Cat welcomes us to the second part of the season finale, in one of those toga-esque dresses that make me love her, and then gives way for a huge group number in which several of America's non-favorite dancers perform their big flashy disco-y number from The Wiz, the one where they use the picture frame, nicely updated to make use of the bigger stage, not to mention all the lights around the stage.
Then Cat comes back out, thanking the top 20 dancers, with special thanks to the top four, who are projected on the screen behind her, with the audience cheering for each one. Jeanine gets the biggest cheer, as it happens.
And Lil' C, Mia Michaels (dressed like she's going to a funeral), Tyce Diorio, Debbie Allen, Adam Shankman, Mary Murphy and Nigel are all at the judges' table. Actually, they're all in black, with various accessories. And then we're right into the montages, which inexplicably feature Sex. Sex is the first person we see. [I am sending out prayers that he's not a part of Season 6. -- Angel] Tons of highlights, like Melissa the naughty ballerina, the same-sex ballroom dancers, and then the sexless Sex again, Mary crying when she sees Brandon audition... and then we're into Vegas, and Mia bitching about Brandon and Mary getting annoyed about it. We see the top twenty dancers making their walk down video alley, and then we're into dance highlights -- which is good, because I'd forgotten that breast cancer is bad -- and then there's Mia saying that Brandon is amazing, and then there are some eliminations, and now we're down to the top four.
Cat says we're going to be revisiting some of the favorite routines of the season, plus one or two surprises. Hey, maybe they can hype a dance by a non-dancer as "the performance of a lifetime," and then get all self-righteous about people being understandably disappointed by pointing out that it was done for a children's charity! That would be fun!
And then because we have two hours to fill, we get a recap of what happened last night, and when that's done, Cat announces that she's going to ask the judges what their favorite routines. Adam acts all surprised by the question, and then says he loved Taboleon's first routine of the season, "Mad," both because it featured Phillip Chbeeb and started Jeanine on her rise to dominance, and then we watch the routine again. Nice to see Phillip again, what with their being a shutout of hip-hoppers in the top 10.
Nigel picks the Argentine tango down by Janette and Brandon, and he says he didn't know at the time that Janette and Brandon would become stars. I think everyone's just relieved that he didn't make some horndog comment about some piece that featured skimpy clothing on a woman one-third his age. It's the finale, he's in formal wear, we're going for elegance, and Janette and Brandon come out to class up the joint with the tango again.
Debbie Allen picks a "romantic, magical" waltz down by Louis Van Amstel, danced by Asuka and Vitolio. She says she loved the elegance and grace of it, and it showed how much they'd developed, and then we watch it again. Oh yeah, this is the one where Enya warbles. Yes, it's very graceful. Asuka moves like liquid.
Cat has to shield her eyes from the glare off the curtain of diamonds that Mary is wearing, and Mary screams that her favorite dance was Travis Wall's piece with Jeanine and Jason, apparently because Jeanine and Jason made out at the end of it. Cat says "smoocheroonie" again. Yeah, focus on this kind of thing, and then chastise the voters when they pick dancers based on which ones they like instead of the more technically proficient dancers, right?
Cat then pimps the SYTYCD tour, and then asks Mia what her favorite routine is. Mia says it was a "smokin' hot samba" by Louis Van Amstel danced by Max and Kayla. She says it was fantabulous. I can only assume, based on Mia's choice, that the judges were told they couldn't pick their own routines. Anyway, the dance actually seems less "smokin' hot" than it did the first time around, to me, anyway.
Then Cat talks about how tense and demanding the final week has been on the top four, so the dancers were treated to a night on the town, starting with a limo ride to the MGM tower, where they are greeted by Kherington from last season, who informs them that they're going to be the first to see her movie, which is the remake of Fame, and then we get basically a commercial for the movie, and the most lasting impression I have of it is that Kelsey Grammer is in it. Afterwards, Cat tells that Debbie Allen is in it as well, and then Debbie gets a chance to extend the attention to the Fame 2.0 sequel, which is apparently not about making money, but about bringing culture to kids, or something like that, and then she quotes the iconic "right here is where you start paying, in sweat," and then we can all pretend that this will be a remake that won't have everyone thinking the original was better.
And then Debbie gets to "pick" (well, announce, anyway) another favorite routine, which was a group number done by Dmitry and Taboleon, the Calle Ocho routine, which as you'll recall featured the dancers lounging around pre-orgy, and then it's one of the annoyingly shot routines that feature a lot of quick cuts such that it's hard in places to actually see any actual, you know, dancing. [I dunno, I liked all the water splashing around and the hair flinging making it look like a trashy music video. -- AC]
Then Nigel talks about So You Think You Can Dance Australia, and introduces the winner, a ballet dancer Talia Fowler, doing a routine by Sonya. She dances a contemporary routine to that "Bang Bang My Baby Shot Me Down" song, which was confusingly not credited to Nancy Sinatra, which becomes clear once the beats kick in and the vocals get all skittery. I can't say a whole lot about the routine, which for the most part comes off like an extended solo by a contemporary dancer facing elimination, with the rolling around on the floor. There's some jerky movement that she actually didn't hit hard enough.
Lil' C picks the "Jai Ho" routine as his favorite, which he calls one of the most complicated and intricate Bollywood numbers they've ever had on this show. Yeah, out of ALL the Bollywood numbers this show has had, this was the most complicated. Caitlin and Jason come out to do the routine, which is great again. I liked Caitlin and was sorry to see her go.
