So You Think You Can Dance: The Final Four

(S03E22) A quick look at the little weather widget on my desktop tells me that summer is coming to an end next week. If that seems soon to you, I'm guessing you don't live in the greater Seattle area. At any rate, it's fitting that our premature change of season coincides with the ending of the best of the summer reality shows.

As Cat said in her introduction, "This is it." We've been watching these kids for weeks now, and it all comes down to one last night, stuffed to the gills with dancing. The show did have its moments of stretching, but the interviews and the looks back at auditions really played well here. Judging everything, Nigel and Mary of course, and they were joined by Dan Karaty. My first snarky thought was that they brought Dan in to judge to keep him from choreographing a number. But that was mean of me, and I have to say, I thought he did a good job in his judge's seat tonight. After the jump, a rundown of all the performances.

The competition kicked off with a Tyce Diorio Broadway routine. It was very fun. It's nice to see the four of them up there together. I thought the choreography slanted toward showcasing the guys, but the whole group looked good in this. Nigel thought it was a great routine that showed that any of them could win it. He said Lacey needs to work with her partner more, Danny has made great strides in his performance, he adores Sabra and she needs to keep doing what she's been doing, and Neil is peaking at the right time. Mary said it is going to come down to the individual numbers. Dan was impressed with how well the group gets along. Song - "Mein Herr" by Liza Minelli

Lacey's solo was next, and I really liked the dance part of it. The stunt where she fell off the stage into the crowd was clever. She does take the prize for the worst wardrobe of the night. The legwarmers and the dress that was two sizes two big just didn't work. If she wanted to dance in her bra, she should just dance in her bra and be done with it. Nigel called her out a bit on her hammieness. Mary thought it was well planned, and praised her again for her work with partners. Dan said that Lacey is a smart dancer because she knows how to work crowds, cameras, and judges. Song - "Technologic" by Daft Punk

Sabra and Neil were the first couple up, and when they drew hip hop with Shane Sparks, I had a bad feeling. It's not that there is anything wrong with hip hop, but it's an iffy proposition for these four dancers. For them, given their abilities, hip hop has the highest potential for going off the rails. I wouldn't say this one was a failure, but it was my least favorite of the night. It came across as so many of the hip hop performances have this season. They just never quite got there. Nigel said it wasn't as funky as he would have liked it, and added that Neil was stiff. Mary called it fun, but said she expected more. Dan said that their earlier hip hop performances were better than this. Song "Whine Up" by Kat DeLuna

Lacey and Danny had a much better draw with Jean-Mark Genereaux and the Viennese waltz. It was fantastic, right from the huge opening lift. I thought this performance really showed how these two have changed. There was no mugging for the camera from Lacey, and if you can somehow find anything arrogant about Danny's performance, then we're seeing two entirely different things. Nigel said it was outstanding and compared it to dancing on ice. Mary complimented how effortless all of the lifts were and gave them a standing ovation. Dan brought up that he expected Danny in the finals from the moment he met him in New York. He called their performance incredible and amazing. Song - "Keep Holding On" by Avril Lavigne

Neil had the solo spotlight next. It was more of what we have come to expect from Neil. He has a bag of tricks that is endlessly fascinating. And if his flips aren't enough to get your attention, this week he threw in a twist. I have to agree with the judges on how Neil is progressing as the competition goes on. Nigel once again mentioned that Neil is putting it all together at just the right time. Mary agreed, saying that there is now a calmness and a maturity to his dancing. Dan called him dynamic and said he owned the stage. Song - "Gravity" by Shawn McDonald

Sabra and Lacey were up next with a Wade Robson routine. I really didn't get where the judges were coming from with this one, especially given the comments on Danny and Neil's partnership, which we'll get to in a moment. I thought Robson's choreography was very inventive and managed, quite artfully, to give the girls something very intriguing to do while showing off their movement and ability to convey emotions. Different strokes to move the world I guess, but this one really worked for me. Nigel said he didn't get it at all and that this was a tough one at this stage of the competition. Mary didn't think that the choreography showcased either of their abilities. Dan said that there will be people who will love this performance, and those that won't. He thought that their attention to detail was very good. Song - "Koyal (Songbird)" by Nitin Sawhney

