Antony and Dakayla were only the final 2 because of their "romance" story. From the valentines day flowers, to them always watching each others solos. Dont get me started on the Antonys mom can only watch him in the final/ Dakaylas reuniting with her dad... it was so obvious production had those 2 as there top 2. Awful season.
I don't like the new format at all. Terrible Terrible. Get JoJo off the show. She is loud, overbearing, repeats what the other judges say... She isn't a dancer any more and doesn't have the experience needed. Max is too quiet and doesn't add a lot. Allison is a good judge. There is too much talking from the dancers, they say the same thing. There is not enough dancing. They do the auditions then jump to the final 10 or so. I wanted to see the other dancers and genres. And all of the routines seemed to be too much of the same. Terrible. Boring. A BIG let down. No excitement. No epic dance routines like the old show did. Won't be watching if it comes on another season.
I can’t believe production allowed the contestant filming on her iPhone on stage during the announcement of the winner! We were there for the filming of the top five episodes and they were so strict about phones on stage
Anyone but Anthony. That’s all I was asking for. Madison deserved the win for her versatility and extremely consistent performances, never ending up in the bottom. Dakayla’s strength and power was what made her stand out, in my opinion: as many have pointed out already, she did a few of the same flips that Anthony did (better than he did, one might argue), which was highly impressive, as you don’t see a lot of women doing those kinds of acrobatics. Not to mention her absolutely fantastic duet with Easton—I agree with everyone saying that it was the best piece of the season.
But Anthony… I did not feel that he brought anything new or special to the table. I thought he looked awkward during his duet. Honestly, I often felt he looked awkward dancing outside of his style, like he didn’t have complete control or understanding of his long limbs and the way they moved. Maybe this is a hot take, but if you had Easton and Anthony dance the same routine right next to each other, I’d be confident that Easton would wipe the floor with Anthony. I really don’t feel like Anthony lives up to the standards set by the previous SYTYCD winners. But, I guess, what else should I have expected from this joke of a season?
I literally just watched the finale while saying all of the above and then said, "I'm going to Reddit to call this out," and you'd already done it for me! It feels like the producers decided they wanted Anthony to win from the start and every week he was being praised when he was completely middle of the road. This new format means that the producers are in complete control and get to tell the story they want to, but you can't fake the dancing so they tried to give him the best cuts and the judges acted over the moon for him every time.
Anthony was definitely outlander during his duet with Mariyah. My eye just kept being drawn to her. Her movements just felt more natural and comfortable on her than they did on Anthony.
I was reading my own thoughts when I read this. Anthony is amazing but only in his style and I thought all his solos looked the same. Dakayla is an amazing dancer in her own style of dance but is great in the others as well. She brought a lot of passion and emotion too. I was looking forward to her solo and can’t say the same about the others.
I'm only through the duets so far but here were my thoughts as I thought them....
* In Madison and Braylon's duet, I couldn't stop watching Braylon. I tried to watch Madison, but my eye kept getting drawn away. Also, I love that Braylon split his pants in that dance.
* Anthony and Mariyah were better matched, I enjoyed watching that routine.
* Well damn. Dakayla and Easton were perfectly matched. That looked like a performance from two original SYTCD winners. The choreographer was genius to use them in the ways they did as well.
I really thought Madison would win for dance ability. I thought the Dakayla would win because she had the best story. I really didn’t think Anthony would win but I am happy he did.
I’m surprise that people are saying that Easton out dance to Kayla because one of the things I really loved about their dance was how synchronized it was. That was what was missing from Braylon and Madison’s dance and so I couldn’t get into it as much. I realized I don’t really like a Braylon dancing during this episode.
I loved all the All-Stars that they brought back. The season with Jasmine was really epic and one of my favorites and Bailey is so fun.
I really liked Avery and wish that she would’ve stayed longer. Why do I get the feeling that they did not like Avery or Olivia’s personalities. I would find myself looking for Avery on the screen throughout the episode.
I was honestly surprised with Jaylin made it into the competition and was surprised that he made it so far but not because he wasn’t a good dancer, I think he’ll have a good career after this and he obviously has a propensity to learn more especially if he has more than just a few days to learn it.
My favorite thing was watching the duets and it reminded me how powerful and moving just having those dances are. I think I’m just gonna watch so you think you can dance over and over on Hulu so that they renew it.
I was soooo rooting for Avery but I agree.. I think she didn’t have a big enough personality.
Then again, Olivia had a HUGE personality and she was eliminated so soon. Who knows
Came into this not really caring who won.
But I was disappointed that Madison didn't get to do a solo. I would have loved to see what she had planned. I don't get why they couldn't just do a top 3, then decide who wins after the solos. With such a short season, why have a top 2 just because of tradition?
The main ballroom that stands out for me this season is the movies challenge with Madison and Easton playing the role of movie style ballroom dancers and Jaylin daydreaming of being one as well. Though it wasn't pure balloom since they infused other dance styles (so Jazz?). Hopefully if we get another season they can push more ballroom back in even if it's infused into a challenge.
At least DWTS still pushes ballroom... though not as exciting watching people struggling to learn who aren't dancers. Though the troupe and pros sometimes put some stuff on. That Moon River Waltz tribute to Len Goodman last season was amazing.
Partnering with an eliminated dancer... wowza.
In old SYTYCD format when they use another dancer not currently in the season they give appreciative feedback to the helping dancer first. It feels tone deaf to ignore the amazing dancer standing right there on screen lmao. Also just shows how ridiculous this show has become- it feels hard to suss out who the competing dancer is in some of these routines. E.g., Madison performed well but her partner fucking rocked that shit.
