It took a while, but we got there. The better part of two hours was much too long to wait for the final announcement of the gal and guy who performed their way to the very top on So You Think You Can Dance.

From a personal standpoint, I already saw the show’s best episode a couple weeks ago. (And yes … it was, far and away, the best SYTYCD had to offer.) But these things have an order they need to march precisely to, a chain of command that must be kept lest the art of falling apart raises its head and complains it didn’t get its due. So we get “best of” re-performances from episodes past showcasing the judges’ picks.

And … what Cat Deely wanted to see.

And … what each of the Top 4 remaining contestants wanted to do.

And … the Top 5 audition moments from the season. Come on! I’m huffing and puffing over here. Enough, already. Everything else we’ve already seen. No need to blather about it any longer. But FOX does. Cat feeds it. Nigel and Mary swoon over it. The audience infuses energy into it. *sigh*

(Well … okay. I’ll relent. I can’t resist Dragon House and their incredible roboticism and abilities. The moves they put on stage? They’re worth the delay in getting to the winners.)

So … finally the tension ramps up as Cat calls out the Top 2 girls. Their histories on the show are reviewed. Everyone knows Eliana is going to best Tiffany. It’s not a surprise when she does. She is America’s favorite dancer.

Then? The guys. Their histories are reviewed. Everyone knows Cyrus is going to best Chehon. But … that’s not quite the way it went down. Needless to say, my jaw was on the floor when Cat announced Chehon as America’s favorite dancer. You see … he wasn’t the favorite. He was the best dancer of the two … not the favorite. Cyrus was the favorite, by a long shot. I will continue to maintain that position regardless of the final outcome.

I was disappointed and sad Cyrus got the short shrift. It would have been better for SYTYCD had he won — if you think about it, Chehon is too predictable a winner. I know … that sounds a little strange when I’ve stated he was the better of the two guys. But Cyrus was the contestant who improved the most, who adapted to the various styles the most. He was the more likeable of the two, the one who awed us the most. Chehon, while he might have been technically dead on much of the time, didn’t “stretch” … didn’t apply himself as much in my eyes.

On the other hand, Cyrus grew massively within his craft.

Congratulations to both the winners of season 9 — Eliana Girard and Chehon Wespi-Tschopp — and all the Top 10 contestants. You did what I knew you would do once again: You entertained me and further enmeshed me into styles of dance I didn’t think I would appreciate. (And in the end you gave me a jaw-dropping moment, too.) Always a pleasure.

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