AAAH! It”s the finals of “Live to Dance”! Someone”s life will be FOREVER CHANGED! Okay, I get it, someone”s going to get some money. And half of it will go to taxes. And once they divide it among everyone in the act (assuming the winner isn”t Kendall Glover, the one solo dancer), then get a new car and a sofa and maybe a nice vacation, that will take care of the rest of it. Especially if the Vibe, the troupe of 38 dancers, wins. They may just want to leave their checks at the studio.
Full recap of Wednesday’s (Feb. 9) “Live to Dance” finale after the break…
But forget about tiresome logic! Let the finale begin! The judges are dressed in regal splendor, and Kimberly Wyatt goes for a 40s glamour girl hairdo, which I love SO much more than that weird wad she was working at the beginning of the season all those weeks ago.
The finalists dance together on one stage! But not together at once. Oh, wait, they are together. Oddly, the thing that stands out to me is that Kendall Glover is out of synch every time I see her. But overall, it”s pretty darn cool to see a small town”s worth of dancers hoofing it. Paula thanks their parents for manufacturing beautiful, beautiful people. Um, okay.
The top three are about to be revealed. The first act moving into the top three is…White Tree Fine Art. I am continually surprised that ballet is getting a shout out on this show, but pleasantly so. Next to move into the top three is… D”Angelo and Amanda. Yes! You go, tiny dancers! The final act is… Kendall Glover. She was better than Twitch, Dancetown Chaos and The Vibe? I didn”t even want to like Dancetown Chaos after that man”s world nonsense, but they were AMAZING. Amazing! And Twitch, so good! Same for The Vibe! Kendall Glover is great, but she”s a friggin” gymnast. She”s eleven. Let her go to the Olympics.
Andrew points out that Travis is quite emotional about the eliminations. Um, is he? He doesn”t seem that broken up about this. But yes, he”s proud of everyone. I”d think it”s a bit much to say Travis is going to burst into tears over an elimination. He”s not Paula, for crying out loud.
The finalists get to dance. D”Angelo and Amanda are up first. Oh, I just love them. They”re so good and they”re just damn adorable. Paula tells them they”re great. Then thanks their parents or coaches or someone for bringing them. C”mon, Paula. They”re kids, they can”t drive themselves.
Time for a montage! Paula assures us it”s been an emotional journey. I guess so, but none of the footage in this montage is emotional. Travis regrets giving Austin Acevedo a red star. Really? Because he may have been good for someone who just started dancing, but I thought this was about being a great dancer. Remember who you were before Paula got to you, Travis? Be strong! Anyway, now it”s time for the emotional stuff, which is Chi-Town Finest (and grammatically challenged) Breakers. They weren”t that great, but they were once homeless, so that”s automatically touching. Paula thinks they”re inspirational because they used to be homeless, so she has Chrysler give them a Town & Country. What is this, “The Price is Right”?
Anyway, next up we see White Tree Fine Art. This is far better than last time. Not because of the performance, mind you, but because of the camera placement. The shots are closer and from better angles and it makes a HUGE difference. Love this. I never would have thought a ballet duo would get this far, but right now I”m hoping they win the whole thing.
Next up, it”s time to see Kendall Glover. Well, maybe this time I”ll see what it is that everyone else is voting for. First few moves look pretty good… and then the cable feed goes wiggy. And stays wiggy, right through half of a montage. Okay, well, I guess I”ll just never see the magic of Kendall Glover.
The act in third place is… White Tree Fine Art. And then the cable goes out. Again.
It”s down to Kendall and D”Angelo & Amanda. More montages, one for each act! Paula gets all worked up and teary. She wants to thank all the teachers and mentors and tell them they”re a safe place for their students. She has to refer to her notes to babble this and it still doesn”t make sense. This is the marshmallow Paula I know and love! Oh, Paula, you just feel too much!
The winner is… wait for it. Maybe go get a snack or something. Let”s watch Kendall, D”Angelo and Amanda sweat. A few more close-ups. I think the house band is getting pretty tired of playing the same suspenseful music over and over at this point. Okay, the winner is… D”Angelo and Amanda! Yay! And D”Angelo is going to Disney World!
Well, it was sad to see some other acts get the boot, but I”m thrilled to see little D”Angelo and Amanda take home the big prize. That $500,000 should just cover what their parents have put into dance lessons, costumes and contest entry fees. No wonder they seem so happy. Now someone give these kids a variety show! They”ll bring their own costumes!
Do you think D”Angelo and Amanda should have won? Who were you rooting for? And do you think Paula was heartwarming or a mess?