The episode where the judges unveil their choice is always a bit of a toughie: on the one hand, the contestants who make it through to the top 20 are unbelievably, crying-with-joy happy about it; but on the other hand, the ones who are rebuffed are always so broken-hearted that even cold-hearted cynics like me feel a little bit sorry for them.

So what do you think of the top 20? I'm a bit disappointed that a few of my favourites (ie, some of the best-looking dancers) didn't make it through... but on the plus side, this year's bunch seems such an eclectic group that I'm intrigued what they'll do once they get on that stage.

But is it just me, or do a lot of these contestants seem a little... familiar? Find out who they remind us of in our gallery of the So You Think You Can Dance top 20, and tell us if we're way off the mark!

So is this a better top 20 than 2008's... or do you predict that this year's bunch of dancers will fall down on their collective bums? And who's your early favourite, and who do you already hate (I nominate BJ — worst nickname ever!). Sound off in the comments below!

Nigel Lythgoe from the US SYTYCD joins the show as guest judge. He's Bonnie's ex-husband... though at no point does anyone mention this, which is a bit awkward. I spent the whole episode trying to gauge any tension between them, but the only thing I noted was an inscrutably arch look Bonnie gave Nigel early on. Boring!

The instalment also featured cameos from 2008's final four: Jack and Kate taught a routine from West Side Story (which is a must-see — it's a musical about the least threatening, fingerest-snapping gangsters in the world. Hilarious), while in round two Rhys and Demi lead this year's contestants through a hip-hop number. (Sidenote: I liked Rhys, but 'Hot Summer' kind of ruined him for me.)

Apparently there is a law which deems that any episode of So You Think You Can Dance must depict crying contestants. Dancers cried when they were rejected, they cried when they were let through to the next round, and even the ones who didn't cry constantly looked like they were on the verge of tears. Am I the only one who feels zero sympathy for these crybabies?

Highlight of the episode: Nigel telling one of the hapless rejects that "You showed no light in your eyes... it was like you'd been dug up this morning". LOL! Literally — I laughed out loud when he said that. So mean, yet so funny.

Lowlight of the episode: David, the brother of former contestant Hilton. The show is clearly trying to sell him as some sort of loveably cocky loudmouth, but I'm not buying it — he just seems like an annoying loudmouth. (Runner-up lowlight: all the B-boys who bitched that doing a jazz routine wasn't their thing. Shut up, B-boys.)

Weirdest moment of the episode, and possibly ever: The dancer named Forever performing to the Benny Hill theme tune, dressed in a policeman costume with huge fake boobs, face plastered with cheery clown make-up. O... kay.

So at the end of another long episode, the top 20 was revealed to be... no one. We have to wait till Wednesday to find out who they are. But I want to know nooooow...

What did you think of top 100 week? Tell us your highlights and lowlights in the comments!

Will So You Think You Can Dance succumb to this fate?

Maybe. The first round of auditions in Sydney offered up plenty of talent (I guess all the dancers who snubbed the show in '08 turned out this year), but I can't help but feel that episode one was a little... boring. (And long. Ninety minutes?! My attention span doesn't stretch that far!)

Sure, all the dancers were gifted and passionate and good-looking, but that's the problem: where's the fun in watching audition episodes if there's no crazy, balls-out freaks?

And what's with all the sob stories? "My divorced parents never supported me during my poverty-stricken childhood and I had to teach myself to dance while enduring teen pregnancy and a cancer diagnosis and being kidnapped by aliens, and I think I'm ugly." Boo hoo! This is So You Think You Can Dance, not So You Think You Can Cry.

Fortunately the judges are still around to liven things up. Jason Coleman is as hilariously arrogant as ever (his best moments included cutting down a girl he thought was rude to Matt, and rejecting another girl for wearing a "hessian sack". Ha!), Matt Lee still looks 12 (he actually looks younger than last year — there's a touch of Benjamin Button in him), and Bonnie Lythgoe, bless her, is still as full of faff as ever.

There's still a lot of promise in the season — it has only been one episode, after all. I reckon it could be a good one.

Will So You Think You Can Dance succumb to the season two curse? Tell us your favourite moments from the Sydney auditions in the comments!

Can't get enough of the show? Check out Ten's official SYTYCD site.

