So You Think You Can Dance: And the winners are...

I need to start off by saying this: FOX, please get your act together and renew So You Think You Can Dance for its tenth season already!!! What could you possibly be waiting for!?

Sigh. OK. Hey, it's finale night! WHO will be named America's favorite male and female dancer?! But first, the tradition I wish American Idol would adopt for its finales as well- encores of our favorite performances of the season.

Nigel's pick: The Titanic Dance, Audrey & Matthew
I'm a little bit surprised he didn't pick last week's burlesque performance! This selection just makes me wonder once again why Matthew wasn't saved over George so they could do this number on tour. So, so beautiful.

Lil C's pick: Witney & All-Star Twitch
This is exactly why Witney was my early pick to win. I still think she's fantastic. More fantastic than Tiffany.

Debbie Allen's pick: Tiffany & George, Contemporary
My feelings haven't changed: lovely as can be, but just not that memorable.

Adam Shankman's pick: Cole & Lindsay, Pasa Doble
I had a feeling we'd see this one again. I love Adam Shankman. Also, Cole.

Tyce Diorio's pick: Jazz Cats, Will & Amelia
Man! I missed these two. Adorbs. I may have that said before.

Mary Murphy's pick: Tyce's Holocaust Dance, Chehon & All-Star Kathryn
Still every bit as powerful.

Eliana's pick: The Bang Bang Dance with All-Star Alex Wong
Seriously. These two need to dance together for the rest of their lives.

Cat's pick: Disco with Tiffany & All-Star Brandon
OMG ELEVEN LIFTS! OMG SEQUINS!

Chehon's pick: Argentinian Tango with All-Star Anja
This was the moment Chehon sailed ahead of Cole and Will (who was eliminated that night) and all but guaranteed his spot in the finale- along with Cyrus, of course. Very nice choice.

Cyrus with All-Stars Twitch, Comfort & choreographer Christopher Scott
Not to sound like a nerd, but that was seriously neato.

Tiffany's pick: Contemporary with All-Star Ade
AKA the Celine Dion "Power of Love" dance... oh, this song! It's so unfair!

Cyrus' pick: Animation with All-Star Twitch
Ahhh. I'm confused. Did they give Cyrus extra opportunities to shine tonight because he won, or as a consolation!?

Top 10 & All-Stars: Lion King Dance
NappyTabs may have made up for their absence over much of the season with this awesome Lion King remix.

America's Favorite Dancers Are...

I. Am. So. Happy. America got it right! Congrats to Chehon & Eliana!!!

SYTYCD: Performance Finale Recap

As I wrote my So You Think You Can Dance recap last Thursday, I incorrectly believed that tonight would be the final episode of another fabulous season. Discovering there would be a finale finale following tonight's performance finale was almost like putting on a jacket I haven't worn in months and finding a $20 bill in the pocket. 

I want to remind everyone- as I'm sure I will be unable to avoid complaining about Cyrus making it into the finale- I like the guy, it's just that Cole deserved it more and I'm a little bitter. And one final thought before we get into the performances... IF NEIL ISN'T AN ALL-STAR, WE RIOT!

Cyrus & Eliana - Pasa Doble
In a move obviously made to protect Cyrus, Eliana was cast against gender as the matador. While it was as theatrical and entertaining as we have come to expect from this pair, this pasa doble just pales in comparison to the one performed by Cole (and Lindsay, but mostly Cole) earlier this season. Eliana is simply fantastic, but this opening number just summed up everything that frustrates me about Cyrus making it into the finale.

Tiffany & All-Star Will - Jazz
I never would have guessed I'd be sitting here watching Tiffany in the finale when she was first introduced into the Top 20 over two months ago, but unlike Cyrus (sorry, sorry) I can't say she doesn't deserve it. She was great.

Eliana & Chehon - Ballet
I had been hoping to see Eliana and Chehon do some ballet together, and they did not disappoint. Eliana, in her pretty pink tutu, was stunning. We didn't get to see Chehon show off his skills (only his strength) in the same way, but Eliana's brilliance was magnified thanks to his steady support. They both made it look so easy; I'm horrified at my memories of my ballerina youth in comparison.

