Taylor & Lex Are Totally The Katniss & Peeta Of 'SYTYCD' Season 14

Ever since they addressed their relationship with a lovely Mia Michaels routine on the penultimate episode of So You Think You Can Dance Season 14, there's been some curiosity regarding how long Taylor Sieve and Lex Ishimoto have been dating. The short answer: They've been a real-deal couple for some time, y'all. The Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark of Season 14 have been a thing longer than many fans realized. And in just a few hours, they will be two of the final four contenders to lace up their shoes, dance like everyone is watching, and, of course, duke it out for the show’s title.

As they twirled, leapt, and smooched across the stage last Monday, it became evident that Taylor and Lex are the season's star-crossed lovers, à la the two tributes from District 12. But uh, you know, with less tracker jackers and more arabesques. No, Taylor and Lex aren't on a dystopian reality TV competition program where kids are supposed to kill each other. And no, there isn’t a love triangle. And no, this isn't a “let’s pretend to be madly in love to keep each other alive” situation; there isn’t a mixed feeling to be found.

But like Peeta and Katniss, Lex and Taylor were close before they wound up on the same season of a reality show. And like Peeta and Katniss, they have been pitted against each other on a reality show. And like Peeta and Katniss, they grabbed each other's hands on a reality show and it meant so much to the audience. And like Peeta and Katniss, they talked about their love on a reality show.

Though it was The Moment that made many viewers realize there was love in the air, "You Matter to Me" actually wasn't the first time Taylor and Lex publicly expressed their feelings for one another. The couple has been posting about each other on Instagram for months. All of it is way cute and not the least bit harrowing. (Peeta and Katniss’s complicated reality TV romance, on the other hand…)

When Lex and Taylor let the spotlight shine on their relationship during last Monday night's episode, the fans at home went wild and mailed Haymitch some soup and healing elixirs to send their way. Er, wait. That was a different couple that went public with their relationship on a reality show. Let’s try that again: The fans at home clutched their hearts and cried, “Awwww.”

So, when did these two lovebirds first bump into each other? At a dance event, of course. In the intro package before the fantastic jazz routine they did to “An American in Paris” on Episode 11, Taylor revealed that she and her dance partner have known each other for some time. “Lex and I actually met over a year ago at the Dance Awards Nationals,” she explained. “And then the owner of the convention hired us to come on tour with them.”

In July of 2016, Lex and Taylor met each other at the Dance Awards in Las Vegas. At the convention, Lex won Senior Male Best Dancer, and Taylor won Senior Female Best Dancer. At some point between then and the SYTYCD auditions, their romance commenced. The earliest pic of the two of them together was posted in January, but it's hard to say if it's a platonic pic or a couple-y pic. Regardless, the photo of them backstage at the Jump Dance Convetion is still dang adorable.

The following March, they auditioned for SYTYCD. Both made it to the final 10. And do you know what else happened that month? On March 10, Taylor wished Lex a happy birthday on Instagram. And on March 21, Lex wished Taylor a happy birthday on Instagram. Both posts included a blue heart emoji. If there was any shadow of a doubt about what those blue hearts meant, Lex cleared up any confusion with a picture he and Taylor took at Disneyland: “Why not surprise my lady to the happiest place on earth? #staylegendary #shesadime.”

A year and some change after the two champs first crossed paths, they ended up two of the four finalists on one of the biggest dance competition TV shows. Together. What a dance love story for the ages. Who else could use a slice of Peeta's bread to sop up all of the tears?