Frankly, I am relieved! I've been rooting for Wes all season — he's such an accomplished, experienced, real musician that I really think he can use his victory to kick-start a credible music career. No offence to Guy Sebastian, Casey Donovan and the rest, but Wes Carr is far and away the most talented kid who's ever won Australian Idol.

And the best part is, I didn't bother to cast a single vote all season and my preferred Idol still emerged victorious! Aaah, sweet proof that you really don't need to bother voting for reality show contestants.

Wes's debut single 'You' is out now (click here to listen), and thank goodness he's singing a catchy pop-rock song instead of the usual insipid cheese they force Australian Idol winners to release. If they'd made Wes do something like 'Angels Listened to My Heart Tonight' I would have died.

(Not that I plan to actually buy Wes's single. I'm chuffed that he won, but not that chuffed.)

Woo! Are you stoked that Wes is this year's Australian Idol? Or are you peeved that Luke's amazing journey from shearer to superstar didn't end with his victory? Sound off in the comments!

But it's nevertheless been a strong year — for the first time in ages, it feels like this season's winner Wes Carr might actually go on to music glory. (No offence to Nat Gauci, Damien Leith or Kate DeAraugo, but... none of you exactly set the charts on fire.) Now that Australia has crowned a new Idol, we're taking a look back at the best and worst moments of the year.

Which performers lit up the stage, and who deserved to have rotten tomatoes pegged at them? Which booted competitors shouldn't have been such sore losers... and who bored us to tears? Relive these and more of the most memorable moments from Australian Idol '08.

Did we leave anything out? If there's a moment from this season that you'll never forget, let us know about it in the comments!

How are you feeling having left the competition?

I feel OK. I'm still delirious after doing interviews since six o'clock, so I didn't get much sleep. But I had a great time last night. I kind of knew I was going, I was ready for it. Well, not ready, but I'd been planning. I'm just pleased to have made it this far, I mean I didn't think I'd make it to the top 100, so I'm feeling really positive.

But it must have been hard having come so close to the finishing line.

It would have been nice to be in the final two, but I'm not dwelling on it. I'm more concerned with what's going on after, and recording my original material.

Yeah there's life after Idol. Speaking of which, where to from here?

First I'm going to get as much advice as possible, about how to tackle the next couple of months; recording an album, and start touring I guess.

Are there any musicians whose career you'd like to emulate? No just musically, but in terms of how they've gone about in the industry?

I don't think it matters how you do it, as long as you enjoy it and you're getting by. I'm just going to try and give it a go.

Are you at all worried the voting error last night may have meant you were kicked off incorrectly?

I don't know, and there's no point in dwelling on it. It's not like they're going to say, "hey Wes, Luke, come on back we're going to re-record the show."

That's why I'm happy, and I'm glad either of those two will win because they're both really talented. It would have been nice to get the extra 200 grand, but honestly I'm happy if Luke wins, just because he's starting a new family.

And who do you think will take out the prize?

I think Wes will probably take it out, although I'd like to see Luke win, I always go for the underdog.

What is about Wes that has convinced so many of the contestants that he's the one to beat?!

Wes has been my pick to win since I saw him in the first audition. In fact the joke that's been going around is that it's always been a race for second place. I mean he's just extremely talented, and would be in everything he applies himself to. He's an awesome musician.

And is he the same person backstage as the person we're seeing on the screen?

Pretty much, although he jokes around more. I think we all joke around a bit more when there's no camera around. And he's a really down to earth bloke. It's been really fun these last few weeks with the boys, including Teale. They're all really down to earth.

The guys were definitely the big contenders in this year's series. Do you think Aussies are hungry for a male pop star with sex appeal?

What like boy bands?

Haha, I was thinking more like Justin Timberlake.

Ha! Maybe Teale can do that, I don't know.

In fact, no doubt you've had your share of female fans. One of the girls in the office wanted me to ask you if you'll marry her!

Haha, yeah all that stuff was weird.

Hang on, now she's saying she wants me to pass on a kiss to you.

I'll take that! Tell her I send her one back.

Was it strange to read about yourself in the gossip columns? I'm sure you're not used to that.

In the early stages I kind of did, but now I don't even bother reading. There's no point. People tell me, "did you read that story on you in TV Week?" And I just tell them no, I'm too busy. If you read that stuff you lose your focus, and it takes you away from what you really need to do.

