Russell Ferguson wins So You Think You Can Dance

Well, never again doubt for a minute that these results shows are (mostly) live. Things were going very smoothly on Wednesday night's season finale of "So You Think You Can Dance," until it became time to start announcing the final results.

First, host Cat Deeley's microphone went out. The top six took a while getting onstage and it was soon revealed that Russell Ferguson, the krumper from Boston, Massachusetts, had been injured backstage, and unfortunately, that forced the rest of the routines involving him to be shown on tape. As great as it always is to re-live some of these great performances that took something away from it.

As for the results themselves, they went pretty much as I predicted right up until the final three. Once Ryan, Ashleigh and Ellenore were eliminated, in that order. I thought it would be Kathryn and Russell standing at the end going for the title of America's favorite dancer, but then Cat announced that Kathryn was out of the running. So it was down to Russell and Jakob.

At that moment, I wondered if we might see a first: the most straight-up talented dancer might win over the one with the most personality or would the two contemporary dancers cancel each other out in the votes?

At the end of the day, Russell's fanbase, which had been strong from the beginning, came through and for the first time, a krumper won it all.

One can't deny that Russell's ecstatic reaction, crumbling to the ground, then ignoring his injury by standing up and tearing off his shirt, was one of the most memorable moments we've seen on the show. I especially liked that he called his top 20 best friend, Kevin, up on stage with him. There's no doubt that he was truly surprised and over the moon to win this prize.

As for the encore performances picked by the judges (with special guests Lil' C, Tyce Diorio and Debbie Allen), I have no qualms with the ones they picked, though there was an over-reliance on routines from the first noncompetitive performance show.

I would have loved to see Kathryn and Legacy, Ellenore and Ryan, or Ashleigh and Jakob dance again. The two original routines, choreographed by Kelly Abbey (bring her back, please!) and Ashleigh and Ryan were extraordinary. Good for judge Mary Murphy to request that the married couple dance together in their own style.

There were five special performances as well, including a subdued Adam Lambert, a Mary J. Blige performance that absolutely killed, Leona Lewis singing the sleep-inducing "Avatar" theme, and the phenomenal dance crew the Groovaloos.

And then there was J. Lo. Yes, Jennifer Lopez began her performance on a giant shoe, apparently lip-synching a spoken phone conversation, leading into a song that was an ode to Louboutins. The one thing that saved it was the fact that she employed some very familiar faces such as Kayla and Courtney as backup dancers.

Overall, looking back on this season, I'll remember Travis Wall's "War of the Roses" routine with Ellenore and Legacy, Kathryn and Jakob's contemporary routine, and the absolute brilliance of Sonya Tayeh, especially her routine with Ellenore and Jakob.

Which routines will you remember best from season six, and what did you think of the season as a whole? Did Russell deserve to win? Post your response on video, or in the comments below. In the meantime, happy holidays and see you next season.

So You Think You Can Dance

Well, here we are, the final performance show on "So You Think You Can Dance." And with a Gordon Ramsay special breathing down the show's neck, there was no time to waste.

In what was a very rushed hour, the final six (that's right, six) danced their hearts out to go for the title of "America's Favorite Dancer"... and when the dust settled, three of them looked like bona fide contenders. Let's go down the list one by one.

Kathryn McCormick (Odds of winning - 2:1)

Judge Adam Shankman's comparisons to last season's winner, Jeanine weren't far off (just a tad early last week). Talk about a late surge ... Kathryn didn't hit a wrong step all night. She had a scorching samba with Ryan, kept up with Russell, and then some, in hip-hop, and her contemporary routine with Jakob will go down as one of the most memorable in series history.

Adam seems to be pulling for her, while Nigel Lythgoe and Mary have given her high praise. The one thing Jeanine did that Kathryn didn't was the chance to do one last solo, and that proved to be a deciding factor.

Ryan Di Lello (Odds of winning - 6:1)

A great partner, no doubt, and he had a touching moment in a Travis Wall routine with his wife, Ashleigh, not to mention that samba, but he's been overshadowed for several weeks now (including by eliminated B-boy Legacy), and that emotionless jazz routine with Ellenore didn't do anyone any favors.

