S17.E12: The Season 17 Finale

[jewel21]

Quote

The final two competitors must impress the judges and voting audience one last time before the winner is crowned; the two finalists must dance five performances each, before the audience decides who outperformed the other and wins the $100,000.

Airdate: 08/10/2022

[BoffoDaWonderSheep]

Supposedly the five dances are:

1. Group dance

2. Duet with the two finalists

3. Dance with a previously eliminated contestant

4. Dance with an All-Star

5. Solo

There are spoilers out there as to who the eliminated contestants and All-Stars are and who they’re dancing with. 

[peachmangosteen]

50 minutes ago, BoffoDaWonderSheep said:

There are spoilers out there as to who the eliminated contestants and All-Stars are and who they’re dancing with. 

Could you post them under a spoiler tag, please?

[BoffoDaWonderSheep]

13 hours ago, peachmangosteen said:

Could you post them under a spoiler tag, please?

How do you do that? I tried looking in the FAQ (which was difficult to find) and didn’t see it. Thanks!

[displayname]

Spoiler

Looks like Jason from season 5 is an all-star.

Edited August 8, 2022 by displayname

[hula-la]

Choreographers for Wednesday. 

Spoiler

[Mason]

A samba! A samba!! I don't believe we've seen one on the show since Danny & Lacey in Season 3. 

Edited August 11, 2022 by Mason

[White Dog]

Thrilled for the Winner!  The studio audience did very well indeed.

[vibeology]

I'm so happy. She was incredible. That contemporary was moving and powerful and light as a feather. For a season that was rushed, that dance is one I will remember. That Samba was great and reminded me why Carter made it on the show in the first place. And she was the star of that weird snake number. Keaton was there but she owned that dance.

One little detail is that I love that they let them change into nice formal wear for the results rather than make them have that important moment in their dance costumes. 

[mojoween]

Damn.  Nothing against Alexis at all, she is a GORGEOUS dancer, but I was really really really rooting for Keaton.

First ballroom winner was trained in contemporary first.  Hmpf.

Edited August 11, 2022 by mojoween

[White Dog]

A lot of Utah girls are crossed trained in Contemporary and boy does it make a difference when they excel in two very different styles!  I am so happy to be wrong in my prediction!  I thought Keaton had it in the bag, but tonight Alexis' star shone bright She really did pull a Jeanine!  Jason Glover is a good luck charm for dark haired dancers!

[desertflower]

I was rooting for Keaton but Alexis was great tonight so I’m ok with her win. Keaton and Anna were cute and danced well together. I kinda liked seeing the judges make an appearance in the group dance, that was new and fun. 
I wonder, did the dancers pick the style they did with the all stars? Alexis seemed to have an advantage there in that she’s fantastic at contemporary. Keaton did well with the hip hop but I’m wondering if there’s another style he could’ve shined in a little more?

I hope the show comes back, but more like it used to be. 

[rlc]

Haven’t watched the whole show yet (I was already spoiled for the winner and I approve) but needed to comment after the Keaton/Anna contemporary. It reinforced my feelings about Anna- she was voted out entirely too early. I could not take my eyes off of her during their dance.

[Tigregirl]

So glad to see Anna again.  I can’t take my eyes off her when she dances.  She should not have been eliminated when she was.  Would have been happy with either winner tonight, but Alexis really shined. Well deserved.

1 minute ago, rlc said:

Haven’t watched the whole show yet (I was already spoiled for the winner and I approve) but needed to comment after the Keaton/Anna contemporary. It reinforced my feelings about Anna- she was voted out entirely too early. I could not take my eyes off of her during their dance.

We must have posted at the exact same time.  Totally agree about Anna.

[displayname]

She Jeanine'd it! I'm so happy for her, this show very much does pick the best dancer a lot of the times, even if they advertise it as "favorite dancer".

[Melonie77]

Very happy to see the best dancer won! Both finalists are terrific performers and seemed to be lovely people a well. 

I enjoyed the show tonight. The judges were less annoying with the exception of JoJo who has to stop calling so many dances 'the best ever'. The routines were all top notch and I loved who they chose to return to partner with each finalist. Keaton and Anna were adorable and I think they make a cute couple! It was great to see her again - I agree that she went far too early and I still don't understand why. And I always love seeing Lex dance.

I thought it was clear the judges/the show wanted Alexis to win. She received standing ovations from them and higher praise than Keaton. 

It looks like the show is coming back. They ran a quick spot during commercials encouraging dancers to audition. I hope they bring back Nigel and Mary.

