Adam Rose/FOX It was a particularly underwhelming final performance night at So You Think You Can Dance. Even with four performances plus an additional solo for each of the top four, it was a roller-coaster of good and bad that had the judges butting heads and making clear calls on who they think will walk away with the title of America's favorite dancer.
So who dominated the night, who's in consideration to be in the Dirty Dancing remake, and what pint-size celebrity did we spot in the audience?
First the good stuff...
From our seat behind the judges table, it was obvious that the strength for all four dancers lied in their all-star pairing routines and solos. Sasha Mallory killed her opening jazz/contemporary routine with precision, strength and fighting spirit.
"You've just thrown down the gauntlet to the other three contestants tonight," judge Nigel Lythgoe said.
Not to be outdone, Melanie Moore roared on to stage with her own contemporary routine and turned the tables on who was dominating the last night of competition.
"Sasha threw down the gauntlet, and you just picked it up and slapped her in the face with it," Nigel said.
When we caught up with Melanie after the show, she laughed off Nigel's comment, but didn't deny she was fighting for the win.
"I would say I definitely picked up the gauntlet that she threw down, but I don't think I slapped her in the face with it because I don't think I would actually do that," she laughed. "But if there's a challenge on the table I'm definitely going to accept it and I think this whole night of the finale was about challenging yourself. She set the bar and I was ready to go for it."
Speaking of challenging themselves, Tadd Guaddang and Marko Germar's paired hip-hop routine had judge Mary Murphy gushing.
"Absolute solid gold," she said. "I love you guys to pieces."
As far as other great paired routines went, Sasha and Melanie's contemporary number was dynamic, chilling and powerful that had all the judges enraptured.
"I love seeing the two of you dance," guest judge, Katie Holmes said.
"It's so beautiful to watch the two of you together," Mary added.
Guest judge Kenny Ortega was especially taken by Melanie, who he feels will be walking away the winner at Thursday's final results show. When we asked him about the potential of Melanie landing a role in the Dirty Dancing remake, he wasn't shy to express his enthusiasm about putting her in the pool of consideration.
"I would work with her tomorrow in heartbeat and she would be wonderful in Dirty Dancing," he said. "It's a little early to be thinking about casting, but she has such theatrical power. She's like an actor that can dance as much as she's a dancer that can act."
Now the not-so-great stuff…
OK, so Melanie and Marko's opening disco number fell flat and Sasha and Tadd had a disastrous cha-cha, but there was something about the finale that was disappointing Nigel. When we chatted with him after the show, he explained.
"I was disappointed with the finale in general," he said. "I can't put my finger on what it really is. It didn't feel as special as it normally does and we've got four brilliant dancers here. Each of them deserving to be there. Maybe it was because we weren't in the Kodak Theater, maybe it was the opening routine didn't knock me out. The cha-cha frightened me and the end routine, well, at least get it together! They did look exhausted, but that's what the show is about!."
Regardless of the judge's negative comments and Nigel's prediction that a girl will take the competition, Marko and Sasha told us no one is worried about winning or losing.
"The whole night was a good time. I don't think I felt one competitive inch in my body," Sasha said. "I was taking it all in. This is the last time we get to, in competition, perform for America. I'm just so honored and blessed to be here and I'm just really happy we got through. I'm so proud of everyone. This experience will never go away. I am more happy about that than winning any money."
"At this point, there's so many things that go on in our heads that competition is the last thing on our minds," Marko added. "It would be a shame to see each other as competitors because we're not, we're friends. We're done. We made it. In our opinion, we've all already won."
So the night was hit and miss for the dancers, but one thing we definitely took notice of Katie Holmes mothering. We were only three rows away from little miss Suri Cruise, who was flanked by two nannies and a bodyguard, proudly holding a sign that said "We love Katie." At every commercial break, Katie turned around in her chair blowing kisses and waving to Suri. She even came into the audience twice to check on Suri, twirl her around and make sure she was set up with a cookie the size of a small dinner plate.
With only a little time left to vote, the choice is yours! Who do you want to see win? Were you impressed with the finale or did it fall short? Do you want to see Melanie in Dirty Dancing? Let us know in the comments!
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