Now that you've left the show, do you see yourself managing to stay friends with the boys? You seemed quite close.

For sure, we'll definitely be friends. It's been such an awesome experience, and so great to share it with such cool people.

You know what? I wouldn't mind seeing you guys in a boy band together. You'll be the new Young Divas, ha!

Like the "Young Dudes", haha. Nah, I don't think so.

So it's come down to Wes, Luke and Mark, and Andrew and James helpfully remind us that each of the final three has recorded a different winners' single, for the first time in Australian Idol history. Good — forcing the final two to record the same song irrespective of their musical styles was always a dumb idea.

The boys are brought out onstage, and told that they're all winners no matter who goes, blah blah. More accurately, Wes and Luke are the winners — Mark is eliminated.

Ouch. Mark deserved that, but it's got to hurt to come so far in the competition and be let go less than a week before the finale. He looks like he doesn't quite know what to say, but takes the defeat pretty well. "I'm glad to be beaten by two freaks," he graciously says about Wes and Luke. Aww.

For his farewell tune, Mark does 'Never Tear Us Apart'. It's actually one of his better performances — far above anything he did last night. See you at the Opera House next week, Mark!

Now the show takes the time to explore Luke's journey. In case you missed it the first billion times, Luke is a sheep-shearer from the country who has now been thrust into the national spotlight. We also learn that he had a shocking blond mullet in his youth. After that revelation, Luke does an adequate rendition of Metallica's version of 'Turn the Page'.

Then it's time to recap Wes's life — which more or less amounts to lots of embarrassing clips of a young Wes performing with the Johnny Young Talent School. Cringe-o-rama! Wes performs 'White Noise', and it's neither better nor worse than Luke's song choice. I gotta say, neither of the final two wowed me with their songs so far.

Now it's time for the part of the show we've all been waiting for: the songs that Luke and Wes will release if they take out the competition are revealed. Andrew and James are so forcibly excited that they're in real danger of both having aneurysms.

Luke goes first with 'When We Hear Hallelujah', a laid-back rock ballad. It pains me to say this, but: this song reeks. It sounds like every other ballad that Idol winners have released, with a touch of that song 'Mad World'. I have to wonder who chose this for Luke, because his gravelly crooning deserved better.

Wes follows with his single, titled simply 'You'. It's immediately apparent that this song is much, much better than Luke's — it's upbeat, rocky and has a catchy chorus that I can easily imagine hearing on the radio. This, I suppose, is the downside of having the finalists each sing different songs, that you risk ending up with a better or worse selection than your competitor.

(For the record, Mark's single was a big rock number called 'Up All Night'.)

Voting lines are now open! This won't surprise you folks who have been following this blog all season, but: I'm tipping Wes to be our next Australian Idol. Not only has he been a stellar performer all year, his winners' single is far superior to Luke's. Wes FTW!

You've heard the winners' singles — now have your say. Was Mark robbed? Has Luke been lumped with a dud song, or do you prefer his single to Wes's? And who's your pick to take out the Idol crown?

This week's guest judge Tina Arena clomps onstage, completely snubbing James and Andrew's air kisses, bossing them around and laughing off their awkward banter. Hee — I think I love her, just a little bit.

Luke Dickens kicks things off with 'Stuck in the Middle With You', a perfect fit for his gravel-voice. Hilariously, he inadvertently insults the audience by beckoning to them when he sings the lyric "Clowns to the left of me, jokers to the right". Dicko insists on reminding us, for the billionth time, that Luke is a shearer of humble origins. Jeez, we know.

In round two Luke does 'I Guess That's Why They Call it the Blues', another top song choice for him. The performance starts off a bit naff, but picks up for the chorus. Tina says she loves Luke's voice, but thinks he has a tendency to drift. I agree — sometimes it looks like Luke's mind isn't 100 percent focused on what he's doing.

Mark Spano first sings 'Bad Day'. He has got to stop picking songs with "bad" in the title, because it just makes him an easy target for jokes. The song suits Mark's big voice, but the performance itself is a little heavy on the wailing.

Later Mark performs 'Smooth', and it's... fine. Not great, not terrible, just... fine. It's easily the least memorable act of the night; I doubt that it'll be included in any highlights reels during next week's grand finale.

