After a grueling week in Vegas, a multitude of "You made the show!" fake-outs, and one speeding ticket on the way to Wapakoneta, Ohio, we have our top 10 - er, 11 - on "So You Think You Can Dance."
Without further ado, let's go down the list, shall we?
Lauren Froderman: I wasn't sold on her when she auditioned in Phoenix. My, how one solo changes things. The judges might as well have just given her a top 10 slot at that point, the way they reacted. With Ida Saki out of the competition (more on that later), she'll have a good shot at being the top girl.
Ashley Galvan: Um, have we met? The very little we've seen is good, at least.
Jose Ruiz: The ten commandments of "So You Think You Can Dance" include "Thou shalt have at least one dancer without formal training." B-boy Jose is also carrying the hip-hop genre all by himself, but he's certainly shown some talent elsewhere. Whether he's another Joshua or Russell remains to be seen.
Melinda Sullivan: I know she's not everyone's favorite, but she's certainly something different, as Mia Michaels pointed out. And I've got a soft spot for the tap dancers, what can I say? Plus she's got the legendary Harold Cromer's endorsement. Still, I can't see her going too far with the voters.
Alex Wong: He was pretty much predestined to be here, though he's supposedly lacking in "passion," as just about every technically-skilled, 2nd-place finishing dancer has been told since this show started. We'll see how that pans out.
Cristina Santana: Another commandment: "Thou shalt have at least one ballroom dancer." Cristina fits the bill beautifully (though personally, I would have preferred Giselle Peacock). Female ballroom dancers traditionally have had a tough time breaking past the top four, though.
Billy Bell: See above about Alex, except Billy has a bit more of a built-in fan base. The judges have also warned him about not quite delivering in Vegas.
Robert Roldan: Um, not ringing a bell, but apparently he's the reason for the top 11. He's probably got a good portion of the young female vote sewn up too.
Alexie Agdeppa: Another with a fan base from previous years. She may have beaten out Ryan (see below) just by the fact that she's auditioned so many times before. Definitely a dark horse. And she invented the all-important official hand signal for season seven, which more or less assured her spot.
Adechike Torbert: Absolutely brilliant dancer, who could knock Alex and Billy out of the running for the top two - doesn't hurt that he's bursting with personality.
Kent Boyd: Ladies and gentlemen, we have our front-runner. Small town guy with low self-esteem who just wants to show what he's capable of doing and then does it like nothing you've ever seen. Adam Shankman was absolutely correct when he said, "They have something to be scared of in you."
All in all, a very strong top 10 (plus one). We'll have to see how they do with the "all-stars."
A few pre-competition notes:
- Can we get a spin-off reality show where Nigel Lythgoe tries to find his way to various small towns in the U.S.? I'd watch.
- Unfortunately I was one-for-three in my predictions, with Ryan and Tyrell Rolle out, but Kent Boyd in. However, I wasn't far off the mark by predicting a top 12. Um, why didn't they do that again (Mia's permanent judge role, perhaps)? Ryan deserved to be there! Here's hoping we see her try out next season.
- Anthony Burrell, you're auditioning next year, even if I have to drive you there myself.
- Ida dropping out - I think that may be the biggest disappointment in "SYTYCD" history, even more than Robert Muraine.
- The editors certainly loved Phillip Chbeeb's season five co-auditioner Arielle Coker way more than Cat Deeley mentioned her. She probably would have made the top 20, but there isn't a top 20 this year.
- The waterworks continued to flow freely this season, with even Lil' C breaking down after Kent's heartfelt speech in Vegas. I tell you, this guy's going to get a lot of votes.
Tonight, the top 11 get to showcase their talents... which is great because I'd like to get a better idea of why Robert and Ashley made it. Until then, share your thoughts on this season's finalists on video, or in the comments below.