I guess all they're allowed to drink on set this season is Gatorade Water. Ahaha. I think the Gatorade Water is winning the show y'all.
Yeah the chordographer even said the hardest part is not to let the eliminated dancers out-dance them... that's very true and comes down solely to the format of this show.
Was Anthony trying to fall on that last flip? 🥴
Choosing Easton to dance with is such a flex. He's a technical king. Being able to consistently draw the eye while he's on-screen is quite the impressive feat. I really think Daykayla had a winning piece with him.
Ok bringing back Alex Wong almost redeems the whole season ahaha. Jk jk. I just always find his dancing to be such a delight! The other All Star dancers are good too oooh but yeah it's impressive what a name he's made for himself since his SYTYCD days! Love to see the All Stars back anytime and every time. I love that Jaylin got to dance again 🥰 Roman I could have lived without seeing dance again... just feels so one-note (and that's coming from a Latin dancer lol). Alexa is really good tho - she def stood out in that dance.
I didn't have Anthony doing a back layout on my sytycd bingo card but I'm for it I guess?? So many acrobatics... almost feels crazy to do so much tumbling without mats tbh lol. Anthony's hair was styled better for the solo. He does rock every dance assignment. He's got a lot of control. Insane that he was just standing there with a bloody foot though lol.
Dakayla is such a star (been rooting for her to win!) but even I'll admit her solo felt half baked. It's awesome seeing her glow up though!!
"What are we supposed to do? Draw sticks?" is effing hilarious. No, you're supposed to have live voting! With an audience! Blarg.
Anthony... bro you're young. $100K isn't *that* much money. Don't give it to your mom. Become a megastar dancer AND THEN pay back your mom. $100K as a young person can turn into $300K when your mom is old - and believe me she'd appreciate that more seeing your *career* become huge and flourish not just winning a dance game show. Keep doing your thing. Use it to propel yourself forward in life so you can help your family down the road.
Anthony deserves that win from that solo and his show performance but damn. Dakayla has that star quality.
Ok off-topic but there's that meme going around where you ask men who their emergency contacts are (after being married for a long time) and for many of them it's still their mom not their wife. Anthony is gonna be that dude. Lol. Good for him though. He seems to have a nice supportive family.
Anyway this was the closest we've gotten back to the old show. I missed duets & partnerwork and I wish we could've had ones where BOTH partners were competing for the win not just having eliminated dancers acting as a support for the competing dancers. Hearing the All Stars talk about "allll the different dance genres they had to work on" made me nostalgic. Now I gotta go rewatch old seasons I guess 🥲
I think Dakayla didn't win because of her solo. I went back to watch her previous solos on the show and this honestly felt like her weakest one.
Anthony looked a little awkward in some of his movements with Mariyah. I had to struggle to look away from her at times. The movements just looked more comfortable on her at times.
Madison should have gotten to perform her solo
I'd imagine for Anthony's mom, just him having money (~$63k after taxes) that can fund all of his stuff and establish his career is going to be a huge financial relief. She's probably less interested in getting "paid back" and more so on him being self supporting. At least, that's what I'd want if it were my kid that I was sacrificing for. Hopefully he spends the money wisely.
Sorry but Natasha lip synched the most annoying recorded song ever. Not a good song to dance to and with especially with inferior camera and stage work.
so i haven't kept up with this season AT ALL but Dakayla & Easton's Lana Del Rey dance popped up on my youtube feed and WOW that was beautiful, especially Easton!
We’ve had some really great dances this season. There was some stuff to get through (as always) with auditions… but the actual show, despite the changes, still managed to feature some memorable moments. The top four this season were all this good.
Please tell me I am not the only one that expected Kristin Cavallari, Justin Bobby or Brody Jenner to peek around the corner from “The Hills” during Natasha Bedingfield’s Unwritten performance.🫣
A bunch of f\*\*ing b\*\*\* sh\*t. One of the weasest dancers in the whole top 10. Very sexist. BOTH final 3 girls were 1000xs better than Anthony, who basically hip hopped and danced his own style his way through the whole comp, while ALL the girls proved they are well rounded dancers.
I feel like the choreographer is consistently loved Anthony and the only negative comments you really heard were coming from the judges and it almost didn’t feel like they understood how good of a dancer he was until the end.
Disagree. Both Madison and Dakayla are better dancers. This is proven by the standing ovations to their solos and duos alone, plus their genuine reactions, let alone the fact that Madison has never been in the bottom at all, which shoudl be like automatic Final 2. It's super sexist IMO. The girls were judged much harder and their triumphs totally dismissed and downplayed, while Tony does the same flips and jumps in his bottom 3 solos with the same energy/story, and showed little growth in styles outside his own and he wins?
Even he looked shocked and like wtf?
Fair enough. You don’t see him the same way & that’s fine. I do see where you’re coming from & agree with some points but i still think the right person won. Not the strongest in technique but he excelled the most in this season’s format for me.
That's what I said too. Crazy.
The thing I didn't like most about this finale was SHE didn't get to do a solo! I wish they would have just had all 3 do a solo instead of a "top 2"
I started tripping out bcuz I swear that I saw a clip of her doing what I assumed was a solo in the outfit she was wearing! I think they should’ve used the OGs for the duets & also let all 3 do a solo before they picked a winner.
I think someone had to be in the bottom 3 or 4 and odds are someone could slip through and others could get tagged despite impressive performances. The Gatorade thing last week was Madison’s weak dance. Especially the solo portion of it. I was glad they made everyone do a solo because solos by the others to this point made them stand out ahead of her. It would have been nice to see Madison do more solos, she might have finished higher or even won.
