And America's Favorite Dancer is...

Posted: Friday, August 08, 2008 by Travis Cody in
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At the end of this post is the name of America's Favorite Dancer for 2008. In between here and there, I have tons of stuff! Bring your lunch!

Let's start with some encores from last night.

Here is the Foxtrot from Katee & Twitch. His technique is flawed, but he makes up for it with charm and personality. Katee is stunning. And check that lift at the end!


Each dancer had five routines to learn and practice for Wednesday, plus whatever dances they were asked to do on Thursday night. The boys really kicked it into high gear on this Russian Trepak.


Wade Robson returned this week to make a beautiful lyrical dance for Katee & Joshua.


So just to recap...

We started months ago with thousands of hopefuls. Twenty dancers emerged in Las Vegas. Ten of those dancers will go on tour this fall. And four performed on Wednesday for America's votes.

One of these four will be America's Favorite Dancer...Courtney Galiano, Stephen "Twitch" Boss, Katee Shean, Joshua Allen.

Let's celebrate! Who's got CAKE?

It's a full panel of judges with Mia Michaels, Adam Shankman, Debbie Allen, Lil C, and the regulars Nigel Lythgoe and Mary Murphy. Adam announces that the winner will earn a role in the third Step Up movie.

The Top 20 returns, minus Jessica who is still recovering from a rib injury, dancing a Shane Sparks hip hop routine.

Nigel selects the Bollywood number as one of his favorite dances this season.

Mary chooses the Rumba from Courtney and Gev. I think this was the first time Pam and I really began to appreciate Courtney.

Now we have a pop off between Robert Murraine and Philip Chbeeb. Philip had to withdraw before Vegas due to illness, and Robert withdrew from Vegas prior to trying the choreography. Wow. That was amazing. So who's better?

We can't choose because they were both outstanding. Judges say Philip was more musical, but Robert was more dramatic. Here's how the judges voted.

Philip - Mia
Robert - Adam, Debbie, Nigel, Mary, Lil C

I don't know how well either of those kids would have done with the demands of choreography on this show, but they sure did give us a new appreciation for popping.

Adam chooses as his favorite the hip hop from Comfort & Twitch by Dave Scott.

Lil C wants to see the hip hop from Chelsie and Mark by Tabitha & Napoleon. This is one of our favorites too.

Whoa! Mary Murhpy takes the stage with Dimitry from season 2 in a sexy Samba. I remember she said she wanted a chance to dance with him. That was fun! And I gotta figure out where I should write to get Dancing with the Stars to invite Dimitry on the show as a pro partner.

Mia says this season had the best choreography of any season, and she selects the Pas de Deux from Katee and Will by Desmond Richardson and Dwight Rhoden. This is simply stunning. And Will gets to dance it for his mentor, Debbie Allen. Beautiful.

Adam has to choose another dance to follow that Pas de Deux. He selects the jazz piece by Sonya, danced by Courtney and Mark. This was such a perfect style for Mark...it took his quirkiness and let it shine.

Oh drat! We've been having so much fun that I almost forgot why we're here. We have to cut down from 4 to 3. The first person out is Courtney. We think she grew the most of any dancer this season. She has an incredible career in front of her.


The Top 5 guys reprise the dance choreographed by Nigel to the tune Five Guys Named Mo.

Cirque du Soleil is in the house, from the cast of Criss Angel Believe and choreographed by Wade Robson. That's what he's been doing this season instead of making dances for the Top 20...being brilliant in Las Vegas.

Oh no! Now we're cutting down to the Final 2. Whoa! Katee is out. A hip hop dancer is going to win this show! Whoa! That's shocking. Either one of those boys deserves to win, but I think Katee is the best dancer in the Top 4.

But this show is about America's favorite. There's no predicting how America will vote.

Now how cool is that! As the top finishing girl, Katee won $50,000! That's fantastic!


Joshua or Twitch. Twitch or Joshua. Props to the two free style street dancers who haven't had the formal training. But guess what? They are dancers and they danced. They were charming and talented and charismatic. And they entertained us. And we picked up the phone and voted for them. And that's what this show is.

Well done gentlemen!

Debbie Allen praises how the show evolved this season, from the new dance styles to the introduction of innovative choreography. And now we have dancers from the Debbie Allen Dance Academy, with Nigel up there tapping with the kids, lest we forget that Mr Curmudgeon actually is a real dancer. And that choreography wasn't slowed down in the slightest when he got up there either.