And then Cat brings the top four out on stage, saying it's time for some results. She tells the dancers she's going to tell one of them that the journey is over. In fourth place: Kayla. She takes it like a pro, hugs the remaining three, and goes to stand with Cat, who introduces the montage of her best moments. Kayla's a sweet kid, and this is unfortunate, since I don't really recall much but effusive praise from the judges week in and week out.
Cat asks her what she remembers most, and Kayla says she'll remember working with the choreographers, especially Mia, who she says can really push you to achieve stuff you didn't know you were capable of. And then she says some vagueness about how she's going to miss everybody, and she gets an armful of flowers and then she's gone.
Then Adam picks another of his favorite routines, which is a Mia Michaels piece, which he feels showcases her fun side, rather than her dark side. Then he tells Mia that he's a butt man. Snicker. Nice one, Adam. How can you not like Shankman? Naturally, this brings out Evan and Randi for the butt dance. Poor bashful Randi! The camera work seems a little less butt-centric than I remember it.
Mary's turn to pick a routine that really stood out for her, and I guess you're free to pick what you want, but she picks a third Louis Van Amstel piece, and one that was danced just last night to boot: Jeanine and Brandon doing the Paso Matrix. Maybe Mary just can't remember any further back after a botched Botox numbed some of her brain.
After they're done, Cat asks them to stay, and brings Evan back out on stage, because it's time for more results. In third place after last night: Evan, which means that Nigel's prediction of Brandon and Jeanine in the top two was right. Or, if you prefer, he made it happen.
We watch an Evan montage. I enjoy watching the montage, because Evan looks most like me of any of the dancers I've seen thus far, although my stomach makes Evan's stomach looks like Brandon's stomach. I mean, it's not Chris Farley in his Chippendales audition, but... let's just move on. Evan thanks all his friends and family for their support and calls it an amazing journey, and says he never imagined he'd end up here. He says he'll remember best his new friends and working with the choreographers. Then he gets his big bouquet and looks like he's struggling not to cry a little bit.
After a commercial break, Cat asks Nigel for another favorite moment of his, and he says it was when Mary admitted to using Botox, and then she screeches at him about what a classy evening it was up until now, and he responds by asking if the jewelry she's wearing used to be a hand mirror that shattered when she screamed. And then talks about how moving Mia Michaels' routines are every season, and selects the addiction piece danced by Kayla and Kupono. Addiction is bad, mmmkay? I wonder if that was harder for Kayla after she was eliminated. If it was, it didn't show.
Then Cat introduces the Rage Boys Crew, saying these performers garnered the biggest response of any group they've ever had. I imagine that's largely due to the pint-size seven-year-old star of the routine, the one who gets tossed around like a doll. T.J. gets singled out for attention from Cat, because he's missing a tooth, lost when he tried a back handspring off a couch.
Cat then asks Tasty Oreo for his favorite routine, and Tyce picks a Doriana Sanchez disco routine and blathers on about how he danced to this song when he was twelve, and then Brandon and Janette come out to send Tyce on a nostalgic little trip back to his childhood.
Time for the final judges' pick, which is Mia's, and in no great shock, she introduces Tyce's breast-cancer piece, which she says opened people's eyes to what's really going on. I've said all I really want to say about how much it didn't do anything of the sort, so I'm not going to get into it again, but there is some good news, Mia tells us, and Tyce says the friend he choreographed this routine for found out today that she's cancer-free. So Melissa and Ade come out to shed even more light than was previously shed on breast cancer, and I think, thanks to this being the second time the routine was done, it might even be cured now. So that's a good job by them!
And now Cat's at an empty judges table, introducing Mia Michaels' Chorus Line piece featuring the top eight dancers. And if you put two and two together, Cat's "very special guests" comment together with the empty judges' chairs, the sudden appearance of the judges in the routine is not surprising, but it was awfully sweet, and they all seem to enjoy themselves immensely. Whatever else you can say about the judges, they're experts in their field with an overwhelming love for their art form, and frankly, we should get to see them join in a little more often than the occasional cameo.
And after the commercial break, Jeanine and Brandon are centre stage, holding hands, the other dancers gathered on the side.
We watch a montage of the journey the two of them have made through the competition (thank God we ignore the Mia Michaels vs. Brandon bullshit this time around).
Cat asks Nigel if he wants to say anything. "They justly deserve to be there," he says, and eschews the corny "everyone's a winner" sentiment because that would detract from the actual winner. He says he's delighted with the result, and wants Cat to get on with it and tell everyone.
"America's favorite dancer is ... Jeanine," says Cat. Her face crumples. She and Brandon hug. Cat asks if she ever thought in a million years she'd be here right now. Jeanine's crying and laughing and talks about the amazing people she's met and then jokingly thanks the Academy (what with her being in the Kodak theatre). Then she sweetly thanks her mom for pushing her and says she loves her. Cat asks what she'll remember most. "Right now, that's one," says Jeanine, and then "these kids over here," she says, pointing to the other dancers, and then Travis's dance, and then Cat. "I'm only four?" says Cat, in mock outrage. "I could have said someone else's name on this card!"
Cat thanks everyone, the audience, the judges, everyone who voted, and orders up another round of applause. Man, I don't know how you fix this, but the runner-up really gets hosed in terms of their sendoff, don't they? Brandon's holding some flowers on the side, but he doesn't get to hug Cat and reminisce like numbers twenty through three (and one).
Credits roll over the mass hugging on stage as the judges join the dancers. Watch those hands, Nigel!
Thanks, everyone, and we'll see you season. Which is to say, month. For crying out loud! I know we all love dance, but shouldn't they let Jeanine be America's Favorite Dancer for more than just, you know, a month?