So You Think You Can Dance may have gotten off to a slow start. It returned for its tenth season with just over five million viewers, which sounds decent enough, but nowhere near what it has done in the past. Most of that was due to Fox's unwise decision to premiere the show during the more competitive May sweeps (a first for the reality competition), but I still find it odd that it didn't really catch on with audiences (it averages about 4.5 million viewers) because this has arguably been the best season the show has ever produced. I know, I know, all series -- particularly ones from the reality genre -- boast that the current season is the best ever but, really, Season 10 has truly been amazing.
SYTYCD has definitely had its share of guest judge duds but thank goodness for Wayne Brady, Anna Kendrick, the always-reliable Christina Applegate and BEST GUEST JUDGE EVER Jesse Tyler Ferguson, all of whom made me forget Carly Rae Jepsen, Erin Andrews and Jenna Elfman were in the third chair. But really, it's all about the dancers. Obviously. And this season has been virtually perfect.
Don't get me wrong, I didn't love them all. I have no idea how Nico and Jenna got as far as they did (actually, I do; Nico's hair and pretty-boy looks helped him get votes while the judges gave Jenna free passes in crucial weeks), and Malece and Carlos were cut way too early. Viewers were partly to blame, but the judges weren't exactly innocent. All in all, in last night's episode, there were no truly shocking eliminations but for the second time this season (Week 6 being the other), I was on the edge of my seat. While I loved Paul and Hayley, they were up against the four dancers I have been rooting for from their auditions: Fik-shun, Amy, Aaron and Jasmine H. So when they were announced as the final four, I literally squealed, jumped up and down and high-fived my husband. Because they are, hands down, the best final four SYTYCD has ever seen in all of its 10 seasons. Don't believe me? Well I'm about to blow your mind.
Some of you hardcore fans might argue that Season 4 was the best and it definitely had its share of stunning dancers. But they are a very, very close second as far as the final four dancers are concerned. As Top 20s go, I admit Season 4 has my all-time favourite cast (who can forget Mark, Chelsie, Comfort, Will and Gev?). The finalists were Courtney, Katee, Twitch and Joshua who, up until now, were the best. But would you have been OK if any of them had won? I'm not going to name names -- but I wouldn't.
Same goes for Season 2 (Heidi, Donyelle, Travis and Benji), Season 3 (Lacey, Neil, Danny and Sabra) and Season 8 (Tadd, Marko, Sasha and Melanie). You know that old song, one of these things is not like the others? Well, you know you would've slapped your forehead if that sore thumb won. As for the other seasons, how well do you remember Kayla and Evan from Season 5? Or Ellenore from Season 6? What about Season 7's AdéChiké or even Tiffany from last year? I had to Google all of them to remind myself. But that won't be the case this year, because all four of them have proven themselves and made their marks, are likable and super-talented, and have their own distinct personalities and styles.
Aaron, who wasn't even supposed to be in the Top 20, has been the guy to beat. He has made us forget his specialty is tap, has embraced every style and has looked fabulous doing it. He takes on every character (I especially love him in the period pieces) and I absolutely love how he has shown us, week after week, that real men can dance. That's right, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, I have a crush on him too.
Fik-shun shows off his hip-hop skills on the sidewalks of Vegas. Come on! And every week, when Nigel is always on him about his technique, I want to duct-tape the Brit's mouth. Fik-shun has killed every routine he's been given, and I just think if you gave any of the other dancers his specialty, they couldn't do it half as well as he does it. And don't even get me started on his smile.
I have to admit, I didn't think Jasmine would get this far. Not because of her skills, because girlfriend has proven herself a force to be reckoned with from Day One. But the show has always portrayed her as the mopey ex-girlfriend of last season's finalist Cyrus. I just imagined her to be in the animator's shadow in the dance world -- and I love, LOVE! -- how she has proven me wrong. And HER LEGS. They are unreal.
A few weeks ago, when Amy was in the bottom against Malece because the judges sent Jenna to safety without making her dance (argh), I freaked. I love that Amy was deemed safe but heartbroken that Malece went home without making the Top 10 (the one glaring robbery of the season). But back to Amy. Adorable, gorgeous, Amy. Her smile alone could win her this damn competition but her dancing makes her that much more of a powerhouse. She may have been in cutesy routines but that has never been her fault. Blame the choreographers, judges! Amy was just doing what she was told, and beautifully, I might add. Once she proved she could emote, she was off and running dancing.
So what do you think? There isn't an obvious favourite, right? You know how in seasons past, you knew who the winner would probably be? That's not the case this time around. An argument can be made for all of them and not one truly outshines the others. As far as I'm concerned, either guy and girl can take the title of America's Favorite Dancer and I will be happy. Thankfully there is no way the audience can come from this season feeling disappointed, and hopefully that means happy viewers, which means more viewers in the seasons to come.
'So You Think You Can Dance' airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET on Fox and CTV. The two-hour finale airs Tuesday, Sept. 10 at 8 p.m. ET on Fox and CTV.
