The World Flavor booth at West Palm's green market sells loose teas (right) and loose spices.

THE MARKET: West Palm Beach GreenMarket

LOCATION: Waterfront Commons in Downtown West Palm Beach

HOURS: 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturdays

THE VENDOR: World Flavor Read the full story

See more photos from the finale

The night has finally arrived. Tonight, for the fifth time, we crown America’s favorite dancer. And there’s a lot to get to in this two-hour extravaganza, so strap in.

We’re live at the Kodak Theatre, with 3,500 screaming fans. Welcome…to soyouthinkyoucandance!

Fashion Cat! critique
She looks smashing in a satiny toga-style strapless cocktail dress. Great chandelier earrings. Sleek hair. I give it a 9. (Picture below.)

Top 20 dancers perform at the start of the SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE season finale

Group performance
Top 20 dancers reprise the The Wiz number. It’s exuberant! And…fast! It ends with the final four dancers in a life-size picture frame. It’s a happy, uplifting way to start the show.

The build-up…
Cat reveals there were 21.6 million votes, a new record for the show. (I only got through three times, so if you’re unhappy with the result, don’t blame me.)

The judges table is FULL. Lil C’s in the house, as are Mia Michaels, Tasty Oreo, Debbie Allen and Shanks. They join Mary, who’s wearing ENTIRELY too much jewelry, and Grandpa Perv (that’s Nigel).

Now, a season-flashback video. In addition to a multitude of great audition moments from the very beginning through Las Vegas, we also get to see Sex (the annoying, delusional guy, not the actual act), people flailing and falling and the same-sex ballroom dancers. Forgot about them. Didn’t need to be reminded.

More torturous filler
We review Wednesday night’s performances. As if you weren’t watching. (Can you tell I want to get through this two-hour fluff-fest and get to the results???)

(L-R): Nigel Lythgoe, Mary Murphy, Adam Shankman, Debbie Allen, Tyce Diorio, Mia Michaels and Lil C

Judges’ favorite routines
OK, this is worth watching. The judges will pick their favorite numbers from the season for us to see again.

Shanks: Hip Hop with Phillip and Jeanine from the Top 20 round, choreographed by NappyTabs. It’s just as good the second time.

Nigel: Argentine Tango with Janette and Brandon. FINE CHOICE. Just as intense, smooth and gorgeous as the first time we saw it. We’ve missed you, Janette.

Mama Bird (Debbie): Louis Van Amstel’s Waltz for Asuka and Vitolio, commenting on its romance and magical quality. I find I enjoy it tonight, because I’ve had time to get over being annoyed at Asuka. They’re lovely.

Mary: Just when I never thought Mary could make me happy, she chooses Jeanine and Jason‘s “heart necklace” routine, choreographed by Travis Wall. And yes, they kiss again at the end. And I think I could watch that over and over without getting tired of it. They really are nice together, and it’s a reminder of why Jason made it as far as he did. Well done.

Jason and Jeanine in their original "heart necklace" performance

Mia: Max and Kayla’s Samba, also by Louis, from the Top 20 round. Kayla still looks fierce in that hot pink dress, but for me it’s not quite as hot as the first time around. As Lil C might say, missing some nectar.

We take a break from the faves to watch a video about a surprise our final four got on Saturday night. Of course it’s a plug for something, and that something is the new Fame movie remake, starring season 4 finalist Kherington. Debbie, who’s also in the movie, talks about how she and others have wanted to do this remake for a long while, and she hopes it encourages people to invest in the arts.

Debbie gets to pick another favorite: The Top 16′s Calle Ocho group routine. She loves that it combined hip hop and Samba, and compliments the choreography by NappyTabs and Dmitry.

And now, a guest. Nigel introduces the winner of SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE Australia, a ballerina named Talia. She performs a jazz piece choreographed by Sonya Tayeh. Suffice it to say, she’s good. And she looks pretty edgy, so Sonya’s work seems a good fit.

Lil C’s turn to pick a fave: Jason and Caitlin’s Bollywood. After enlightening us to the meaning of Jai Ho (“Victory be yours”), he says:

Anytime you’re blessed to be aboard a vessel that facilitates education of world dance to the mass public, that’s the victory to me.

And there’s your quote of the night, kids. No poll necessary.

Brandon, Jeanine, Evan and Kayla await results.

Results: Part 1
Cat brings the top four out to the stage. Evan is wearing pants up to his chest and an over-sized jacket. I can only hope it’s a costume for an upcoming number.

