Let's have us a finale!

Posted: Wednesday, May 20, 2009 by Travis Cody in
21

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.

21 comments:

  1. Anonymous says:

    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.

  1. Anonymous says:

    I've said from the git go that Adam and Kris would be in the Final. I think Adam will win, but it's Kris' music that I will be buying!

  1. Liz Hill says:

    I liked Gilles best. I like Kris as an artist whose music I would buy. Adam has a singular talent but so does Michael Bolton and I run to turn off the radio when he comes on.

    Our friend Busy has been busy and I've spread the love to you!

  1. I would have been happy with any of the three as winners this season. And now, on to Thursday night. SYTYCD is one of my favorite shows ever. There is always some amazing talent to watch. See ya Thursday night.

  1. Ivanhoe says:

    I watched, Trav. I watched! :o) As you know I missed most of the season & I love Shawn & she did fantastic...but I still have this nagging feeling that Gilles should have won.
    Go Cavs!!!!!

  1. Nancy showed up during the Radio Happy Hour and when that was over we sat and watched DWTS. Now, I zomed through GaGa both times (no interest) and also zoomed through the retrospectives and the roast...

    I was a tad surprised Shawn won out over Gilles. It is about the fans, no doubt...body of work...across the entire season - Gilles should be holding the Mirror Ball

    Great job again this season Travis...Looking forward to SYTYCD...

  1. Dianne says:

    oh well - my last pick won
    less than 1% between them!

    very happy about Anna

    thanks for another great season of recaps - you deserve a trophy of your own!

  1. Thanks for the wonderful reviews Travis! Great job!

    So you think you can dance?

  1. Anndi says:

    I kind of lost interest in DWTS... I'm looking forward to SYTYCD.

    And I agree with Turnbaby.

  1. Um. Not pleased. If this is any indication of the universes view on my choices, Kris is gonna win tonight. I like Kris but I love Adam and I can tell you who's album I will be buying.

    Shawn was good. She was servicable. But she was never magic for me and dancing should be magic.

  1. Akelamalu says:

    Oh you're gonna miss the dancing!

  1. So one dance show ends and another begins? Dude, I thought these were the same show.

  1. I look for the Western Conference finals to be a hard fought one. The Lakers showed a lot of vulnerability, and the Nuggets kept taking it to them. Seven games, and there will be a bloody victor. I wouldn't be surprised if it is the Nuggets (sorry, Trav!).

    The Cavs are going to walk all over the Magic, methinks. They've made cat toys out of the rest of the Eastern Conference.

  1. And Shawn Johnson gets another big, fat paycheck for winning it all.

  1. Now if the real show were only as tight and enjoyable as your description. One dance show over another to begin and the Dodgers even with their delinquent in first place in the west. Life is good.

  1. I admitt that I do not watch the Dancing With The Stars show. The reason is a personal one,and that is all I will say.
    I agree with Ivanhoe!!GO CAVS!!!(it is a Cleveland thing)

  1. Marsha says:

    I was a bit surprised by this outcome. Thought Shawn would be third with Gilles taking home that 'much to be admired' trophy.

    AI - my fave went last week - Danny - so now I don't care who wins since both are talented but I wouldn't - no WON'T - buy either one of them.

    At least we now have SYTYCD!!

  1. Thom: That's what makes this show so hard to predict. It's not always the best dancer. It's the one who gets the most people to vote for them.

    Barb: I prefer Adam, but there's no guarantee I'll buy.

    Turn: It all comes down to what you like.

    Drilleraa: Agreed! It was a very enjoyable season and now I'm ready for the SYTYCD gang!

    Ivanhoe: If you ask me who I thought was the best dancer, I'd say Gilles with Melissa right behind.

    V: I have learned to live with, and indeed often enjoy, that very unpredictability.

    Dianne: My initial vote was for Mayo, but I think Anna will do very well.

    NNG: I can!

    Ann: I can understand the loss of interest.

    Starr: Shawn had a couple of magic moments for me...that Cha Cha Cha was one of them.

    Akelamalu: I'll miss the ballroom, but I get all different styles with SYTYCD!

    Charles: Nope! Totally different.

    Songbird: Kind of reminds me of last year, when Boston struggled and the Lakers kind of cruised. But man! The Cavs are chewing on everybody.

    Southern: Actually, I read that there is no bonus for the winner. Just the basic incremental pay scale the longer you stay on the show. Shawn will make what Gilles and Melissa made.

    Jamie: I like the format. It emphasizes how frivolous the show is and reminds us that it doesn't take itself all that seriously. Go Dodgers!

    Mike: To each their own.

    Marsha: I've downloaded some of the performances, but I'll have to wait and see what kind of music they record before I decide whether I'll buy any more.

  1. Cheesy says:

    Seeings how they pulled ABC from dish net I am loving getting the results here! Dam! Gilles didn't win? poopoo-Guess I wil go watch Sex in the City .. again...hehehehe

    Watching Idol as I type... they are both winners in my book but I think Adam will pull it off.

  1. Angell says:

    I haven't been commenting on blogs a lot, but have been reading your reviews Trav.

    I fell for Shawn & Mark as a dance couple. I loved their freestyle and that Cha Cha Cha was HAWT.

    Didn't like the roast, except for Jeffrey's reference to the judges. I thought that was amusing.

    Good on Shawn - I'm happy she won. :D

    As for AI - well, I'm a Lambert fan, but respect Kris for also staying true to his artistic soul.

  1. fan base is everything.

    we made SURE we could watch this night...I think The Teamster enjoyed seeing the other couples...although most times he didn't know the celebs from the professionals...

    is it my mind or did this season go by really fast!

    thanks travis for all the details and insights. I loved having a place to talk about it...