It's been an exhilarating summer, but this season of 'So You Think You Can Dance' (Thurs., 8PM ET on Fox) is finally at an end, and a new winner has been crowned.

Last night, the contestants wowed in some routines and stumbled in others -- Marko and Melanie missed the mark in their disco, Tadd and Sasha failed to deliver for the cha-cha, and Nigel outright admitted that he believed a girl would win the season, but did one?

The 'So You Think You Can Dance' Season 8 champion is ...

It's reassuring to know that if the hosting jobs ever dry up, at least Cat Deeley could carve out a successful career as a talent agent instead.

Following another stunning performance from Melanie Moore on 'So You Think You Can Dance' (Wed., 8PM ET on Fox), Deeley quizzed judge Kenny Ortega on whether there might be a role for the dancer in his just-announced 'Dirty Dancing' remake.

Perhaps as a reminder that winning isn't everything on these reality shows, Pia Toscano was the guest performer on the penultimate results episode of 'So You Think You Can Dance' (Thu., 8PM ET on FOX). She only came in ninth last season on 'American Idol,' but that hasn't slowed her down in her career.

She performed her new single 'This Time' and proved that your finishing place in a reality competition is not necessarily a reflection of your talent. You don't have to win to be vindicated that you're great, or to be successful.

But Nigel Lythgoe was quick to remind everyone that the real winner in all of this is dance. Caitlynn made a strong case for herself against the one-two leaders in the judges' eyes, Sasha and Melanie, but was it enough to earn her a spot in the finale?

The final six contestants took to the stage on 'So You Think You Can Dance' (Wed., 8PM ET on FOX), giving us yet another strong night of performances. But one performance early in the program had the judges all choked up, including guest judge Christina Applegate.

Sasha Mallory took to the stage with last season's runner-up, Kent Boyd, for a contemporary piece that simply wrenched at the heart strings. Sasha has always been a brilliant technical dancer, but Applegate did a great job of summing up the difference between technical brilliance and brilliance.

She explained that she sees dancers who can do all these things technically perfectly and "I don't care." But to Sasha she said, "you put your finger against a wall and you break my heart."

It was awfully nice of Lady Gaga to share the spotlight, even if it wasn't intentional with former 'So You Think You Can Dance' (Thu., 8PM ET on FOX) contestant Mark Kanemura. Kanemura has been very busy since his Top 6 finish in Season 4, but he can currently be found dancing on Gaga's 'Monster Ball' tour.

Gaga wasn't on the judging panel tonight, so she could perform a medley of 'The Edge of Glory' and 'You and I.'

While she sounded a little nasal at first (reminiscent of her first critiques on Wednesday's show when her sunglasses were pinching her nose), the sound improved as she went along and it wound up being a very entertaining performance.

After a somewhat slow start, it turned into one of the most impressive performance episodes of 'So You Think You Can Dance' (Wed., 8PM ET on FOX) so far this season. Joining the judging panel for the week were 'Chicago' director Rob Marshall and Lady Gaga, who was ready to hire one dancer almost right there on the spot.

We think the leaders of the Top 8 emerged fully formed this week. In fact, we've had a Top 4 in our minds, two guys and two girls, for a few weeks, but they really solidified those placements with some stellar performances this week.

The other four contestants had several hits and misses along the way, but even so, nothing could detract from some incredible and powerful dances, culminating in a number that knocked our socks off, and Gaga's shoes!

Oh, the highs and lows of cracking the US TV and music markets. Last night girl group Blush -- themselves the product of a reality TV talent search -- made their US TV debut on 'So You Think You Can Dance,' a pretty major gig in anyone's book.

However, their performance of 'Undivided' featuring Snoop Dogg has been slated by critics. Hardly the reception the girls were looking for on their first outing.

'EW' referred to them as "Pussycat Dolls Lite," adding that "The obvious similarities were unfortunate, especially since their routine was even more mind-numbingly boring than Nicole Scherzinger's performance last week. ... Seriously, though, who did Snoop get high to get those girls on the show?"

It was a kinder, gentler elimination on 'So You Think You Can Dance' (Thu., 8PM ET on FOX) this week. Sure, two more dancers would be leaving the competition, but Nigel Lythgoe was sure to remind them that they were still going to be heading out on tour with the rest of the Top 10.

He also told them, "We don't have anything to say about you being bad tonight. Or how to improve because we think you're all fantastic now."

!!SPOILER ALERT!!

