SYTYCD: The Terrific Trio

So You Think You Can Dance: Top 3 Performance Finale

• Is it bad that I'm more excited for tomorrow's show when we get to re-watch the best routines of the season than I am for tonight?
• Cat is wearing a black mini dress with elbow-length lace sleeves. It's kind of demure for the final performance show of the season, actually. Maybe she'll pull out the craziness for tomorrow.
• Each contestant is doing FOUR routines AND a solo?! Seriously? Is that really necessary?
• So everyone's doing four routines and a solo, and we still have time for this extremely long recap of the season?

Kent with Lauren (Dev Bollywood):

• The featurette: Kent: "What I want to know is why did she marry an 18-year-old?" Kent: "This Bollywood needs cheesy, and I can deliver so much cheese."
• The dance: Lauren's almost unrecognizable in her Indian costume. Kent's got a nice long silver jacket. It was a good routine, but sometimes it looked like Kent was just barely hanging in there.
• The judging: Mia says it was the perfect tailored Bollywood piece for Kent. Adam thinks the Energizer Bunny should retire. So apparently I'm the only one who thought Kent looked a little gassed. Adam says Kent is the feel good dancer of the year. Lauren apparently almost ran into a post on her way off stage. (Considering Kent is still breathing heavily after the lengthy judging panel banter, I feel pretty justified in my earlier assertion that he looked a bit tired.)

Lauren with Twitch (Tabitha and Napoleon hip hop):

• The featurette: It's a presidential debate. That's different.
• The dance: Um, they're doing an awful lot of standing behind the podiums in the beginning. I wasn't sold on the first section of in-front-of-the-podium dancing, but I think it's getting better as it goes. Twitch for president!
• The judging: Nigel says NappyTabs is just so good at inspiring people to dance. Uhhh, yeah. After misfiring with a Sarah Palin joke, Nigel's trying to tell us that this competition is still anybody's game. Well, maybe not Robert ;-) Mia says Lauren's filthy, and Cat says, "Aren't all politicians?" Mia doesn't know if there's anything Lauren can't do. Mia loves Lauren's balance of masculinity and femininity.

Robert with Mark (Tyce Diorio jazz):

• The featurette: Robert kind of looks just like Mark but with less personality and coolness. Anyway...
• The dance: It is a bit hard to tell who is who with the matching outfits and hair styles. Anytime they hunch down for some of the groovy moves, you can tell which one is Mark though. It was fun, but it was not really revolutionary.
• The judging: Cat asks how much handsomeness we can fit on one stage. Nigel really liked it. Mia says that Robert was "wowed" in the beginning and has gotten more grounded as the show went on. I'll agree; we haven't seen the hand/barf thing lately. Adam thinks working with Mark forced Robert to grow more than dancing with a contestant would have. Adam says Robert actually jumped up for once.

What? Now we have time to have sit-downs with each of the contestants? We're just made of time tonight...

Kent's solo: Open yellow shirt and shorts. He's doing it on purpose, but he definitely wiped out a few times there. Looked kind of painful at times.

Robert and Lauren (Dee Caspary contemporary):

• The featurette: The piece is about them going home and being at peace with the result of the competition.
• The dance: So they went "home" to the same place and are wearing their skimpy pajamas? Kent's going to be so heartbroken when he finds out about this... So, Robert is looking all kinds of good in this one. Possibly my favorite dancing out of him ever. Lauren's doing well too, but I think Rob is actually stealing the show here.
• The judging: Nigel thought there were touches of genius in the choreo. Nigel says the word that sums them both up is strength. Mia says Dee is unreal. Mia says this was by far Robert's most delicious performance. Mia says his humbleness is gorgeous. She says Lauren was perfection. Adam says it was magnificent.