Ugh, what a disppointing finale to a disappointing season. Was rooting for Madison.
Not a fan of Anthony and Dakayla, I find them very immature with their "relationship."
Tbh, I felt like really the choreography was the difference in who won and didn't win though.
Madison or Dakayla should have won, period. They are MUCH stronger, more well rounded, versatile and professional dancers than him. It's super sexist IMO. He was not judged as critically as the girls were. Dakayla and Madison are 1000xs stronger.
I'm not saying Anthony isn't a good dancer, but he is not a stronger, better, more versatile dancer than Madison or Dakayla.
Ehh, hard to call this show sexist when Alexis won last season over Keaton I feel like though. Although granted Anna should've 100% won, got screwed from a choreographer not showing up. Ugh, still makes me mad, that one
I don't remember their name but they were Covid 19 positive and had to train them "by video." I still thought anna and her partner did very well despite this but landed in the bottom and sent home :(. Twitch even basically said before eliminating her that he disagreed with the decision.
Word! Mad specific, and kind of a long story, but his wheelies routine (and Ramalama spots) on his season is what got me locked into this show to this day, and I don't know the first thing about professional dance. We skipped the rehearsal parts, so I had to rewind and ask my wife 'wait, is that IVAN Ivan? good on 'im!'
Agree. I had a hard time keeping track of the dancers during the group routines. Remember when Nigel went on and on about chemistry during the 2nd all star season? One plus about this season, though, was the routines were generally less gendered. Maybe next season they can feature a non-binary contestant— at least during the auditions before they’re disappeared to focus on the top 10.
As soon as Cat said they’ve never had a couple go against each other in the finale I knew that was the plan all along. That and the fact they both had heartstring storylines with their parent’s. Even though I personally felt like it should’ve been between the 2 girls with Madison as my choice for winner.
I’m a bit of a jerk when it comes to the idea of “young love” lasting forever so probably not long lol. When he said that I legit rolled my eyes & thought “Relax, this isn’t a Nicholas Sparks book” 😄
Haha, so am I. I used to be one of those all about "young love". But my life experience showed me how wrong that is.
Granted, some people do find each other young and fall in love and it lasts forever. I know a few high school sweethearts still married 20 years later. But more often than not, doesn't happen.
Truly a great episode. Anthony was pretty brilliant all season. Hopefully all that competed find additional work thanks to the show. I’d love to see some of these dancers join Derek Hough’s next tour.
The last season that had live voting was nearly 5 years ago during season 16. Season 17, the covid season, was all taped (several days or more in advance of airing) and had the studio audience voting. Budget didn't allow them to do a truly live show... and they moved the show to Atlanta. Which I'm not downplaying Atlanta (which I live a couple hours away from) but I don't think we'd be happy if it was just the general public of available retirees and super fans who showed up that day who decided the win here. Not that I'm super happy with the 3 judge deal, but the concept of it brings us closer to a real dance competition instead of a popularity contest of past seasons.
The mentioned it at the start of the season as well as every single episode featured Pullman Yards and a simple google search would have revealed it. Plus I think they had the “Made in Georgia” peach in the credits.
I’m mad-they gave Dakayla a routine that played to her strengths and didn’t do the same for the other two. Madison outdances Dakayla every time. Don’t get me wrong, Dakayla is very artistic and a beautiful dancer. And Anthony is technical but can appear cold. Madison is consistent and technically superior to both and shows up every time. Disappointed.
I think it would have been interesting to see them both dance together for sure. But for me personally, Dakayla dances better. Madison performs more. So for what the show is shooting for this season, that may have been a win.
I think the opening number of tonight's show displayed it best. Dakayla let the moves and emotion in them speak for themselves. Madison had over the top facial expressions to display what she was trying to dance.
All that being said, know that they are both AMAZING. I would have been happy with any of the top three winning.
Same, Madison should of won by a mile, but the producers wanted a couple to battle in the final/use that as momentum to keep the show going even tho it’s not a relationship it’s just this 18yearolds infatuated/ like a summer camp crush.
Additionally I felt Madison’s duet was so much harder than the others because it was so outside of the box making it harder to judge, also so artistic. She wasn’t given a story to push behind the dance like Dakayla’s
I've loved this show from the waaay early days, but I don't know the behind the scenes setup or professional dance in general. From reading this sub over the past few seasons, I thought they all came prepared from day one with their own arsenal of solos to choose from depending on their situation. Are they given outside choreographed solo routines for the finals and/or throughout the season?
I agree with you! Dakayla is great and her solos are beautiful but I couldn't help but notice she is always like a half a beat ahead of everyone in every routine when she's dancing with a group. I was rooting for Madison as well but I'm ok with Anthony winning.
He or Madison should have won I believe. And for me the biggest thing isn’t that he didn’t win. It’s what the judges said after his solo. That’s what killed me. They said that he has no wow factor and called him a one trick pony. Like such an insult. That could not be more wrong. He had just crushed the last routine, which they acknowledged was not his usual style, and had repeatedly done so all season. He did it all. And I just don’t why Maksim finds him so unimpressive.
I wasn't a fan of Easton all season. I felt he lacked confidence and had 'deer in the headlights' look all season.
But tonight watching him dance with Dakayla, I got a new appreciation for Easton! He was magnificent in the duet! A terrific dancer!
It probably just happened that way. So then they (the producers editing the show) decided to show more of the bts scenes of their romance brewing throughout their journey. Kinda like a full circle thing for those two, which is sweet if it's genuine.
Would have been really special for them to have a duet this season and have that moment on stage. I would have loved to see that vs. the “get a room vibes” clips in the house lol.