Jakob Karr (Odds of winning - 3:1)

Is he one of the best dancers this show has seen? Without a doubt. Did his contemporary routine with Kathryn have the crowd on their feet, Adam close to tears, and Nigel urging him to join a dance company? Absolutely. Did he knock it out of the park in his Broadway routine with Ellenore? I think you see where I'm going here.

As I said last season with Brandon, he's in the also-ran position as a very talented dancer but missing that something special that connects with the audience (see also: Danny and Travis).

And no matter how well one dances the fox trot, and he nailed it, it usually doesn't translate to votes. At the same time, I would not be at all surprised if he still ended up winning.

Ellenore Scott (Odds of winning - 4:1)

Here again, one of the most talented dancers the show has seen, but she seems destined for top six, like Mark in the fourth season. Luckily for her, she had a chance to show off her knack for quirkiness in that Fosse-esque Broadway number and robotic jazz routine.

She really, finally broke out, however in the paso doble with Russell. The paso dobles lately have been really good, though I would place this just below Legacy and Kathryn, and Brandon and Jeanine. But unfortunately, I don't think that will be enough.

Ashleigh Di Lello (Odds of winning - 5:1)

One should almost ignore those odds, because she has beaten the odds from almost the start. She was constantly in her husband's shadow during auditions and in Las Vegas. She only got into the top 20 because someone bowed out. She was never outdanced by Jakob, when that could have easily happened many times.

She was injured and forced off the stage, but got voted into the finale, anyway. So how did she did on the final night of competition?

She really had a chance to show off her gracefulness in all three routines: That beautiful moment dancing contemporary with her husband, an elegant fox trot where she actually outshined Jakob, and a lyrical jazz number with Russell which brought Mary to tears. Even so, one example of why she won't win is because Mary's tears were for Russell.

Russell Ferguson (Odds of winning - 3:2)

From the moment we first saw him this season, it was clear he was a star. The judges were absolutely blown away by the amount of growth he had this season. All three of his routines were quite memorable, including the aforementioned paso doble with Ellenore and his hip-hop with Kathryn, which could be crucial because it was last.

Even so, it's hard not to wonder if he or Jakob may have peaked too early.

So I'm really going out on a limb here. For much of this season, and at the very beginning of Tuesday night's show, I thought that Jakob would be in the final two.

Now, I'm not so sure it won't be Kathryn and Russell, with Russell coming out on top. After the year we've seen on shows like this (i.e. Kris Allen, Jeanine), anything is possible.

One thing's for sure: we want to hear from you! Who do you want to be crowned "America's Favorite Dancer?" Do you agree that Russell has the edge? Hoping for one of the other five to pull it off? And can you believe that they're already heading out to audition again in January (quite the nonstop schedule they have on this show)? Post a video with your pick, or in the comments below.

SYTYCD competitors group routine

It was a double shocker as spouses Ryan and Ashleigh Di Lello were sent through to next week's "So You Think You Can Dance" finale, while another possible contender got sent home.

After the Las Vegas callbacks, I thought that Ryan had a shot, though he has fallen down in my estimation, but I wouldn't have guessed in a million years that Ashleigh would make it this far - especially after having to sit out due to an injury the night before.

I breathed a sigh of relief when Kathryn, who was in danger last week, was safe this week, while Russell deserved to go through after such a strong Bollywood performance on Tuesday night. Jakob being safe was the safest bet of all (his former partner Ashleigh is the only other dancer not to be in danger this season).

Between Ellenore and Mollee (yes, I did a double take seeing that - Ashleigh wasn't even in the bottom two), I feared that Ellenore might go home early. Instead, it was the other way around as Ellenore was told she would be in the finale ... though she seemed a bit confused on that point for a moment. Poor Mollee didn't take it well, in tears for the rest of the night. Cat Deeley was there with a hug and comforting words - and that's why she's the best reality show host in the business.

When it came down to Ryan and Legacy, however, I immediately assumed that Ryan would be going home. Once again, I was dead wrong about the Di Lellos as Legacy's journey came to an end. I definitely felt like he was more deserving of being in the finale, but it looks like Ryan's smoking hot cha-cha with Kathryn made a big difference (and his plea with the audience to save Ashleigh didn't seem to hurt).

So, despite a strong performance by Legacy in the "War of the Roses" routine - and, for what it's worth, his solo Wednesday night - two lackluster hip-hop routines sealed his fate.

