It all. Comes down. To this.
*cue dramatic music*
Nick. Benji. Sabra. Joshua. Jeanine. Russell. Lauren. Melanie.
WHO DID YOU PICK TO JOIN THEM?
Remember the Top 20? They’re all back. I thought some of them would have made this finale, but I was wrong. It’s all down to Cyrus, Chehon, Tiffany, and Eliana. Carly Rae Jepsen performs tonight.
Lil C, Adam Shankman, Debbie Allen, and Tyce Diorio are sitting on the panel with Mary and Nigel. I miss them on the panel regularly. Debbie, Adam, and Lil C didn’t choreograph this season, so I don’t know why they couldn’t judge. “The best routine that we’ve ever opened the show with” from Christopher Scott and Sonya Tayeh.
Cat Deeley needs to win the Emmy.
Group Routine: Torn (Nathan Lenier), choreographed by Christopher Scott and Sonya Tayeh.
My first reaction is that this routine showcases the fantastic lighting design that just won them an emmy. I wonder if this was the whole reason for the dance. The blending of the hip hop and contemporary styles creates a fully realized hybrid dance that balances and showcases all 20 dancers evenly. It really is one of the coolest group routines I think the show has ever had.
Nigel’s Pick: Matthew and Audrey- Unchained Melody (The Righteous brothers)- choreographed by Travis Wall
A dance inspired by Titanic. I think there were more dynamic dances this season, though I thought Matthew would be going further in the competition than he actually did. Rewatching this routine, I realize it’s better than I remember it being, and Audrey is sensational in it.
Lil C’s Pick: Witney and Twitch- My Homies Still (Lil Wayne feat. Big Sean) choreographed by Luther Brown
Lil C has to “TURN IT UP!” Swagography. Now this dance I did expect to see again. Witney is a fantastic hip hop dancer. Her sexuality just dominates in this genre. I think Witney’s been to more clubs than her dad would like to know about. I think we’re going to see Twitch again tonight.
Debbie Allen’s Pick: Tiffany and George- Turning Page (Sleeping At Last)- choreographed by Sonya
Debbie has kind words for Sonya. This is the rare Sonya piece that isn’t eccentric or focusing on extreme costuming to get the point across. It’s raw, emotional, and danced beautifully by George and Tiffany. George really was one of the best dancers of the crop, technically, but he didn’t connect with America for one reason or another. This was his final shot to show what America missed out on, and he does an amazing job. Tiffany reminds us why she’s here, and why she just might beat Eliana.
Flashback Audition: Leroy Martinez
He’s the overweight hip hop dancer, that brought a smile to his audition city. I’m so glad that this isn’t a “trainwreck” audition, and instead we’re being shown someone who deserves to not be forgotten. It’s not actually the whole audition, it’s mainly just a montage.
Adam’s Pick: Cole and Lindsey- Unstoppable (E.S. Posthumus)- Pasa Doble choreographed by Jason Gilkyson
I definitely thought we might be seeing this routine tonight, as Cole and Lindsey both made it so close to the finale, and this dance was spectacular, and earlier in the season. Cole is such a strong masculine dancer, it’s easy to understand how he made it almost to the end. Lindsey on the other hand, is completely in her element. It’s a crazy awesome dance, and both dancers could be standing in the final two (without much complaining from fans). That’s how good they are.
The contestants got to pick a dance to reprise.
Eliana’s Pick: Eliana and Alex- Bang Bang (Nancy Sinatra)
Another dance that showcases fantastic lighting design. Emmy winning! This dance is fantastic. It’s amazing how many of the “All Stars” aren’t winners. I’m glad that Alex was able to leave Newsies in order to be an All-Star this season, because this dance is fantastic, and due in large part to him.
Nigel says that Eliana is still his favorite female dancer this year. He believes she has maturity and has a goofy quality also. She was apparently at the top of every choreographers list for the top 20. Desmond Richardson called Nigel and said he wants Eliana in her company. Nigel thanks her for being on the show. That was a HUGE love fest.
Flashback Audition: The Ninja Twins
I love that they decided to play Man In The Mirror to this “montage”. I don’t think we’re missing out by them not being in the top 20… but I’m still happy it’s not a trainwreck.
Cat’s Pick- Tiffany and All Star Brandon- You Make Me Feel (Cobra Starship)- choreographed by Doriana Sanchez
Brandon is a fantastic disco dancer. It’s another Tiffany dance. She’s going to have another when she picks her favorite dance. This could be a big night for her. She might be the most danced contestant tonight. The lifts in this dance are insane. You could have only done this dance with Brandon. You need an all star who knows what he’s doing.
