Hooray! There's one very happy So You Think You Can Dance contestant wandering the world right now, and I have to say I'm pretty pleased with the voters' choice. Then again, after a season like this, it was really anyone's game — so to find out the winner and talk about the finale, just read more.
It's Joshua! Our little semi-trained popper ("a poppah!" says Nigel) and ex-football player, who just got his braces off, who wowed us with his vertical leaps and his versatility is America's Favorite Dancer '08! And based on the season as a whole, I think it was definitely the right choice. I know Joshua disappointed some people in the finale, but over the course of the past couple of months, he rarely let anyone down. He's a humble guy who looked flabbergasted when Cat told him he'd won, and he may have just given me a reason to check out Step Up 3D.
In the runner-up spot: Twitch, who scooted past Courtney and Katee to be No. 2 for the season. Honestly, that surprised me; I figured the top two would be Katee and one of the guys. But Twitch was more likable, and he did have his best night in the finale, which is a good time to really turn things up a notch or two and pick up some extra votes. I would love to see inside their magical results and know how close the voting was. It wasn't much of a surprise that Courtney was first to go, but after that, anyone could have ended up on top — I just thought Katee would be closer.
Overall, the results show had a lot of fantastic moments (and, well, the Jonas Brothers); here were a few more things that stood out to me:
- So, where do you think that $50,000 prize for Katee came from? Was the top girl always going to get something (or top guy, if the winner was a girl)? Was it special for her? SYTYCD has tended in the past couple of years not to reveal what you actually get if you win — "You'll be crowned America's Favorite Dancer! And, uh, some other stuff!" — and so it wouldn't surprise me if it was planned the whole season. But it does seem odd for the third-place dancer to get money while the second-place dancer doesn't and call it a matter of gender. Why not just give prizes to the top guy and girl if that's what you want to do?
- Overall, I was pretty happy with the judges' choices for the encore numbers — which is no surprise given how many of them were in my personal top 10. The best of the night, by a mile, was Will and Katee's pas de deux, which I thought was even more brilliant and moving than the first time they performed it.
- Also, seeing both standout Nap/Tab routines ("Bleeding Love" and "No Air") on the same night was pretty interesting. I may be unpopular here, but I still give the edge to "No Air" — though that may be because I like the song just that much better.
- A favorite little moment: Kherington picking up Gev during the dancer introductions in the beginning. Others: Mary screeching "Who was bucker?" to Lil C, Adam Shankman getting all upset about his loss to Miley Cyrus's M&M Cru at the Teen Choice Awards ("We smoked her! But she was hosting the show!"), and the rest of the judging panel trying to imitate Lil C's flowery language (the show is "a prestigious museum that features the most immaculate portraits ever to be painted on the dance floor," etc.).
- I have a feeling that the popping battle lost a little something in the translation to TV, but from what I saw, I was definitely on Team Robert. You?
- It may be cheesy, but frankly, I loved seeing the judges dance. All Idol could get was Paula's music video; Nigel was up there tapping with 10-year-olds!
- I'd totally forgotten this until her highlight reel, but Courtney was in the bottom three the very first week. Way to rally!
- Did anyone else have Donnie Darko flashbacks upon seeing Wade's Cirque du Soleil number?
- OK, so here's another thing that may make me wildly unpopular, but: The Jonas Brothers. I don't get it. I really went in thinking "Oh, now I'll finally be able to understand what all the hype is about," and instead I was just really disappointed, especially by the two singing Jonases. The one who plays guitar can stay.
- I don't think I've ever seen a routine to "Five Guys Named Moe" that I don't like. But where was our number with the top five girls? That would have been fun.
- Seeing some of the top dancers from previous seasons was great, especially with the little video postcard they recorded. Has Hok really been on all four seasons in one way or another? Also noteworthy: Lauren has crazy hair extensions, and Sara is a backup dancer (and singer!) for Avril Lavigne.
So, that's our show. Were you satisfied with the winner? Surprised by anything in the finale? And are you buying tickets for the tour?
Photos courtesy of Fox
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As a huge fan of the show I must say I am a bit upset that in the final wire it didn't come down to Josh and Katee. Don't get me wrong, I did like Twitch- but I liked Katee a heck of a lot more. I would have been thrilled if she took the show altogether as she is an amazing dancer. I believe both her and Josh were never in the bottom three though I could be wrong.