The Big Finish

Well, here we are!  How did America vote?  Let's recap tonight's show, and then we'll find out...

First, as I come into this show tonight mulling over how I think/hope it will turn out, I find myself mostly brewing about the controversy over Cyrus - 'cause make no mistake, there's been controversy.  LOTS o' people don't seem to think he deserves to be here, and yet a mighty lot also seem convinced that, being about America's favorite dancer, he's sitting right where he oughta be.  I'm torn.  As someone who firmly believed Jakob should've won over Russell on the same logic (better dancer v. favorite), it's hard to argue Cyrus should win.  Yet, I'm the first to defend (now) that this is, indeed, a popularity contest.  The dancers must not just be technically proficient, they also have to win the hearts of the audience.  So after a LOT of soul-searching on the subject, where I find myself coming down, is this:  Chehon is clear and away the better dancer.  He's brilliant, in fact.  But it took him all season to win me over as a performer.  To me, that says just as much as Cyrus' technical deficiencies, especially in a contest about favorites.  Does that mean I hope Cyrus will win?  Not necessarily, but it does mean I feel comfortable that I can defend the show in good conscience if he does.  And now, on with the show!

WOW, what a stupendous opening routine!  I worried that the much-hyped Sonya Tayeh and Christopher Scott co-developed routine would ultimately fail to measure up, but I am thankful to be very, very wrong.  Was Nigel right that it was the best opening routine ever?  Meh, I'm still a fan of Rama Lama (although admittedly, I can't remember if was actually an opening routine...), and I'm not convinced there haven't been some other equally terrific openers, but this was stellar in its own right, no doubt.  I loved everything about it - the mood, the music, the costumes, the blend of dance styles, the choreography, and even the Emmy-winning lighting.  Fantastic opening for the show.

In the interest of brevity and because we've seen all the "favorites" routines before, I'm just going to hit a few highlight thoughts:
- I love Twitch.  Immensely.  But he can just go home when that number he does with Witney comes up, because I am riveted to her every time I watch it.  Girl rocked the HOUSE!  I don't even have an adjective buck enough for that dance. Mm.
- I forgot how much I loved Love Cats.
- Stop making me cry.
- LOVED the Christopher Scott hip-hop WITH Christopher Scott in it.  BOOYAH!
- I wanna live at Dragon House!  And Brian Gaynor remains one of my all-time favorite SYTYCD auditioners.
- Say what you will about Cyrus' overall dance talent:  that boy can animate like nobody.  NOBODY.
- As for that NappyTabs routine with the allstars and the top 10?  There are not words.  There was entirely too much awesomeness going on in that number to possibly put an adjective to it.  It would be limiting, no matter what I chose.  That is right up there with Rama Lama for me.  Wow, I just said that. It was THAT good.

Now, a word about the winners' circle (emphasis on winnerS):
I'm still not sure how I feel about the two-winner format.  Yeah, it was a shortened season with only one show a week, but I'm not sure that that alone necessitated two winners.  Yeah, yeah, we hate picking ONE winner, and sometimes it seems severely leaned in favor of one gender or another, but really, we've managed it for eight seasons.  And an equal number of girls and boys have won (Nick, Benji, (Josh? I can never remember the dude who won Twitch's year!), Russell for men; Sabra, Janine, Lauren, and Melanie for the ladies), so really, I think we coulda handled it.  But, okay, I'll grant us all a one-season copout.  Just don't do it again, Nigel.

As for the winners themselves?  Woulda been truly heartbroken for either girl that didn't win, because both were exceptional and either as winner woulda been a satisfying answer.  And I'm willing to bet the vote spread was minimal.  So, my congratulations to Eliana, a truly spectacular talent, and very deserving winner.  As for the guys:  yeah, I'll admit I ended up being a bit disappointed for Cyrus, and a bit surprised too.  I really thought Nigel's end-of-show commentary last week mighta pushed the votes to defending Cyrus, but I guess not.  Still, it's not an unhappy or undeserved result, and I'm happy for Chehon, who's clearly worked for this moment.

And with that, you have your Season 9 favorite dancers, America:  Chehon and Eliana.  Bring on Season 10!!!