SYTYCD: SEASON 5- FINALE PART ONE

Wow, snazzy new set at the Kodak Theatre. Also, I'm glad it was Adam Shankman (director & choreographer of the Hairspray movie) back as the guest judge, I love that guy. He is almost always excited about every routine. Jazz hands!


Top 4 Group Routine- Pop Jazz

By Wade Robson: Two football jocks hitting on two cheerleaders who turn out to be more than they can handle- entertaining.

Jeanine & Evan- Jazz

By Sonya Tayeh: Guy is trying to keep his girl but she really doesn't care about the relationship anymore- very lively and fun and Jeanine stole the show (that's my girl!)

Solo- Brandon: Brandon's voice sounds like Mickael Jackson. Also, his neck is the same fatness as his head. Can you see that I don't really know why I don't like him more and am trying to justify it with pettiness? He is such a beautiful dancer I wish I could connect with his personality more. The judges just adore him though.

Kayla & Brandon- Broadway

By Tyce Diorio: To the song Bye Bye Love from All that Jazz. Super sassy number and technically Kayla & Brandon are both flawless as usual, but even though there were a couple of impressively challenging moves, I wasn't quite as captivated as I expected to be. The judges raved.

Solo- Jeanine: I have always really liked Jeanine's solos. They are more soft spoken than, say, Brandon's whose are all loud music and athletic brilliance, but I always find hers so creative and she just has personality coming out her ears. I also loved seeing Travis Wall giving her a standing ovation and I loved and totally agreed with the judges critiques of her. (Do I sound partial?)

Brandon & Evan- Pop Jazz

By Laurieann Gibson: The theme is literally that the boys are in a battle to win this. (Danced to Janet Jackson's Nasty, no less). The boys-only dances are always entertaining for how athletic they are. Good not great. Poor Evan, he really is too sweet to play nasty. And though it was true, eeeew, I did NOT like Brandon's face up there as he was trying to hide his smugness while the judges were telling Evan that Brandon out-danced him.

Jeanine & Kayla- Contemporary

By Mia Michaels: Theme is they are on a journey and every step they shed a layer of what they have been through (literally tearing pieces off of their multi-layered skirts). I really loved it- gorgeous and powerful. PS, Nigel! Quit leering at Jeanine like you leered at Courtney last year, and Anya the year before!

Solo- Evan: He really is adorable (Too adorable? ;) and it is amazing that he is a Broadway dancer in the Finale. His solos are so fun and sentimental in their ode to old musicals, but he only has so many moves and his solos are all too similar. I hope he doesn't get a bunch of sympathy votes.

Kayla & Evan- Jive

By Tony & Melanie: Wow, its to country music! That doesn't happen much on this show. Some very impressive moves, but Evan is just too short for Kayla and his footwork wasn't fast enough for me (since I have so much expertise in these matters ;). Kayla looked awesome.

Solo- Kayla: I do think that if she had been showing her personality more this whole season little miss White Lightning could have been a shoe-in. She really is so good and so consistent, but she doesn't always have the right charisma. Brandon and Jeanine were definitely the stand-out solos of the night.

Jeanine & Brandon- Paso Doble

By Louis Van Amstel: At first I was super nervous about the risky choice of this style for the finale because it can often be the kiss of death, but ... Oh. My. Intense. Fast-paced. High-energy. Smokin'. Hotness. It is soooo coming down to Brandon or Jeanine. Yet again, Nigel! Why are such a perv?!

I hate how they ask the judges who they think will win (though I totally love the host Cat, haha!) I'm such a doofus (even a bigger one than I originally thought since I just used the word doofus)- I totally broke down and voted for the first time this season. It's the finale! It took me a couple of hours to even get past the busy signal, which pleases me. The way they do the finale is they announce the bottom person, then wait awhile and announce the next bottom person, and then its just the last two standing when they announce the winner in the very end. Who I think it should be is Evan first, then Kayla, then Brandon and then Jeanine takes the win. Evan has such a following though, and people love to sympathy vote, so, we'll see!