The stage conquered the street as "So You Think You Can Dance" wrapped its 12th season. Trained tap dancer Gaby Diaz won the $250,000 grand prize and the chance to dance with Jennifer Lopez in Las Vegas.
"I believe America absolutely got it right," judge Paula Abdul told Headlines & Global News exclusively after the show. "I think Gaby proved herself without a shadow of a doubt and she truly deserved to win."
The Monday night finale opened with a spectacular routine by last season's All-Stars (choreographed by Nick Florez and RJ Durell) and the judges chose their past favorites to pair with this season's competitors. They all gave incredible performances but 10-year-old Phoenix Lil'Mini stole the show.
The petite dancing dynamo, who has only danced for three years, won over judge Nigel Lythgoe following her performance at an event for his Dizzy Feet Foundation. No doubt she popped, locked and dropped into the hearts of America.
"Dancing on that stage felt amazing," Lil'Mini told HNGN. "I never thought I would ever be able to do that. I didn't know what to expect going into this, it was just an amazing experience."
On her way to the championship, Diaz first faced off against her Team Stage opponent Hailee Payne. For Team Street, Jana 'Jaja' Vankova beat Virgil Gadson, who made an emotional exit from competition.
Ultimately, Diaz took home the grand prize over Vankova and will be dancing behind Lopez during her upcoming Las Vegas residency at The Axis at Planet Hollywood Resort.
There were no hard feelings felt by runner-up Vankova who told HNGN, "I called it before the show, I knew I'd be second. I'm realistic. Gaby is an all-around amazingly talented dancer, I just saw her as a winner."
Diaz was originally rejected from her first audition this season and re-auditioned in another city. She couldn't be more excited about making her Vegas debut alongside J Lo and was happy to tell HNGN exclusively what she expects to do next.
How are you feeling? The comeback kid comes back and takes it all.
I'm here! I'm still processing it all. It's taking a second. I'm not going to lie, I'm a little overwhelmed. I'm definitely very grateful and excited. There are a lot of emotions right now.
Did you think you had a chance of winning going into the evening?
Honestly, I wasn't worried about the results at all. I thought the four of us did an incredible job throughout the entire season and we're all proud of what we accomplished. I feel like I sent the message I wanted to send and I was proud of myself regardless the results. I was just enjoying my last moments on that stage tonight and this is like woo hoo! Thank you America!
You are America's favorite. That's a great title.
It's really crazy, I'm just so grateful.
What's the first thing you want to buy yourself with the $250,000?
You know I don't know. I think I need to see a financial advisor or something because I don't know how to handle that kind of money. Maybe I'll buy a car, or a lot of Nutella.
Why Nutella?
Nutella helped me get through the season. Maybe I could get an endorsement and get it free for life [laughs].
Next up is the Jennifer Lopez experience in Vegas. How are you feeling about that?
You know it's funny. I took my first hip-hop class to a J Lo song. I've been a fan of hers my entire life and in high school my friends all called me J Lo. I'm obsessed with her but in the least creepy way possible just to qualify. I'm really looking forward to that whole thing and really excited.
Do you know what you'll be doing with her?
Not exactly, but I know she has a residency in Vegas and I'll be there.
