On tonight’s episode of So You Think You Can Dance, the Final Four battle it out for the last time before the voters decide who America’s favorite guy and girl dancers will be. We are down to Eliana, Tiffany, Chehon and Cyrus, and Cat informs us that we will see the dancers 5 times tonight (assumingly a solo, a pairing with each finalist, and a pairing with an All Star). Tonight’s guest judge is Rob Marshall, director of Chicago, Nine, and Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (which of these things is not like the other?). No time to waste though – let’s get to it!
Contestants: Cyrus and Eliana
Style: Paso Doble, choreographed by Jason Gilkison…. wait, what? Are we not pimping Cyrus tonight?
Jason is going rogue with this number and changing up the male and female roles. Typically a paso doble depicts a male matador with the female cape, but tonight Eliana is the matador and Cyrus is the cape. No seriously. For a cape though, he sure is pulling her around on the floor a lot. Anywho, I can’t take my eyes off Eliana because her stage presence is just unreal, which is probably for the best. Cyrus nails the masculinity of the dance….but that’s about it.
Judges Say: Nigel liked that Jason switched up the roles, and he calls Eliana’s performance magical. He then gives Cyrus the old “Did you ever think you would be on So You Think You Can Dance? Did you ever think you would make it to the finale of So You Think You Can Dance? Did you ever think you would be on national television wearing a big black dress?” After Cyrus says “no” to these questions, Nigel tells Cyrus he deserves to be here. Mary compares mastering the paso doble to skinny-dipping with snapping turtles. Ow. She says Cyrus “did it,” but Eliana was on fire tonight. Damn straight. Rob appreciated the story of the dance and is excited for both dancers.
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Contestant: Tiffany and Will (Season 4 Will)
Style: Contemporary, choreographed by Sonya Tayeh
Sonya’s goal with this dance is to show how far Tiffany has come. Will borrowed Witney’s MC Hammer pants from a couple of weeks ago, and though he is a strong dancer and the All Star, I think Tiffany shines more here. This performance reminds me a little of "the garden" dance with Mark and Courtney at times, but I definitely enjoy it.
Judges Say: Mary gives Tiffany a “WOOHOO!” and tells her she has legs that go on forever and she is a star. Rob compliments Sonya and says Tiffany has such expression and such fearlessness, and it was a pleasure to watch. Nigel says Tiffany is such a little person but her lines are so strong and so big, so she is a tremendous dancer.
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Contestants: Eliana and Chehon
Style: Ballet, choreographed by Marat Daukayev
So, I know nothing about ballet. I’ve seen Black Swan and the “Waiting in the Wings” episode of Angel. It’s awesome – look it up. The awkwardness between Angel and Cordelia is TV gold. But I digress… the performance is beyond beautiful, and Eliana and Chehon are both in their element here (coincidence?). Eliana radiates elegance, and even though Chehon’s pants seem painted on, which is slightly distracting because he is sooooo sexy, he compliments her well. Nicely done.
Judges Say: Standing ovation. Rob says versatility like Chehon’sseparates the men from the boys. He also tells Eliana she fills the frame so beautifully. Nigel is thrilled that two ballet dancers made it too the finale. He says Eliana and Chehon make it look easy and he uses a ton of ballet terms that go right over my head. Mary calls the performance spectacular – a triumph for the show and a triumph in celebration of ballet tonight.
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Contestants: Tiffany and Cyrus
Style: Lyrical Hip-Hop, choreographed by Tessandra Chavez
This routine is about young love with Cyrus playing the role of Tiffany’s first boyfriend who breaks her heart. There is a lot of anger and pushing and shoving and throwing each other around. There’s some dancing as well, and Tiffany is just going crazy with the emotions. Cyrus is doing his best, but he is absolutely outdone by his partner.
Judges Say: Nigel congratulates them both on a great season and tells them they encompassed the emotion of the story. Mary says they killed it, saying Cyrus is awesome at picking up choreography and Tiffany is a beast. Rob says both dancers have “abandon,” and tells them this was his favorite performance of the evening so far. Huh? I mean, I liked it, but the previous two routines were way better than this one.
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Group Routine, in God knows what style, choreographed by Tyce DiOrio: Sigh. Each of them begins with their own style and the rest for me is a train wreck. Next.