[displayname]

Things I liked this season:

1. The revitalized pre-dance packages. It's nice to see the choreographers and contestants interacting in a manner that isn't just "funny" or "filled with character" or whatever else. The contestants having a heart to heart with the all stars, with each other, with the choreographers is good. Getting to see the stage rehearsal, like in the Kiki/Alexis Argentine Tango package, is cool.
2. Leah and tWitch weren't afraid of criticising. Yes, Leah has little dance knowledge, but I found her comments on performance to be relevant. JoJo was very biased, but she made decent comments on technique.
3. Good quality contestants despite smaller field.
4. Some good, some great choreography.
5. Many new faces in the choreographer group.
6. A lot of pieces weren't just about "romance". Thank god.

Didn't mind: Top 3 and then top 2 finale.

Dislikes:

1. Lack of top 20. It helped the dancers develop more.
2. Lack of solos. When they reached half the starting field, they should have started weekly solos.
3. Lack of group routines. Didn't know what happened there.
4. ...Leah and Jojo. It wasn't all bad with them, but it was still pretty bad.
5. Lack of new styles. We need a new staple style or two - something the contestants can be expected to get, unlike Tahitian or Kalinka. Keeping "African Jazz" around when it's basically the same stuff every time. Same goes for Disco. Bollywood has managed to change enough over the course of this show, although Nakul isn't all that great as a choreographer... the new choreographer helped too.
6. Gimmick routines need to go, like that zombie hip hop.

[Haleth]

I found I didn't care enough to watch.  At least I didn't want to have to sit through the judges' blather.  I'll be back next season only if they hire competent judges and don't rush through the season.  It's such a shame that my once favorite show is a mere shadow of itself.  Blah.

[peachmangosteen]

5 hours ago, displayname said:

Lack of group routines. Didn't know what happened there.

Probably a combo of Covid and the show only being 1 hour.

I was so happy with this finale!

I was also pleased to see the commercial for auditions. That's a good sign that there will be another season!

[Keekski]

Aww, I called Keaton the winner during auditions. Oh well! He & Anna were adorable. It was really nice to see a Patrick Swayze-esque (like tapper Aaron) make it as far as he did. 

[mojoween]

Imagine a routine with Anna and Lex.  Or even better, Anna and Mark.

That little bit of dancing Leah did at the beginning was yeah.  Jojo looked good though.  And of course tWitch, who is just amazing in his style.  And Maddox is adorable.

[realdancemom]

Yay!!  Alexis won.  I was pleasantly shocked since Keaton was never at the bottom.  Also when I looked at FB, there were a lot of posts wanting him to win and now they're upset that he didn't.  I thought Alexis was the star in all her routines while Keaton was outshined by Anna, Lex, and Alexis.

The group routine was fun.  I'm glad that there are auditions for next year.  That gives me hope.  No, the show is not as great as it was.  But I still enjoyed it.  I think the show did a good job considering their budget was slashed.  I wouldn't even mind Leah and Jojo being there if they had a fourth judge that was either a ballroom expert or Nigel.  Leah gave constructive criticism on performance which fits for her.  Jojo is there to get younger people to watch.  Plus she gives technical/performance critique too.  She is biased but so was Nigel.  I remembered when he said that he wasn't voting for Cyrus during the finals.  He also wanted a female to win Season 3 so he basically said that during the finale.  I wanted Danny to win. 

[White Dog]

I am totally okay with the studio audience vote. They are the die hard fans many of whom are in the dance world. They voted Beau to the bottom more than once and it’s clear that they were cognizant of what a strong male lead is and isn’t.  Moreover for me when the home audience isn’t as crazy invested  voting I find you don’t get the silly vitriol from posters on line. At least I don’t see it as much.  I do wish they re-consider and go back to a top twenty format because we can really see the growth of the performers. Top 12 we barely got to know them! 

[White Dog]

My favourite routines of the season were :

Alexis and Keaton Contemporary

Alexis and Jason Contemporary

Alexis Top 6 Solo 

Alexis and Carter Samba

Anna Top 12 Solo 

Anna Top 6 Solo 

Essence Top 6 Solo 

Thiago audition 

Keaton audition 

Keaton and Audrey Contemporary 

Keaton and Anna Contemporary 

Alexis and Kiki Argentine Tango 

[displayname]

1 hour ago, realdancemom said:

The group routine was fun.  I'm glad that there are auditions for next year.  That gives me hope.  No, the show is not as great as it was.  But I still enjoyed it.