So, let's hear your thoughts on this next-to-last results show. Did Ashleigh go through because of Ryan's plea, or was it more of an anti-Mollee vote? Are you shocked to see Ryan in the finale as well? Who are you rooting for next week? Share your thoughts on video, or in the comments below.

Ryan and Kathryn perform a sizzling cha-cha

As our judges reminded us Tuesday night, this is it: America's votes determine who will be in the season finale of "So You Think You Can Dance" next week. In fact, they implored us so many times to vote that I half expected Diddy to show up. After the top eight took the stage for the last time of the night, it was tough to decide which two would be cut before next week.

Last night's episode was also brought to you by celebrity DJ Samantha Ronson, whose remixes were featured in two performances: Kathryn and Ryan's disco and Jakob and Mollee's Broadway routines. The first one was great, aside from Ryan's ballroom-esque posture, as pointed out by Nigel, but not quite up there with routines we've seen in this style in the third and fifth seasons.

However, Jakob and Mollee's dance to "Easy Street" was a real highlight for me, and as much as it pains me to say it, not being the biggest Mollee fan, that could have sealed her place in the finale. Both of them were quite synchronized (unlike their Viennese waltz, which didn't impress me nearly as much as it did the judges), and Jakob made her a better dancer, the same way he had with Ashleigh.

Speaking of Mrs. Ryan Di Lello, she injured herself during rehearsals on a Bollywood routine with Russell, so her fate is completely up to the audience based on her past routines. Despite a touching moment where Ryan pleaded for his wife to remain in the competition.

This followed another underwhelming solo from him which ended just after it got going. Lucky for him that his cha-cha with Kathryn "sizzled, boiled," to quote Ryan himself, and set the place "on fire," to quote Mary Murphy, who gave them both a ticket on the Hot Tamale Train. That was high praise, considering that tickets have been harder to come by this season. It didn't hurt either that the routine got a standing ovation.

Meanwhile, Kathryn followed up last week's incredible solo with another one. It wasn't flashy compared to many of the others, so hopefully the cha-cha was flashy enough to get her through...

... Which brings us right back to Ashleigh, looking more and more like an unfortunate victim, after such strong performances by the other girls. Judging by the short clips we saw of her rehearsals, things were going swimmingly in her two routines with Russell, who once again had to hit the floor with a pair of choreographer's assistants.

It was no surprise that he hit hard on Shane Sparks' old-school hip-hop routine, but he really shined doing Bollywood, and most importantly, he really sold it. As always, his krumping solo was "bucc," (apologies to Lil' C), but I could have done without the Santa Claus suit and the business with the toy (bah, humbug). Kudos, however, for working through having lost his shoe two-thirds into it.

Leave it to "SYTYCD" alum Travis Wall, however, to once again steal the show with a "War of the Roses"-inspired number that was the perfect marriage between choreographer and dancers.

Everything that was great about Ellenore and Legacy was shown off here, and I still can't get over his simultaneous leap over, with her roll under, the dinner table. (On the other hand, it's unfortunate that, that had to be followed by their alien hip-hop routine by Tabitha and Napoleon ... NappyTabs, leave the overly-weird stuff to Wade Robson.)

As for the rest of the solos ... Legacy marred an otherwise stunning solo, with a cheap trick involving a phone. (Unless your name is Twitch, enough with the props.)

Jakob was amazing, as usual, but he hasn't really stepped it up. Compare this with Brandon and Jeanine last season. Well, there's always next week for him, as I think he is definitely safe. Ellenore (surprisingly) and Mollee (unsurprisingly) did nothing for me.

So if I were a betting man, who would I say won't be going to the finale next week? I'd say Ryan and Ashleigh Di Lello will be eliminated together. (However, I'd still like Old St. Nigel to grant my Christmas wish to see them dance together one last time before the season ends.)

Who had your vote Tuesday night? Did Ryan's pleading sway you at all? Tell us who deserves to be on stage for the finale on video, or in the comments below.

Meghan and Cheyne

After a memorable 15th season (which had not one, but three teams giving up on a challenge) for "The Amazing Race," the three remaining teams fought it out in Las Vegas for the $1 million prize. Through it all, Meghan and Cheyne, a.k.a. "Barbie and Ken," remained dominant, but this final leg threatened to keep them from finishing first. As a fan of two eliminated teams Gary and Matt, and Globetrotters Flight Time and Big Easy (that is, until their inexplicable abandonment of a Roadblock last week), I didn't really have a clear favorite going in.