That was terrific! You have to search that out on youtube. And Adam says he wants to take Nigel on next season, while Debbie suggests that every judge on the panel should dance at some point in the season. I say yes!

Now Mary selects another favorite dance, the hip hop from Katee and Twitch choreographed by Mia.

The Jonas Brothers are on stage. I don't get the appeal of these kids. I think the next time one of them sings a note in tune will be the first time.

Ooops...sorry to any fans of The Jonas Brothers who may be reading.

Let's get back to some more favorite dances. Debbie selects the Viennese Waltz from Kherington and Twitch by Jean Marc Genereaux. This is our favorite dance of the season...mine and Pam's together.

Nigel selects the final favorite routine, a dance made by Tabitha & Napoleon. They emerged as one of the most innovative choreographers this season, joining Wade and Mia and Tyce in making brilliant dances for brilliant dancers. This is Katee and Joshua from the very first week.

We have a great interlude with some dancers from the previous three seasons. This is cool because it isn't easy to see these kids again. That makes me smile to see the past performers on stage with the current Top 20.

I love dance.

And now we're down to it. The dancing is over and it's time to find out who wins.

Joshua or Twitch. Twitch or Joshua. Which free style street dancer will it be?

Congratulations to Twitch for making it to the Final Two.


America's Favorite Dancer is Joshua Allen!


Best. Season. Ever.

26 comments:

  1. i was hoping there would be cake!!!

    smiles, bee
    xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

  1. Marsha says:

    Totally awesome show! I held out for Twitch until the end but I sure can't find fault with the results. Congratulations Joshua!

  1. Julie says:

    It was very exciting and as enjoyable as it could be! Two hours in front of a tv very well spent.

    Thanks for sharing the season with me honey!

  1. WHAT A SHOW!....

    The entire show was put together so well...some incredible dances reprised...I enjoyed seeing Mary and Nigel dance and I hope they do allow the judges to dance next year.

    I agree that I wanted Twitch to win, but I can not argue with the results.

    Thanks for an incredible season of recaps Travis.

  1. DrillerAA says:

    Loved the show last night.
    I thought Robert won the poppin' hands down. After a couple of minutes Phillip was repeating tricks while Robert was still showing us new stuff. It was just incredible fun.
    Didn't need the Jonas Brothers at all. Maybe they could duet with Lady Gaga somewhere.
    Congratulations to the entire top 20 for giving us a reason to watch and congratulations to Joshua for making his own dream come true.
    Thank you Travis for keeping us all informed.

  1. Anndi says:

    Best.Season.Ever!

    Bleeding Heart by Chelsie and Mark was my favourite of the season and I was so happy to see it again.

    Chicklet got a major giggle at watching old Curmudgeon dancing with the kids - she then reminded me I used to tap and she proceeded to soft shoe all over the living room!
    We were REAL impressed with Mary, DANG! I agree about Dimitry and DWTS... wow!

    The popping was SICK! I've seen Robert in an IKEA ad!

    I didn't see Sabra though... hmmmm

    I am now waiting for So You Think You Can Dance CANADA!!! WOOOOOOOO!!

  1. Akelamalu says:

    Oh your favourite didn't win, what a shame. :(

    You put so much work into all your posts Trav, it's like I was watching it on TV. Thanks. :)

  1. MY BOY WON!


    Damn! First Idol now AFD...I am on a roll.

  1. Ivanhoe says:

    See, I did not need to watch...just visit you and get an awesome recap. And a cake :o)
    Have a wonderful weekend!

  1. Sandee says:

    I'm glad you had tons of fun Travis. Have a great Friday and weekend. :)

  1. Anonymous says:

    Wow, your recap was better than mine! I wish you would have stopped by and joined my bloggy carnival about SYTYCD. Maybe next summer we can get together and share the comment love.

    Until then.

  1. How strange, I didn't even know my son was competing. and now he's "black?"

    My son's name is Joshua Allen Gramlich

  1. Linda says:

    Good thing you served cake in the middle there as I didn't have time to pack a lunch before I started reading!

    This post just goes to show why I don't have to watch the actual show as you do a wonderful job reviewing and showing the best dances!