Tiffany & Cyrus - Hip-hop
Arghhh I can't help it- yes, it is highly commendable that The One Who Never Did Choreography Before This Show learned choreography for five numbers since last Thursday... but hey, they ALL did it. Why does Cyrus get judged on a different standard?! I know I sound like a broken record and I don't WANT to get upset about this but every time they critique him, it drives me nuts. P.S. The hip-hop was great.

The Final Four - "A quirky Tyce Diorio number"
This was the ultimate mash-up and super fun way to show each dancer in their own style but all at the same time.

Eliana - Solo
Strength, grace, emotion. She's got it all. She deserves to win.

Chehon & All-Star Allison - Contemporary
If that one-armed lift was all he did, that would have been enough, but throw in a few other lifts and jumps and... are you kidding me!? (Timeout: did Mary Murphy just say "Nommy Eminated?" That is awesome). Whatever he didn't get to show us in the ballet number, he MORE than made up for in this performance with the amazing Allison. Phenomenal. Truly.

Chehon & Allison (the one-armed lift in particular)

Eliana & Tiffany - Burlesque/Pole
The line of the night goes to Rob Marshall: "I'm just trying to imagine Queen Latifah doing that." The judges have lost their minds and deservedly so. I can't say I've ever seen anything like that and I love that SYTYCD just went there. Also: side by side, Eliana proved to be just a little bit better. She was sexier, her legs extended just a little bit further, her movements were more deliberate, and her facial expressions were spot on. And HELLO, that last thing she did on the pole? I don't even know how that was physically possible.

Cyrus - Solo
Watching Cyrus do his solos will never, ever get old.

Tiffany - Solo
I had forgotten how little they showed Tiffany before the Top 20, and maybe that's why I've had a hard time connecting with her.

Chehon & Cyrus - Contemporary
These two guys must have an ounce of body fat between them. I appreciate that Sonya put these two side-by-side, showing each of their strengths and not letting Cyrus hide. Why are the judges so afraid to say that Chehon deserves to win this over Cyrus? Chehon has thrown everything he possibly can at us to give himself a shot at taking the trophy home.

Chehon - Solo
It seemed a little like Chehon forgot where he was- it was like his music ending took him by surprise- but it was nice to see him so in the moment. One last Chehon-Cyrus comparison: where Cyrus has made everything look so difficult (and impressive as the result of conquering these difficult tasks), Chehon just makes evertyhing look so damn easy.

Eliana & All-Star Alex - Contemporary
C'mon Uncle Nigel, use your new American Idol judge's version of this song! These two are one of those magical SYTYCD pairings, they should take their show on the road. I'm a little surprised to hear Nigel call Eliana his favorite of all time but there is no denying she is special.
 
Tiffany & Chehon - Rumba
Chehon makes me not miss Neil so much. I guess I won't riot, after all. They were appropriately romantic without being cheesy.

Cyrus & All-Star Twitch - Animation
That was SO COOL but it was TOO SHORT! This just stole any momentum Chehon may have managed to build for himself tonight, but what can ya do. Nigel just blew my mind by finally saying he would be voting for Chehon over Cyrus tonight, but I'm afraid that might just make America rally for Cyrus that much more.

WHO WILL WIN:
I looked back at my rankings from my Top 20 recap: I had Eliana and Tiffany at #3 and #7, Cyrus and Chehon and #2 and #4, respectively (although the next week I had Eliana at the top with Tiffany at #8, and the boys traded spots). This is really a toss-up.

Who SHOULD Win: Eliana & Chehon
Who WILL Win: Eliana & Cyrus

I think that Eliana did enough to steal enough votes away from Tiffany. I hope Chehon convinces enough people that he truly deserves to win this over Cyrus.

SYTYCD Recap: Top 6! It's almost over!

So it's the penultimate show and it's ALL UP TO AMERICA! I feel OK going into tonight because we can't really go wrong as they all deserve to make it, it one way or another. Well, OK, maybe some are a little more worthy. I'll get into that later. 