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Contestant: Chehon and Allison
Style: Contemporary, Choreographed by Stacey Tookey
The theme of this dance is Allison wanting to chase her dream and Chehon telling her to go. Oh my God. This is SO good….Chehon is holder her in the air WITH ONE HAND. And that kiss!! To hell with a recap – watch the performance.
Judges Say: Standing ovation. Mary screams, she is emotional, and she comes up with my favorite line of the night calling Stacey a “Nommy eminated choreographer.” See? Mary is so much better when no one writes her lines for her. She says Chehon was just free throughout the performance. Rob says Chehon’s height is unbelievable. Nigel tells Chehon he came alive emotionally during the routine.
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Contestants: Eliana and Tiffany
Style: Broadway, choreographed by Ray Leeper
The rehearsal package starts with the girls seeing a pole dance area and Ray telling us “today we take burlesque to Broadway.” Um, yes please. Is this still a family show? I don’t care. The performance is set to “When You’re Good To Mama” from Chicago, which should make Rob grin a little. Soooooo, the girls are definitely pole dancing….and it’s awesome. Oh hell – I’m posting this video too because I’m freaking speechless!
Judges say: Standing ovation and Nigel may need to be medicated….or maybe he just needs a cold shower. We all do? Rob giggles and says “I’m just picturing Queen Latifah doing that” and I laugh loudly (she sings that song in the movie). He says the performance was unbelievable and extraordinary. Mary says the number was fun, sassy and magnificent. Nigel can’t think of anything to say that won’t get him in trouble. I feel you, man.
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Contestants: Chehon and Cyrus
Style: Contemporary, choreographed by Sonya Tayeh
This dance represents the journey for both finalists this season. This performance is very acrobatic in terms of the jumps and throws, and the journey has obviously been a struggle and a fight for both of them. Or Sonya was just out of options for Cyrus at this point. Either way, it’s entertaining, but not my favorite Sonya routine. And plus – I’m still reeling from the pole dance.
Judges Say: Nigel says Sonya got both guys to step it up a level, and he is very proud of both of them. Mary is still emotional and tells them they’ve had a tremendous night. Rob says comradery is a beautiful thing and Cyrus and Chehon showed that tonight.
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Contestant: Eliana and Alex Freaking Wong
Style: Contemporary, choreographed by Travis Wall
This is another break-up dance, but it’s still lovely. Eliana and Alex are SO connected during the performance, and they are both so talented (with a gifted choreographer), it's hard to imagine this routine not being a success. I still prefer Chehon and Allison's contemporary routine from earlier, but I have no complaints about this one.
Judges Say: Standing ovation (lots of those tonight). Rob says the performance was poetry and there is nothing Eliana can’t do. Nigel calls this performance his favorite of the night and goes so far to say Eliana is his favorite dancer of all time (OF ALL TIME!) in this series. Holy cow. Mary says Eliana has extraordinary passion that oozes from her body.
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Contestants: Chehon and Tiffany
Style: Rumba, choreographed by Dmitry Chaplin
Dmitry is expecting so much hotness that it’s uncomfortable to watch. Clearly he had been peeking in on the pole dancing rehearsals. Technically, they dance the rumba incredibly well, and I get a connection from Chehon and Tiffany for sure, but it's less sultry and more lovey-dovey.
Judges Say: Mary thought the routine was gorgeous and says Chehon finally found a Latin dance that suits him. She tells Tiffany she was fabulous tonight. Rob thought the dance was sexy because it was not oversold. Nigel points out the lack of buttons on Chehon’s shirt, which is just fine.
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Contestant: Cyrus and Twitch
Style: Animation, choreographed by Christopher Scott
Cyrus and Twitch are 2 genetically enhanced specimens in a lab using their bodies for the first time. CRAZY movements. Yup – watch this one too.
Judges Say: Standing ovation that goes on for a while. Rob says it was crazy and that Cyrus and Twitch are 2 superstars. Mary screams and then screams more, saying they smashed the routine and stole the show. Nigel loved it and calls both dancers world class. He then tells Cyrus he's not voting for him because he is supporting Chehon. Wow. Is now the time for that? I guess he's all but built an altar to Eliana in his home (or has he?), so pledging his phone calls to Chehon isn't too much of a surprise.
The real crime of not having a weekly results show is waiting a week to hear the final results of America's vote. In my mind, Eliana and Chehon should be shoe-ins, but there's always the possibility that Nigel's completely unbiased judging tonight will piss people off and result in a Cyrus/Tiffany victory. We'll find out next week - til then!
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