Two days before Joshua Allen was scheduled to leave for the So You Think You Can Dance top 20, his young 13-year-old cousin, Danny, was shot and killed during an altercation over an iPod.

When a local news report aired the story, footage was actually shown of Allen's aunt crying over his cousin’s body. Understandably, this incident almost prevented the eventual champion from continuning on the show.

"I wasn’t going to go on the show," Allen recently told The Star Telegram, a local newspaper in Forth Worth, Texas. "I told my mom, 'I just can’t, I just can’t’.”

However, the finalist's family convinced him that Danny would have wanted him to go on with his life. From there, Allen headed to Los Angeles and set out to win the competition. He accomplished that goal of course, and is grateful for the experience.

"So You Think You Can Dance has opened so many doors for me," he said, adding that he hopes to open a dance studio in the future. "I hope to go to bigger and better things."

Twitch Boss thought he could dance.

And the hip hopper was correct, only he couldn't earn last season's So You Think You Can Dance crowd, making it all the way to the finals before losing to Joshua Allen.

Below, Twitch shares a couple thoughts on the experience with Buddy TV:

How you were feeling at the finale when you realized that you and Josh, the two hip-hop dancers, were the final two standing.
It was incredible. It was just a great moment all over, from so many different aspects. It was just a great moment as far as hip-hop goes, because I mean we’re so focused on versatility every week we’re just going to throw any style at you and you’ll have to deal with it. For two hip-hoppers to be the final two just said so much, and just hope that it inspired free stylers and hip-hoppers and any other dancers, just that they realize there aren’t any limits, there aren’t any boundaries, unless you set them yourself. I think that was just an amazing moment.

Were you feeling confident when you hit top 20, or were you still nervous every week?
I was definitely still nervous every week. When it comes down to it, nobody was safe at all, ever. So you have to come into it every single week with your absolute best, especially with this cast. The cast was just dope all around so there couldn’t be a week where you were slipping and be like, “Oh, well I’m all right, because my fans will handle it.” Definitely not, definitely not.

Nigel Lythgoe - who drew attention earlier this month for announcing his exit from American Idol - says voters got last week's So You Think You Can Dance finale exactly right.

"I think America got it pretty much right to have [Twitch Boss and Joshua Allen] there [in the final two]," Lythgoe told Extra.

Allen (pictured), of course, was crowned chamption, as Nigel added that fellow fourth-season finalists Katee Shean and Courtney Galiano were perfectly talented, but this summer's competition was all about the men.

"The fans loved the boys' charisma," he said. Do you agree with him?

So You Think You Can Dance thought he could dance and he was proven correct last week. The hip-hop dancer was crowned winner of So You Think You Can Dance last week.

Below, he answers a few questions from our friends at BuddyTV. Check out the excerpts now...

What has the last week or two been like for you?
Pushed, really. It has really been a push, they really want you to work for it, they’re not giving you anything. They really want you to work for it and push and push and push, so that’s what we did. You know, we were so tired, I looked at the TV and I was watching myself like oh my god, I was gray at one point.

Are you looking forward to getting away for a little bit and just relaxing?
I am, I am. We’ve been going so much and I think it’ll be best right now to get a little break and then start pushing hard. We want to do a great job for the tour also, so we’re going to push our bodies even more. I can’t believe we have 45 or 46 numbers that we’re going to be doing.

Is there anything you’d like to say to your fans now?
Thank you guys so much for voting and for believing in me that I could do it, believing that this year we could do something. It just really means a lot, everybody that voted just means so much to me. I never can express how much that means to me, so I just really want to try to say thank you, thank you, thank you. I just feel so blessed and so humbled by this experience, and you’ll never know the way you changed my life. Thank you again.

The long journey came to a close tonight on So You Think You Can Dance.

After a stirring Parts I and II of the four-part finale (seriously), the final four dancers - Joshua Allen, Twitch Boss, Courtney Galiano and Katee Shean - came back to find out which of them has won the title of America's Favorite Dancer (plus the added bonus of $250,000).

Courtney Galiano was eliminated first. No surprise there.

Then Katee Shean, but there was a surprise in store for Katee.

This year, Nigel Lythgoe and the producers of So You Think You Can Dance wanted to award the top guy and the top girl, so Katee came away with a second place prize of $50,000.

Not a bad way to get eliminated in the end, was it?

So it was down to the two hip hop boys.

The tension was thick. In the end, Twitch Boss came in second as Joshua Allen was crowned the fourth winner of So You Think You Can Dance. Congrats to Joshua - and all of the final four!

