TV Recap: So You Think You Can Dance - The Top 4 Perform

This is it, the finale for season five of So You Think You Can Dance is upon us. And what became clear tonight is that I’ve been right about this season all along. For one there’s really not a single stand out star for the season. Fans have clearly latched onto Evan as the underdog, but in reality he’s just not a Travis or Joshua. The Travis-esque contestants in the finale, Brandon and Kayla, have absolutely no connection to the audience.

So who should win? I feel like this is one of the toughest finales in the show’s history to predict because you just can’t see who is a frontrunner. Without a doubt after tonight’s performances Jeanine deserves to win, but this isn’t a best dancer competition. Let me just say this: do not sit slack jawed with wonder tomorrow night if Evan takes the crown. Despite his lack of technical skills in other dance styles he is a guy with a lot of charm, grace, and the moves to back it up.

Group Routine - Choreography by Wade and Amanda Robson: Bravo. To Wade for certainly his most entertaining piece this season. A fantastic way to start the finale off with a routine that has some technical elements but is really a showcase of fun. It’ll be a trend tonight that Evan won’t be the strongest dancer, but he’s good.

Jeanine and Evan - Choreography by Sonya Tayeh: Hi Jeanine, welcome back to being a real contender for the title. Consistently strong, but without any wow moments recently I’ve been worried about my favorite girl’s chances. Here’s the thing the judges are missing with Evan as they continually tell him he’s not living up to what they expect: it doesn’t matter. He’s working his ass off, and he’s always there for his partner. Never does he completely mess up a routine, and without Evan’s strong presence here Jeanine wouldn’t be able to shine as bright.

Brandon’s Solo: With only four solos I thought it was time to finally give them a spot in the recap. Also I wanted to comment because the judges praised Brandon for a stint on stage that I felt was so frantic and uncontrolled. It’s one thing when the movement is frenetic but you can see each movement is intentional and precise, but I didn’t get that from Brandon tonight.

Kayla and Brandon - Choreography by Tyce Diorio: Fantastic in every single way possible. Tyce put together a finale worthy Broadway number, and his dancers pulled it off in just the right amount of dark and sexy attitude. Lots of fun to see these two together performing a routine that is more about how much fun and entertaining it is than anything else.

Jeanine’s Solo: Best solo of the season. Brandon from a few weeks back seemed to be unbeatable, and then along came Jeanine. She has been weak in the solo department, but waited until the right time to pull out such a powerful, controlled, and beautiful piece. Watch the insane control she has over her body during the pirouettes upon rewatch and there’s no denying Jeanine deserves to stand on that stage tomorrow night awaiting the news from Cat whether she’s won or not.

Evan and Brandon - Laurie Ann Gibson: Considering I commented during the routine that Brandon is out dancing Evan I can’t fault the judges for their comments. It’s just true, Brandon is the better technical dancer. But I didn’t think Brandon “dusted” Evan. Evan performed really well, he just happened to be paired up/against a gifted technician.

Kayla and Jeanine - Choreography by Mia Michaels: Thank goodness for the girls Mia decided to bring her considerable thunder for the finale. It was fascinating to watch as the two dance raced across the stage while tearing off layers of clothing.

Evan’s Solo: Evan does a variation of the same routine for each solo. There really isn’t much to comment on here.

Kayla and Evan - Choreography by Tony and Meredith: I don’t quite agree that this wasn’t a finale level routine. It’s the jive, and there’s only so much a choreographer can do with it. Evan certainly appeared to have a lot of fun, and those twirling lifts were incredible. Give the guy some frickin’ credit. I think this may have bumped Kayla out of contention for the title though. It was nice, but not strong enough by either dancer.

Kayla’s Solo: Hey look, those are some nice lines. Got anything else to contribute? I’m used to Evan having ho-hum solos, but this is the finale and that’s the best the supposed most awesome dancer this season could muster? Banal on levels that made me want to chug a bottle of NyQuil and pass out.

Jeanine and Brandon - Choreography by Louis Van Amstel: I don’t know what the equivalent of a standing ovation is in the written word, but you can mentally put it here. What has the world come to that some of my favorite routines this season have been ballroom? But a pasadoble done with this much passion and power can’t be denied. I think Adam’s comment about the movement never ending might have been the best thing the judges said all season. It made me understand why it was that Jeanine and Brandon impressed me so much in the final dance of the competition.

Who Will Win Season 5 Of So You Think You Can Dance?

• Brandon Bryant
• Evan Kasprzak
• Jeanine Malone
• Kayla Radomski

  Results