by Lindsay Strouse and Gina Scarpa

The season 7 finale of So You Think You Can Dance played out the way many fans thought it would - with Kent Boyd and Lauren Froderman standing side by side, waiting to hear which one of them would be named America's Favorite Dancer. It seemed like it could go either way, that it was anyone's game. In the end, Lauren inched her way past Kent and took home the win. Today, Lauren spoke to RealityWanted and reporters in a press conference call about her entire experience on So You Think You Can Dance.

Q. Lindsay, RealityWanted: You received some really great compliments over the season, especially from Mia Michaels and Adam Shankman. What was the most memorable thing any of the judges said to you over the course of the competition and why?
A. Lauren: The most memorable comment that will stick with me forever was this past Wednesday when Mia said if she were still dancing she would want to dance like me. That's incredible. I look up to her like the rest of the dance community and she's such a huge inspiration.

Q. Lindsay, RealityWanted: How different do you think your journey would have been on the show if you didn't have the all-stars to work with?
A. Lauren: It definitely would have brought a different element. They pushed us to work harder. They brought something new to the table. We were still learning how everything works with the rehearsals and the interviews and everything and they really helped us out and made our lives a lot easier and harder at the same time.

Q. You were the last girl standing. Did you feel like you were doomed or did that make you feel like you had to represent the girls?
A. Lauren: It made me nervous! The first 3 weeks it was just girls going home. It made it seem like it would be a boy season. I still can't believe I actually won. It's so crazy to me and it definitely pushed me harder. I wanted to represent and I had a lot of support.

Q. Did you, Kent and Robert talk about what would happen if one of you won and how you felt about it?
A. Lauren: Kent, Robert, and I are extremely close. I've known Robert from before the show and had a friendship with him. Kent and Robert were roommates. No matter what happens we were all really proud of each other. It didn't matter who won anymore, we just wanted to spend the last week together and enjoy it

Q. What went through your mind when you heard your name get called as the winner?
A. Lauren: I was completely shocked because I really thought it was going to be Kent. It always felt like the room was filled with teenage girls screaming for Ken and he gets so much fan mail! I feel so honored and humbled that it was me. I could never have dreamed it would be me so I'm so excited.

Q. Was there one moment where you thought you could win the whole thing?
A. Lauren: Honestly, winning came as secondary. What I wanted to do was just stay as long as possible and learn and grow. I just wanted to be with these new friends and family and enjoy the experience. I don't think there was a moment I thought I could win but there were moments I didn't want to leave.

Q. What made the prom routine with Kent so special for you?
A. Lauren: It's hard to explain-it was the only contemporary dance I got to do on the show besides finale week. Kent and I had a great connection from the start. Being on that stage and dancing, I really let go. It felt like it was just Kent and I and there was no audience there. I've never experienced that feeling of complete abandonment.

Q. You've gone through criticism of coming off as a competition dancer and smiling too much in the beginning. You've grown so much. What did you do to change how you performed and how you approached the competition?
A. Lauren: Being in competitions before coming on the show, the most important thing was to acknowledge the audience so I brought that because that's all I knew. Being on the show I realized it's about getting into your character and embodying the person you're supposed to be. It's more about having the audience want to come in rather than pulling them in. the all-stars were a big help in how my performance improved.

(Image courtesy of Fox)

Follow Lindsay at twitter.com/LindsayStrouse and Gina at twitter.com/ginascarpa

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