What. An. Incredible. Finale. Mind you, it was also a half-hour too long, but So You Think You Can Dance proved itself the summer's most entertaining and highest quality reality series with its big, Shakespearean conclusion. Let's discuss whether the winner earned his/her title and whether surprise guest Ellen DeGeneres added any anti-Idol shade to the proceedings.
First of all: Congrats to the superhuman Lauren Froderman for taking it all! Not only did Lauren outpace third-place Robert and second-place Kent, she also danced, like, 50 times during last night's show. Has there ever been a reality series more demanding of its combatants? Shows like Project Runway may put its contestants under duress, but ultimately they can get still away with a sloppy hemline; on So You Think You Can Dance, a flinch can be a point against you, and these three jivesmen (what a necessary new word) pounced with flawless verve. Insane.
Quickly, a note about Ellen: After the last half hour of the finale dipped into ennui and we'd seen enough retreaded routines to render a once-spastic Mary Murphy comatose, Ellen was a fabulous blast of levity. She came out to perform a watered-down version of Alex Wong's hip-hop routine with Twitch at show's end -- in tribute to the injured talent -- and she just wowed. Look, I'm the world's biggest American Idol zealot, and all memory of her dubious tenure there melted when she appeared onstage in that red bomber jacket. A big, big moment of fun.
Now, onto Lauren: While all three contestants ruled, Lauren had racked up the most credits for a win -- the versatility, the character embodiment, the sexiness, the sleekness, and her utter resilience in barreling through a season that the judging panel had declared an invitiation-only sausage fest. Robert and Kent are exquisite dancers, but I think Lauren is SYTYCD's ultimate chameleon. She is astounding.
And with that, the season closes. I am sad to say I already mourn my Wednesday routine, because there isn't another competition series whose unbelievable talents alone mitigate any chance of reality sleaze entering the arena. This is a classy affair. And it'd be even classier if someone would just award Cat Deeley her Emmy already.