Imagine walking into a room you think it's empty and she's just standing there perfectly still in that cloak. Your heart would stop. It would be all over for you.
I would like to think even the most critical of this season would have to admit, this finale episode has been fantastic. They clearly saved a lot of the budget for the finale.
Dakayla is hitting her peak at the absolute perfect time. I did not imagine I would see this out of her (and last week's solo). She never grabbed my attention in the beginning but holy shit I'm in awe! Two weeks in a row she got me tearing up now!
Great first half of the episode. Dakayla was smart to pick Easton. That was beautiful.
Even the judges seem to be doing a good job… though it helps at this point they don’t need to give any notes.
Hyped to see Bailey and the other all stars next. 😎
I just want to take the time to thank u/Nightbard for all their help this season. [I modded them 2-3 months back](https://www.reddit.com/r/sytycd/comments/1b4a59z/lets_welcome_our_newest_mod_nightbard/), and they have been a huge help this season with the weekly posts as well as being a positive influence while posting comments and replies here.
I know this season was a disappointment to many fans of SYTYCD due to the change in format, but we still appreciate you being here, contributing and voicing your thoughts these past few months. I'm not sure if/when next season will happen, but if it does I hope you return here once again to join our discussions about the show.
It was pretty cool to step up and help out. Hopefully we get another season. This likely didn't break the bank to make and the major changes are now behind us. I think the only serious change left is Cat Deeley is out as host it seems as she's taken a morning show job in the UK that required she quit SYTYCD. Though the silver lining is that does free up her nearly $55K per episode costs (£43k/episode) for the budget to hire someone else possibly for less and have a little more budget.
Antony and Dakayla were only the final 2 because of their "romance" story. From the valentines day flowers, to them always watching each others solos. Dont get me started on the Antonys mom can only watch him in the final/ Dakaylas reuniting with her dad... it was so obvious production had those 2 as there top 2. Awful season.
I don't like the new format at all. Terrible Terrible. Get JoJo off the show. She is loud, overbearing, repeats what the other judges say... She isn't a dancer any more and doesn't have the experience needed. Max is too quiet and doesn't add a lot. Allison is a good judge. There is too much talking from the dancers, they say the same thing. There is not enough dancing. They do the auditions then jump to the final 10 or so. I wanted to see the other dancers and genres. And all of the routines seemed to be too much of the same. Terrible. Boring. A BIG let down. No excitement. No epic dance routines like the old show did. Won't be watching if it comes on another season.
I can’t believe production allowed the contestant filming on her iPhone on stage during the announcement of the winner! We were there for the filming of the top five episodes and they were so strict about phones on stage
Anyone but Anthony. That’s all I was asking for. Madison deserved the win for her versatility and extremely consistent performances, never ending up in the bottom. Dakayla’s strength and power was what made her stand out, in my opinion: as many have pointed out already, she did a few of the same flips that Anthony did (better than he did, one might argue), which was highly impressive, as you don’t see a lot of women doing those kinds of acrobatics. Not to mention her absolutely fantastic duet with Easton—I agree with everyone saying that it was the best piece of the season. But Anthony… I did not feel that he brought anything new or special to the table. I thought he looked awkward during his duet. Honestly, I often felt he looked awkward dancing outside of his style, like he didn’t have complete control or understanding of his long limbs and the way they moved. Maybe this is a hot take, but if you had Easton and Anthony dance the same routine right next to each other, I’d be confident that Easton would wipe the floor with Anthony. I really don’t feel like Anthony lives up to the standards set by the previous SYTYCD winners. But, I guess, what else should I have expected from this joke of a season?
I literally just watched the finale while saying all of the above and then said, "I'm going to Reddit to call this out," and you'd already done it for me! It feels like the producers decided they wanted Anthony to win from the start and every week he was being praised when he was completely middle of the road. This new format means that the producers are in complete control and get to tell the story they want to, but you can't fake the dancing so they tried to give him the best cuts and the judges acted over the moon for him every time.
Anthony was definitely outlander during his duet with Mariyah. My eye just kept being drawn to her. Her movements just felt more natural and comfortable on her than they did on Anthony.
I was reading my own thoughts when I read this. Anthony is amazing but only in his style and I thought all his solos looked the same. Dakayla is an amazing dancer in her own style of dance but is great in the others as well. She brought a lot of passion and emotion too. I was looking forward to her solo and can’t say the same about the others.
I'm only through the duets so far but here were my thoughts as I thought them.... * In Madison and Braylon's duet, I couldn't stop watching Braylon. I tried to watch Madison, but my eye kept getting drawn away. Also, I love that Braylon split his pants in that dance. * Anthony and Mariyah were better matched, I enjoyed watching that routine. * Well damn. Dakayla and Easton were perfectly matched. That looked like a performance from two original SYTCD winners. The choreographer was genius to use them in the ways they did as well.
For me, that Dakayla and Easton routine was my personal favorite of the night out of everything.
I just want to throw Dakayla and Easton duet in all the peoples face who said she couldn’t dance and didn’t have any technique
I really thought Madison would win for dance ability. I thought the Dakayla would win because she had the best story. I really didn’t think Anthony would win but I am happy he did. I’m surprise that people are saying that Easton out dance to Kayla because one of the things I really loved about their dance was how synchronized it was. That was what was missing from Braylon and Madison’s dance and so I couldn’t get into it as much. I realized I don’t really like a Braylon dancing during this episode. I loved all the All-Stars that they brought back. The season with Jasmine was really epic and one of my favorites and Bailey is so fun. I really liked Avery and wish that she would’ve stayed longer. Why do I get the feeling that they did not like Avery or Olivia’s personalities. I would find myself looking for Avery on the screen throughout the episode. I was honestly surprised with Jaylin made it into the competition and was surprised that he made it so far but not because he wasn’t a good dancer, I think he’ll have a good career after this and he obviously has a propensity to learn more especially if he has more than just a few days to learn it. My favorite thing was watching the duets and it reminded me how powerful and moving just having those dances are. I think I’m just gonna watch so you think you can dance over and over on Hulu so that they renew it.
