Okay, I changed my mind and now believe he actually did lose the front like he said he did. Watching the video in 1/4 speed you can see the front go away which causes the left peg to grab asphalt and start the bike spinning to the left which makes it look like he lost the rear.
Yeah you're right, I just watched back at 1/4 speed too a bunch of times, can see the front slip just a bit. Pretzel remark still stands. Crossing up cost him precious headroom for clearance due to more lean angle required, and being crossed unconsciously puts more weight on the inside bar making it less likely the front will catch itself.
Bummer. I'm sure his style works for him, does for plenty of others. Has its drawbacks though like harder to catch the front end, does have a caveat of being easier to catch a spinning rear though.