Danny had the stage to himself for the next performance. It was really good. As he spun and leaped all the way around the stage it became, once again, apparent that he is the best dancer in the competition. He was, unfortunately, saddled with one of the worst cover songs ever though. Nigel said that Danny is one of the best two dancers ever on the series. Mary called it crazy, and screamed. She said she would never get tired of watching him dance. Dan agreed with the both of them. Song - "We Are The Champions" by Gavin DeGraw

Danny and Neil met up with Mia Michaels for a contemporary piece. I thought the concept was great, and the two of them performed it very well. My only issue with the whole thing was how different the judges reactions were to this, compared to Lacey and Sabra's performance. They took that one to task for not showcasing their abilities, but here was Mia Michaels with Neil and Danny sitting in chairs for half of their performance. Don't get me wrong, I thought the acting of their parts while they were in the chairs, particularly from Neil, was excellent. I just didn't get how they saw the two pieces so differently. Perhaps they were just that impressed with what went on once the chairs were left behind in the second half and they got to some of the bigger moments. Although, did anyone else thing that Neil missed the move where he was supposed to jump over Danny's shoulders? It was in the preview package, but on stage he went low and to the side. That's possibly not even a mistake though, and the entire performance was very good. Nigel thought it was great, very masculine, and very strong. Mary loved it, adding that it was very believable and showcased their talents. Dan called the athleticism insane. Song - "Are You The One?" by The Presets

Sabra got her shot at a solo next. It was a nice contrast to the testosterone filled lead-in. She's so tiny, and moves so gracefully. This is where she finally won me over, and became the one I want to win it all. Nigel summed it up nicely talking about Sabra's quality that just draws people in. Mary reminded us again that Sabra has only been dancing for four years and called her a miracle. Dan said that early in the competition he thought Dominic was carrying her, but he was wrong. She can stand on her own. Song - "Wonderful World" by James Morrison

Lacey and Neil teamed up for the Lindy hop with Nick Williams. I almost thought they should get hazard pay for this one. It was a very difficult routine. And, that difficulty did show a little bit from time to time. There was nothing huge where you thought, "Well, it's all gone to hell now." But there were a few moments where they were pulled out of the performance to regroup. The good news is that those small mistakes were overshadowed by an array of tricks and the simple fun of such a high energy performance. Nigel said it was excellent for both of them. Mary thought they really pulled it off and gave them a scream. Dan said that was what he was waiting for all night. Song - "Bill's Bounce" by The Big Elliott Swing Orchestra

Sabra and Danny closed out the night with a cha cha. Tony Meredith's partner, Melanie La Patin, stepped out of the background to choreograph the piece. I thought it was the perfect way to end the show. Much like the performance that proceeded it, any questions about pure technique were made up for by the performance of the two dancers. Remember, it's not a contest for America's best dancer, but America's favorite dancer. Nigel thought the two of them worked well together as partners. He thought there was some technique missing, but their performances were superb. Mary also had issues with the technique in the beginning of the performance, but thought the second half was much better. Dan agreed that it picked up as it went on and said that they nailed it. Song - "Gotta Get Down" by Celia Cruz

One other little note before we sum it all up. I thought the interviews with Cat were well done, and it was nice to see each of the dancers in that context. The thing that stood out to me though was the fact that neither Lacey or Neil picked the Mia Michaels piece as their favorite performance. It would seem that the hype surrounding that particular performance has waned considerably.

The big question though, who wins? I'll start that answer by saying I really don't care. There's nobody here that I want to not win. No matter the decision that we end up with, I'll be happy with it. Given everything we have seen this summer from each of these four, I think it's pretty easy to make a case for any of them as the favorite dancer. That being said, I would really like to see Sabra win it. But my pick for who is actually going to win it, is Danny.