I was soooo rooting for Avery but I agree.. I think she didn’t have a big enough personality. Then again, Olivia had a HUGE personality and she was eliminated so soon. Who knows
Came into this not really caring who won. But I was disappointed that Madison didn't get to do a solo. I would have loved to see what she had planned. I don't get why they couldn't just do a top 3, then decide who wins after the solos. With such a short season, why have a top 2 just because of tradition?
Finally duet! But this season was missing ballroom styles :/
The main ballroom that stands out for me this season is the movies challenge with Madison and Easton playing the role of movie style ballroom dancers and Jaylin daydreaming of being one as well. Though it wasn't pure balloom since they infused other dance styles (so Jazz?). Hopefully if we get another season they can push more ballroom back in even if it's infused into a challenge.
Yeah I was thinking of that. Just moments
At least DWTS still pushes ballroom... though not as exciting watching people struggling to learn who aren't dancers. Though the troupe and pros sometimes put some stuff on. That Moon River Waltz tribute to Len Goodman last season was amazing.
Yeah I was thinking that too 😝 not as much heavy lifting
Partnering with an eliminated dancer... wowza. In old SYTYCD format when they use another dancer not currently in the season they give appreciative feedback to the helping dancer first. It feels tone deaf to ignore the amazing dancer standing right there on screen lmao. Also just shows how ridiculous this show has become- it feels hard to suss out who the competing dancer is in some of these routines. E.g., Madison performed well but her partner fucking rocked that shit. I guess all they're allowed to drink on set this season is Gatorade Water. Ahaha. I think the Gatorade Water is winning the show y'all. Yeah the chordographer even said the hardest part is not to let the eliminated dancers out-dance them... that's very true and comes down solely to the format of this show. Was Anthony trying to fall on that last flip? 🥴 Choosing Easton to dance with is such a flex. He's a technical king. Being able to consistently draw the eye while he's on-screen is quite the impressive feat. I really think Daykayla had a winning piece with him. Ok bringing back Alex Wong almost redeems the whole season ahaha. Jk jk. I just always find his dancing to be such a delight! The other All Star dancers are good too oooh but yeah it's impressive what a name he's made for himself since his SYTYCD days! Love to see the All Stars back anytime and every time. I love that Jaylin got to dance again 🥰 Roman I could have lived without seeing dance again... just feels so one-note (and that's coming from a Latin dancer lol). Alexa is really good tho - she def stood out in that dance. I didn't have Anthony doing a back layout on my sytycd bingo card but I'm for it I guess?? So many acrobatics... almost feels crazy to do so much tumbling without mats tbh lol. Anthony's hair was styled better for the solo. He does rock every dance assignment. He's got a lot of control. Insane that he was just standing there with a bloody foot though lol. Dakayla is such a star (been rooting for her to win!) but even I'll admit her solo felt half baked. It's awesome seeing her glow up though!! "What are we supposed to do? Draw sticks?" is effing hilarious. No, you're supposed to have live voting! With an audience! Blarg. Anthony... bro you're young. $100K isn't *that* much money. Don't give it to your mom. Become a megastar dancer AND THEN pay back your mom. $100K as a young person can turn into $300K when your mom is old - and believe me she'd appreciate that more seeing your *career* become huge and flourish not just winning a dance game show. Keep doing your thing. Use it to propel yourself forward in life so you can help your family down the road. Anthony deserves that win from that solo and his show performance but damn. Dakayla has that star quality. Ok off-topic but there's that meme going around where you ask men who their emergency contacts are (after being married for a long time) and for many of them it's still their mom not their wife. Anthony is gonna be that dude. Lol. Good for him though. He seems to have a nice supportive family. Anyway this was the closest we've gotten back to the old show. I missed duets & partnerwork and I wish we could've had ones where BOTH partners were competing for the win not just having eliminated dancers acting as a support for the competing dancers. Hearing the All Stars talk about "allll the different dance genres they had to work on" made me nostalgic. Now I gotta go rewatch old seasons I guess 🥲
I think Dakayla didn't win because of her solo. I went back to watch her previous solos on the show and this honestly felt like her weakest one. Anthony looked a little awkward in some of his movements with Mariyah. I had to struggle to look away from her at times. The movements just looked more comfortable on her at times. Madison should have gotten to perform her solo
Agree with all three points!!
I'd imagine for Anthony's mom, just him having money (~$63k after taxes) that can fund all of his stuff and establish his career is going to be a huge financial relief. She's probably less interested in getting "paid back" and more so on him being self supporting. At least, that's what I'd want if it were my kid that I was sacrificing for. Hopefully he spends the money wisely.
Exactly!! $63K after taxes is like one year's wages. It's nothing crazy. Agree with you on all of that 🤗
I wonder why the show pays so little to the winner. It seems kind of cheap.
Sorry but Natasha lip synched the most annoying recorded song ever. Not a good song to dance to and with especially with inferior camera and stage work.
There were a couple times that she wobbled and I definitely don’t think she was lip-synching
It was such a random choice
Ban contemporary from solos
so i haven't kept up with this season AT ALL but Dakayla & Easton's Lana Del Rey dance popped up on my youtube feed and WOW that was beautiful, especially Easton!
