Let me explain. This is the finale. This is supposed to be the end of the latest, greatest season of SYTYCD. The first part of the season finale must be a teaser, a warm-up, the foreplay before the ultimate performance. The hairs on the back of your neck stand up multiple times for different partnerships and you are meant to have trouble picking your favorite dance by the end of the night. You hope that your favorite performer is still recognizable after the flurry of performances-of-a-lifetime. It’s the best series of performances yet in the history of the show.

What we saw tonight was nothing akin to that. It was disappointing. It was lackluster. It was suitable viewing for Episode 4 or 5, and one, only one performance made the hairs on my neck stand up. The six dancers switching partners was the only new and interesting part of the entire show. Was it the choreographers’ fault? The dancers not giving it more than they ever have before? Did the show’s producers plan a poor event?

Personally I think that the producers needed to ensure more variety in the styles of dance for tonight of all nights. The choreography was just off. We have one last chance to truly be impressed by this season. Just one more chance. This is like waiting until the night before the final to cram, hoping you can pull off that 100% so you can save your grade and pass the class. Let’s hope tomorrow offers up some opportunities for extra credit.

Kathryn and Ryan: Samba

They kicked off the show with a challenging samba number that taxed Kathryn as a committed technical dancer and Ryan as her partner in charge of keeper her safe. There were some turns and throws that looked shaky but at the end were executed. Kathryn has stepped up to the plate throughout the last few weeks. Ryan, well, he had his shirt off and never dropped her. I much prefer Kathryn’s turn as a sultry dancer last week to this.

Ellenore and Jakob: Broadway

Taking on a number from “Fosse” means there is no phoning it in. There were few moments of synchronization between the two of them in this unique dance. The routine flipped gender roles a lot. Ellenore was the perfect quirky female lead to toss Jakob around and let him drop into the splits as she supported him. But her downfall may be that she’s being compared to him while he dances magnificently. We can see how even she doesn’t measure up to him.

Image © Fox Broadcasting Co.

Ashleigh and Russell: Lyrical Jazz

Russell is the most improved dancer of this entire season. Poor Ashleigh got paired with another person that outshone her. This piece was the Russell show. He did a lot of unexpected moves, synchronized with her perfectly, including floor moves that made me forget he is a krumper. No one could have seen this type of growth coming six weeks ago. Perhaps Ashleigh was given a simpler routine due to her injury, but it looked like she was there so Russell wasn’t dancing alone.

Ellenore and Ryan: Jazz

What a weird piece. It didn’t put the spotlight on any strengths of either performer and fell flat for me. There was a robotic, sharp theme throughout and it was consistent in that respect, but it didn’t do either dancer any favors, that’s for sure. Ellenore had some very scary drops that could have done damage to her knee, but she did then correctly. And then I found $10.

Ashleigh and Jakob: Fox Trot

Ashleigh got to do a fox trot with the best dancer on the show, but this week I’m sure she’s elated to even be dancing. Jakob may not be bursting at the seams with personality but that’s because there’s too much talent in the way. He has such an ability to strut his stuff no matter what style he’s asked to perform. Ashleigh was stunning and is obviously most comfortable in partner dances one can only get away with doing at black tie events, but he again is simply better. This piece just reminded me too much of “Dancing With the Stars,” which I don’t watch because, well, my grandfather would love it. These styles are falling flat.

At this point during the show we’re left wondering, when will the routines kick it up to that level where jaws are left on the floor? Save some crazy solos, I think that’s happened less than three times in Season 6.

Ellenore and Russell: Paso Doble

The SYTYCD kiss of death, whereas Russian Folk Dancing is the child-out-of-wedlock of death. Russell sliding in from the side was a cool start but his leap following was weak and pathetic. Ellenore was stony and concentrating more than she was performing. I saw that she was working hard, but not selling the performance. Technically the judges were focused on the positive, giving it short little critiques and saying how much they liked the “passion” of Ellenore and Russell’s tenacity. The passion may’ve been obvious in person but it definitely was missing on television. I think at this point they don’t want to simply say: Part 1 of the finale has become severely “meh” up to this point.

Kathryn and Jakob: Contemporary

This is a partnership I’ve been waiting to see since Kathryn started to give more in her performances. Contemporary is the best shot anybody has to make a long-lasting impression with voters and the judges. There’s the opportunity for emotional performances to couple up with demanding choreography. It seemed like Jakob was trying to outdo Kathryn with his flexibility and extensions, but she held her own up until the end. With no time to sparen Jakob flung his body around and into the stage like a maniac. It was the best routine in this episode thus far, receiving a standing ‘O’ from the judges, but somehow a spark was missing. Their chemistry was off, perhaps? It was still fantastic but has another level left for another duo of dancers to achieve.

Ashleigh and Ryan: Contemporary

Aw. Putting the husband and wife together for the first time since the Vegas tryouts was touching. Unfortunately, Ashleigh and Ryan were not: amazing, technically challenging, unique. Luckily, Ashleigh and Ryan were: lovely, careful with each other, tender. The dance equally bored and angered me with the mundane moves and cliché contemporary longing looks until the end. Ryan had a good grip on Ashleigh as he swung her gently along to the music as though she was on a swing. Aw - that was the “aw” moment. Too damn bad they couldn’t catch lightning in a bottle like Jeanine and Jason did last season with their heartfelt Jason Mraz number. Nigel even called out Ashleigh’s lack of chemistry with her own husband when compared to Jakob!

Kathryn and Russell:Hip hop

To close the show we’re finally given a hip hop number. Though the song is by Chris Brown no women were hurt in the performance of this dance. Russell popped Kathryn over her head and above his head from behind. Nice. Trust me, you had to see this creative exchange of motion. The moves were much better expressed by Russell. He had gritty facial expressions whereas Kathryn never quite got into the mentality of the hip hop number. It was too cutesy coming from her. Russell stole the show completely with his cartwheels-in-place near the end, making his performances this night the best of any other competitor.

This is it, the last chance to vote for dancers in Season 6. It hasn’t been pretty to watch coming off of all the talent in Season 5, but there’s one last chance for redemption for Ashleigh, Kathryn, Ellenore, Ryan, Russell and Jakob.

Grade: F

Story by Kate Kostal

Starpulse contributing writer