Stephen ‘Twitch’ Boss, Courtney Galiano, Joshua Allen and Katee Shean sat down for an interview with People Magazine a couple days before tonight's big finale.

Here are some thoughts from the So You Think You Can Dance finalists:

Twitch Boss
How are you holding up with the training? Any injuries?
My entire body is mad at me right now. So, it’s just a matter of fighting past that and toughing it out for one more week when we can actually get some rest, because my body is not having it at the moment.

Joshua Allen (pictured)
Do you have a favorite dance that you performed on the show?
I liked the two hip-hop numbers that I did with “No Air” and the Frankenstein piece. And then I also loved the samba and the paso doble and other contemporary [pieces] with [choreographers] Mia Michaels and Tyce Diorio.

Katee Shean
How loud is judge Mary Murphy when you’re out there?
Dude, I love Mary Murphy’s scream! And it’s funny because you watch it on TV and you think, “Oh, wow.” Everybody gets so excited to hear her yell and then when you’re here you’re like, “I just want to hear her yell again.” You want her to do that for you after you’ve done your routine.

Courtney Galiano
Did you learn to love a style of dance on the show that you previously hadn’t done?
I would love be a ballroom dancer. It’s so impressive and being on this show, it’s made me have this newfound appreciation for ballroom. They’re absolutely incredible and the time that it takes and the technique that goes into it, I would love to learn more about that definitely.

It's down to Twitch Boss, Katee Shean, Courtney Galiano and Joshua Allen on So You Think You Can Dance.

Before this season's champion is announced tomorrow night, though, Us Weekly asked past finalists to select their favorite for the crown:

Blake McGrath, season one: “I think Katee deserves to win the show because of her performance quality, technique, style and versatility. She truly is the whole package!”

Lacey Schwimmer, season three: “Seeing as I’ve known Twitch for a few years, he’s my pick. I don’t think there’s anything he can’t do! He’s a joy to work with and I’d love to work with him in a movie or show featuring dancer/actors. He’d be amazing to feed off of.”

Ashlee Nino, season two: “I’m definitely rooting for Twitch and Joshua! It’s about time a hip-hop dancer wins this competition. They both seem to be incredibly hard working and have proved they are versatile dancers. Their drive is what’s going to get them places in this industry. Hopefully we’ll be touring together someday!”

Lauren Gottlieb, season three: “Twitch is capable of being a huge star! I’ve known him for a few years and there’s nothing stopping him from moving forward [in the business]. Twitch is meant to be in movies. I’d love to work with him on the big screen!”

All of a sudden, Joshua Allen and "Twitch" Boss have more to worry about this week than the So You Think You Can Dance finale on Thursday night.

The pair of finalists was rushed by ambulance to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center after collapsing at a weekend rehearsal.

"The two dancers rushed to the hospital were Joshua Allen and "Twitch" Boss – both [of the] remaining male contestants," a source told Us Weekly.

Boss and Allen were treated for dehydration and released.

They square off off against Katee Shean and Courtney Galiano this Thursday as the show crowns the country's favorite fancer.

Nigel Lythgoe is off American Idol.

The 59-year-old Brit, who has executive produced the hit reality show for all seven seasons, has just taken himself off the program and will not return.

No replacement for him has been named.

Lythgoe apparently felt it was time for someone else to step in. Friends say he's said privately he is "not passionate about it anymore."

American Idol ratings slipped last season, and the show was getting a little boring, sources close to the executive producer said.

Nigel Lythgoe is also said to be working on another joint venture with Simon Fuller, creator American Idol and owner of 19 Records.

Fuller and Lythgoe worked together on Britain's immensely popular Pop Idol, which spawned the U.S. series we know and love.

Lythgoe wants to spend his time on So You Think You Can Dance, the smash summer series now in its fourth season, which he created, produces and serves as a regular judge on.

Chelsie Hightower and Mark Kanemura were booted off So You Think You Can Dance last week.

Both finalists sat down with TV Guide after the ousting. Here's an excerpt of their interview:

How They're Faring After Being Cast Off:
Mark Kanemura: I know it sounds like, 'Oh, he's covering up his emotions or whatever,' but I'm feeling really, really, really happy actually. I feel everything lined up for me to leave on an awesome, awesome note. In my own aspect, I feel like I've won.
Chelsie Hightower: I'm feeling great right now. I'm very grateful and so blessed to be a part of this show and make it this far. The biggest thing is, I feel like I put everything into each of my performances, and at that point it's out of your control what happens. I can't control the public, so I'm happy with myself and that's the most I could ask for.

Off So You Think You Can Dance, what does the future hold for Chelsie Hightower?