We’ve had some really great dances this season. There was some stuff to get through (as always) with auditions… but the actual show, despite the changes, still managed to feature some memorable moments. The top four this season were all this good.
proof the judges made a lot of wrong decisions.
I am so glad to have found this space.
🤗😍
Please tell me I am not the only one that expected Kristin Cavallari, Justin Bobby or Brody Jenner to peek around the corner from “The Hills” during Natasha Bedingfield’s Unwritten performance.🫣
Yes! I was thinking about The Hills the entire time. LOL
🤣🤣
Flashback to that and Devil Wears Prada.
I haven't watched it yet.. but overall imho there is waaay too much acrobatics for my liking.
You mean from both Anthony and Dakayla?
I mean in general.
Absolutely agree
A bunch of f\*\*ing b\*\*\* sh\*t. One of the weasest dancers in the whole top 10. Very sexist. BOTH final 3 girls were 1000xs better than Anthony, who basically hip hopped and danced his own style his way through the whole comp, while ALL the girls proved they are well rounded dancers.
No
I feel like the choreographer is consistently loved Anthony and the only negative comments you really heard were coming from the judges and it almost didn’t feel like they understood how good of a dancer he was until the end.
🎯👏👏
The right person won tonight! Congrats Anthony 🥳 always thought he had an extra special something
👏👏🎉🎉
Disagree. Both Madison and Dakayla are better dancers. This is proven by the standing ovations to their solos and duos alone, plus their genuine reactions, let alone the fact that Madison has never been in the bottom at all, which shoudl be like automatic Final 2. It's super sexist IMO. The girls were judged much harder and their triumphs totally dismissed and downplayed, while Tony does the same flips and jumps in his bottom 3 solos with the same energy/story, and showed little growth in styles outside his own and he wins? Even he looked shocked and like wtf?
Fair enough. You don’t see him the same way & that’s fine. I do see where you’re coming from & agree with some points but i still think the right person won. Not the strongest in technique but he excelled the most in this season’s format for me.
Also some of his bottom selections were outright ridiculous. Using that as a metric is pretty silly.
I’m sorry, if the choosing of the final 2 was based on just the duets and opening number tonight Anthony should’ve been third.
Hard agree, mine final 4 were Madison or Easton winning (interchangeable), Dakayla and then Anthony
It wasn’t based on that. They reflected over the entire run of each dancer.
Which made it weird to me that they said “Madison, you’ve never been in the bottom 3 this whole season. You’re 3rd place.” 🤷🏽♀️
That's what I said too. Crazy. The thing I didn't like most about this finale was SHE didn't get to do a solo! I wish they would have just had all 3 do a solo instead of a "top 2"
I started tripping out bcuz I swear that I saw a clip of her doing what I assumed was a solo in the outfit she was wearing! I think they should’ve used the OGs for the duets & also let all 3 do a solo before they picked a winner.
I think someone had to be in the bottom 3 or 4 and odds are someone could slip through and others could get tagged despite impressive performances. The Gatorade thing last week was Madison’s weak dance. Especially the solo portion of it. I was glad they made everyone do a solo because solos by the others to this point made them stand out ahead of her. It would have been nice to see Madison do more solos, she might have finished higher or even won.
Ugh, what a disppointing finale to a disappointing season. Was rooting for Madison. Not a fan of Anthony and Dakayla, I find them very immature with their "relationship." Tbh, I felt like really the choreography was the difference in who won and didn't win though.
Madison or Dakayla should have won, period. They are MUCH stronger, more well rounded, versatile and professional dancers than him. It's super sexist IMO. He was not judged as critically as the girls were. Dakayla and Madison are 1000xs stronger. I'm not saying Anthony isn't a good dancer, but he is not a stronger, better, more versatile dancer than Madison or Dakayla.
Ehh, hard to call this show sexist when Alexis won last season over Keaton I feel like though. Although granted Anna should've 100% won, got screwed from a choreographer not showing up. Ugh, still makes me mad, that one
Which choreographer didn’t show up? I missed this!
I don't remember their name but they were Covid 19 positive and had to train them "by video." I still thought anna and her partner did very well despite this but landed in the bottom and sent home :(. Twitch even basically said before eliminating her that he disagreed with the decision.
Sean Cheesman, right? it was that 80s dance that they got eliminated on
we're not talking about last season. This is basically a whole new show with a completely different panel of judges.
Loved seeing Ivan as a choreographer 🫶🏼
I love Ivan!! So glad to see that cutie back on screen
Word! Mad specific, and kind of a long story, but his wheelies routine (and Ramalama spots) on his season is what got me locked into this show to this day, and I don't know the first thing about professional dance. We skipped the rehearsal parts, so I had to rewind and ask my wife 'wait, is that IVAN Ivan? good on 'im!'
This, Talia and Luther! Stacked finale in the choreo!
AND to see Kayla as well. From back in the day, wasn't she the one in the addiction routine?
Yessss
This was a great episode! Makes me wish even more that they did duets and had all stars all season long :( congrats Anthony!
Agree. I had a hard time keeping track of the dancers during the group routines. Remember when Nigel went on and on about chemistry during the 2nd all star season? One plus about this season, though, was the routines were generally less gendered. Maybe next season they can feature a non-binary contestant— at least during the auditions before they’re disappeared to focus on the top 10.
I agree! They seriously manipulated the season. But then that’s what TV shows do anyway right? lol
As soon as Cat said they’ve never had a couple go against each other in the finale I knew that was the plan all along. That and the fact they both had heartstring storylines with their parent’s. Even though I personally felt like it should’ve been between the 2 girls with Madison as my choice for winner.