The dancer in fourth place is… Kayla?!?!? That, my friends, is a shocker and a testament to the evil power of the midwestern teen with an unlimited calling plan. Wow. Kayla even looks kind of surprised under that smile, and I don’t blame her. Perhaps these shows need a people’s choice and a REAL winner. Gack.

Worst part? It means Evan could still win. Cue the vurping.

Kayla says what she’ll remember most is working with all the choreographers, especially Mia, because Mia pushes a dancer do more than they ever thought imaginable. She is incredibly gracious. Good on ya, girl, and I hope I see more of you.

Back to judges’ faves.

Shanks picks Mia’s “butt” routine, dance by Evan and Randi. At least that explains Evan’s outfit. While Mia’s stuff can be dark, Shanks likes that this number showed her fun side.

Mary gets next pick, and goes for a replay of Jeanine and Brandon’s Paso Doble from Wednesday night.

Results, Part 2
The dancer in third place is…Evan. He should’ve placed, like, 14th, but at least it’s not first. Evan says hearing the audience chant his name last night was “breathtaking.” He thanks his fans and family, and calls it an “amazing” journey. Cat asks if he’ll keep on dancing. “Heck, yeah!” he says. ‘Cause he’s nasty like that.

Back from the commercial break, Nigel picks another routine: Mia’s “addiction” piece, danced by Kayla and Kupono. It brings Mia to tears. This is surely one of Kupono’s best performances.

What a treat. Rage Boyz Crew is back to show us more All Boys Prep School Cheerleading. I’m equally bored this time, even if some of the kids are cute as heck. It’s like a totally overgrown boy band.

Now, it’s Tyce’s turn to choose a routine, and he picks Janette and Brandon’s disco. They work it out, as you’d expect.

Mia then picks a “very very tender piece” by Tyce, the breast cancer number danced by Melissa and Ade. Tyce adds more to the moment by announcing that this morning, he learned that a friend in whose honor he had created the piece, found out that she is cancer-free. That’s worth applause. As is the routine, which gets a weepy standing O from the audience.

Tyce Diorio, Mia Michaels, Nigel Lythgoe, Mary Murphy, Adam Shankman and Debbie Allen.

A special surprise
Next up, Cat announces (from the curiously empty judges table) that the top 8 will perform the Chorus Line routine (which gives us another 9 props…sheesh). Either this was been pre-recorded, or Ade and Melissa are super-fast costume changers, because they just danced.

Toward the end, the dancers go back behind the mirrors and play switcheroo with the judges. The judges come out to high step for the final few eight-counts. And there’s your promised special surprise. Cute. Just when you thought you’d never again get to see Mary dance again — and get a sip in the game — there she is, top had and all.

Final results!
At last, it’s all down to business. Brandon and Jeanine are on stage in “real” clothes. She chooses a great black cocktail dress; he’s in a hoodie and jeans. Just not a showy dresser, eh, Mr. Board Shorts?

A flashback video reminds us of their great moments. Cat asks Nigel if there is there anything else he would like to say. (I DON’T CARE ANNOUNCE IT ALREADY.)

He says he was delighted when he learned at 12:30 a.m. who the winner is and urges Cat to reveal the result. So…

Host Cat Deeley (R) announces the winner, Jeanine Mason (L)

After the biggest vote in SYTYCD history, America’s Favorite Dancer is…JEANINE!

I kid you not, I about cried. I did actually yelp.

Jeanine looks both thrilled and overcome. As her eyes begin to water, she says, “I never thought I’d be giving an acceptance speech (at) the Kodak, but… thank you, Academy!” Heh. And that, my fellow jazz monkeys, is one of the reasons I heart her. She then thanks her mom for pushing her to dance and rattles off some of her favorite things about the show, including Cat. Awww.

And there is much joy and confetti, and I can sleep soundly.

Final drinking/exercise game tally
Props: 2’ door; 4 tables, 8 chairs.
floor rolls: 6
amazing: 7+
crying: 1

Quote of the night
As mentioned earlier, the award goes straight to Lil C for his Jai Ho comments. Can’t wait to hear what Encyclopedia Krumpannica has to say next season.

Which starts again in September, so no more waiting till next summer!

But, while he have a break, let’s retire the word “amazing” from this show, mmmkay?

See you in a few weeks!

Here we go! Tonight, everybody dances with everybody else in the final night of competition.

Welcome…to the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood!

This is the largest live audience (more than 3,000) and set the show has ever had. Though the performance stage itself is a little bit smaller. But no matter. Everyone gets his or her name up in lights!