Side note: does anybody else feel like Christina Applegate tries a little too hard (and honey, you did not invent "hairography").

Can anybody explain to me what this thing is that the boys are doing??

 Tiffany

• Jive with All-Star Benji: For the first time, I get Tiffany. She gets all the props in the world for what she just did in those heels. Especially those cartwheels. Ridic. (Also, I couldn't help but think of Amanda Bynes- you know, What I Like About You, her show that used this song as its theme?- what the heck is going on with her?)
• Solo: Lovely, just lovely.
  
• Broadway with Cyrus: OK, I give up. Tiffany has won me over. She's still not someone who makes me want to get on the phone and vote her, nor is she someone I'll be excited to see as an All-Star in a future season, but if she makes it into the finale as I suspect she will, I won't mind.

  
Cole  

• Contemporary with All-Star Melanie: I love how Cole is always a strong, masculine dancer, even while delivering a graceful, emotive performance, and even while he is being lifted by a woman (albeit the amazing Melanie).
• Solo: I wasn't ready for this to end, I wish he could have kept going! Bonus points for the little added detail of red contact lenses. I really can't decide who I like more between him and Chehon.
• Contemporary with Eliana: Brilliant, captivating, and so emotional- which is even more impressive from two dancers who seem so goofy in real life.

Eliana 

• Hip-hop with All-Star Twitch: Fun and entertaining, but it wasn't perfect. Parts of it were great, parts looked a little sloppy. I don't know how she
• Solo: I maybe unfairly expected a little more from Eliana in her solo. I wonder if she was still feeling a little discouraged after the feedback from her hip-hop number?
• Contemporary with Cole: Same goes for her as what I said for Cole. A+.

Chehon

• Solo: I wish he had done just a little bit more with the time allotted, but it seems like Chehon is finally dancing like he doesn't have a worry in the world. I think we can thank Mom for that. It's fun to see. 
• Contemporary with All-Star Kathryn: Chills! If Chehon doesn't make it into next week's finale, it'll be a real shame.
• Cha-cha with Witney: It wasn't exactly a disaster (what would Cyrus have done with that choreography?), but it's too bad that might be his last performance of the season.

Witney

• Solo: We get it, she's a young and Mormon and doesn't dance like it. She is dynamite.
• Lyrical jazz with All-Star Marko: Yes! Great to see Marko again (he and Melanie are probably still my all-time favorite pairing and still think it's weird to see them dance with other people). Witney's leap, on a scale from 1 to Neil-and-Melanie, was probably only about a 7, but she was still fantastic. I'm sure the judges are pleased to have kept her around.
• Cha-cha with Chehon: In her element, she stole the show. Anything less would have been a disappointment.

Cyrus

• Dubstep with All-Star Comfort: Cyrus' surprised face is almost as good as Taylor Swift's! It was great to reward him by letting him shine in his own style. It's really a shame for either Cole or Chehon, but I don't think even they can be mad about America's infatuation with Cyrus. On a side note, I think this is the prettiest I've ever seen Comfort?
• Solo: Honestly. Who couldn't watch him do this all day? It still blows my mind.
• Broadway with Tiffany: His weaknesses can't be hidden completely- numbers like this make it painfully clear how much more skilled Cole and Chehon are... but I'm beating a dead horse. I LIKE Cyrus and I'm glad he made it this far, but you can't tell me he deserves a place in the finale (or what seems to be an inevitable victory) over the other two guys.

Ranking the Top 6:

1. Chehon & Cole
2. Eliana
3. Witney
4. Tiffany
5. Cyrus

Results and WHO WILL WIN:
I seem to be better at guessing SYTYCD results than American Idol. I am SUPER BUMMED Cole won't get a chance to be America's Favorite Dancer. There's really no question that Cyrus has it in the bag between the two guys (although I will keep my fingers crossed for Chehon!), but I really think it's a toss-up between the ladies. For the sake of venturing of guess, while I am rooting for Eliana, it seems that Tiffany has had the votes all season long.

See you next TUESDAY for the finale! Here's the real question... what shall I blog about next? Should I give The Voice another shot?