This episode started off with a bang in final four tradition: an opening performance featuring all of the crews. The whole Boys vs. Girls challenge got hammed up to the extreme as the whole theme of the dance was, yes, boys and girls gettin’ down at the club. Nevertheless, it was fun to see the rival crews partnering up with one another, whilst getting the chance to showcase their individual talents. Flashy and smiley = good ol’ entertainment.

Quest Crew

The judges’ humdrum critique of their magic challenge definitely hit home. Tonight, Quest Crew sprang back in fine form. If there is one thing that defined this performance from that of last week’s, it’s that they actually looked like they were at ease and having fun with what they were doing tonight. Dom loves being in front of the camera, so naturally, he lead the theatrics with a “reject boy scout” flavor. It was lighthearted, fresh and hearkened back to their most memorable performances of the season. The Britney Spears challenge already proved to us that Quest Crew is unafraid of dancing across the gender line, and this episode allowed them to do what they do best: a bunch of silly guys having fun playing up the crowd. My favorite bit of their performance was when all the dancers got into formation and proceeded to pull off a Carlton Banks’ish “butt” move. All in all, the performance illuminated what we all love best about Quest Crew: they’re clean, they’re sharp, they know how to play up an audience, and most of all, they just love to laugh and have a good time.

Beat Freaks

Scary good, much? Shane really said it all for me when he said he had butterflies and that he’d be good to go if the dance only featured their slammin’ opening sequence. He even went so far as to dub them America’s Best Dance Crew—whoa? Rino totally brings the Michael flavor to the Beat Freaks, and make no mistake about it. I was already blown away with their robotic homage to Michael, but of course, Alex (aka Shorty) got down and spun the life out of the stage with a head spin that challenged those of the Jabbawockeez. It wasn’t until the slow motion recap of her head spin that I realized she had actually managed to take her shades out of her vest and put them on whilst spinning, which looked so effortless that I almost expected her to wink or yawn. What I love most about this performance is that the Beat Freaks performed as one: right down from the hair to the wardrobe to the props to the dance formations, these girls truly are “seven super heroes.” They all bring their super powers to the table, but together, they create something new and unstoppable.

Miscellaneous Notes

Bottom two: Strikers All-Stars (eliminated) and Fly Khicks

Although Fly Khicks performed better than Strikers All-Stars tonight, it was a real shame to see the merry stompers go home before the all-of-a-sudden-we’re-hard-and-love-baggy-pants-too Fly Khicks. That said, I also feel bad—really bad—for the Fly Khicks as they are clearly the wonky third wheel in this competition. Can’t we just fast forward to the finale, where we know Quest Crew and Beat Freaks are going to battle each other in the ultimate showdown?

I knew it had to come sooner or later, but now that it’s becoming a reality, I’m torn between Quest Crew and Beat Freaks. I know everyone’s a winner, and I’ll be ecstatic for either official “best” crew, but still… I’ll probably end up voting for both crews and let fate work its magic. Tough call, what do you guys think?

Photos from this week’s taping: