It’s here! The finale of the fifth season of So You Think You Can Dance. The final results are announced at the very end, and until then when have two hours of dancing to enjoy.
They squeeze a lot into the finale – The Rage Boyz Crew! Talia Fowler! There’s a weird bit where the show pimps the “Fame” remake starring S4’s Kherington. They’ve done similar things in the past, in S3 the contestants went to the Hairspray movie premiere and met the stars. But this is forced, there’s no premiere to go to yet, so they just talk about the movie a lot. Strange. No matter, the real reason we’re all tuning in is to see our Top 20.
They start the show off with a bang, dancing to Tyce’s The Wiz piece. It’s a fantastical routine with lovely choreography. Tyce had a great year, doing even better work and receiving his Emmy nomination. I’m glad this is the routine they chose to showcase, and we get to see all of the dancers, some of whom I missed. The routine ends with the Top 4 standing apart from the rest, inside the frame. Love. Having all 20 of them took full advantage of the massive stage; later with the couples, the size takes away some of the intimacy and leads to great aerial shots where we see none of the dancing. Like the opening number, a majority of the two hour finale is comprised of favorite routines from the season. It’s interesting to see if routines improve or falter the second time around, and my favorite part of the finales.
What I hated:
- Jeanine & Phillip’s Hip Hop. I should have figured they would bring back the Chbeeb for the finale, but this is not a good routine. The sickly-sweet concept, NappyTabs’ repetitive choreography… This was already a bad season for Hip Hop, and they brought out its worst routine. I don’t know why anyone wanted to see this again.
- Janette & Brandon’s Disco. It’s a fine Disco. But it had no business being in the finale when so many other, better routines were not. This was about the season’s best. At least we got to see more of Janette, this had to have been a bittersweet finale for her.
- Jeanine & Brandon’s Paso Doble. I don’t hate the routine, quite the opposite. I loved this routine and think Louis really outdid himself with it. Except I had just seen it. Last night. Really, just the night before, on the same stage. A far better choice would have been the Pop Jazz by Laurie Ann Gibson. It even would have been the same couple.
- Why wasn’tLaurie Ann’s Pop Jazz featured? Or Stacey Tookey’s Contemporary with Karla & Jonathan? And of course, it’s a bit of a joke that neither of Wade Robson’s delicious endeavors – the Burglars with Brandon & Janette or Crash Test Dummies with Kupono & Ashley – were mentioned. They are among the best from the show, let alone this season. I don’t think the missing stairs provide an excuse since entrances/choreography are usually adapted for the tour. This was a huuuuge mistake.
What was mixed:
- Janette & Brandon’s Argentine Tango. It’s a good routine, don’t get me wrong, and I’m glad we got the second chance to appreciate it. These two conquered everything together, and I think we took it for granted. But every Argentine Tango will be held up in comparison to Joshua & Chelsie’s Emmy nominated dance by Dmitry Chaplin from S4. But I suppose this performance was worth it to see Janette.
- Asuka & Vitolio’s Waltz. I would never have considered this a memorable dance. When Debbie Allen first started talking about it I thought she was on something, but in hindsight I’m glad we got to see it again. Maybe they had more time to practice, because each dancer was far more graceful this time around. Asuka lifted off the ground from her split this time, before it was awkward and shaky. This was performed far better the second time, and it’s nice to reflect on Louis’ great work.
- Jason & Caitlin’s Bollywood. I like the dance itself, but I they didn’t do it justice in Week 1 – they fall out of sync more than a few times and Jason loses form a lot. I’m a Bollywood dancer so maybe my standards are a bit high, but I teach 12 year olds who could do it better. Either way, I was looking forward to them coming back and really nailing it. And while Caitlin does, Jason does not. At all. The tepid lift, which should have been triumphant, was rather weak. Asuka & Vitolio redeemed themselves in the finale, but these two had a far more exciting routine and still managed to suck.
- Melissa & Ade’s Contemporary. I suppose I’ll just agree to disagree with the show on this one. I knew it would be featured in the finale, but I stand by my original reaction. Melissa isn’t great at Contemporary. Ade is beautiful, and the choreography/song choice are brilliant by Tyce. But I think all of the power in this routine is in its message. It’s quite the message, and I’m incredibly happy for Tyce’s friend. And my heart broke a little at Christina Applegate’s tears shown at the end of the routine. But it’s not the life altering routine they keep on talking about it as. And when Mia said they had an announcement, I thought the choreographers were donating parts of their salaries to cancer research or something similar.
What I loved:
- Jeanine & Jason’s Contemporary. I hoped we would see this repeated and I’m glad we did. The choreography is strong, their chemistry is so right, and I’ll watch any dance set to Jason Mraz. Rumor has it that he saw this routine and wants it performed by the dancers during his tour. It’s truly a stunning piece that nothing could ruin – not even Jeanine accidentally dropping the necklace (props are tricky!), the giant stage that almost seems to swallow dancers, or the shoddy camerawork. This is one of my favorites.
- Max & Kayla’s Samba. YESSS! I love this routine, and I didn’t think it would be back for the finale. Thank you, Mia. This is a H-O-T performance and Louis Van Amstel is a Ballroom god. Kayla can really sell a routine, and we get to see Max do his style. Mia said he was one of the hardest working dancers on the show, and the judges said something similar about Evan on the performance night. I wonder what other behind-the-scenes info there is – how random would it be if Ade was a slacker?
- Top 16. I wasn’t expecting a group routine, but this was the best one. The fusion of styles, Dmitry, NappyTabs, the water, the setting, all of it. This is one of the better group dances they’ve had, and I’m glad we got to see it again. After Ramalama, precious few routines are as memorable, but this gives it a run for its money.
- Randi & Evan Contemporary. Ahhh yes, the “Butt” dance. This is a great routine, and I’m glad we saw a performance that reminded us of Evan’s talent. He and Randi slinked their way through a smooth and bluesy number that Adam reminded us wasn’t typical Mia Michaels. If you compare this with the first time they performed it, you’ll see the differences – there isn’t that flub with the shoe, Evan has grown stronger in his dancing, and Randi really owns the fact that this routine is about her rear end. This was probably the one of the performed dances of the night.
- Kayla & Kupono Contemporary. We all knew this would be featured again. How could it not? This is the easily one of the best routines this show has ever had. There hasn’t been a better match between dancers and concept since The Hummingbird and The Flower. And they each performed it just as stunningly as they did the first time.
They end this long line of dances with the Top 8 reprising a Mia Michaels group routine… and the judges finishing the routine for them! Debbie, Adam, Mary, Nigel, Mia, and Tyce pop out in white suits and top hats. Tyce is crazy good (although he is sort of in his element) and Nigel and Adam are a pleasant surprise. A part of me wishes Lil C would have joined them, but that might have been too damaging to his street cred.
And finally, the results! Kayla was eliminated first. Evan placed third, Brandon was the runner-up, with Jeanine winning.
All in all I am pleased with how the dust settled. I hope this experience opened doors for each and every one of the Top 20. Kayla may have deserved more than placing fourth, but the best dancers never win. Evan’s specialness absolutely deserved a spot in the finale. Brandon was a crazy powerful dancer and I wish we had gotten to hear a speech from him since all the others got to say a bit. I am very happy for Jeanine, talented and sweet, who is supposedly giving her prize money away to charity. She’s got such humor: “Thank you, Academy.” I think Cat Deeley is splendid, and makes deft handling of a crowd of 3,000 look easy. She needs an Emmy ASAP. I love her fashion sense. She should tell Mary that when one wears a statement necklace, one should go easy on the earrings. I think they need to find some good Hip Hop choreographers before I assassinate NappyTabs. NappyTabs should clearly stick to group routines. I hope Nigel gets laid before he terrorizes any of the girls in Season 6. Season 6, so close!
I. CAN’T. WAIT.