That's probably why there were smiles of pride on the faces of Clarice and Mitchell, even as they were cut from the competition. It looks like America agreed with our assessment that Mitchell had the weakest night. As for Clarice, while she has struggled to stand out this season anyway, Bollywood did her no favors.

The addition of the All-Stars this week on 'So You Think You Can Dance' (Wed., 8PM ET on FOX) did not disappoint, with almost every dancer upping their game to rise up to their partner. But no one grew so much as a performer than Caitlynn, who was paired with Pasha.

Pasha is one of the most exciting ballroom dancers to ever grace the 'SYTYCD' stage, and the producers seem to know it. He was the only All-Star to perform twice. First up, he made a woman out of Caitlynn in a sexy Argentine Tango that had the judges swooning and panting.

While there was joy in the studio on 'So You Think You Can Dance' (Thu., 8PM ET on FOX) this evening, thanks to a record eight Emmy nominations for the show, it was still elimination night. But that didn't mean they couldn't spare a few moments of congratulations for the series' first nod in Best Reality Competition Series and Cat Deeley's well-deserved nomination for Best Reality Host.

Deeley then put that hosting right to business, working her way through the night, splitting the dancers in half, with three couples facing elimination and three couples moving directly into the Top 10 and the All-Stars next week. And, for the first time this season, the eliminated pair were not an existing couple.

It was a packed night, and a night of sadness, as the Top 12 took to the stage for the last time with their partners on 'So You Think You Can Dance' (Wed., 8PM ET on FOX). It was a critical time in the show, as next week the Top 10 are paired up with 'SYTYCD' All-Stars, and it's the Top 10 that goes on tour.

So to help alleviate the stress, Jesse Tyler Ferguson ('Modern Family') joined the panel. He does have a background in stage and dance, but he proved to be mostly there for comic relief. His off-the-cuff comments kept everyone light and in stitches.

The biggest laughs came when he abruptly suggested that Clarice should marry him. This after a beautiful lyrical hip-hop routine she performed with her partner Jess.

In seasons past, the judges have split up couples in their eliminations, but that hasn't been the case leading into tonight's cuts on 'So You Think You Can Dance' (Thu., 8PM ET on FOX). Each week, they've cut a paired couple, leaving all the other couples intact.

Even in the week when four people were eliminated out of a possible six, they cut two paired couples. That has to add to the pressure when competing as it must feel like your fate may be as tied to how well your partner does than how well you do.

But nothing in the rules says you have to do that, so would it continue as the Top 14 was whittled down to the Top 12? We have some strong couples, but there have been some instances where one partner has clearly shown more promise than the other.

It was another night of unforgettable performances as the Top 14 dancers took to the stage on 'So You Think You Can Dance' (Wed., 8PM ET on FOX). This time, joining Nigel Lythgoe and Mary Murphy on the judging panel, were Carmen Electra and Travis Wall.

Electra detailed her own extensive background in dance, so we wouldn't think she was just a pretty face, while 'SYTYCD' fans know Wall as the runner-up in Season 2. Since Season 5 he's become a staple in the roster of choreographers turning in brilliant performances, so it was an exciting evolution to see him judging the show.

Always a favorite of the judges, Ryan Ramirez impressed yet again in a "quirky" jazz routine with partner Ricky Jaime.

Lady Gaga has already dished out the advice as a guest mentor on the 'American Idol' this year, and now we hear that she'll be bringing her brand of theatricality to 'So You Think You Can Dance' later on this summer.

A Fox source told 'Entertainment Weekly' that Lady Gaga will be a guest judge on 'SYTYCD' sometime before the talent show's Season 8 Finale in August.

Judge Nigel Lythgoe hinted at a Gaga appearance during a recent interview with Yahoo. He said she'll "give great advice on how to handle yourself, how to be creatve with what you do, and how to be a fabulous performer. She has actually done what I want these [contestants] to do, which is get an audience behind them."

When the judges left the set to deliberate their choice for elimination on this week's 'So You Think You Can Dance' (Thu., 8PM ET on FOX), it was a double-whammy. First, they were going to have to send home two dancers, which is particularly difficult this season as the caliber of talent is so high.

But, perhaps just as tragic, they missed the guest performance by Eric Luna and Georgia Ambarian. Cat Deeley introduced them as "the current United States and World Theatrical Ballroom Champions." All we saw was flawless execution and lighter-than-air choreography.

It's almost impossible to describe how effortless they made some of the most complex and stunning lifts look. Honestly, it looked as if Ambarian's bones must have been filled with helium, she just soared so light.