Uhh, what? It's the finale already? What? Really? Already? Now?

Well, yes, as fast as it may seem, tonight's already the So You Think You Can Dance finale. I mean, we've had two weeks less voting, one week less dancing, three injuries, one last-minute replacement--so, of course, time would go a-flying. Don't worry. I understand that disengaged feeling.

This season's finale is a little odd, even. Tonight's performance show is only an hour long. We have six contestants instead of four. We won't have group routines, and we won't have a routine for the boys and a routine for the girls. We'll see nine routines tonight: each girl gets three routines, one with a guy each.

(Well, if you want a two-hour show, that's tomorrow night, with performances from Adam Lambert, Jennifer Lopez, Leona Lewis, Mary J. Blige, and hopefully, some dancing. Oh, and the winner, too.)

So, for the final time this season, here's the stuff we've all seen, on the fan sites and on the forums, about tonight's performances. As always, credit is due to the unusually-sneaky SYTYCDism, and as always, the stuff here is in alphabetical order, with my thoughts and whatever else we'ver gathered here.

Ashleigh Di Lello and Jakob Karr: Foxtrot (Jean-Marc Generaux)
Ahh, this power pair! Ashleigh in her element, plus Jakob he-who-can-do-anything-that's-thrown-at-him, multiplied by their past ballroom routines? I think this will be a highlight tonight, with Ash shining and Jakob being applauded for being a good partner, like he's always been the past few weeks.

Ashleigh Di Lello and Russell Ferguson: Lyrical jazz (Sonya Tayeh)
I have three words: Russell, Russell, Russell. Two reasons: one, he did very well with the African jazz routine a few weeks back, and two, Ashleigh's still a bit rigid when it comes to style similar to jazz, and I expect it to turn out the same way, too. In fact, I can't imagine her doing jazz. Something will be lost in translation, I'm afraid.

Ashleigh and Ryan Di Lello: Contemporary (Travis Wall)
The married couple dance together for the first time in the competition and they don't get a ballroom routine? Still, expect some tugged heartstrings--Travis hasn't failed in this regard, as we all know. The one thing that will power this performance is the relationship between the two: that should more than rub off in the dance, and make it more powerful than we initially think.

Ellenore Scott and Jakob Karr: Broadway (Tyce Diorio)
Keeping in mind their wicked contemporary routine a few weeks back, I'm actually afraid that this will not give justice to both dancers. Sure, both have done Broadway and both have done well in them, but I actually enjoyed it when they're not limited by the form, which is, well, what contemporary does, more or less. Expect praise for Ellenore, though. And no, I'm not being biased. That's what I heard, too.

Ellenore Scott and Russell Ferguson: Paso doble (Jason Gilkison)
Uh-oh, paso! And with two people who aren't ballroom experts! I'm sure they can do this, but if they don't, their commitment will not make up for the misses entirely. Thankfully, word on the forums is that the judges will be mostly positive about the whole performance--but, still, it's a pretty scary prospect.

Ellenore Scott and Ryan Di Lello: Jazz (Garry Stewart)
These two have done some pretty good routines, but this being a Garry Stewart routine, I'm not expecting much. Remember Ashleigh and Legacy's athletic, intense contemporary routine? They did it well but the heavy feeling outweighed everything else, and while it looked cool initially, it doesn't stick to my mind as much as it should. Other worry: so far Ryan's been troubled when it comes to getting dirty (yes, that hip-hop routine) and, while he's improved, it still doesn't look that good.

Kathryn McCormick and Jakob Karr: Contemporary (Desmond Richardson and Dwight Rhoden)
I won't pass comment on this, and just mention what I've seen on the forums. This dance is the absolute highlight of the night, with sexy chemistry and fiery connections. So you all know I'm not really convinced that Kathryn could still come from behind and win this--never mind comments that she's peaked last week--so my question: would this be enough to give her a greater chance at being, at least, in second place? It got a standing ovation from everyone, apparently, so maybe...

Kathryn McCormick and Russell Ferguson: Hip-hop (Tabitha and Napoleon)
Again, Russell is in comfortable territory here, but I think Kathryn could pull this off. It's interesting, however: the last time she did hip-hop, it was with Legacy, and that was during the Top 20, so the attention was on his jumps. I did hear she went beyond managing, and actually kept up with Russell very, very well. Well, it's not exactly hardcore hip-hop, but it's still interesting to watch.

Kathryn McCormick and Ryan Di Lello: Samba (Jason Gilkison)
Didn't the same thing happen last week, only with cha-cha instead? And yes, I remember how fun that performance was. Sure, this is Ryan's category, but after Kathryn peaking last week I don't think one will outshine the other here. Heard the judges love it to bits, so...

I don't expect any changes to these details. If they do, don't sue me. Or anyone else, for that matter. Might as well sit back and enjoy the finale, and forget the fact that Gordon Ramsay chopped an hour off what should be two hours of So You Think You Can Dance tonight...


How have you been?
Ashleigh's season in review
Ellenore's season in review
Jakob's season in review
Kathryn's season in review
Russell's season in review
Ryan's season in review






(Images courtesy of Fox)