Chehon’s Pick- Chehon and Anya- Argentine Tango- Breathing Below Surface (Jesse Cook)
Chehon feels this dance helped him break out of his shell. I was hoping for something with Witney, but this will do. Really, this is Anya’s showcase, but Chehon has strong partnering in it, and it shows his strength as a partner. But, really, Anya dances the most.
Cat asks Mary to give final thoughts to Chehon, and she says how extraordinary Chehon has been since the beginning. She says the wall came crashing down with this piece, and he’s experienced greatness every single week since then.
Now we have a montage of all the hip hop dances.
Instead of a recap dance, we have Cyrus, Comfort and Twitch dancing with Christopher Scott
NEW ROUTINE: Cyrus, Comfort, Twitch, Christopher Scott- Hip Hop (choreographed by Christopher Scott?)
First impression, HOLY SHIT. Sorry. Second impression, Christopher Scott is amazing as a dancer as well. Third impression, Cyrus is actually holding his own against three powerhouse dancers. The routine is based around a card game gone horribly wrong, and it’s one of the best hip hop routines I’ve ever seen on the show. Please watch the video when MJ posts it. I was right, by the way. We did see Twitch dance again. :)
I don’t think SYTYCD is going to be nominated for sound design. LOL. #weirdcatvoice
Tiffany’s Pick: Tiffany and Ade- Power of Love (Celine Dion)- choreographed by Mandy Moore
A solid pick from Tiffany. This was a great routine that showed off her skills really well. I actually got lost a bit in the dance and forgot I was live blogging… lol. I just sat here and watched that dance. How dare I!
Mary praises Tiffany and says this was a defining moment, and tells her she’s spectacular. Not nearly the tongue bathing that Eliana received.
Flashback Audition: The Exorcist
One of the best hip hop auditions of the season, hands down. But this guy walked out of Las Vegas because he refused to do choreography (unlike Cyrus).
The final “flashback audition” is Dragon House, and they’re LIVE!
Flashback Audition- Dragon House- Cryosleep.
Cyrus’s friends are back for this. Cyrus is not dancing in this routine. That’s odd… Luckily, his friends are pretty good by themselves. Also, Brian Gaynor is fantastic.
Carly Rae Jepsen is coming up. So if you need a bathroom break…
Carly Rae is here. And she has dancers. I’m sorry, but this girl is a one hit wonder. I don’t know why we’re bothering to pretend that she’s anything more than that. Next year, we’ll be talking about her the same way we still talk about Vanessa Carlton. Oh wait… we don’t still talk about Vanessa Carlton. This song sounds like it was ripped from the 80’s.
Montage of the entire season!!!!!! Thoughts: I’m tired to Teddy Tedholm not making it to the voting rounds. He can’t be THAT BAD at picking up choreography. He’s been in Vegas like 478 times now… so if the show comes back next time, I want Teddy in the Top 10 guys. OK?
Cyrus’s Pick: Cyrus and Twitch-choreographed by Christopher Scott
Weird moment where we can hear Cat talking over Cyrus. The sound people tonight are failing all over the place. We just saw this last week. I think it might be an odd pick for that reason, but it is a fantastic routine. Twitch is still a better dancer than Cyrus… sorry. But this is a great dance.
Nigel tells Cyrus that he’s amazing, and he got a lot of angry tweets last week. Nigel hopes that Cyrus will keep learning how to become a bigger dancer. Nigel thinks any dance company should hire Cyrus to be the face of their company. He calls him a genius.
NappyTabs group routine is next!
It’s a very special group routine. It’s the Top 10 plus the All Stars!
Top 10/All Stars- Circle Of Life Remix- Choreographed by Nappy Tabs
I can’t deal… this routine… is my favorite group routine of all time. Yes. I just said that. I had that moment. This is my favorite large group routine ever performed on So You Think You Can Dance. It could be on Broadway right now.
Results.
It has all come down to this.
WHAT HAVE YOU DONE AMERICA!?
Girls are first. We watch a video recapping Eliana and Tiffany’s journey first.
AND THE FEMALE WINNER IS… ELIANA!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Men are up next. We don’t get to watch Eliana’s mental breakdown, because we’re watching a video of the journeys of Chehon and Cyrus.
AND THE MALE WINNER IS… CHEHON!!!!!!!!!!!!
A great season of dance. I hope the show gets renewed for next season. I’ve had a blast recapping these last two episodes here at MJ’s, and I really hope I get to blog for you again soon. Hit up the comments, tell me who you loved, if your favorite won, and if you think I did a good job. Let MJ know you want to see me here again. :)
Signing off. This has been SirMac. Good night.
