Let's have us a finale!
Posted: Wednesday, May 20, 2009 by Travis Cody in
Cue that theme music because we're awarding that fabulous mirror ball trophy tonight. That's right...and it's live from Hollywood!
Encores anyone?
We had a the group come together for a powerful Paso Doble.
Melissa and Tony danced a hip hop free style full of tricks.
Gilles and Cheryl Flashdanced a solid free style to What A Feeling.
But for me, Shawn and Mark had the dance of the night with a free style that was fun, frolicky, and fantastic.
So how did they stack up after Monday's performances? I'll tell you! It's like this...
58 Shawn and Mark
58 Gilles and Cheryl
56 Melissa and Tony
I make this one prediction...it's going to be dang close.
But before we get to the results, we've got oodles of entertainment!
It's Lady Gaga in the ballroom, singing Just Dance. I actually enjoy her voice and she certainly brings the energy.
And now it's our first video retrospective of the first three weeks of competition, with the parade of eliminated pairs. Melinda and Jonathan return with their Samba. Denise and Maks dance their Quickstep. Dmitry and Holly dance their Samba. And each celebrity reminds us why they went home early.
Awwww...I'm sorry. That was harsh.
Oh hey! Samantha Harris is on her way to Broadway this summer, as a member of the cast of Chicago! Break a leg darlin!
Now we have the return of Geek Feet, with Steve and Karina dancing their Quickstep, leading into the next video retrospective. David and Kym return with their beautiful Viennese Waltz. Steve and Lacey dance their Foxtrot.
Oh! It's the winner of the new pro competition. It's down to Mayo Alanen and Anna Demidova. And the new pro is...Anna Demidova! Well done my dear!
And we even get an encore of this terrific Quickstep, danced with Maks.
We continue with the parade of eliminated pairs, as LT interrupts his golf game to return to the ballroom to dance Jive with Edyta. Chuck and Julianne dance their sizzling Samba.
Oh my. It's Jeffrey Ross doing his version of a celebrity roast. He was mildly amusing, but mostly uncomfortable. Fortunately it was short.
Let's rev it back up with our final video retrospective. Lil Kim and Derek bring back their Jive. Ty and Chelsie reprise their Lindyhop.
And then there were three.
Our finalists get one last dance for scores...they'll choose their favorite dances from the season. These scores get added to the totals from last night, and then combine with votes to determine the winner. Fan votes count for 50%.
As long as nobody makes a glaring mistake, watch for these scores to get as close to a tie as possible to let the fans decide their favorite. And remember gang...it is about the votes and how they fall, not necessarily who was the best dancer.
Shawn and Mark dance Cha Cha Cha. This was her break through dance and next to that free style on Monday, it was their best dance of the season. And she brought it again! You can tell she really loves this dance. All that stiffness she usually has is completely gone. She's relaxed and having fun. Personality, technique, performance, and all the Cha Cha Cha content you could ask for. Outstanding! Judges say 10's across for a total of 30. She's done enough to win...did the fans come through?
Melissa and Tony dance Samba. She really earned her Latin wings on this dance. And she nailed it again this time around. It was exciting and sexy. They captured the character of the party dance to perfection. She held her energy throughout the performance. Great choice to close out. We've really enjoyed her this season. She's graceful and elegant, and she brings class to every dance. Fantastic performance! Judges say 10's across for a total of 30. She's been a great partner for Tony, coming in late as a replacement, and Tony deserves the win...it's up to the fans now.
Gilles and Cheryl dance Argentine Tango. There were so many fantastic dances they could have chosen. But this one was so precise. They set fire to the ballroom with this. It was smoldering and sensual. The footwork was sharp and the performance was sizzling. They were consistently the best pair all season. If you didn't know, you'd be hard pressed to pick which of them was the professional. Just stunning. Judges say 10's across for a total of 30. His elegance, sophistication, and characterization are brilliant...again, it's all about the fans.
There was no doubt in my mind that those dances would all earn straight 10's. They were that good.
Here's our final leader board:
88 Shawn and Mark
88 Gilles and Cheryl
86 Melissa and Tony
Damn close y'all. How will it end?
Lady Gaga returns for a musical interlude while the scores are tabulated. She brought her own dancers, which is a little disappointing because we always enjoy watching the DWTS pros.
And now the final results.
Finishing third, Melissa and Tony. Awwwwww.
Less than 1% separated first and second in the vote. Wow. Told ya it'd be close.
Finishing second, Gilles and Cheryl. Whoa!
Our champions, Shawn and Mark! Turns out they did enough and the fans carried the day! Came on strong at the end and peaked at the right moment, just like true champions. Well done!
And now it's over. Bummer.
But never fear! So You Think You Can Dance returns tomorrow with a 2 hour premier!
Adam Lambert and Kris Allen dueled it out in the American Idol finale last night. We like them both, and wish them both success in the next phase of their careers.
Based on the body of work throughout the entire season, we prefer Adam. But Kris is also very good and we wouldn't be surprised or disappointed with either of them winning.
Tune in tonight for the final results.
Whew! My Lakers got off to a slow start against Denver in game 1 of the Western Conference Final. But they battled back for a hard fought victory to take a 1 game to 0 lead.
This is going to be a tough series. Denver has the game plan to get it done. The Lakers need to bring effort to each game.
Well I tell you what Shawn winning was a real shocker to me. I don't think she deserved it. I thought she should be in third, Melissa winning and Gilles second. I think what this goes to show is how the young vote works. And tomorrow I wouldn't be surprised if Kris Allen takes the top prize on AI.