End Of The Innocence:
The Final Larkian Standings
Wow. This was a crazy end to it all. Russel like, what? Breaking his leg or something? Bizarre, huh?
But what did I tell you? The show is totally shot out of order… it’s not Live! That entire set of placement announcements was done at the very end of the taping. Otherwise, Russel would have never been able to do all the dances we saw him do throughout. I don’t think any season of SYTYCD will ever be able to match this one in terms of frayed seams… and sheer bad luck.
And perhaps that rubbed off a bit on The Lark. For some players, at least. The final results were not what I was expecting. To be honest, I really believed not a Cage or Dart in the world would be able to take down Amrie… but in the end, it was just an insanely flawless set of Final Four picks by Rae that took the win.
But what was really crazy is that Vanalam nearly took both of them out using nothing but Darts and Bonuses. Let’s see what happened. And for the purposes of this, I have to reveal some of the Darting I promised I wouldn’t. I hope you don’t mind. We all know this is just in good fun, right?
Anyway, before the Bonuses or the Darting was accounted for, the standing was such:
Rae – 181
Amrie – 177.5
Vanalam – 172
All three of these players had Dart Guns. Rae and Amrie both shot their guns at Alyssa, who was caged the week before. But oddly enough, Rae, who did use a cage last week, wasn’t the one who caged Alyssa. Another player did. So neither her nor Amrie could be certain their Darts would actually hit Allyssa (unless there was some player collusion).
Vanalam on the other hand, shot BabsiS, also unsure it would land its mark. And I have to mention, she felt very bad shooting her… but admitted that, to her, BabsiS just had the best card she could see. She was almost correct… Rae did. And it’s very important to mention that Rae would NOT have been able to dodge a Dart had one been used on her… by say… Vanalam, for example.
By choosing BabsiS, Vanalam did get 9 points for the three Final Four BabsiS had right on her card. And that did bumped her score up to 181, tied with Rae. Amrie and Rae, on the other hand, got nothing from Alyssa.
Then for just the traditional 0.5 bonuses, Rae got 4 right, giving her an extra 2 points and bumping her score to 183. Amrie got all 6 right giving her an extra 3 points and bumping her score to 180.5
Vanalam ALSO got all 6 right, and would have gotten 3 points, bumping her up to 184 for the win…………. but Vanalam had been caged last week. Her Final Four bonus picks didn’t count. And so she only got 1 point for her correct 5th and 6th.
Final tally:
Rae – 183
Vanalam – 182
Amrie – 180.5
Amrie also took home the coveted booster shot for getting the most number of Bonuses correct during the season. So do these three know their So You Think You Can Dance, or do they KNOW their So You Think You Can DANCE?
As for me? Well, I did not hit my ‘Wonder Zones’. Nope. I also went down to the Trophy King on Saturday before I left for my trip. I was met by a sign saying store hours were Tuesday-Friday. I took a picture to include in this post but lost it when my phone got wiped out on Sunday… *sigh*
So yeah, my predictions were pretty much all wrong this season. And I hope Marivic and Rae don’t mind waiting until the New Year for their trophies (Marivic, it’s only right you get one for your win last season). And Rae, it looks like January will be the month you get to toilet paper my blog.
Here are the final results, including Dart Guns, Cages, Keys, Hits, Medals, and Boosters. A little cramped?

Jenn on 17 Dec 2009 at 1:12 pm #
I don’t understand all of this… so I’ll just say CONGRATS Rae! Amrie, you did an awesome job too
Caryl on 17 Dec 2009 at 1:15 pm #
Hi, JP!
I am so sorry I disappeared near the end and wasn’t able to participate. Unexpected things came up!
Congratulations, Rae!
If you do this again, hopefully I can participate the entire time! This is always a lot of fun! Thanks for doing this for everyone, JP!
Stef on 17 Dec 2009 at 1:24 pm #
It’s like a whole new language … neither english nor german. Or french for the matter.
WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT? I thought it was a dance show?
BabsiS on 17 Dec 2009 at 1:24 pm #
Congratulations to Rae!!! Well done!
@Vanalam: you don’t have to feel bad about shooting at me – I’m taking it as a compliment
Wishing all of you larkers Happy Holidays! Don’t forget to krump around the Xmas tree
Elizabeth on 17 Dec 2009 at 1:32 pm #
What do the X’s mean? That we were caged/shot at?
K8 on 17 Dec 2009 at 1:49 pm #
Well, for getting pretty much everything wrong in the finale, and not understanding the Dart Gun rules (I didn’t realize it was based on the player’s card and not bonus picks until after I’d picked my target), I’m pretty pleased with 4th place.
Alyssa on 17 Dec 2009 at 2:06 pm #
Well, I was in 2nd place the whole Lark until you threw in all the guns and cages and whatnot, so I’m pretty proud of myself. I’m already looking forward to the next Lark!! Thanks so much for doing all of this, JP. Oh, and congratulations to Rae, Vanalam, and Amrie.
p.s. thanks for spelling my name wrong in the post, Jhon
Jules on 17 Dec 2009 at 2:11 pm #
yeah, some of the technical details are too much for my little brain, but great job, Larkers! congratulations, Rae!! it was fun.
thanks, JP!! always a good time. hope we can do it again next season, with fewer injuries and more liveblogs? xoxoxo
John Cabrera on 17 Dec 2009 at 2:19 pm #
Whoops! Sorry Alyssa! Made the fix. Consider it an homage to Russel, whose name was more often spelled with two Ls.
Kaitlin Graham on 17 Dec 2009 at 2:46 pm #
K8 – I had no idea it was based on orginal cards till I read your comment. But turned into a really exciting week for the lark.
John – The only thing not live last night were Russel’s dances and the Top 20 number after Russel sprained his ankle in the first number. (I’m not counted any of the singing which is never really live).
