (yes, there were mobster jokes aplenty). Guest judge Toni Redpath got pretty hot and heavy over Jordan, a former addict who is now five years' clean. "You're not traditionally handsome, but your energy is sexy. I want to crawl over the table," she cooed. Down, girl!

Unfortunately for Toni — who is Scarlett Johansson's lookalike — Jordan had no ballroom dancing ability whatsoever. On to Tennessee, where the judges got even snarkier. Two Amish-looking BFFs did a Flamenco dance right out of the fourth-grade talent show, leading Nigel to quip, "You make dead people seem like party animals." All in all, 122 contestants made it to Vegas, a number that will be boiled down to five guys and five girls. Sarah, the "big dancer" from last week, is already out. Another guy from Queens, N.Y., "danced for his life" and now he's in. Ida, whose mother wasn't allowed to dance in Iran, is still in, but looks like there's trouble ahead for her next week. And a guy with painful scoliosis didn't make the cut but will appear on the show with his "crew" at some point.

Brit girl, 7, has a granny's body

A seven-year old Brit girl has the face and body of an old woman as she suffers from a rare genetic disorder called Hutchinson Gilford Progeria Syndrome.

The condition, shared by just another child in the UK, makes Ashanti Elliott-Smith age eight times faster than normal, reducing her life expectancy to 13.

She currently battles problems of ageing like arthritis and a weakening heart.

Ashanti's hair growth has stopped. She is now bald and plagued by wrinkles like any elderly person.

She currently stands at just under 3ft and is just 2st, the usual weight for a three-year-old.

She needs extra care and hygiene because illnesses like chicken pox and flu can kill her.

However, when Ashanti was born in May 2003, she weighed 5lb 10oz and looked like a healthy baby.

"I'd had a normal pregnancy and I thought she was perfect. Her dad Albi and I were thrilled," the News of the World quoted mum Phoebe, as saying.

The first symptoms of the disorder crept in at three weeks, when Ashanti's body started to convulse.

Doctors mistakenly thought the baby had been violently shaken by an adult.

But over the next few months her condition worsened.

Phoebe, 24, who lives near Brighton, said: "She was still jerking and she wasn't gaining weight and she was still bald - and my health visitor thought I was neglecting her."

Just before Ashanti's first birthday she was sent to London's Great Ormond Street children's hospital.

Phoebe said: "A doctor there took one look at her and knew straight away what it was.

"When he told us what Progeria was, I fainted in the room. Afterwards Albi explained to me it would be just like looking after a grandmother.

"He said we had to care for Ashanti as if she was an old person, as her body would age so fast. It was devastating but I knew I had to carry on and cope with it."

A defective gene causes progeria but the disorder not hereditary; Ashanti's little sister Brandy Lou does not have it.

Phoebe has taken Ashanti's illness in her stride.

She said: "We make the most of each day.

"Ashanti's such an easy-going lively little girl - she's so precious.

"I'm so proud of her. She doesn't let her condition bother her at all. She's such a big character and everyone knows when she is in the room."

Ashanti's dad Albi Elliott, 40, said: "I used to own a metal recycling company and I've given it up to spend as much time with Ashanti as I can.

"I'm so proud of her - she is a great daughter."

Like all kids her age, Ashanti goes to a mainstream school, loves playing with pup Samson and is a huge fan of Girls Aloud and JLS.