I think it's done some good things this year, some of which I mentioned. New choreographers especially made the choreography feel fresh. I hope they figure it out more by next season.

Maybe not top 20, but top 16 would be good.

Let's have an "introduction" group routine for the top 16, and then weekly group routines starting top 8.

And the cast they hired had some nice quality. I've mentioned Keaton, Alexis, Anna, Essence, and you said Thiago. I don't think Beau was all bad. Next season, if they want to keep a diminished cast, then don't cast fodder. Behave like we've already eliminated fodder. Start with a group of dancers who're all good to great.

Oh, one more thing I did like, the "Vegas" episode didn't drag. I don't need it. Let's shave the auditions too. Let's instead have more time with the dancers who've been cast. And if some of the rushed production really was due to COVID, then next season should be better (fingers crossed).

And yes, I didn't mind the studio audience vote either. Looking at twitter, I get the feeling Keaton would have won otherwise, lol.

Edited August 11, 2022 by displayname

[displayname]

Oh and I enjoyed the "dance with the top 12 dancer of your choice". I think it helped Alexis hugely, with the adorable story she has with Carter. And Carter looked very handsome in that dance.

[White Dog]

1 minute ago, displayname said:

Oh and I enjoyed the "dance with the top 12 dancer of your choice". I think it helped Alexis hugely, with the adorable story she has with Carter. And Carter looked very handsome in that dance.

Carter did very well. I think the format also gave Keaton the opportunity to dance with his girlfriend, which of course never hurts the ratings.

[realdancemom]

25 minutes ago, White Dog said:

Carter did very well. I think the format also gave Keaton the opportunity to dance with his girlfriend, which of course never hurts the ratings.

Keaton and Anna are adorable. I was afraid that the teens in the audience would think it was cute that they're a couple and vote for Keaton just for that.

[healthnut]

3 hours ago, realdancemom said:

Keaton and Anna are adorable. I was afraid that the teens in the audience would think it was cute that they're a couple and vote for Keaton just for that.

I think maybe it was the opposite, Keaton was probably more appealing to them when they thought he was single.

[dogdays2]

I liked Keaton best all season until the finale. Alexis was IMO better on the night it counted most. 
If they it back next year, need a longer season and better judges.  

[displayname]

On rewatch, I think Alexis gave the single best performance all season in her Contemporary. Her contemporary in the first episode is still the best overall routine for me, but that was because it had better choreography that showcased them both very well... This routine wasn't as good, and it was all about Alexis (which is of course a good thing since she's the contestant), but her performance for me was the single best one all season. And then the Samba was the best ballroom dance all season for me, too. I've wanted her to win for a few weeks now, but she'd have deserved it even simply on the strength of her finale.

Edited August 12, 2022 by displayname

[sharifa70]

On 8/10/2022 at 7:40 PM, rlc said:

I could not take my eyes off of her during their dance.

Same. I kept reminding myself that Keaton was the actual contestant and I should watch him, but Anna was just too good. I also had to force myself to watch him during the hip-hop because Lex was just so sharp and fluid (yes, I know those adjectives don’t go together).

I’m glad Alexis won, but yeah, it’s a bit disingenuous to claim she was dancing “out of her style” when she was actually trained in contemporary. Nothing against her performance, which was beautiful, but still.

[dogdays2]

Next season, I want to see them draw for styles each week, if everyone isn’t dancing his / her own   That way, it’s luck of the draw vs. TPTB putting the fix in, as they did for Beau this year.  And he’s not the first.  
 

I almost said it last week and will now.  Keaton is a strong technical dancer, and I love watching him. But at the same time, I see him as someone trying to win the competition vs. someone who loves every moment of dancing.  I’m not ascribing motive, as I have zero idea what’s in his head. It’s how things come across to me.  Still, I’d have been fine had he won. 

[sharifa70]

On 8/11/2022 at 1:13 AM, displayname said:

although Nakul isn't all that great as a choreographer...

Oh my goodness, thank you for saying this. With all the fawning this show does over him, I was starting to think I was the only one seeing the naked emperor. I mean, he’s fine I guess, but he’s no Farah Khan. Then again, we haven’t had any Madhuris or Hrithiks either to show us how these dances should look. 

I agree that I would like to see some more celebration of international dances. I have appreciated the showcasing of different choreographers that really has enlivened the routines.

