Destination 'So You Think You Can Dance': Please don't make them dance anymore

(Don't miss it! The last "So You Think You Can Dance" chat of the season kicks off at 1 p.m. on Thursday, right here on the Showtracker blog.)

   "Whoever's standing at the end of this marathon recording deserves the crown," sighs "Dance" titan Nigel Lythgoe at around 11 p.m.  The audience has been in the studio since 5 p.m., and although the specifics of the backstage kinks aren't clear from the bleachers, it's apparent that this typically well-oiled machine is somehow malfunctioning.

During the lengthy breaks between segments, the audience amuses itself as best it can. At one point, two cheerleading squads enliven the crowd with an impromptu cheer-off. During another break, uber-choreographer Tice Diorio sings a song. "If I make a wrong note, just clap, okay?" He pleads, before belting out Stevie Wonder's "Isn't She Lovely." After the ditty, Diorio holds out the microphone, proclaiming, "take this from me!"

There are more fan signs than ever tonight. There are staples, like, "Twitch, you're my hero," silly ones, like "Don't hatee on Katee" and hilarious ones like, "Josh, call me!" (complete with the hopeful lady's telephone number).  Stage manager Debbie Williams vetoes that last one, saying, "you'll have everyone in America calling you and that number."

The performances are just a formality tonight; the fan camps are already formed. If your favorite dances well tonight, you will vote for them; if your favorite dances poorly tonight, you will still vote for them.  Thus, tonight's show is more of a celebration than a competition; a celebration of making it into the finals.  Which begs the question, if this is a celebration, why is the schedule so demanding?

As a viewer, is it necessary, or even desirable, to see every contestant dance with every other contestant? Each dancer learned seven numbers in preparation for tonight.  Perhaps that's why Katie Shean pantomimes stabbing herself in the stomach at the end of her solo.   

We kick off the evening with Twitch Boss and Courtney Galiano's hip-hop number, courtesy of Tabitha and Napoleon D'Umo. (I know it's a little late to say this, but why does Courtney Galiano always dance with her hair down, whipping in front of her pretty face?) When the judges rave about the number, it becomes clear that "Dance" is a sort of critical arc, with generous judging at the beginning and end of the season and plenty of venom in between. This is going to be a kind night.

We hear that Courtney Galiano will be dancing after the break, but worry not – this episode is shot totally out of order, so she has time to rest.

Between breaks, a tube-top clad girl from the audience dances on stage and accidentally flashes us, energizing the audience. 

When Katee Shean and Joshua Allen get together for Wade Robson's lyrical routine, magic is inevitable. This pair is the David Archuleta of "So You Think You Can Dance." 

Now on to Katee Shean and Courtney Galiano's Broadway routine, in which they race to catch a trolly. After having my heart torn apart and put back together over the course of Katee Shean and Joshua Allen's last dance, this number is sort of like eating a pound cake.

This is the first time we've seen the ladies dance together, and now I see why.  When watching Katee Shean and Courtney Galiano dance together, comparison is inevitable, and comparison inevitably reveals how much sharper Katee is on every move.   

When Joshua Allen and Twitch Boss team up for their Russian dance number, comparison is once again inevitable.  Wisely, the pair acknowledges and toys with this fact, crafting a faux competition. This takes all of the tension out of the routine, and both men showcase their best abilities. They get a standing ovation.  And they get the award for greatest costumes of the season from this blogger.

"If you're a fan of glitter like I am, this is 'So You Think You Can Dance' glitter," announces Tommy the warm-up guy, as he passes out snap bracelets, candy, glitter, t-shirts and more to keep the audience engaged. As the hours wear on, Cat Deeley even dips into Tommy's candy bag between shots.

By the time Courtney Galiano and Joshua Allen's jive rolls around, they're wiped out. At the end of the number, Joshua, typically heralded as the ultimate gentleman, drops Courtney on her face and rushes away to make his final flip. Unless this is some part of the story that I missed, they're just getting sloppy.