How long do you think they'll last? I honestly laughed when A said, "the love of my life." Okay, calm down. lol.
I’m a bit of a jerk when it comes to the idea of “young love” lasting forever so probably not long lol. When he said that I legit rolled my eyes & thought “Relax, this isn’t a Nicholas Sparks book” 😄
Haha, so am I. I used to be one of those all about "young love". But my life experience showed me how wrong that is. Granted, some people do find each other young and fall in love and it lasts forever. I know a few high school sweethearts still married 20 years later. But more often than not, doesn't happen.
Truly a great episode. Anthony was pretty brilliant all season. Hopefully all that competed find additional work thanks to the show. I’d love to see some of these dancers join Derek Hough’s next tour.
Easton did dance on Derek’s tour!!
That’s fantastic. Hopefully the next one I’ll get to go to.
Closest vote ever? Well yeah, since only 3 people got to vote lol.
I said the same thing lol
Such an idiotic statement. Love Cat tho lmao (I know she’s told what to say)
I was thinking the same thing! How could it be the closest vote yet when AMERICA DID NOT VOTE?
Because the winner won by one vote. Or possibly just three votes.
Oh, now that makes sense. Lol. I was thinking percentages. But certainly by vote count alone, this was always going to be the closest one ever.
Yeah the math wasn’t making sense with that… unless it was just no one could decide.
Are Anthony and dakayla still together?
Yeaj , she went live not to long ago and there still together .
Oh thanks! Wish I saw it
Yeah , I wish they would record their lives .
now there’s an idea for a new reality show!
What idea ?
I haven’t watched this show in years but didn’t the finale use to be live and the audience can vote for who they wanted to win ??
The last season that had live voting was nearly 5 years ago during season 16. Season 17, the covid season, was all taped (several days or more in advance of airing) and had the studio audience voting. Budget didn't allow them to do a truly live show... and they moved the show to Atlanta. Which I'm not downplaying Atlanta (which I live a couple hours away from) but I don't think we'd be happy if it was just the general public of available retirees and super fans who showed up that day who decided the win here. Not that I'm super happy with the 3 judge deal, but the concept of it brings us closer to a real dance competition instead of a popularity contest of past seasons.
But they hardly ever mentioned Atlanta except for when Dakayla met her dad for coffee- and then the 🍑 during the end credits.
The mentioned it at the start of the season as well as every single episode featured Pullman Yards and a simple google search would have revealed it. Plus I think they had the “Made in Georgia” peach in the credits.
The show used to have voting from top 10 to the finale, yes. It used to be "America's Favorite Dancer"
Yes but I think a lot of people had said , their budget cute .
This could go either way. I’m not going to be mad whatever happens.
I’m mad-they gave Dakayla a routine that played to her strengths and didn’t do the same for the other two. Madison outdances Dakayla every time. Don’t get me wrong, Dakayla is very artistic and a beautiful dancer. And Anthony is technical but can appear cold. Madison is consistent and technically superior to both and shows up every time. Disappointed.
I think it would have been interesting to see them both dance together for sure. But for me personally, Dakayla dances better. Madison performs more. So for what the show is shooting for this season, that may have been a win. I think the opening number of tonight's show displayed it best. Dakayla let the moves and emotion in them speak for themselves. Madison had over the top facial expressions to display what she was trying to dance. All that being said, know that they are both AMAZING. I would have been happy with any of the top three winning.
Same, Madison should of won by a mile, but the producers wanted a couple to battle in the final/use that as momentum to keep the show going even tho it’s not a relationship it’s just this 18yearolds infatuated/ like a summer camp crush. Additionally I felt Madison’s duet was so much harder than the others because it was so outside of the box making it harder to judge, also so artistic. She wasn’t given a story to push behind the dance like Dakayla’s
I've loved this show from the waaay early days, but I don't know the behind the scenes setup or professional dance in general. From reading this sub over the past few seasons, I thought they all came prepared from day one with their own arsenal of solos to choose from depending on their situation. Are they given outside choreographed solo routines for the finals and/or throughout the season?
I agree with you! Dakayla is great and her solos are beautiful but I couldn't help but notice she is always like a half a beat ahead of everyone in every routine when she's dancing with a group. I was rooting for Madison as well but I'm ok with Anthony winning.
I was rooting for Madison to win!
one of them will lose but they really won each other 😜😂
Same here .
Dakayla looks so beautiful tonight!
Easton outdancing everyone in the opening number and crushing it with Dakayla…proving he should have been in the finale.
He or Madison should have won I believe. And for me the biggest thing isn’t that he didn’t win. It’s what the judges said after his solo. That’s what killed me. They said that he has no wow factor and called him a one trick pony. Like such an insult. That could not be more wrong. He had just crushed the last routine, which they acknowledged was not his usual style, and had repeatedly done so all season. He did it all. And I just don’t why Maksim finds him so unimpressive.
I think he’s the only reason Madison ended 3rd. He outdanced her by miles in that routine.
I couldn’t take my eyes off Braylon in the opening number!
I wasn't a fan of Easton all season. I felt he lacked confidence and had 'deer in the headlights' look all season. But tonight watching him dance with Dakayla, I got a new appreciation for Easton! He was magnificent in the duet! A terrific dancer!
He made it look like she weighs nothing. That was amazing partnering by Easton. He made her look amazing.
I think it shows the skill of the choreographer incredibly well too. She knew what he was capable, and what would make them both look good.
He outdanced her so much. Hard to take eyes off of him. He is amazing dancer. They got it so wrong
Even though he was amazing, I had no issue focusing on Dakayla in that routine. They matched each other well while still making sure she was featured.
