Tonight’s the night folks. The night we crown America’s Favorite Dancer, and begin the count down to Season 6 (which the producers have quite obviously been doing all season). Instead of talking about who’s going home tonight, we’re going to talk about who’s going to win. It seems clear to me one of three dancers will win tonight, either Brandon, Jeanine, or Evan.
While Kayla is an absolutely gorgeous dancer, the likelihood of her being named America’s Favorite Dancer after last night seems impossibly slim. Even our oh-so-scientific poll supports this. When asked “Who Will Win?” Kayla got the least votes, with 10% of you saying White Lightning will take it all. Even you-love-him-or-hate-him Evan got 15% of the vote.
Here’s the complete result of that poll:
45 % say Jeanine will win
30% say Brandon win
15% say Evan will win
10% say Kayla will win
On the off chance that Evan does win, you can largely thank the judges, especially Mr. Nigel Lytghoe for that. In his uneven criticism of Evan, who though surely worthy of critique, Nigel elevated to immense underdog/Broadway folk hero status. By now we are all aware, even the Kasprzaktivists among us, that Evan did not make it into the finale based on his technique. We all know that Evan made it through on charm, charisma, and popularity. Watching Evan last night, while enjoyable, it was clear to everyone watching — dancers and non-dancers alike — that Evan is not the same kind of technical dancer as Brandon, Jeanine, or Kayla. And if it weren’t for the fact that every word out of Nigel’s mouth and every piece of choreography he drew (Country two step jive? Emasculated boyfriend? Nasty boys? High school jock?) seemed geared to make certain that Evan would not win, there’s not a chance in hell that he would. Instead, Nigel and the producers spurred Evan fans into action who launched angry Twitter and comment tirades, saying they’d be voting for Evan just to piss off the judges. If Evan’s name is announced tonight as America’s Favorite Dancer, the blame can be squarely placed on both Nigel’s and the Kasprzaktivists shoulders.
But enough about Evan. Let’s get to talking about the dancers who will hopefully have actually danced their way to victory: Brandon and Jeanine. Last night both dancers showed all of America why they dually deserve to be named America’s Favorite Dancer. Based on Twitter and the deafening cheers for both dancers, it seemed clear that America is enamored with both Brandon and Jeanine. So the big question is who will win? I can’t say that I know 100%, because I was so impressed with both dancers performances, for different reasons, that I dialed in and voted for them both. Brandon got my votes for his pure technical perfection, raw talent, and power. On the other hand, I voted for Jeanine not just for her beautiful technique, but because we’ve watched her grow as a dancer and blossom into a star.
Did one of the dancers get more dial ins from me? Yes. Brandon did. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. The reason Brandon is my choice to win, though I don’t think he’ll walk away with the title, is because Brandon is purely there to dance. He’s not there to get a Hollywood agent to notice him, he’s not there to start a sitcom career, he’s there to dance. And to dance to the largest audience available to dancers anywhere. After SYTYCD, I fully expect Brandon to become a premiere dancer in a company or troupe that will be lucky to have him–while I suspect we’ll be seeing Jeanine (and Evan and Kayla) pursue other avenues.
Still, who do I think will be crowned America’s Favorite Dancer tonight? Jeanine. She got the largest cheer of any of the dancers and she was a trending Twitter topic all night, in multiple forms. (#Jeanine, #votejeanine #jeanineSYTYCD) Even John Kubicek agrees with me, he says: “For the winner: Jeanine. I know, I’m going against everything, but I sense it. And while everyone thinks Brandon, Evan would actually be my second choice.” While we disagree on the Evan part, who I believe will come in third, there’s consensus here at BuddyTV — Jeanine Mason is America’s Favorite Dancer.
–Abbey Simmons, BuddyTV Staff Writer
(Image Courtesy of FOX)
Contributing Writer, BuddyTV
