So You Think You Can Dance: The Finale Part 2 by Kara Howland

And the winner is…

…usually I would torture you a bit. I’ve never understood why the finale is 2 hours long. I understand that they want to heighten our expectations and I’m sure Fox and all it’s affiliates want to make as much money as possible (on commercials, of course). But it’s a whole lotta torture as far as I’m concerned. So I’ll tell you right now who the winner is: it’s Lauren.

And what about the highlights from tonight’s show? You know I have to start with the wonderfully delicious Cat Deeley. I feel like she’s really stepped up her game this season. I’ve always loved her but this year I enjoyed the back-and-forth dialogue she got going with both the dancers and the judges. It’s nice to see her personality come out beyond the audition episodes. I hope we get to see even more of that next summer. Oh, yeah. I forgot to talk about how she looks tonight. Divine. The dress is a bit over-the-top for me but it’s the finale. I’ll allow it.

Group Dance
Ra / Nathan Lanier
Nice spotlight moment for Melinda doing her tap thing. I love seeing Dom and Jose battle it out in their style. Twitch surrounded by his girls in red is hot. Oh, I love that Alex is there. He’s not allowed to stand unassisted but I love that he’s there in a chair. Great spotlight for the rest of the guys. And then they all come together (contestants and all-stars) with the final 3 at the front of the pack. Christopher Scott from LXD choreographed.

Finally. There’s my Mary Murphy. I have missed her all season. Seriously.

What do the judges want to see again?
Kenny Ortega chooses Tyce DiOrio’s Shoeless Joe – Kent and Neil
Nigel picks Stacey Tookey’s Mad World – Billy and Ade

Special Guest #1: Quest
Suzy / Caravan Palace
Hok’s hair gets stranger and stranger but I still love him. Ryan is still great too. I love the b-boys. Always so inventive and visually stimulating.

What other performances do the judges want to see again?
Mia wants to re-view NappyTabs’ Fallin’ – Adechike and Comfort

A judge doesn’t pick it, but Kent and Anya’s My First Kiss piece is next.

Tyce would like to re-visit NappyTabs’ Scars – Robert and Dominic

Nigel takes to the stage for his performance. He claims the Season 7 curse has happened again. He’s got two stand-ins but a 7 year-old interrupts. Luke wants to fill in for Nigel. The kid has some chops. It goes on for a bit too long for me but he was adorable. So talented.

The Menzari Brothers impressed Nigel on National Dance day so they get their time in the spotlight. Very nice precision. Great job and fun to watch.

Another favorite routine of the judges?
Nigel picks Miriam and Leonardo’s Oblivion – Lauren and Pasha
Adam chooses Travis Wall’s Fix You – Robert and Allison

Last season’s winner Russel performs with Lil’ C
Hazardous / Buckmouth
Krumping is so cool. It’s nice to see two amazing technicians battle in this style. They are really amazing. And I like that it’s a slower version of what we’d usually think of Krump. This way we can really see everything.

What other highlights do the judges want to see from this season?
Mary Murphy requests to see NappyTab’s Battle for the Beat – Jose and Dominic. Was it just me or did Jose seem very low energy in that? It was a little disappointing this time.

Nigel invited this season’s SYTYCD winner from the UK version. She performs a Mandy Moore piece with all-star Neil. Her name is Charlie Bruce.
I Surrender / Celine Dion
Pretty impressive after a quiet start. Wow. This piece is very lift-heavy but I’m really enjoying it. Nice job.

It’s time to see the final three on the stage. For one of them the journey ends now. The dancer in 3rd place is Robert.

What’s the next stand out routine?
Adam wants to see NappyTabs’ My Chick Bad – Lauren and Twitch
Cat picks Sonya Tayeh’s Hallelujah – Alex and Allison

There’s time for two more favorite performances. What are they?
Stacey wants to see Nakul Dev Mahajan’s Ganesh – Billy and Robert
Mia picks the final piece, Travis Wall’s How It Ends – Kent and Neil

It’s time for some music. Black Gold with Shine.

There’s one last surprise that Cat claims everyone will be talking about tomorrow. I had heard it was Ellen Degeneres but I had to see it to believe it. She’s no Alex but I’m really enjoying Outta Your Mind with Twitch. It’s making me laugh if nothing else. And then they bring Alex out on his crutches. Nice!

Let’s get down to business. Lauren and Kent come back out on stage. Kent takes the runner-up spot and Lauren takes it all. I’m genuinely shocked but so incredibly happy for her. Wow. WOW.