Destination ‘So You Think You Can Dance’: And then there was one

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‘I am pretty much dying to get these heels off now,’ confessed ‘So You Think You Can Dance’ host Cat Deeley as she made her way down the press line after tonight’s finale. ‘I have literally had these babies on for approximately 2-1/2 hours now with not even a gin and tonic in sight,’ moaned Cat. Lovable and versatile hip-hop dancer Joshua Allen had just taken the crown, and the judges, choreographers, dancers and host were taking a few minutes to chat up the press.

I knew that none of my readers would forgive me if I didn’t ask Cat who made her outstanding ensemble. ‘I am wearing vintage Julien MacDonald couture,’ said Cat of her fringe and gemstone dress, ‘and then I’ve got Jimmy Choo shoes on.’

Although Deeley has a stylist, her unique wardrobe on ‘Dance’ is a collaborative effort. ‘You know what it’s like just being a girl,’ related Cat. ‘Sometimes you feel like having a really comfy wrap dress, and then another day, you might be feeling super-confident, and be like: ‘You know what? I’m gonna rock the black leather miniskirt!’’ (I do know what she means. Except for me, the wrap-dress days are the confident days.) Cat is also an avid thrift store shopper. ‘Some of my favorites have been little dresses that I got for like $20 or whatever,’ she exclaimed proudly.

As for her flawless physique, Cat confessed, ‘I’m quite lucky cause I like being active. If I’m not working, I like going horse riding or surfing or hiking or I do yoga. I couldn’t bear to go to the gym though. I’d feel like a hamster on a wheel.’

Next stop, ‘So You Think You Can Dance’ titan Nigel Lythgoe, who was still buzzing from Joshua Allen’s win.

‘For me, it’s inspirational,’ proclaimed Nigel. ‘And it’s inspirational for all of the kids that can’t afford dance classes.... Josh, in truth, has had a couple of classes. Twitch Boss hasn’t. And they are two boys who are in the finals of what I think is the toughest dance competition ever devised. And one of them wins! For me, it’s exactly what I’d want the country to see. You don’t have to be rich and buy yourself dance classes.’

As you probably know, Nigel is leaving ‘American Idol’ to focus on spreading the word about ‘Dance,’ and to develop some other mysterious projects. When I pressed him for more details on these projects, Lythgoe answered, ‘I wanna do ‘So You Think You’re Funny’ and I wanna do ‘So You Think You’re Hot.’’ As usual, I couldn’t tell whether or not Nigel was serious, but he claimed he was. He described ‘So You Think You’re Hot’ as ‘a celebrity show. A big-headed celebrity show.’

Soon, I was able to track down the man of the hour, Mr. Joshua Allen. (Or perhaps you know him as America’s Favorite Dancer?) I asked Joshua, natch, if he and Katee Shean were secretly in love. ‘I love her,’ Joshua answered, ‘but it’s nothing like -- you know. I have a girlfriend.’ (Sorry ladies; turns out both Joshua Allen and Twitch Boss are taken.)

Then, Joshua revealed the real reason he joined the competition. ‘I’ve always just wanted to touch people with my dancing.... If I can touch just one person, I’m doing my job ... Somebody said ‘No Air’ had changed their life forever, and that just touched me. Like, ‘Did I really?’ I was so happy.’ Yup, sounds like America chose the right guy.

So, how was Joshua Allen planning to celebrate his big win tonight? ‘We’re gonna go par-tay! Par-tay!’

During tonight’s show, there was one man in the studio that looked even more ecstatic about Joshua Allen’s win than Joshua himself, and that man was the infinitely crushable Twitch Boss. ‘You know, I think at the very moment when [Cat] said [Joshua’s] name, I think I was’ more excited, Twitch agreed when I caught up with him in the press line. ‘Cause I think it took him a second to process. And me, I heard it right away so I was like, ‘Oh my God!’’

‘To me, this competition is so much more than just that money,’ the finalist continued. ‘I really got what I’ve wanted from this competition.... That 250 was just an awesome extra,’ With a smile, Twitch added, ‘There’s no time to dwell on that at all, cause I have to be happy for Josh.’ And Twitch looked like the very picture of happiness. It was clear that somehow, a win for Joshua was also a win for Twitch. ‘Josh is my boy,’ he said. ‘He’s like my brother.’ Then, Twitch was quick to add, ‘and it’s a big day for hip-hop. it’s a really big day for hip hop.’

One person who agreed that today was ‘a really big day for hip-hop’ was the startlingly emotional Shane Sparks. ‘We just changed the world tonight, you know what I mean?’ Shane pressed when I asked how he felt about Joshua’s victory.

‘This whole episode was the best episode ever on TV my whole life,’ added Shane. It may sound like an extreme statement, but he meant every word. ‘This changed the game for everybody from the streets, I swear to God,’ Shane insisted.

I also got to talk to fellow hip-hop heavies Tabitha and Napoleon D’Umo, who confessed that they’re even harsher on the dancers than the judges. ‘There have been times,’ admitted Napoleon, ‘where we went, ‘Wow that looks horrible,’ and then the judges say very nice things, and I go, ‘Phew!’’

Adam Shankman appeared in the press line too, giddy over Joshua Allen’s win. ‘It was really special for me, cause I was there. I put him through in Dallas,’ Shankman explained. ‘So watching him grow like that was incredible for me.... He started out really raw. He hit really hard and his dancing was good, but I never would have imagined he’d tackle some of those contemporary and ballroom pieces like he did.’

One other contestant whom nobody expected to tackle the pieces she did was Courtney Galiano. When I talked to Courtney, she was giddy about the impending wrap party. ‘Oh my God, I’m gonna have so much fun tonight!’ She gushed. ‘You know, it’s the first time that we’ve actually all gotten to go out together?’

I had a hard time believing that the kids never sneaked a 12-pack into the apartment for some booze-fueled bonding, but Courtney insisted they hadn’t. ‘Never! Seriously!’ She promised. ‘We are 24/7 dancing. My body is like, ‘Courtney Anne, can you put me to bed now? Thanks!’’

When I asked Courtney how she felt about being famous, she couldn’t help but laugh. ‘People say that, and I’m like, ‘Are you kidding me?’’ Then she told me about the first time she was recognized in public. ‘I was like, ‘Can you guys take a picture with me,’ and they were like, ‘What?’’ recalled Courtney.

Now that she’s a free woman, Courtney has only one thing on her mind: ‘When I go home, I am gonna get a manicure and a pedicure, ‘cause my poor feet have been through hell! I’m like, sad about the person that has to do it!’ chuckled Courtney.

Despite a trying week, complete with a twisted ankle and surprise performance, the hot tamale train conductor, Mary Murphy, was also happy to chat. When it came to her surprise finale performance, Mary confided, ‘I kept it a surprise ‘cause I was thinking all the time I might back out of this.’ Luckily, she didn’t.

Even when Mary twisted her ankle at the Teen Choice Awards the day before her performance, she remained unfazed. Mary was only upset that she had to trip and fall in front of The Jonas Brothers. ‘Oh my god, they’re gonna think I’m passing out over them!’ Mary remembered thinking.

As anybody who watches ‘Dance’ can guess, Mary was ecstatic about Joshua’s win tonight. ‘Joshua was one of my favorites early on,’ she admitted. ‘I was secretly hoping that Joshua was gonna win.... He’s gonna be an inspiration to so many kids around the world. It just goes to show you that if you have drive and if you’re lucky enough in this world to find something you’re passionate about, that’s really what it’s all about.’

Couldn’t have said it better myself.

-- Stephanie Lysaght