If the call for auditions stands and we get another season, I’d also like to go back to at least a top 16 with no obvious fodder (meaning: dancers who are very good in their own styles even if they’re less experienced in others), and yes, draw dance styles and partners out of a hat. I do miss the 5-week steady partnerships but I’ll take a blind drawing over obvious producer monkeyshines. Skip the audition rounds and Vegas  (or whatever it is now) and just start with the performance shows. In the intro packages they could show us each dancer’s audition and skip the sob stories: we’d still have time for 8 duets and a group number! I could not care less about the sob story of an auditioner who doesn’t even make it through to the performances. I suppose the show would save money there by not having to pay for audition songs and pointless tv appearances?

Bring back the solos, group dances, and Nigel. And ballroom.

I liked that the final two got to choose partners from the season’s contestants. Both of those duets were pretty great, and it was tge best I’ve seen Carter look all season.

[Jynnan tonnix]

Like some others, I had Keaton bagged as the winner since practically the beginning, and did want him to win, but the Finale did prove that Alexis was the one who deserved it. I was really fluctuating on it down to the wire, but at more or less the last minute had to admit that if I'd been in the audience and had a vote, I would have been forced to give it to Alexis. 

It was really great to see Anna again, and learning that she and Keaton were a thing made me happy. She was my favorite female dancer this season, and I thought she was eliminated way too early. I wonder what it was that made her not connect with the audience...to me, she stood out more than most of the other female contestants. 

Also, just an addendum: Even though he did deserve the win, I wonder how much of the vote was influenced by Alexis' storyline for this episode vs Keaton's. I mean, she had the mother who had just been diagnosed with a recurrence of her brain cancer, a dance dedicated to her husband, and a real sense of dance being integral to who she is as a person, where Keaton basically got, "yeah, my mom said, 'you are going to dance and you are going to like it' (even though he did say afterwards that dance was his life, it didn't come across quite as heartfelt as Alexis), and, oh, yeah, by the way I got a new girlfriend from the show. I think his story was just a bit less compelling.

Edited August 12, 2022 by Jynnan tonnix

[realdancemom]

1 hour ago, sharifa70 said:

Same. I kept reminding myself that Keaton was the actual contestant and I should watch him, but Anna was just too good. I also had to force myself to watch him during the hip-hop because Lex was just so sharp and fluid (yes, I know those adjectives don’t go together).

I’m glad Alexis won, but yeah, it’s a bit disingenuous to claim she was dancing “out of her style” when she was actually trained in contemporary. Nothing against her performance, which was beautiful, but still.

Yes, Anna was so good in that contemporary.  I was mostly watching her instead of Keaton.  It also reinforced my opinion that while Keaton is good at contemporary, he still needs more work especially when it comes to putting your heart/soul out there.  Unfortunately as I wrote in my previous post, I think Keaton was outshined in all three of his duets.  I also was looking at Lex instead of him.  I get what you mean.  It's like when I wrote last week that Essence always hits it hard in her hip hop which you would think you would want.  And yes, you want hard hitting moments but you want some fluid movements too which is what I like when Robert did the same hip hop.  Plus Robert just had a fun flirty attitude.

Alexis was not out of her style but I would guess that it wasn't Keaton's first time doing hip hop either.  It isn't his specialty but he probably took some hip hop classes at his mom's studio.  If he went to dance conventions, he would have done hip hop.  He probably did more hip hop than Alexis has done AT.  I thought Alexis and Kiki should have done Latin last week.  I'm glad that Alexis finally got to show what she could do in Latin by having Carter as her partner.  That samba showcased both of them really well.

[displayname]

8 minutes ago, sharifa70 said:

Oh my goodness, thank you for saying this. With all the fawning this show does over him, I was starting to think I was the only one seeing the naked emperor. I mean, he’s fine I guess, but he’s no Farah Khan. Then again, we haven’t had any Madhuris or Hrithiks either to show us how these dances should look. 

His routines were very formless when he was brought on. In recent seasons, he's started turning them into character dances, which gives a nod to the actual "bollywood" dances. We were having a talk about whether it's possible to commercialize a dance without losing authenticity in another thread, and I think Nakul went too far away from the roots haha. Not to mention, the dancing that goes on in Bollywood is already commercialized and not similar to the classical/folk roots, and he used to go even further away by making it all about hand positions. As I said, the new choreographer also helped. If we get character dancing as Bollywood, I'm happy with it staying.

Disco really needs to go.

African dancing, as it is presented on the show currently, is meaningless to me. That being said, I'd love something like this again: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2z5u8F8089Q Maybe it is not possible to do it as a duet, but group routines are welcome.