(Be sure to vote in the Quote of the Night poll at the end of the post!)

Cat pulls out some sparkle and shine.

Fashion Cat! critique
Not bad…gold-ish, glittery, suitable for a special occasion. It’s a little slouchy, but probably another vintage piece. She’s doing the beachy-wavy hair. I’m fine with it; I’ll give it a 7.5 out of 10. (Of course, Gail’s the more educated fashion critic; but she’s on family vacation in Vegas.)

Group performance
First, a fun little number by Wade Robson. It’s the jocks trying to get the sassy cheerleaders, and it’s prop-tastic! a picnic table, jackets, pom poms. It’s to Boys Boys Boys by Lady Gaga, a pretty lame song. Except for the reference to The Killers. It’s a cute routine, and the most challenging part is the speed of the movement. Best cheerleader? Brandon, actually. Heh.

Then we get a Season 6 preview video, and it does a good job of getting me excited for the next season, which is just a few weeks away! The fat guy at the end? Not really necessary. But looks like there’s some serious talent coming.

Jeanine and Evan
They’re with Sonya for a piece is about a guy trying to get back his oh-so-over-it girl. They actually look rather good together, mostly because she doesn’t tower over him. The routine plays to their strengths, and Evan allllllmost equals Jeanine. Nigel says the theme of the routine fits Jeanine’s feisty character. The judges all agree that she edged him out.

Read the full story

This is it, jazz monkeys! Tonight is part one of the two-night season finale, broadcast live for the first time from the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood.

We’re sure to see some outstanding performances as our final four dance their precious booties off to earn $250,000 cash (and the all-important feature on the cover of Dance Spirit magazine…ahem).

In case you’ve been living under a rock, our top guys and girls are:

Kayla (18, Aurora, CO): The Dance Beast, whose grandparents used to take her to dance classes, has kicked major league butt on every genre she’s been given. The only exception might be that zombie hip hop routine; even so, a so-so day for her makes thousands of other dancers look like…well, I dunno. “Poo” seems harsh, but might be appropriate. Our only pet peeve: The typical, twitchy contemporary- in-a-flowy-nightgown solos. Would love for her to surprise us tonight if solos are part of the competition.

Read the full story

For those of you active on Twitter, here’s where to stalk — er, keep up with — some of your favorite ‘So You Think You Can Dance’ personalities.

A few of their user names are rather amusing. So even if you’re not tweeting much, you might still get a chuckle.

Among those Nigel follows: Osama?

Nigel: @dizzyfeet. Note: He’s following (fake) Osama bin Laden. Warn us of any impending doom, would ya, Nigel?

Shanks: @adammshankman

Mary: @HOTtamaleTRAIN (HA!: Bio: So You Think You Can Dance Judge | Queen of Scream)

Lil C: @kingofkrump (I’m guessing kingofdancevocab was taken.)

Napoleon & Tabitha: @NAPPYTABS

Shane Sparks: @sparks5678 (Clever, eh?)

Tyce Diorio: @tycediorio

Mia Michaels: @MMRAW (RAW?!? Indeed.)

Brian Friedman: @brianfriedman

Also happened upon a few dancers, past and present…

Phillip: @PhillipChbeeb

Lacey “Shut the Front Door” Schwimmer: @LaceySchwimmer

Hok: @hokutokonishi

Vitolio: @VITOLIO

You may find even more by looking at who’s following whom. Heck, you never know who’s out there…maybe even the real Osama.

Wonder if he “gets” Mia?

Enjoy!

The Twitter-verse is abuzz with the idea of a Michael Jackson tribute routine on SYTYCD, choreogrpahed by Paula Abdul at show creator Nigel Lythgoe‘s request.

Last Friday afternoon on Twitter, Nigel (@dizzyfeet) replied to Paula (@PaulaAbdul): “I follow you too. Will you choreograph an MJ tribute for us this week?”

He later appealed to his 17,000+ followers: “People please use Twitter-Power. Ask @PaulaAbdul to choreograph a Michael Jackson tribute on SYTYCD.”

Nigel Lythgoe appeals to Paula Abdul and the public via Twitter

Looks like she didn’t hesitate to accept the offer. She soon replied, “Have your people call my people Nigel and let’s do it! lol”.

According to another Nigel tweet, Mia Michaels and Wade Robson are also involved.

But as of an update by Nigel Sunday morning, they are still trying to get the necessary permission to use Michael’s music. So he’s urging fans to be patient while they “organize, clear and choreograph.”

To stay posted, follow Nigel and/or Paula…