When Nigel Lythgoe criticizes the jive, the audience "boos" him. Then, Nigel gets testy. "The whole thing about the program is I really like people to learn and get better," he snaps back. OK, fair enough, but doesn't Nigel know that during every break, the warm-up guy encourages us to "boo" if the judges say something we don't like? Everybody needs a nap.

I'm curious how all this will look in the playback.  Will the dancers' mounting exhaustion come across on screen? Although Katee Shean and Twitch Boss masked it well, Courtney Galiano appeared to be on the brink of an emotional breakdown and Joshua Allen looked like a zombie for much of the evening.  When a group yelled, "We love you, Joshua!" he just stared into the audience with a glazed expression.

As always, dip into the comments section and tell me what you think.  Let me know if the dancers looked wiped out to you, or if this is all in my head.

Then come join fellow "Dance"-tracker Claire Zulkey and me for our final chat, tomorrow at 1 p.m.

Till then!

-- Stephanie Lysaght

(Photos courtesy Fox)

Comments

[Caroline Forde]

I thought the show was fabulous last night. I was underwhelmed by the the girls broadway number. I thought the danced it well, but it was just boring. I was also glad to see Wade Robson back! I don't know who I love more, Wade or Mia Michaels. I think they are both genious! Mia and Wade's coreography touches my soul and my heart. I think Katie should win because she is just perfect! Although I have a soft spot for Joshua. I miss his braces. : (

[christie]

hehehe. I cannot describe to you how addicted I am to this show.

Go team Joshua. ;)

[Mi Le]

Oh please please please let it be Joshua who wins. He is truly my favorite dancer. All the others had opportunities and money to take dance classes, have dancing parts in Movies (Twitch in HairSpray) dance competitions etc. Joshua came from the streets and for him to do a Samba, a lyrical, a Viennese waltz, a foxtrot etc - is truly a natural God given talent. I do LOVE them all - kudos, what a tremendous Season!!!

[Craig]

Not only did they have seven dances to learn, they had a day and a half to do it--no rehearsals on Sunday, and only a half day on Saturday before they taped on Monday.

[DelMar]

It's true it's true it's all too true! They just looked SO exhausted that instead of enjoying the program I just felt very sorry for them...and irritated with the program for doing that to them. It went beyond drama into some kind of dancer torture.

[DelMar]

It's true it's true it's all too true! They just looked SO exhausted that instead of enjoying the program I just felt very sorry for them...and irritated with the program for doing that to them. It went beyond drama into some kind of dancer torture.

[CornerJ]

This was the best season ever for this show. Across the board best dancers (with Will the best of the best). Fabulous choreography. And best chemistry among the dancers. I don't see how it will be possible to top this season.

As for last night's show, yes, it was definitely too taxing on the dancers. One hour would have been plenty and would have resulted in better performances and a tighter, more exciting show. For one thing, the solos were completely superfluous. The routines were spectacular in conception, but not in execution due to the obvious exhaustion of the dancers. Fewer numbers performed at peak physical capability are preferable to a hodge-podge of unnecessary pairings.

All in all, though, a truly great season. My choice: Katee, for consistently exquisite execution on whatever genre she was given and whatever partner she was assigned.

[Michelle in KC]

Yes, they looked exhausted. During Joshua and Courtney's jive routine, you could see Joshua's legs physically not comply with what he wanted them to do. I feel for them, because seven routines each is a lot to not only remember but perform. But I could see their fatigue clearly.

[Mimi]

Is it just me or does it seem like maybe Katee and Joshua may have a romantic relationship going on? I definately want Twitch or Joshua to win. I have enjoyed watching them the most this season.

[Tati]

Was I the only one who thought Josh might have a "warddrobe malfunction" during the Mia Michaels #?? Or was it wishful thinking?? haha.. I kid.. I kid... I def. think a guy will take this years crown... I would be perfectly content with either of them... I think they are both amazing... I am for the most part happy with the final four... I think Courney could have been replaced by Chelsie... I thought Chelsie was amazing... but I think she did a good job.. I can't wait for the finale tonight!

