Monday night, So You Think You Can Dance was live in Hollywood for the final episode of Season 16. The Top 10 opened the show with a group performance choreographed by Mandy Moore that showcased each dancer’s talents and even featured a tap solo from Eddie and a break dancing solo from Top 4 contestant Bailey. Later in the evening, the Top 10 would also be revisiting their “Sign of the Times” performance and a brand new Luther Brown piece to the song “Post That” with All Stars Lauren and Cyrus.
Last week, was the last time the Top 4 performed to compete. This week was a trip down memory lane as The Top 4 and the judges picked their favorite performances to bring back to the stage before the winner was announced.
Laurieann’s Favorites
SYTYCD might have roasted Laurieann a little bit in her blooper reel, but she certainly made use of all of her unique vocabulary and pet names to invite us to enjoy some of her favorite performances from Season 16.
Her Picks:
Mariah and Bailey’s performance of “Tempo” choreographed by Luther Brown
Gino, Bailey, and Ezra’s performance of “Amen” choreographed by Talia Favia
Ezra and Gaby’s performance of “Ne me quitte pas” choreographed by Robert Roldan
Nigel’s Favorites
Do remember when Nigel dabbed? Or when SYTYCD‘s executive producer started getting down after a performance? We’ll never forget! Nigel decided not to revive any of his performances from this season, but he did pick some special ones to bring back to the stage including inviting Phoebe back for a final performance to complete her SYTYCD journey.
His Picks:
Ezra and Madison’s performance of “You Can Leave Your Hat On” choreographed by Ray Leeper.
Phoebe’s special performance to “ME!”
Gino and Bailey’s performance of “The Girl from Ipanema” choreographed by Al Blackstone
D-Trix’s Favorites
One of D-Trix’s strengths as a judge is that he competed in SYTYCD, so he can empathize with the contestants as they bring all of their skills to the stage each night. Unfortunately, that means they could also put together an entire throwback reel of his time as a contestant during Season 3. He was embarrassed to see his style from 2007 showcased, but happy to see these performances return to the stage.
His Picks:
Eddie and Sophie’s performance of “when the party’s over” choreographed by Travis Wall
Anna and Benjamin’s performance of “I’ll Be Seeing You” choreographed by Al Blackstone
Madison, Sophie, and Mariah’s performance of “I Can’t Stand the Rain” choreographed by Ray Leeper
Mary’s Favorites
It’s a wonder we could hear anything Mary said during the finale since she seemed to be screaming from the roof of the Hot Tamale Train the entire evening. Luckily Nigel sat on the other side of the judges’ panel this season, so he didn’t have to plug his ears. Among the shouting and excitement, Mary chose to revisit these three performances.
Her Picks:
Gino and Stephanie’s performance of “Long Tall Sally (The Thing)” choreographed by Emma Slater and Sasha Farber
Gino and Comfort’s performance of “Get Up” choreographed by Luther Brown
Bailey and Koine’s performance of “Mambo Italiano” choreographed by Al Blackstone
Mariah’s Favorite
Of all of her performances this evening, Mariah wanted to bring “Slide” choreographed by Mandy Korpinen and Elizabeth Petrin back for one last dance. When they originally performed this, D-Trix said it was one of his favorite performances ever, and Now it’s one of Mariah’s, too.
Sophie’s Favorite
KC Monnie brought one of the rawest performances of the season to the stage with his choreography for “You Will Be Found”. Sophie connected to this autobiographical routine the first time she performed it, and she wanted to bring that magic back for the finale.
Gino’s Favorite
Gino didn’t pick an easy routine for his favorite performance. Revisiting John Redavid’s choreography for “Trouble”, Gino and Sophie brought back their fast feet and jazzy moves for this Elvis moment.
Bailey’s Favorite
Bailey and D-Trix have certainly gained a reputation for being emotional b-boys this season, but for his favorite performance, Bailey decided to go with the one that made him feel most powerful. This jazz routine with Mariah choreographed by Ray Leeper was definitely one of Bailey’s breaking out of his shell moments this season.
America’s Favorite Dancer
When the night was over, the results were in, and there could only be ONE America’s Favorite Dancer. Based on America’s votes, the Top 4 fell into these final positions in the competition. Sophie came in as the Top 4 contestant, Gino Top 3, and Mariah Top 2. That left our favorite b-boy, Bailey Munoz standing on stage as America’s Favorite Dancer for Season 16. Are you surprised!?