First, former Miss America Ericka and her husband Brian had a particularly good cab driver who took them on a shortcut to Mandalay Bay, where one team member each would rappel down the front of the building. The other two teams eventually caught up with them, but it looked to me like they could manage an unlikely come-from-behind victory - that is, until they arrived at The Mirage, home of the Cirque du Soleil Beatles-inspired "Love" show.

Ericka had to be bungeed toward a bouquet of flowers, like the acrobats in the show, but this proved no easy task for them. At one point, a panicking Ericka asked to switch places with Brian as Meghan and Cheyne and bickering brothers Sam and Dan caught up with them. Ericka had a complete meltdown, switching again with Brian once they were left in last place.

At this point, I started to have a real fear that Sam and Dan, two of the most annoying racers in the show's history, might have a shot at the prize, especially once Meghan and Cheyne started having trouble figuring out that their next destination was the Monte Carlo casino. After asking around to anyone who would listen, though, they finally figured it out, but not before Sam and Dan had already started the final challenge.

It was quite disappointing to see that this challenge didn't involve remembering previous legs of the race, but instead - counting poker chips? (Professional poker players Maria and Tiffany were probably wishing they could have pulled off that Detour in Amsterdam even more now.)

This challenge was like kryptonite to Sam and Dan, who previously had problems with numbers in Dubai, and despite a worthy effort at organized counting, Meghan and Cheyne beat them out, as well as Brian and Ericka, who counted quickly, but not correctly.

It was on to the MGM Grand, where teams met with Wayne Newton, who told them the finish line was at his house. When Sam and Dan arrived, they couldn't figure out Newton's name, and he had to tell them. Though at the same time, I'm not entirely sure that Meghan and Cheyne would have known it without it being told to them beforehand.

Either way, Meghan and Cheyne's math skills proved crucial as they edged out Sam and Dan to cross the finish line.

Despite the predictability of this outcome, it was certainly one of the best final legs in quite a while as the lead kept changing, and all three teams remained in it until the last challenge.

What did you think of the finale and this "Amazing Race" season as a whole? Share your thoughts on video, or in the comments below.

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Once the competitors make it this far on "So You Think You Can Dance," there really are no "losers," as all of them will get the chance to tour the country next year. Still, it was somewhat bittersweet to see two more dancers go, after showing so much potential.

There was a lot going in Nathan's favor: first and foremost, his tween fanbase, not to mention the fact that he got a ticket to Las Vegas back in season five after auditioning at the age of 17. The judges certainly saw a lot in him, as they sent him through to the top 10, and at one point, Adam Shankman offered him advice on what to talk about in his video profile to connect with the viewers.

Yet, for whatever reason, the heartthrob was eliminated Wednesday night after getting the fewest number of votes. Where did it go so wrong? It might have had something to do with being paired with Mollee, which ended up emphasizing their immaturity. By the time the two were separated this week, he showed some progress with Kathryn, but she still outdanced him. It was too little, too late.

The same could be said of Noelle, who had one brief shining moment with Russell dancing Afro-jazz. She really got to show off both her elegance and her capacity to smolder onstage with Ryan, but it wasn't enough, as the contemporary dancer from North Carolina was sent packing.
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There were a lot of memorable moments on Tuesday night's episode of "So You Think You Can Dance," but once again Sonya Tayeh's routine had them all beat. After a respectable but hardly memorable quickstep, it seemed as though two of the most skilled dancers, Ellenore and Jakob, might be in danger. All of those fears were erased as the audience and judges rose to their feet after their pitch-perfect performance of what Adam Shankman called "The Garden, part two," referring to Sonya's classic from season four. As fellow judge Nigel Lythgoe pointed out, it was pure brilliance with great chemistry to boot.

Chemistry, however, was sorely lacking with some of the other new couples in this top 10 group: namely, Ashleigh and Legacy, and Kathryn and Nathan. Don't get me wrong, there were some great moments in some of both couples' routines - except for Ashleigh and Legacy's hip-hop, featuring a flowing, all-too-distracting Dracula cape.