Wes Carr is up lucky last with 'Easy Like Sunday Morning'. He's a little off-key at first, which is rare for Wes, but he makes up for it by busting out his harmonica near the end of the performance. Tina bonds with Wes over the fact that both of them attended the Johnny Young Talent School in their youth, saying that it's nothing to be ashamed of. Sure it isn't.

Wes closes the show with a rockin' rendition of the Beatles' 'Get Back', a performance that demonstrates exactly why he deserves to take out the competition. Luke and Mark are good, but they're nowhere near as good as this. Kyle declares it too good for a touchdown, so he hurls his laptop at Wes instead (as you do), while Dicko goes and gives it a touchdown anyway (reasoning that "Holden hates me anyway". Ha!).

Wow, the judges were all really nice tonight — I don't believe they had a bad word to say — but not as nice as the audience, who screamed and gibbered hysterically for every performance.

My picks: Based strictly on tonight's performances, Mark deserves to get the chop. However, I haven't correctly predicted the eliminee all season, so it'll probably turn out that Wes will go and Mark will wind up winning.

Is Wes a shoe-in for the Idol crown... or do you think Mark or Luke can swoop in and steal the title before next week's grand final? Have your say in the comments!

I'm feeling great, actually. Surprisingly, for what happened. All those bottom three survivals prepared me for anything.

So it wasn't a shock to find yourself there again?

No. I expected to be there every week. But then to get through most of those weeks was a very big shock. It would've been lovely to stay longer but my time was up. No more bullets dodged.

How did you keep dodging that bullet? Because you were in the bottom three seven weeks in a row.

I don't know! People might have realised they liked me at the last minute! And tried to vote for me on Monday nights. Good on them for doing it, because it got me to the top four, and I love it.

I had a theory that your fans were smart, and they didn't bother voting on Sundays — they saved their votes up for Monday, when it really counted.

That's right! And so then they got to hear me sing again.

Obviously you were popular if you kept getting saved. One fan in particular was the girl Andrew G brought out of the audience last week, who pretty much asked you out on stage. You politely mentioned you had a girlfriend.

[Laughs] Afterwards she just said, "Thanks for mentioning me... you're a good man"! I didn't forget her. [Laughs]

Have you been getting a lot of support when you're out and about?

We haven't really been out much — we've been that busy. But when we are, yeah, there's always people coming up to me. I'm either their favourite or... someone else is their favourite, but they tell me I'm doing really well! It's really cool.

Is there a competitive mood in the top four?

No. It's the best mood so far [in the competition]. We all feel that whatever happens, happens. We've loved being together in the last week and we said, "Whoever goes from now on, we'll all keep in touch and hook up after the show".

Is it a bit of a boys' club?

Nah. We don't really have much time for mischief! But it's good [having all boys] because we don't have to watch our mouths or anything anymore. We can give each other a bit of crap, then laugh it off.

You don't have a 17-year-old girl around anymore.

Yeah! We don't have to cover Chrislyn's ears anymore. We can just be ourselves.

One of the revelations this week is that the finalists will each record a different winners' single. Did you guys have a hand in writing these songs, or were they just presented to you?

Sony pretty much studied our musical styles and went off to find a song that best suited our styles, then pitched it to us. We each recorded our song just in case we went further and won the competition. But sadly mine won't be heard!

Most of the guys left, including yourself, come from musical backgrounds. Did it set well, the fact that you can't release your own stuff?

No. I mean, that's what we signed up for. We signed up to get on Idol, do the theme nights, have a bit of fun and show who we are — so Australia can get to know us and what we can do, vocally and musically. Whatever happens after Idol is what will be the true test of us as artists.

Chris Isaak, your mentor this week, seems like a great guy.

He's such a cool guy. We got along with him really well — he's just so down to earth. I just felt like one of the boys around him. At first I was like, "Oh my god, it's Chris Isaak", but then straight away, within the first five minutes, a mutual friendship sort of struck up. He heard me sing, and loved what I did.

Was there any one bit of advice he gave you that really stood out?

I don't think there was one thing. But because he's done it all — he's done movies, he's done TV, he's done singing — he really understands what we're going through. Whereas the other mentors had no idea about the TV side of the competition... besides Guy Sebastian! But Chris was really cool. He had a lot of sympathy for us, and was proud of how we were handling it all.