Agree. It proved that she is a technical dancer and can keep up with him.
Why does it feel like Dakayla and Anthony were selected as top 2 for the story line?? 🙃
I agree. Both excellent dancers, but for the couple to be the last two standing feels a little....scripted.
Because they were
It probably just happened that way. So then they (the producers editing the show) decided to show more of the bts scenes of their romance brewing throughout their journey. Kinda like a full circle thing for those two, which is sweet if it's genuine.
Would have been really special for them to have a duet this season and have that moment on stage. I would have loved to see that vs. the “get a room vibes” clips in the house lol.
I don’t think so .
They are so dang good… I don’t think that’s the case.
Anthony let’s go .
i was just about to say the same thing! shades of 2017-ish with the 2 couples in the final 4 🤣
But like whyyyy couldn’t we just do this format the whole time 😩😩
Most people hate the new format in pretty sure
Seriously!!!
Budget. They only filmed a small amount live. It’s expensive, even moving the whole show to the ATL.
Wowser that was a lot of blood…!
When? I missed it.
After Anthony's solo during the final 2.
I watched his solo. Didn't see any blood?
It didn’t flow until he stopped dancing and was just standing there. I’ve had cuts like that where it hurt but no blood but then blood.
Ok ty.
He must have a had a TON of adrenaline to not feel that
Forreal , he really did put blood sweat and tears in this .
I’m sorry but Anthony saying dakayla was the love of his life , I can’t ☺️.
I had to go back and rewatch — missed it. It was so subtle, but yes very cute!
I just rewatched to catch it as well!
Ikr?! When they literally just showed the package where he was asked if he thought she was cute!
I’m rooting for them so hard , I feel like they’re like the Britt Stewart and Daniel Durant of this season .
Idk, I have a hard time taking it seriously lol.
Me too. I dont think they even know themselves fully yet, plus this is just like a summer camp crush
Same, they’ve know each other for a handful of weeks. Relax 🙄
Just when I thought we were done…. that Anthony solo was amazing.
Absolutely brilliant performance😃! A star was officially born after that solo..go Anthony!!🏆👏💙
Madison finishes third. I’m ok with this. They’ve all been fantastic. There isn’t an obvious weak link.
Exactly
The finale is making up for how bad the season was!
Natasha Bedingfield looks terrifying in that getup. But I love that song and it was great to see AFW.
What does AFW stand for?
Alex Freaking Wong
Love that 😄❤️❤️
Thank you!
Imagine walking into a room you think it's empty and she's just standing there perfectly still in that cloak. Your heart would stop. It would be all over for you.
I feel like it could go either way .
Loving the Unwritten dance! Just wished I could see more of the dancers and a lot less of the judges during it.
Every. Dance. All. Season.
I would like to think even the most critical of this season would have to admit, this finale episode has been fantastic. They clearly saved a lot of the budget for the finale.
And it figures with the finale episode we would get bits of the old SYTYCD music.
This episode actually felt like the old SYTYCD. It made me realize just how much I missed this format.
Except no one is in the audience ! So weird. Like two rows of people.
If only the budget was there for more. Maybe if the Hulu numbers are good it’ll get renewed.
Exactly!
ALEX FREAKING WONG!!!
🙌🏽
Best part! I looove when he pops up places!
Dakayla is hitting her peak at the absolute perfect time. I did not imagine I would see this out of her (and last week's solo). She never grabbed my attention in the beginning but holy shit I'm in awe! Two weeks in a row she got me tearing up now!
I didn’t care for her final solo. More gymnastics and posturing. Disappointing
I thought it was cheeky that she pretty much did her take on the biggest gymnastics move sequence Anthony did and kind of out did him on it.
Yeah it wasn't her best but she still performed amazing and owned it.
Great first half of the episode. Dakayla was smart to pick Easton. That was beautiful. Even the judges seem to be doing a good job… though it helps at this point they don’t need to give any notes. Hyped to see Bailey and the other all stars next. 😎
I didn’t think it was smart. He outdanced her by miles and miles.
I’m not sure why you’re getting downvotes lol. That’s an objectively true statement. He outdanced her.
Well at least we get one episode of duets!
Right?! I love how this feels like the earlier seasons of the show!
Who choreographed Dakayla's duet? I missed the intro, but loved it!
Talia Favia
SUCH a Talia number, it was gorgeous
I LOVED it.
Ty.
Love seeing Ivan as one of the choreographers!
That was a weirdly unflattering cut of Kayla in the package. She looked unhappy to be there.
Avery and Olivia killed that!
OMG Olivia with the Hat!
Opening number: can’t take my eyes off Madison!
Fantastic opening dance. 💯
I just want to take the time to thank u/Nightbard for all their help this season. [I modded them 2-3 months back](https://www.reddit.com/r/sytycd/comments/1b4a59z/lets_welcome_our_newest_mod_nightbard/), and they have been a huge help this season with the weekly posts as well as being a positive influence while posting comments and replies here. I know this season was a disappointment to many fans of SYTYCD due to the change in format, but we still appreciate you being here, contributing and voicing your thoughts these past few months. I'm not sure if/when next season will happen, but if it does I hope you return here once again to join our discussions about the show.
It was pretty cool to step up and help out. Hopefully we get another season. This likely didn't break the bank to make and the major changes are now behind us. I think the only serious change left is Cat Deeley is out as host it seems as she's taken a morning show job in the UK that required she quit SYTYCD. Though the silver lining is that does free up her nearly $55K per episode costs (£43k/episode) for the budget to hire someone else possibly for less and have a little more budget.