[john gaskins]

this has to be the best show on t.v. every episode in the last 4 or 5 is worthy of individual dvd sales. it is a portrait of human endurance, and courtney has chiselled her features too ben hur status. i mean she's lost chicken fat. i would love a documentay- really well done by- pennebaker?- james cameron? it would begin with will"s embraceing farewell-no? i count on tonites show to once again make my stomach muscles and diaphram convulse in awe. i love katee and joshua; always did.

[SafeTinspector]

"the warm-up guy encourages us to "boo" if the judges say something we don't like? Everybody needs a nap."
I've always wondered about that.

As for Nigel criticizing the Jive, I find more fault with his inconsistency. He should've been just as tough on the equally bad foxtrot. I can't see why the producers allowed these two fan anti-favorite dance styles into the performance finale.

Mimi:I kinda think Joshua might not be straight. I could be wrong, and he might just be REALLY genteel, but I've never seen them act remotely romantic outside of the performances. They both talk a lot about being "close", but I think they mean that they are really good, trusting friends.
'Course, it seems this show (and AI, really) has always striven to ignore the 500lbs gorilla named "sexuality". Other than Nigel occasionally calling a male dancer on not being masculine enough (which I just take as code), no one ever approaches the subject.
This doesn't detract from the incredible dancing, however. :)

[Soleil]

I definitely think all of them looked exhausted...especially after each routine they did. They could barely speak let alone breathe! BUT I still think all of them did an AMAZING job given the circumstances!! I don't see how the judges could have critiqued them at all because of how many routines they had to do and the little they had to practice them!

as for favorites...not sure who i want to win! i love them all :) i think either joshua or twitch, but i also love courtney and katee! too hard to choose...they all deserve it!

[Drew]

What happened with Shane Sparks?

[Blair Waldorf]

Someone pleeeease stop Courtney from dancing and have her start teaching preschooler's how to do 1st-5th position all day (if she can even teach that). She's so terrible to watch, and every routine she did, it was like it was meant for Chelsie to do.
I could watch Joshua jump all day. He's like tigger.
The best line this week from Stephanie has to be that watching the girls routine was like eating pound cake. So true S...so true. Little bo peep really lost her sheep with that one.
What could have possibly taken so long that you were there for 6 hours? Maybe everyone was weaping like I was at the Wade Robson routine. Ugh, I forgot to hate him for just a second for what he did to Justin because he choreographs the greatest dances on the show.
Mia Michaels routine. Did anyone else think it was a huge disaster? Normally I am a huge fan of Mia's work, but Nigel was right with that one. It was hard to understand and looked totally awkward. My favorite part was when Katee looked so beautiful in the air (as of course Nigel stated last night) and Courtnie was flacid and sad looking. Story of the night though right?
At this point, I am just praying Joshua or Katee win. And get married. And have babies that are named Will and Chelsie.
PS I hope you saved me a snap bracelet!!!!

[lee]

Booing is part of fan interaction. And if you hired warm up guys who probably enourage the audience to boo, cheer, clap, whatever, you understood this.

[di]

Joshua did not “drop” Courtney. That drop WAS PART OF THE CHOREOGRAPHY as was the fact that he then does a flip and also ends up on the floor. Yes, you missed part of the story, you missed the choreography. The dancers weren’t sloppy. Your reporting was sloppy.

[jbrown]

**I don't care if they get married and have babies. I just want to see them dance. Every day.
Makes me feel better.

[Donna G.]

I feel like I must have been watching a totally different show.
The last few weeks have been amazing to watch and I was really expecting a spectacular finish. I think the choreographers really let the dancers down this week. Or maybe it was just whoever picked the dances. I didn't think any of the dancers got a chance to shine, it was so frustrating.
I thought the foxtrot was lovely and the boys' dance was great. I loved the humor they brought to it and did anyone measure how high off the floor Joshua was with his jumps? That was breathtaking.
But I thought the other dances were disasters. The Mia Michaels one looked like they were trying out for the Scottish Olympic team. What was up with the whole kilt thing? And the girls' dance was mostly running around the stage in those silly dresses.
But you're right, the camps are already formed and I don't think last night's show will have changed anyone's mind about their favorites.
I'm still a Joshua fan with Katee a close second.

[SafeTinspector]

jbrown: This is precisely why God gave us Tivo and YouTube.