[hula-la]

45 minutes ago, sharifa70 said:

I agree that I would like to see some more celebration of international dances. I have appreciated the showcasing of different choreographers that really has enlivened the routines.

This ^^^. There are so many amazing dance styles in communities around the world, and I’d love to see more of them (having said that, as a Polynesian dancer, I cringed at the Tahitian from a few seasons ago). 

[sharifa70]

1 hour ago, hula-la said:

This ^^^. There are so many amazing dance styles in communities around the world, and I’d love to see more of them (having said that, as a Polynesian dancer, I cringed at the Tahitian from a few seasons ago). 

Makes me really appreciate the training that goes into every dance style. Except maybe my own specialty, the Eighth Grade Two-Step.

[realdancemom]

Showing specialties and different styles is why I want to keep auditions.  I like the length of this season where the auditions didn't drag on.  I think it's a good way to show somebody that is really specialized but won't make it on the show because they're not cross trained.  That's where you can see the street trained hip hopper, cultural dancers, professional ballet or ballroom dancers, etc.  Glad they got rid of showing joke auditions and that those that don't make it at least have some skill.  Don't need sob stories in the auditions.

I also liked the length of what used to be Vegas week.  Glad they got rid of the group choreo round.  One, the dancers on the show don't need to choreograph.  Two, it depended on who you had on your group.  Third, they did it for drama and I don't need to see that.  Plus the dancers are already physically exhausted from all the dances which is fine since that shows how fast you can pick up choregraphy.  Don't need to add to their mental stress.

[crowceilidh]

I love this style of African Jazz, more Ailey and contemporary.  It can get cringey.  I think I remember this is Sean Cheesman too.  He did some awesome stuff on SYTYCD Canada.

[White Dog]

I liked Keaton a lot in the first contemporary piece. His solos were also pretty entertaining. So he did start with a bang and his backstory was too irresistible. I also thought he did a credible job on the Cha Cha with Alexis, so I was ready to see him win the thing, but as it unfolded his work was less exciting with other dancers, whereas Alexis seemed to elevate the pieces she was part of. Definitely the James Bond Trio I kept moving my eye to Alexis even though Keaton was supposedly the focus of the piece. And certainly  the Broadway with Thiago, they went to bottom I think for two reasons; the choreo wasn’t selling the audience and Thiago was lost. Even still she ate that choreo. Her ballroom solos were terrific I say this as someone who used to cringe at ballroom as solo pieces - and the Samba was probably the best most technical ballroom they’ve had on the show, even throwing in crazy lifts that are not part of any Samba competition piece to up the wow factor for SYTYCD audiences.  There’s a lot of on line disappointment that the football guy didn’t win, but the studio vote never put him in the bottom. It really came down to final performances, even a showmance couldn’t deny Alexis’ talent. It’s so nice that a great dancer is also a ballroom specialist. 

[White Dog]

10 hours ago, crowceilidh said:

I love this style of African Jazz, more Ailey and contemporary.  It can get cringey.  I think I remember this is Sean Cheesman too.  He did some awesome stuff on SYTYCD Canada.

This is still a favourite African Jazz of mine. I loved this partnership 

[crowceilidh]

Lise and Vincent did seem more professional than many of the American contestants usually are.  True of a lot of people on that season of SYTYCD Cda.  It was a different show. 

I keep thinking back to some of the early fun in this show - real picking out of a hat and judges who said critical things and much less packaging on contestants and less pretense that the show is about the judges.  It was somewhat more authentic/organic and that made it more magical.

[luvthepros]

Just finished watching the show.......

Congratulations Alexis. You were my choice for the winner from your very first dance.

Great show Alexis and Keaton and all your partners. Looking forward to next season and we already know there WILL BE a next season, given the promos for the next audition process.

[luvthepros]

On 8/11/2022 at 4:13 AM, displayname said:

Didn't mind: Top 3 and then top 2 finale.hip hop.

I absolutely LOVED this format with top three than head to head for the top two. Hope they keep this for next season.

On 8/11/2022 at 6:46 AM, Haleth said:

I found I didn't care enough to watch.  At least I didn't want to have to sit through the judges' blather.  I'll be back next season only if they hire competent judges and don't rush through the season.  It's such a shame that my once favorite show is a mere shadow of itself.  Blah.

Too bad you didn't watch. You missed some fantastic dancing.

