‘SYTYCD’ 14: Lex Ishimoto Beats Koine Iwasaki, Taylor Sieve And Kiki Nyemchek

“So You Think You Can Dance” Season 14 just named its winner, and it’s Lex Ishimoto.

The announcement did not necessarily come as a surprise since Lex has been a frontrunner in the competition since the beginning. In fact, he has never been in the bottom three, unlike Koine Iwasaki and Kiki Nyemchek. There have also been predictions from media outlets that he will win this season. The 19-year-old professional dancer bested not only Koine and Kiki, but also his girlfriend, Taylor Sieve.

Lex and the other three finalists were ranked by host Cat Deeley based on the number of votes they received over the past two weeks. Kiki was in fourth place, followed by Taylor in third and Koine in second. The results were a bit shocking because Taylor has never been in the bottom three either, and there were predictions that it would be her and her boyfriend in the top two.

Koine, on the other hand, has been in the bottom three at least twice in the competition. But she also deserved her spot as a runner-up because she stepped up her game in the past two weeks. Even judge Mary Murphy noted that Koine is able to do difficult routines because of her strong physique.

Meanwhile, before the winner and rankings were announced, judges Murphy, Nigel Lythgoe and Mary Murphy first picked two memorable numbers that they wanted the contestants to perform live again. The four remaining all-stars also had the chance to pick their favorite routine with their partner and perform it live. There were also some group routines throughout the two-hour finale episode.

Lex will be bringing home the $250,000 grand prize. He will also be joining the rest of top 10 in a series of live performances around the country starting next month.

On his Instagram account, Lex paid tribute to his all-star partner, Gaby Diaz, by sharing a photo of the two of them from their very first live tap performance. Prior to being named the winner, Lex asked Diaz to dance with him one last time on the “SYTYCD” stage in the finale.

Taylor also shared an adorable snap with her all-star partner, Robert Roldan, on Instagram.