Lauren and Kent (Mandy Moore jazz):

• The featurette: In this piece, they're really themselves.
• The dance: Ok, they're "themselves" but they're wearing nerd glasses? As far as I can tell, neither Lauren nor Kent actually wears nerd glasses. I'm confused. Not sure it's the best look on Kent. He looks like one of the background geeks from Saved By The Bell. And...the glasses are the thing about this routine that left the biggest impact on me. Not too revved up about this one.
• The judging: Nigel doesn't think they were challenged enough for the finale, but they kept the characters up and did what was asked of them. Mia's got glasses on too. Mia thought it was fun and they danced it well, but she didn't really like it because it's just not her cup of tea. Adam says he loves them. And now he just keeps repeating, "Get outta here; I love ya'!" It's bizarre. Lauren and Kent--especially Kent--do a great job of rallying around Mandy and saying that what the judges think doesn't really matter.

Robert's solo: Ok, Robert's finally won me over with his sweetness. He says if he wins the prize money, the first thing he's going to do is look at his mom and ask her what she wants. Awww. And now he's doing his solo to The Postal Service! And it's a good solo! With good choreo! Robert for the win!

Kent with Allison (Stacey Tookey contemporary):

• The featurette: Looking into a relationship that everyone thinks is perfect but really isn't. Stacey's trying to find Kent's maturity here.
• The dance: Allison is perfection. Oh, some really nice side-by-side work and then a beautiful little solo from Allison. Wow, good. Parts of it looked like they were letting Allison steal the show to give Kent a bit of a break on 5-dance night, but, whatever, it was good.
• The judging: Nigel thinks Kent's lines get better. Kent looks shook up from the mature emotion of it all. Mia points out that Kent actually said, "Get off!" at the end because he was so invested. Mia loves how invested he was (which he can be because he's already got great technique). Mia says she needs more ways to tell him she loves him. Adam asks Kent what is going on because he's about to burst into tears, and when Kent starts to explain it, Adam and Nigel totally cut him off. Adam thinks this was magnificent too. Kent seems to have had an almost religious experience here, in that he's got an almost totally different personality right now. The cheese has been dialed waaaaaay down.

Lauren's solo: Dancing to "I'm Going Down" in her typical style: backbends, hair flips, shoulder jerks, etc., all coming fast and furious. It looks better than it sounds, of course.

Robert with Kathryn (Spencer Liff Broadway):

• The featurette: Spencer (to Robert): "You're not a mime!"
• The dance: Ooh, West Side Story. Smart beginning, in that Robert gets a nice long solo before stage-stealer Kathryn shows up. She's rocking the "interrogator" attitude something fierce. Rob was good. That was a good routine.
• The judging: Uh oh, Robert's pants split. Didn't I just say last week that Rob's clothes are just a bit too tight? Nigel and Adam are having a dispute about whether that song is in the WSS stage play or just the movie. Not exactly all that pertinent right now, boys... Anyhow, Nigel liked it. Mia loved the classical feel to it and thought it was danced very well. She thought it could have used a bit more sizzle and simmer. Adam thinks WSS was the best piece of musical choreo ever, and he thought Spencer's takeoff was really good. And Rob was good.

Lauren with Pasha (Tony and Meredith cha cha):

• The featurette: In this routine, Lauren sees Pasha and just loses her mind. Well, that's understandable.
• The dance: Wow, that dress is about as little as it can be. Wow, nice life in the middle. The one bare side of her dress makes everything look so scandalous. The routine was pretty good; it seemed a bit on the slow side, but it was danced really well.
• The judging: Nigel says she's probably the best contemporary girl on the show ever to do a ballroom routine. Which seems a BIT strong to me. (Allison, Kathryn, Jeanine, Courtney G., etc. all rocked ballroom back in the day, and those are just the ones I can think of off the top of my head.) Mia says if she were still dancing, she'd want to dance just like Lauren. Adam says if music were embodied into a person, it would be her. Adam says that was exhibition-style perfect. And, again, I miss Mary Murphy. How have we gone all season with no Hot Tamale Train?

