MARY, CAN YOU BE MORE OF A MAN THAN ADAM? Boy, that Kodak theater is big. Apparently the lighting designers got a little confused about where the cameras were going to be, unless the choreographers' aim was to blind the TV audience. Very little of true wow value in the choreography, to boot: um, Wade, football players and cheerleaders? Nasty boys? Thank heavens for Mia, who knows how to bring her A-game to the finale and who finally managed to come up with a way to choreograph the two-girl dance effectively. (One bit of constructive criticism -- I would have liked the dancing to skirt removal time ratio to have been slightly higher.)
Why Evan may win: Benji Schwimmer. Personality and polish can take you a long, long way in this competition. And the jidges could not have done more than they did tonight to galvanize Evan's fan base into voting.
Why Evan cannot win: He's no Benji Schwimmer. Even when he's gotten styles that should have been squarely in his wheelhouse, Evan has rarely nailed a dance outside of his solos. It's not beyond the realm of possibility that his obviously steadfast fans carry him to a win, but it's tough to make any legitimate argument that he deserves it.
Why Kayla may win: The jidges have been behind her from moment one. She has never flubbed a dance. And she is a truly lovely dancer.
Why Kayla cannot win: Jeanine. Jeanine has everything going for her that Kayla does and then some. And even when Kayla was dusting other dancers earlier in the competition, she still regularly found herself in the bottom three. Kayla, like last season's Will Wingfield, is the jidge-adored dancer who never quite connects with the audience. I think she is the #4 finisher tomorrow night.
Why Brandon may win: The strongest guy usually wins, and this year that guy is Brandon. He is powerful and graceful and explosive and contained. Plus he seems like a sweetheart, and although Evan has been getting all the lovability kudos, he is adored by many, especially after that fantastic winning-Mia-over edit he's been getting all season.
Why Brandon cannot win: There's such a track record of dancers like Brandon on SYTYCD, and the super-technically proficient contemporary dancer so rarely captures the hearts and souls of the voters. See, e.g., Danny Tidwell and Travis Wall. (And even though he outdanced Evan, he looked only marginally less goofy during that dopey pocket-sized Nasty Boys number.)
Why Jeanine may win: Girls don't normally win this show, and I bet the producers would love to see a girl win this one. Jeanine matched or exceeded the quality of her partner's dancing in all three of her partnered dances tonight (including both Kayla during that glorious onion striptease as well as Brandon during the paso matrix), and it's hard not to love a girl who dances to the True Lies tango. Plus she got the big cute personality edit and lots of discussion about peaking at the right time, both of which weigh in her favor.
Why Jeanine cannot win: Girls don't normally win this show. Sabra Johnson, the only female winner in the show's history, beat out Danny Tidwell, the previously mentioned super-technically proficient contemporary dancer who so rarely captures the hearts and minds of the voters. But both Brandon and Evan are loaded for bear with personality, and the tweeny girls like them some boys. Also, while Jeanine has been great most weeks, prior to tonight she has never really had any of those big memorable breathtaking moments (except for maybe the Travis Wall contemporary number with presumptive behind-the-scenes hookup Jason). Talk about peaking at the last possible moment.
I haven't cast a single vote all season, so I feel a little phony making predictions, but I'm going with Jeanine for the win and Kayla out of the money. I don't have a view as between Evan and Brandon for the two spot -- neither one would surprise me.
added: PopWatch lists and provides YouTube for its favorite 15 performances in SYTYCD history.
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