[luvthepros]

On 8/11/2022 at 11:59 AM, White Dog said:

My favourite routines of the season were :

Alexis and Keaton Contemporary

Alexis and Jason Contemporary

Alexis Top 6 Solo 

Alexis and Carter Samba

Anna Top 12 Solo 

Anna Top 6 Solo 

Essence Top 6 Solo 

Thiago audition 

Keaton audition 

Keaton and Audrey Contemporary 

Keaton and Anna Contemporary 

Alexis and Kiki Argentine Tango 

You listed Thiago's audition......Watching the audition process, Thiago stood out during that one second flash. His technique is so good there are no words. I really really wish he was in it longer. I wanted to see more from him.

Edited August 13, 2022 by luvthepros

[luvthepros]

On 8/12/2022 at 10:55 AM, Jynnan tonnix said:

Like some others, I had Keaton bagged as the winner since practically the beginning, and did want him to win, but the Finale did prove that Alexis was the one who deserved it. I was really fluctuating on it down to the wire, but at more or less the last minute had to admit that if I'd been in the audience and had a vote, I would have been forced to give it to Alexis. 

It was really great to see Anna again, and learning that she and Keaton were a thing made me happy. She was my favorite female dancer this season, and I thought she was eliminated way too early. I wonder what it was that made her not connect with the audience...to me, she stood out more than most of the other female contestants. 

Also, just an addendum: Even though he did deserve the win, I wonder how much of the vote was influenced by Alexis' storyline for this episode vs Keaton's. I mean, she had the mother who had just been diagnosed with a recurrence of her brain cancer, a dance dedicated to her husband, and a real sense of dance being integral to who she is as a person, where Keaton basically got, "yeah, my mom said, 'you are going to dance and you are going to like it' (even though he did say afterwards that dance was his life, it didn't come across quite as heartfelt as Alexis), and, oh, yeah, by the way I got a new girlfriend from the show. I think his story was just a bit less compelling.

Forget the stories. I did. What counted to me was Alexis is the far superior dancer. Honestly, there is no comparison. The girl can do anything and Ballroom is a very difficult style to grasp the technique.

[Melonie77]

On 8/12/2022 at 10:55 AM, Jynnan tonnix said:

Like some others, I had Keaton bagged as the winner since practically the beginning, and did want him to win, but the Finale did prove that Alexis was the one who deserved it. I was really fluctuating on it down to the wire, but at more or less the last minute had to admit that if I'd been in the audience and had a vote, I would have been forced to give it to Alexis. 

It was really great to see Anna again, and learning that she and Keaton were a thing made me happy. She was my favorite female dancer this season, and I thought she was eliminated way too early. I wonder what it was that made her not connect with the audience...to me, she stood out more than most of the other female contestants. 

Also, just an addendum: Even though he did deserve the win, I wonder how much of the vote was influenced by Alexis' storyline for this episode vs Keaton's. I mean, she had the mother who had just been diagnosed with a recurrence of her brain cancer, a dance dedicated to her husband, and a real sense of dance being integral to who she is as a person, where Keaton basically got, "yeah, my mom said, 'you are going to dance and you are going to like it' (even though he did say afterwards that dance was his life, it didn't come across quite as heartfelt as Alexis), and, oh, yeah, by the way I got a new girlfriend from the show. I think his story was just a bit less compelling.

I too thought Keaton had an excellent chance of winning at the start of the season - he had a good combination of great dancer and personality plus an unusual storyline with the football player on top of Patrick Swayze looks. These attributes made him stand out early in the season.

I guess Alexis did not immediately stand out as she represents something we have seen many times - another very pretty ballroom dancer. But her skills and talent quickly became clear and were strong enough to take her through to the win. I hope to see her on DWTS!

I think the show made a mistake sending Anna home so soon. A talented dancer with a quirky style would have added more interest to the season.
If I remember correctly I got the impression that someone else (I don't remember who) was picked over Anna to stay due to their dance style and perhaps height... the choice made at the time so that they still had couples left that paired well and were NOT the same style. It seems a shame to send someone home for those reasons.

Here's Anna performing her SYTYCD audition piece "50 Ways to Leave a Lover" in 2021. I'm not a dancer but I think I see a great mix of other types of dance in this contemporary piece including jazz, hip hop, animation, and funk. It also makes me think of miming!

Edited August 14, 2022 by Melonie77

[Melonie77]

This is interesting to watch now at the end of the season - the Big Group Choreography routine:

They've got Anna too far in the back. She's smaller and gets lost in the crowd.