'So You Think You Can Dance' Recap - Finale Part 2/Winner Chosen

8:00 – Welcome! As I did last year, I’m live blogging this season finale instead of a more traditional recap. It doesn’t make sense for me to rate and critique the dances tonight but I want to let the finale go un-recapped. So let the live blogging begin!

8:01 – I get that they have a hard job inventing a completely new themed wardrobe each week, but sometimes (OK, a lot of the times), the SYTYCD costume department produces such hideous outfits. I mean, yellow pants with a feather collar and rams horns? I’ve seen better costumes at my college’s Comic-Con knockoff.

8:06 – The judging panel has been…just OK this year. I miss having rotating guest judges with the luminous Misty Copeland and ultra likable Christina Applegate. Perhaps I’d miss them less if Jason Derulo showed a glimmer of expertise or charisma.

8:06 – The SYTYCD costume department won an Emmy. I bet it was for that…creative…robot ensemble from a few weeks ago.

8:07 – Big fan of Travis. So glad he got some Emmy love. You know what else I love? That he mentioned his boyfriend on the air. For a show all about dance and with a cast that, no doubt, has more than a few homosexuals, it is still so strange that, to my knowledge, this is the first time a SYTYCD cast member has acknowledged their homosexuality. Perhaps this trend will continue, we will get to know the contestants on a deeper level and we won’t have to have beat around the bush when talking about a dance that is clearly based on a gay love story. Like, c’mon Travis, who were you fooling last week with your “woman not accepted by your family and runs into the arms of another female” routine.

8:10 – As crazy difficult as that two-person-wheelbarrow-turn thing seems to be, it just comes off as weirdly clunky, no?

8:17 – Hard-hitting, badass Megz is great, but I love how open and vulnerable she is in this piece. It’s probably her best work all season.

8:19 – I’d pay good money to see a Ricky/Jaja vehicle on Broadway. Also, how adorable of a couple are they?

8:30 – tWitch is just the epitome of cool.

8:31 – It must be so harder to dance to an a capella and (somewhat) rhythmless track like this. But they pull it off beautifully. What a stunning simple number.

8:33 – I would watch So You Think You Can Dance, Jr in a freakin’ heartbeat. That being said, I’m old enough to remember the trainwreck that was American Juniors so…

8:35 – So they’re officially admitting that Asaf is basically the Tel Aviv Paulie D.

8:38 – I really like the Death Is A Crow routine despite Robert’s hideous S&M top that got shredded in the wash shirt. Can I even call it a shirt if it ends above the nipple?

8:48 – If you’re a ballet fan, might I recommend a wonderful little documentary called First Position. Some great characters and did a great job of showing how much blood, sweet and tears it takes to do such a technically superior and seemingly effortless routine like this.

8:52 – One of my favorite group routines as well. So cool and quirky without going too far into cuckcooland.

8:59 – Even though I make fun of the costumes, this is a really fun routine. Of course Virgil is great, but I’m amazed, once again, how convincing Hailee is.

9:03 – I’m too old to understand what ‘shipping’ means, but I think I ship Alex and Jim.

9:03 – Holy smokes. Jim and Alex might be the two best dancers to even appear on the show. Interesting to note, too, that Alex brought out Jim’s best and most emotionally connected performance.

9:07 – In forth place is: Hailee

9:16 – Hands down, this Alzheimer’s routine is my favorite of this season. Such a touching story told through dance.

9:22 – Commercial musings: I wish TLC would greenlight a reality show about Morty and his wife from the Swifer commercial.

9:25 – Travis and Jenna are magnetic dancers. I remember well when both of them were contestants. He’s (arguably) a better choreographer than he is a dancer, and that is very much a compliment as he’s a tremendous dancer, and just a gem to have on this show.

9:30 - In third place is: Virgil

9:31 – Virgil’s like a throwback to the kind of Sammy Davis Jr-esque dancing comedians we don’t see anymore. He’s a human energizer bunny.

9:37 – While some might prefer the flash and spectacle of the Virgil/Joshua routine, this is my favorite hip-hop routine of the year. So artful and really stretches the boundaries of what hip-hop can do.

9:42 – They had a very strong and diverse top 20 this year. Not my favorite top 20, but very strong indeed.

9:49 – Gaby might be the most improved girl this season.

9:58 – And the winner is…Gaby!

9:58 – While my vote went to Jaja, I have no complains with Gaby taking top honors. She’s a spitfire dancer and will be wonderful in JLo’s Las Vegas show.

9:59: That’s all folks. I’ll be back recapping SNL and American Idol later this year. Goodnight!