After watching the results I rewatched that dance and you can kinda see when the other two pulled him up on stage he lands on the side of his foot.
Speaking of the singers – who were the SYTYCDers who danced with J.LO – they never were on camera to tell who they were. Anyway thanks to the larkers who kept me intested in this season of SYTYCD. As much as I do like Russel I feel like his win is just off. He was the front runner going in and when has the front runner ever won before. Just feels like the season was skimed the top of what a good season will be. Here’s hoping to season 7 being the best yet!
Vanalam on 17 Dec 2009 at 3:09 pm #
ARGH!! So close again! I was lazy, needed to make my dart pick quickly at work and didn’t look as far down on the Larkian standings as I apparently should have to find out who to shoot my dart at, and didn’t see Rae’s perfectly placed Top 4. I’m glad you’re taking my dart as a compliment, Babsi! You did have a very nice Top 4 on your card.
Oh well…I’m okay with the silver again, especially since I thought (until all the craziness of potential extra points at the end of the game) that my placements of Legacy and Ashleigh on my original card were going to keep me from getting even that close to the top.
Congrats, Rae, on your win! I think you definitely deserve it simply for having the Top 4 correct from the beginning of the season. That’s impressive!
Congrats also to Russell! He was my favorite from the very beginning and it’s so cool to see a krumper win the show.
Mandy on 17 Dec 2009 at 4:13 pm #
Thanks so much for doing this John, I’m already looking forward to next season
Congratulations to the top 3 – you are the superior beings!
John Cabrera on 17 Dec 2009 at 4:15 pm #
And by the way, I really want to thank all of you for playing this with me. I know the rules got a little mathnerdical, but next Lark I’ll make them crystal clear. I’ll probably shoot an infomercial, or do an instructional animation.
And a HUGE congrats to everyone, especially Rae, Vanalam, and Amrie.
jennhoney on 17 Dec 2009 at 5:28 pm #
Congratulations Rae!
Thanks, Thanks, Thanks for the Larking good time!
I participate in my uncle’s College football pool every year, my competition is going to be so surprised when I activate my cage and dart gun.
sorano916 on 17 Dec 2009 at 8:39 pm #
Congrats, Rae! Looking forward to your blogs. And way to go to the other finalists.
John, can’t wait to see what you have cooked up for this trophy.
And also, congrats to Russell (yup, two ‘L’s)! I swear, I’m going to try and catch the tour this time around.
John Cabrera on 17 Dec 2009 at 9:18 pm #
Oh and Elizabeth, the red Xs are Dart hits. The little black domes are cages.
Carmen on 18 Dec 2009 at 12:13 am #
Congrats, Rae!! It’s really impressive that you even got the top 4 right on you orginial picks!
It’s been a lot of fun playing the lark, and it was probably the only reason I stuck around the whole season ^^ too many things went wrong… .
Thanks a lot, John, for all the work you were putting into the Lark, and all the new ideas. It really got a bit complicated at the end with the new features & rules, but it was fun anyways
I can’t wait for the next season & the next Lark, maybe I’m gonna do better then…
kelseroo on 18 Dec 2009 at 1:10 am #
Yet another exciting season of The Lark. Thanks again, John! Maybe next season I’ll win the lunch:-)
k8mclin on 18 Dec 2009 at 1:22 am #
What fun. I did, in the end, beat everyone I know IRL, my husband most soundly. Can’t wait for next season. Thanks to all the Larkers and congrats to all the top three! xo JP!
Rae on 18 Dec 2009 at 2:48 am #
Holy crap! There’s no way I should have won this thing. (Sorry, Am! I was pulling for you to win.) I thought I was out of the running long ago based on my mid-season. I just got really lucky.
My only strategy was guessing the producers wanted a male to win it this time and then picking my favorite guy and the guy I felt Nigel was pushing in that first episode for the Final 2. Heck, for a long time I was going to put Channing in 4th place because I liked her. Good thing I changed it to Ellenore after hearing the judges praise her for her dancing ability in the showcase episode, eh?
Anyway, thanks to everyone for all the congratulations! And congrats to Amrie who had an amazing run for the entire game and totally deserves the trophy. And to Vanalam who I just knew was someone to watch! I seriously considered you for both my cage and dart gun. And Alyssa who I kept thinking might sneak in and take it all based on her Top 4! And all of you, really, for making the game fun. And to John for giving me a reason to really stay invested in the show throughout the season. I feel like I pay a lot more attention to it this way and that only increases my appreciation for it even when I’m not loving all the dances. Thanks for all the work you do to make The Lark happen, JP!
Itzel on 18 Dec 2009 at 4:45 pm #
Congrats Rae!
And John this was really fun, I had a blast trying to guess, watching the episodes in secret while at work and just enjoying the dancing. I just have to say: The Lark FTW! I’ll be playing next season!
MelissaM on 18 Dec 2009 at 8:19 pm #
This was SO much fun!!! John, I don’t think we can thank you enough for putting this together and working so hard.
Congrats to Rae! What an awesome win. It was actually Rae’s blog post that convinced me to play along this season.
Heehee…I think it’s kind of cool that I got caged, only because I wasn’t paying much attention to how I ranked week to week.
chadrullman on 19 Dec 2009 at 1:38 am #
Congrats Rae and the other high-scorers!
I don’t really like Russel winning, sure he was good, but he could have gone in the 5th-6th slot, really. Jakob, Kathryn, & Elenore are all more talented and diverse in my opinion. That said, it was a great season! I missed the hell out of Mia Michaels though!!! Travis was a nice substitute and there were some great new choreographer additions this season. Can’t wait for the next!
…And who the hell shot me?!?! Gonna git you, sucka! hehe.