Robert and Kent (Malevos fight):

• The featurettes: These hats are just silly. Kent and Robert took some nasty falls during practice.
• The dance: They look like gangsters (well, Rob more so than Kent). But they're tangoing. Bizarre. Wow, Robert just lifted Kent up and swung him around his shoulders. There's some nice stunt stuff mixed in with some weird tango stuff, making for an odd mix overall.
• The judging: Nigel has never heard of this routine, but supposedly it's what the men do to practice their tango before they go dance with the women. Oookay. Nigel's taking the opportunity to talk about how great all three of the finalists are in general, instead of really talking about this routine. Probably a wise choice. Mia loved the feel of the piece. She liked that it was debonair and still had a 'hood feeling. She acknowledges that the leg work "could be tighter." Adam agrees that certain elements of the precision weren't exactly right, but says it doesn't matter any more. Adam says these three finalists are his three favorite dancers ever on the show. Oh, come on. Stop lying. (And if you're not lying, stop being ridiculous. Three favorite ever?!)

• Cat reads her send-off speech while still wearing one of Robert and Kent's gangster hats from the last number. Awesome.
• I think there were too many routines tonight. There was an awful, awful lot to digest.
• Well, Robert and Lauren both had pretty good nights, but I'll still be stunned if Kent doesn't run away with this tomorrow.

My favorites: Robert and Lauren's contemporary; Kent and Allison's contemporary; Robert and Kathryn's Broadway

SYTYCD: Top Four

So You Think You Can Dance: Top 4 Performance Show

• So, this is the second-to-last performance show before the inevitable crowning of Kent as the Season 7 champion.
• Cat has a voluminous and somewhat disheveled faux bob and a bedazzled black mini dress with pink and green stripey accents around the neck.
• OH DEAR--as if the judges haven't been full enough of themselves this season, tonight the panel includes Tyce! Is it wrong that I'm actually not totally dreading having to listen to Tyce's insights tonight? He didn't annoy me as much at auditions this season as he has in the past. This will be a good chance to see if my hate affair with him has in fact cooled off.

Tyce Diorio group number:

• The featurette: Tyce: "The top four should be like fireworks! Bam! Bam! Bam!"
• The dance: This is really just working out to be a Lauren showcase--she's the one who gets to do the different moves. The guys are basically all doing the same things. Their moves might be more impressive than what she's doing, but they look like back-up dancers. Also, Robert's suspenders are terrible.
• The judging: Tyce thinks Kent stood out, and he wants to see the fight from AdeChike. Adam hopes they've had a great time. Nigel adds some more platitudes. Mia says nothing.

Lauren with Pasha (Miriam Larici and Leonardo Barrionuevo Argentine tango):

• The featurette: PASHA!!!! It's been ages! Whoa, Pasha is smoldering. Oh dear, the dance begins with Pasha being sad in a night club. How upsetting.
• The dance: Well, my first thought--and this is not particularly fair--is that Lauren is not Chelsie Hightower. There's just something about Lauren's foot and leg placements that don't seem just precisely right. Still, though, she gave it a good effort and she was close.
• The judging: Couldn't Mary Murphy have been on the panel tonight? Nigel liked the passion and the control. Nigel: "And Pasha! I mean, I wanted to dance with you!" Tyce says Lauren gave the audience "the uh, the ah, the eh, the unh and the eeh" or something. I don't know. Mia says the choreo was incredible and that Lauren just became a women. It was simmering and mesmerizing. Adam starts talking about Prop 8 and then asks Nigel to marry him, which literally has nothing to do with Lauren or the dance. At least bring it up after a two-boy number or something. Adam says Lauren used her legs "like they were arms" which just sounds creepy.