In Kathryn and Nathan's joyous Broadway routine, Nathan was the best he's ever been (Kathryn can certainly be thanked for that) but despite some wonderful technical work in their rumba, the connection wasn't quite there.

Noelle and Ryan had chemistry to spare - not a big surprise as Ryan has lots of experience partnering. So what if their office desk routine was a bit reminiscent of Neil and Sabra in season three? This may have been the best moment for choreographers Napoleon and Tabitha in two seasons ("Calle Ocho" aside).
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Ladies and gentlemen, your top 10 dancers! And... not too shabby. If you had told me a few weeks ago that Mollee, Ashleigh and Legacy would still be in the competition on "So You Think you Can Dance," I wouldn't have believed you.

On this Thanksgiving, I'm thankful that Legacy, Kathryn, Ashleigh, Jakob, Noelle and Russell were safe on Wednesday night's result show. I was definitely less surprised than the judges that Mollee and Nathan ended up in the bottom three - it seems like their "fan favorite" status isn't all it's cracked up to be. It will be very interesting to see how they do with new partners next week. Another disagreement with the judges: I enjoyed Nathan's solo better than Mollee's. I've been betting against Mollee for a while now, and I don't think she'll make it far in the top 10.

Karen and Victor going into the bottom three was pretty obvious from last night, but Ryan and Ellenore in danger was a real shocker. For the life of me, I can't figure that one out (other than to say that Russell seems to be a true "fan favorite"). I enjoyed the couple's solos, though the judges were not too pleased with Ryan's.

After a Shakira performance that reminded me a bit of "Rhythm Nation," judge Nigel Lythgoe didn't seem to have any more of a clue than I did on why Ellenore isn't getting votes. Needless to say, though, she was safe, and Karen's ouster was as certain as a food-coma on Thanksgiving.
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After the loss of star choreographer Mia Michaels, how lucky is "So You Think You Can Dance" to have Sonya Tayeh? Both of her routines ranked among the best of this season. But those weren't the only highlights, and despite some really rough patches, this top 12 performance show really delivered.

The combination of Kathryn and Legacy, who have yet to make a wrong step all season, with Sonya's best piece since "The Garden" made for an explosive performance. This really highlighted what my favorite couple does best, together and separately (that backwards crab walk!). I had to watch it again right away. They followed up with a Viennese waltz which more than made up for what it lacked in technique with a beautiful performance. It will be a real shame to see them go their separate ways next week, and I hope Nigel is wrong in saying that they might be in danger.
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Larry David and the cast of 'Seinfeld'

Sunday night's season finale of "Curb Your Enthusiasm" brought us the long-awaited "Seinfeld" reunion (though it was actually the final part of several episodes throughout the season). And the one thing that can't be denied is that the cast got back into character without missing a beat. There was something magical about watching the same people on the same set reciting some very "Seinfeld"-ian lines.

However, it has to be asked: Would this have worked as an actual "Seinfeld" reunion, and not bits and pieces of one worked into "Curb?" Probably not. The references to iPhones, Blackberries and Bernie Madoff seemed a little forced and very little of the "show-within-a-show" made me laugh out loud. At the same time, it was still better than the "Seinfeld" series finale - which Larry David, the character, and Larry David, the actual person, continue to defend, even against Jerry Seinfeld himself.

Having said that... as an episode of "Curb Your Enthusiasm," the show was great. The season-long plot line of Larry trying to cast his ex-wife to play George's ex-wife, followed up with Jason Alexander actually trying to steal her away from him was genius. Despite his non-"iconic" status, as Jerry described it, it was pretty hilarious seeing Larry try to play George when Jason briefly dropped out. Larry's obsession with trying to catch who left a coffee cup stain on Julia Louis-Dreyfus' table ("Do you respect wood?"), was classic "Curb," and got the biggest laughs out of me.

Whether taken as a "Seinfeld" reunion, or just a very good episode of "Curb," at least it leaves "Seinfeld's" legacy on a higher note than it was when the show actually ended, and gives us a nice glimpse of what would have happened to these characters 11 years later.

What did you think? Did you enjoy the "Seinfeld" reunion itself more than I did? What did you think of this "Curb" season as a whole? Sound off on video, or in the comments below.