It's finally arrived: finale week on So You Think You Can Dance.  Pretty crucial, this, for how Wednesday night turns out will spell the difference between them and $250,000.  Oh, and bragging rights, too.  Personally, speculating about how each dancer will fare with their partners and genres is slightly moot, because more often than now the votes have been slightly locked in--what I mean is, fans have decided who to vote to, and swinging the votes is pretty hard.  Did that make sense?

Anyway, again thanks to the folks at SYTYCDism, we have this week's genres and pair-ups.  Well, pairs-wise it's a given, but I'll speculate anyway, because doing that actually gives you a very good feeling.  Well, depends when you're getting it right or not.


Brandon and Evan: pop-jazz/hip-hop (LaurieAnn Gibson)

I'm a little afraid for Evan here.  Sure, jazz, and his previous experience with the Nappy Tabs brand of hip-hop, but remembering LaurieAnn's "Battlefield" routine two weeks ago, seems I can't imagine Evan be really banging.  That, and the seemingly disparate styles between the two remaining guys.  Surely the choreography will be adapted either way, but it doesn't look that good, at the moment at least.  Unless they want to see Evan partly outside his comfort zone again, but it feels like he's being thrown under the bus.

Jeanine and Evan: possibly jazz (Sonya Tayeh)

This looks more down his alley, but take note of the "possibly" line.  Maybe contemporary?  At least this wouldn't look so jarring, but Evan's slightly in a disadvantage here, because heck, it's Jeanine!  I'm hoping this wouldn't be a disaster, though.  In other words, I'm between the fence at I write this.  Maybe tomorrow, it changes or something.

Jeanine and Brandon: paso doble (no name at the moment)

Could these two be the two who'll be able to pull off the paso doble?  We've had two such dances this season and both ended in disaster--why else would Randi and Kupono get eliminated?  In both instances, the judges loved the choreography but weren't so keen on the implementation, and with two of the best technical dancers this season, this might turn out well.  Then again, it's the ballroom card, and you know what happens there...

Jeanine and Kayla: contemporary (Mia Michaels)

Mia Michaels!  Okay, so that might distract, but this is shaping to be one of the better routines this week.  I mean, again, two great technical dancers plus the genius that is Mia.  I don't expect to be distracted by the choreography, sure, but I've some worries for Kayla, who's been half-poker-faced many times.  While she's been affecting on that other Mia routine--the addiction bit with Kupono--I don't know if she can pull that card again.

Kayla and Brandon: Broadway (Tyce Diorio)

I don't mind that Evan isn't getting this genre--perhaps thankfully--but this ain't exactly a good thing for Kayla, who ended up in the bottom four two weeks ago on the strength of his Broadway routine with Jason.  But at least both have done this genre, so they're not exactly entering unfamiliar territory.  But I'm not excited for this.  I'm sensing a lack of connection when it finally happens--two dances rather than one.  But that's just me.

Kayla and Evan: jive (no name at the moment)

This is more in Evan's alley, right?  His jive with Randi may not have been that well-received, but it's more because of the high expectations from the week before.  He's not free from that this week.  Kayla, well, I can't imagine her doing jive, so it must be a slight struggle for her.  Not too excited for this one, too, and I think she'll drag the whole thing down.  Fingers crossed for a miracle.

For the last time, the disclaimer: the choreography can break this, and I'm bound to get it wrong.  But, heck, it's the last time this season, but not this year--we have another season coming, right?  So I'll do this again when that happens.  Toss in your take in the comments below, because the finale is really, really, really happening.




- Henrik Batallones, BuddyTV Staff Columnist
Source: SYTYCDism
(Image courtesy of Fox)