AdeChike with Lauren (Sean Cheesman Afro jazz):

• The featurette: With a little Afro Caribbean thrown in. AdeChike used to be serious, but now he smiles.
• The dance: Lauren's bra-top and big flowly skirt look is pretty fierce. That skirt is everything, as Mia would say. Is AdeChike wearing a shrug? Whose idea was that? I think AdeChike's looking good in this routine, although admittedly nothing about either of their dancing is doing much to distract my attention away from the wardrobe.
• The judging: Cat: "Britney Spears would be proud of that crop top!" Nigel thinks AdeChike's back seems terribly straight sometimes, so it's not loose enough for the waves. Tyce says he loves Lauren. Tyce is talking about story lines and grounding centers and laying it DOWN. The upshot is that Tyce thinks AdeChike danced it well, but he should have taken it further. Mia didn't care for it. Because of the tightness in AdeChike's upper body, she thinks he wasn't expanding the performance to the heavens. Adam thinks AdeChike needs to lose himself in the dance and then blows him a kiss. Cat says "A-de-Chi-ke" like it's the first time she's ever said the name in her life.

Robert with Anya (Jonathan Roberts Viennese waltz):

• The featurette: Is this Jonathan guy from DWTS? It's his first time choreographing on SYTYCD. Jonathan doesn't think Robert is a ballroom expert. Robert is gunning to take Pasha's place though.
• The dance: If we're talking posture, I feel like there's something weird about Robert's when he's partnering someone in a ballroom routine. I'm wondering if it's because he's tall and he kind of stoops to be on the girl's level. Also, I think his outfits are often just a smidge too tight on him. There were some nice lifts in that routine.
• The dance: Nigel thought it was beautiful. Nigel thinks Robert worked very hard on the rise and fall. Nigel says Pasha didn't do a straight-arm lift tonight and Robert did. Uh, call Pasha back out here. I guarantee he can do a better one than Rob just did. Tyce says Robert "wore it like a suit." Mia looks like she just trucked in from the prairie. Her hair/outfit look like they were inspired by Sully from Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman. Mia thought it was beautiful and she wishes Robert would relax and enjoy the ride. Adam thinks he was brilliant. Brilliant? Really? I guess they're trying to build Robert and Lauren up a bit so there's some suspense in the finale (I guess they're wanting those three instead of AdeChike).

We're doing like Miss America pageant-style interviews with the contestants between performances. It's unnecessary, in my opinion.

Robert's standing on the stage with a death-grip around Cat's ribcage.

Kent with Courtney (Doriana Sanchez disco):

• The featurette: Can we just kabosh disco routines once and for all? Oh goodness, Courtney took a beating in that rehearsal.
• The dance: And now to top it off, Courtney has to go out on stage in a dress with a sparkly purple top and a bright orange skirt. Yikes. There are a lot of lifts; not much side-by-side dancing. Quite an exciting spinning lift at the end there. Cat says the last lift almost gave her a heart attack.
• The judging: Kent: "I was excited; and then I had to do a lot of lifts." Nigel wants to know how many lifts got taken out. Kent: "Well, I'm just not big!" Tyce thinks Courtney looks beautiful...and I can only assume that he means she looks beautiful despite the dress. Tyce thinks it was good but Kent needed to do more research into disco. Mia thought it was a little rough. She thought the partnering was solid, but that the non-partner stuff felt "bouncey, short and squashy." She says it was his worst routine of the season. Adam thinks it was Kent's most youthful performance yet, and he's not thinking that's a good thing. Adam needs to stop referencing "Blue Steel." Zoolander is not exactly "so hot right now."

Kent: "There aren't any male dancers around here (in Wapakoneta). I mean, there are barely girl dancers here."

Kent gets really excited while he's telling us that you don't have to be from a big city to make it on SYTYCD if you have the drive and believe in yourself.

Cat: "In two week's time, Kent will be running for president."

Lauren with Ade (Sean Cheesman jazz):

• The featurette: Oh look, Lauren's trying to seduce someone else. But now she's a deadly black widow.
• The dance: Lauren is wearing a full-body black lace see-through leotard. They almost blend into the wall behind them due to their all-black outfits. Very cool lift with an innovative entrance in the middle of the routine. Good routine.
• The judging: Nigel says it was really strong work. Masculine work that she did in a feminine way. Nigel thinks Lauren deserves to be in the finale. Tyce says she did a great job dancing in the heels. He thinks her ending position could have been more ferocious though. Mia says Lauren's a beast. Mia thought the sexual chemistry wasn't as evident as she would have liked it to be. Adam says he wants to hire her. Is Ade wearing a shirt, a sweater and a jacket? He must be warm.

AdeChike with Kathryn (Desmond Richardson and Dwight Rohden piece):

• The featurette: Desmond is AdeChike's idol. He was worked with Desmond and Dwight before at a summer camp.
• The dance: The problem I have with AdeChike is that--to me anyway--he almost always gets overshadowed by whomever he's dancing with. Kathryn stole this number in the first 5 seconds. Now, granted, Kathryn is going to steal the show from pretty much anyone because she's that good.
• The judging: Nigel thinks AdeChike lost a little bit of wind toward the end of the routine. But he says that AdeChike has done a wonderful job across the season. Tyce also wants to celebrate where AdeChike's at. They're trying not to be too mean, so he won't get sympathy votes. You can tell that Tyce wants to pick on him, but doesn't think he should. Mia wanted more. Mia says AdeChike has potential to be a superhero dancer, and she saw glimpses of it but then she also saw flaws that held him back. Adam thinks AdeChike has grown so much on this show. Uh, I guess...

AdeChike's bringing the tears in a lovely display of emotion (that I wish would shine through in his dancing more often).

Robert with Dominic (Napoleon and Tabitha hip hop):

• The featurette: The dance is about two clowns who are sad when they find out that their big top is closing. NappyTabs assure us that this is not your typical hip hop.
• The dance: This is Robert's first hip hop, I think, so this should be interesting. He's actually better than I was expecting. Dom's makeup makes him look like the Joker. Not sure I got the "the big top is closing" story from that, but whatever. It was a NappyTabs routine that I didn't hate, so that's something.
• The judging: Nigel hopes they'll do this routine on the tour. Nigel says Robert did everything that was asked of him and he was brilliant. Tyce says that Robert really showed up to this piece. Mia says Robert committed to everything. And she thinks he's had an amaaaaaaaaaaazing evening. Adam says Robert just out-danced Dom's ass. Everyone bristles because that seems a little unnecessarily harsh to poor, sweet, clowny Dominic.

Kent with Neil (Travis Wall contemporary):

• The featurette: The dance is about two best friends, but Neil needs to move on and then goes so far as to stab Kent in the back. Kent fights back, but then decides he needs to walk away. This is complicated.
• The dance: It's to DeVotchKa's "How It Ends"! Kent looks like a mannequin in the beginning. Wow, some dance fighting! It's like West Side Story. Kent and Neil are really well-matched dancers. Neil looks good in this one. His leaps and extensions are sheer sickness. I'm not going to buy the "Kent out-danced the All Star" line for this one.
• The judging: Cat tells Neil to pick on someone his own size. Nigel thought the piece was "inspirational." I'm not sure if "inspirational" is quite the word; "disturbing" maybe. Nigel thinks Kent just booked a ticket to the finale with that routine. Uh, Kent booked that ticket back in the auditions. Tyce says excellence in the dancer, the choreographer, and the All Star. Mia can't find words because it was "so real and so uncomfortable awful and that is what true, true genius in an artist is." Adam ducks his head and says that Travis is brilliant. Adam says if this were the finale, Kent would have just won the show. Uh, guys! Kent ALREADY won the show.

I wish they did this show without a judging panel. They seem so disingenuous so much of the time.

The last routine was good, but I wasn't super excited about anything else. I didn't like anything as much as the Billy/Ade routine last week.

Favorites: Kent and Neil's contemporary and, uh, Kathryn and AdeChike's piece?