So it's not exactly a secret that I can be a little sappy, but man, I was not expecting there to be so many moments in Wednesday's final So You Think You Can Dance competition show that would get the waterworks aflowing. From the "OMG last time ever!" look on Courtney's face at the end of the intro to that Celine Dion song playing when Twitch talked about the Viennese Waltz, Twitch patting the stage at the end of his solo to Mia's group hug at the end, well, it was a night perfectly constructed to turn me into a sloppy mess. If I were Mary Murphy, I'd use words like how privileged I felt to be able to be on this journey with them and watch them grow, but I can't scream that loud, and so I'll leave it at this: I can't think of another reality show where I've felt so close to all the contestants in the final four, and that includes the best years of Project Runway.

Of course, only one dancer will take home the title tonight, and so after the jump, I'll take it routine by routine, trying to guess who will stand out. In general, I thought Courtney and Joshua had their best moments early in the show but were obviously flagging by the end, while Katee got better as the night went on and Twitch had maybe his greatest night of the whole season. Want to chat? Just read more.
Courtney and Twitch — I laughed so hard at the clip of Courtney whining "Stay home and read with meeee!" as Twitch dragged her across the stage. She really seemed to embody the crazy ex-girlfriend character, and Twitch was (unsurprisingly) a dapper wannabe man-about-town. More impressive: Courtney kept up with Twitch better at hip-hop than I think any non-hip-hopper of the season has. This was definitely a highlight of Courtney's night.
Katee and Joshua — First of all: Wade Robson! Where ya been, dude? I'm glad he could clear his schedule long enough to come choreograph something for the finale — and yet, I didn't love this routine. I thought Katee and Joshua performed it well, and the closeness of their relationship definitely comes through in their dancing. But some parts of the routine were angular and interesting and fun, while others were just a lot of rolling around. It definitely showcased how versatile Joshua is, though.
Katee and Courtney — I don't know who thought it would be a good idea to have them wear giant badger tails of tulle. In rehearsals, the dance looked so spirited and fun, the leaps so big, that twisting-through-each-other's-arms jump so powerful. On stage, it seemed smaller and wimpier, and I would have to guess that tentativeness came courtesy of those giant messes hanging off their backsides. That said, this routine did show a difference between the dancer with more training and the one with less — Katee finishes all her movements just that much more than Courtney does.

Twitch and Joshua — First of all, one of these years, I'd like the girls to get a confrontational dance-battle-style routine and not a "oh, we're such delicate flowers!" piece; the guys seem to have all the fun. That said, this number was a joy to watch . . . even if it might have landed the two in the hospital over the weekend. The routine was definitely a better showcase for Joshua; he got to do all those gigantic leaps while Twitch did a lot of . . . walking around and staring at him.
Katee and Twitch — They definitely pulled a tough number, getting a foxtrot on the last night, but I'm glad it was one with a lot of character and not just technique that Mary could pick apart later. The two of them were light when they were supposed to be light, smooth when they were supposed to be smooth — and that lift at the end, when Twitch pushed Katee into the air all figure-skating style, was a definite wow moment.
Joshua and Courtney — Must be tough to draw a jive at the end of the longest night of this season, but they still managed to look like they were having a good time. The routine was sloppy, though, and they couldn't really sell it well, which is a shame for two people who have been known for their performances.
The group number — I'm with Nigel in thinking this number was sort of like "the Scottish Olympics," all kilts and plaid. It was fun to watch, but I didn't take the emotion as joy the way Mia probably intended — more like relief. Joshua and Courtney (coming right off that jive!) obviously had a tough time with their one lift, giving the edge to Twitch and Katee just for making it to the end without clearly showing their exhaustion.
The solos — Courtney's wasn't her best for sure, but she looked comfortable and strong. Twitch was totally back to doing his Twitch thing, more dancing than theater, and he couldn't have picked a better time. Katee delivered the first solo of hers I've liked since the auditions; it used the music really well. And Joshua was just a big bundle of joy, but he might have hurt himself by only giving such a small space to dance in; I expected more from him.
Whew, what a marathon — and all I did was type!
Going into the performance show, I thought it was Joshua's competition to lose; he'd grown so much, adapted so well, and been so charming that he'd simply have to get votes. But the last impressions we got of him weren't the strongest, and now I'm thinking it's got to be Twitch or Katee. You?
Photos courtesy of Fox

















