Recap of So You Think You Can Dance Season 5 Finale

So You Think You Can Dance season five has come to a close, and we're already talking about (not to mention talking to) the winner. But there's still much to discuss about Thursday's results show.

• If there was anything shocking in Thursday's show for me, it was Kayla finishing in fourth place. I think this is where the "favorite" part of the America's favorite dancer title really took over: She's incredibly proficient technically, but I'm not sure that her personality won a huge segment of the audience over. Compare that with Evan, who finished above her despite a rough outing and harsh comments from the judges on Wednesday. He had the whole Kodak chanting his name at one point — and I think that's a likability thing, not a dancing thing.
• That said . . . when it came down to Brandon vs. Jeanine for the final two, I knew I'd be happy with either winner. It was a cool feeling and not unlike how I felt during this year's American Idol finale. Brandon had obviously been a strong competitor from the start, but Jeanine really came on strong later in the season. Is there a moment you started to think she could win? For me, it was her Travis Wall-choreographed duet with Jason — but I'm not sure I really believed she could take the title until her solo on Wednesday.
• I always love seeing which routines the judges pick as their favorites. Were there any surprises for you in this set? When I saw Jeanine and Phillip come on the stage, I was sure it would be the chained-together hip-hop routine. I was shocked that it was a number I barely remembered from the first week of the season! There were actually a couple of early routines in there: I'd also nearly forgotten Kayla and Max's ballroom number from the first show.
• I wasn't at all surprised to see Melissa and Ade's breast cancer routine again (and I'm glad Tyce could share his friend's joy), nor was I shocked to see the addiction routine. I was surprised by Debbie's pick of the "Calle Ocho" group number — but I have to say, it was so much cooler than I remembered. I'm glad to have gotten to see it again.
• Looking back, which do you think was the strongest couple of the season? I have to go with Brandon and Janette. They were the only couple to have two routines in the judges' favorites.
• What did you think of Australia's favorite dancer? Could she compete here? On a related note, I think Sonya is quickly becoming my favorite SYTYCD choreographer.
• The littlest Rage Boy just kills me. He's so tiny!
• I was worried Evan wasn't going to end up with any routines in the favorites! But no — "the butt routine" made an appearance. That's definitely in my top tier for the year, so I was thrilled that it got an encore. But I did feel terrible for Evan that he had to get sent home while wearing that silly, oversized suit.