    I think it's great that someone without any formal training won the top prize as it just goes to show that things that come from your heart - whether it be musical ability or dancing ability - are what really counts in the big scheme of things.

  1. j says:

    So the answer to the question of can a break dancer win is... No.

    Looks like it was a great show. What is next as for Dance Shows?

    Jen

  1. BeckEye says:

    Great recap!

    Mark was definitely my favorite, but he certainly wasn't the best dancer. Still, I was hoping he'd at least last until the finale. But, he got to dance again (twice) so that's cool.

    I'm glad Joshua won, and I had a feeling that he would. I was surprised that it didn't come down to him and Katee though. I guess that just goes to show that personality goes a long way on this show, and Twitch had tons of it. I want one of those glasses t-shirts...or maybe the Supertwitch logo. ;)

    Although I would've preferred Chelsie over Courtney (I like them both) in the finale, Courtney's goodbye/thank you speech was quite moving and made me like her even more. She seems like such a sweet girl.

    I also agree with Debbie that every judge should have to dance at some point. The contestants would take them more seriously (not that they don't know) when they actually SEE that they know what they're talking about. Not like a singer on AI trying to take advice from freakin' Paula Abdul. Give me a break.

    My only gripe about last night....NO PASHA!!!! Arrrrrghhh! I thought for sure he would be there. They said all the choreographers from the season were there, and they brought back some favorites from the past seasons, so where the heck was he?? Good Lord I love that guy. I need to go watch some of his YouTubeness this weekend. :)

  1. TopChamp says:

    five guys named mo - what a trumpet solo!

    sorry - it's about the dancing isn't it.

  1. I agree, I loved this season, and I was so happy that Joshua won! I although I loved all of the final four.

  1. Bee: There should always be CAKE!

    Marsha: Indeed!

    Julie: And thanks to you for the same!

    V: It was my pleasure. And I would have done it if nobody read a single word.

    Drilleraa: I agree with you about Robert, after I've had a chance to think about it. It was a great season and now it's on to DWTS!

    Ann: Chicklet's dancing eh? That's great!

    Akelamalu: My favorite didn't get the big money, but all of those kids are winners.

    Starr: Congrats!

    Ivanhoe: I'm glad you enjoyed!

    Sandee: Now I need a rest!

    Smoochiefrog. I'm sorry I missed your blog. I'll be sure to add you to my reader. Thanks for cruising by!

    Charles: LOL!

    Linda: I was happy to be exposed to hip hop and free style like I was this season. I've got a new appreciation for the athleticism and strength in the artform.

    Jennifer: Actually, the answer is a resounding yes! Next up is Dancing with the Stars in Sept!

    Beck: We missed Pasha too. But I love that they brought back previous cast members.

    TC: It's about whatever makes you happy!

    Joely: It was a great ending to a fantastic season!

  1. Liz Hill says:

    I'm thrilled that you loved the show that much.

    Is it too early to start the countdown to DWTS;-)

  1. Travis,I have an award waiting for you on the mjgolch.wordpress.com site come over and get it!

  1. Grandy says:

    It was a good finale. Fun to watch.

  1. Turn: It's never too early!

    Mike: Thanks! I'll cruise on by soon!

    Grandy: It was.

  1. RW says:

    Thanks for the blow by blow Travis! I missed it, I have to admit I have never been interested in Dance contest and would have never had an interest if it had not been for your great commentary of them. So now it sucks if I miss a show but I am glad your here to give me the update, thanks man!

  1. Anonymous says:

    You're right! Best season ever. I ♥ this show, and Josh was my favorite.

    Thanks for the cake.

  1. Janna says:

    I have no idea what any of this is about, but I'm going to pretend I'm excited along with the rest of you.
    This is because I want you to share your CAKE with me.

    Me: (*awkwardly cheering*) "Yay! Yay for the... the thing! And the... the people! Yay people! Hooray for whoever did something! Oh, look, is that CAKE?"

  1. Kimmie says:

    I really enjoyed the finale. Joshua is a great dancer and I am very happy for him. The other three, each of them were all just so darn good. Like I said before, they are all winners in my eyes. What a great season, even though I missed some of it, I enjoyed all that I did get to see, plus your re-caps were great. Thank You for them. :-)

    Well, before we know it, we will be watching DWTS! Whoopa!!!

    Hugs,
    Kimmie