Citizens of Humanity
Kenneth Jay Lane
Puma
A friend and I voted 20 times for Josh! I mean it wasn't the best night for him but I thought about his continual progress over the show and chose him over Twitch even though he did his best EVER!
1I think Twitch or Katee also. I agreed with most of what was said above. The Jive was very "tired looking". Not as crisp and snappy as it should have been. But, I disagree about Joshua and Katee's Wade Robson number...I LOVED IT! I seriously have never disliked anything that man has done. He is totally a genius!! I seriously love Twitch. He has been my favorite from day one of SYTYCD and I really hope he will win.
2My vote (had I been able to not get a busy signal...) is for Josh!
3i really wish this was the end - because they all did sooo good that i don't want just one of them to end up being the winner.. having said that - i reallly reallly like josh... but by the end - he was tired... and i can see why - but it's when he needed to be the strongest - i think. mia has done such great choreography that i was actually a lil disappointed with this one.. i think she could have done something alot better than this olympic/circus running around dance...
4Buzz, I love your recap! I keep wondering what the jive would have been like if Katee and Joshua had been the two to sell it; they had such chemistry all season and I'd love to see *both* of them win! Twitch has never been one of my favorites, though I do think he belonged in the final as did Courtney but I'd hate to see either of them walk away with the win. It was an exhausting, emotional show last night; by far, this is my favorite reality show--and I even got my husband hooked on watching. He just asked, "what time does the show start tonight?"
5I know it was the season finale, and usually the fact that it's a season finale will secure the show tons of viewers, but i really thought it was lacking in the choreography. The dancers did great, but the girls really didn't get anything fun to do.
I was only able to get one vote in before i kept getting a busy signal. Sad face.
6I was thinking courtney heading into the finale but by the end I was sold on joshua. I gave him my vote!
7I am totally for Twitch! To me, he's the whole package. I am lucky apparently; I got in four votes for him and never once had a busy signal.
8i thought it was a great finale - it's interesting to me though - and i feel like i'm kind of being a bit cynical about it but i feel like throughout the season, they have been giving certain types of dances to certain dancers. yes the ones that they've claimed were the 2 BEST EVER ON THE SHOW are actually really amazing - but they've also had 97% of the crowd pleasing types of dances. i think that we can all appreciate a waltz or something like that - but when you have the funky high energy routines, you get into it more.
anyway, i'm' going to be sad when tonight is over since the show is my summer guilty pleasure but i guess it'll be ok cause it'll be back soon enough right?
9Josh was ON FIRE last night! That height. I seriously cannot get over it. Overall, I think the really competition is between Katee and Joshua.
10I thought the season finale was pretty good but doesn't stand up to season 2 or 3 at all.
11I'm hoping for Katee or Joshua.. I love them both. =)
12I was kinda disappointed w/ MM's final 4 number...I wanted something really fun and upbeat, like last year's WR number to Sexyback. =( Oh well, I'm just glad I'm not the only one who didn't "get it".
13"First of all, one of these years, I'd like the girls to get a confrontational dance-battle-style routine and not a "oh, we're such delicate flowers!" piece; the guys seem to have all the fun.
Buzz, what about Ashley and Melody's piece to "Message in a Bottle" by the Police from the end of season one? Nothing "delicate and flowery" about it, just awesome Mia Michael's jazz choreography.
14My predictions for tonight:
4th place: Courtney
153rd place: Twitch
2nd place: Joshua
1st place: Katee
firey — good point about that one! I would love to see a flat-out "anything you can do, I can do better"-style challenge, too — the girls may not always have as many "tricks" as the guys, but there are tons of leaps and turns that would look really impressive if two people squared off head to head.
16I really hope it is Joshua or Katee. I am not impressed with how much the judges are obsessed with Twitch.
17fireyelectra - I totally agree with you. I was thinking the same thing last night, but I have never really liked that Broadway dude (Tyce?) choreography anyway. Those girls could have done something fierce!
18I was disappointed with last night's choreography.
I expected so much more.
Even Mia Michaels, who I adore, didn't impress me.
The only thing that impressed me was the guys' dance. Josh was insane.
I believe Katee's going to win. I don't like her, but she really is the best of the four.
I can't wait for tonight...and the JONAS BROTHERS (my guilty pleasure). ha.
19I still think that Katee or Joshua will win, but I love Twitch. Really the only one I know for sure that won't win is Courtney. She is adorable and is a great dancer, but just not as good as the others.
20wiggle, if you ever read any of my comments here, I'm always complaining about how much I hate Tyce DiOrio's broadway routines. That's my modus operandi while watching the show: complain about how Tyce fundamentally doesn't understand what Broadway choreography looks like (you know, how it usually interprets the lyrics and tells a story and stuff). He's just not very dynamic when it comes to that stuff. BUT he has created some memorable jazz and contemporary routines, like Ivan and Allison's contemporary to Annie Lenox's "Why" from S. 2.
I wish Andy Blankenbuheler had a better reception on the show because I would much rather see him handle the Broadway stuff. But, then again, he's too busy choreographing Tony-winning shows.
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