So You Think You Can Dance
"So You Think You Can Dance" is one of the hottest reality shows on American television today. It is on the Fox network, but it is also broadcasts in Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Japan, and Australia. It features dance contestants vying for a chance to win a new car, cash ($100,000) and contract with a Las Vegas show.
It began airing on July 20, 2005 and was immediately an overnight success. Now in its third season, it was ranked #1 for the summer of 2006 and there are planned spin-offs for New Zealand, Turkey, Israel, Malaysia, and Norway. Of course, the fact that it was a huge hit is hardly a surprise. After all, it was developed by the masterminds of "American Idol", Simon Fuller and Nigel Lythgoe. Lythgoe appears as the head judge along with permanent judge Mary Murphy. Mary has choreographed dance routines for such stars as Julia Roberts, Donnie Wahlberg, Dennis Quaid, and Mary Steenburgen. The third judge rotates between guest judges (all either professional dancers or choreographers) such as Dan Karaty ,Nu Stylz (Olisa Thompson & Cicely Bradley), Mia Michaels, Jean Mark Genereux, Brian Friedman, Doriana Sanchez, Shane Sparks, and Ron Montez. Cat Deeley, an English beauty who is a former model, disc jockey, and television personality, has hosted the show for the last two seasons. The first season was hosted by Lauren Sanchez, a media personality.
One of most exciting parts of the show is that you get to see formally trained dancers compete alongside truly talented street dancers with little or no formal training. The contestants audition, just like on "American Idol", and those who are deemed good enough this year get a plane ticket to Las Vegas. There the contestants are whittled down to the final 20 (ten girls and ten guys). At that point, contestants will be divided up into partners, which remain the same for the first five weeks unless one is eliminated. The couples must dance different dance styles to both focus on their strengths and expose their weaknesses. The viewing audience gets to vote for thei.r favorite couples for the first five weeks. After that, viewers vote for their favorite individual dancers. Each week, one girl and one guy is eliminated until the final four are left.
Season 5
Season 5 is already in progress and the top twenty has been choosen.Season 5 Top Twenty
| Name | Age | Reside |
|---|---|---|
| Randi Evans 23 | Springville, UT | |
| Karla Garcia | 23 | Brooklyn, NY |
| Caitlin Kinney | 21 | Annapolis, MD |
| Asuka Kondoh | 25 | Irvine, CA |
| Janette Manrara | 25 | Hialeah, FL |
| Jeanine Mason | 18 | Pinecrest, FL |
| Kayla Radomski | 18 | Aurora, CO |
| Melissa Sandvig | 29 | Los Alamitos, CA |
| Paris Torres | 19 | Issaquah, WA |
| Ashley Valerio | 22 | North Hollywood, CA |
| Kupono Aweau | 23 | Kailua, HI |
| Tony Bellissimo | 20 | Buffalo, NY |
| Brandon Bryant | 19 | Salt Lake City, UT |
| Phillip Chbeeb | 20 | Los Angeles, CA |
| Jason Glover | 21 | Fresno, CA |
| Vitolio Jeune | 26 | Miami, FL |
| Max Kapitannikov | 26 | Brooklyn, NY |
| Evan Kasprzak | 21 | West Bloomfield, MI |
| Ade Obayomi | 20 | Orange County, CA |
| Jonathan Platero | 21 | New York, NY |
Season Four
Season 4 of "So You Think You Can Dance" offered a plethora of talent and this season featured the first bollywood and trepak dance routines. But, there was a bit of controversy when Debbie Allen had to step down as guest judge at one point. Because she trained finalist Will Wingfield, she could not serve as a judge as long as he remained in the competition. Wingfield was eliminated two weeks before the finale along with female contestant Comfort Fedoke, so Allen was able to return to help judge the finale. She was joined by regular judges Nigel Lythgoe and Mary Murphy as well as Lil'C, Adam Shankman, and Mia Michaels.
The final four dancers were Joshua Allen, Stephen "Twich" Boss, Katee Shean (who finished third), and Courtney Galiano (who finished fourth). Joshua Allen beat out crowd favorite Twich to take the title on August 7th. Katee and Twitch are now both teaching at the South County Classical Ballet. Chelsie Hightower, who was eliminated the week before the finals is now a dance professional on "Dancing with the Stars."
Top Twenty Season Four
| Name | Nickname | Age | Reside |
|---|---|---|---|
| Twitch | Twitch | 25 | Santa Ana, CA |
| William | Will | 21 | None |
| Jessica | Jess,Jake,Busty | 23 | Myrtle Beach, SC |
| Kourtni L. | Boopers | 18 | Minnesota |
| Joshua | Batman | 19 | Fort Worth, TX |
| Jamie | None | 22 | Palm Springs, CA |
| Courtney G. | None | 19 | Dix Hills |
| Kherington | KK | 18 | Plancentia, CA |
| Rayven | None | 28 | La Puente, CA |
| Chelsea T. | Chels, Chews-dawg | 23 | Flower Mound, TX |
| Chris | Jay Ros | 21 | Dallas, TX |
| Matt | Chewy,Chew, Mattie | 22 | Salt Lake City, UT |
| Katee | Heffer | 20 | Orange, CA |
| Thayne | Thayner | 27 | Salt Lake City, UT |
| Gev | None | 21 | Salt Lake City, UT |
| Comfort | C-O | 20 | Carrollton, TX |
| Susie | Susie, Susy Q | 25 | Miami, Fl |
| Marquis | MarQ | 18 | Hillside, NJ |
| Chelsie H. | None | 18 | Las Vegas, NV |
| Mark | Marky, Geisha, Markooshka | 24 | Honolulu, HI |
Latest Recaps for So You Think You Can Dance
Season Three
The final four for Season Three was Danny, Neil, Sabra and Lacey. The winner of season three was Sabra.
Season Two
The final four were Donyelle Jones, Travis Wall, and cousins Heidi Groskreutz and Benji Schwimmer. Heidi and Donyelle were eliminated in the semi-finals, leaving an all male finale between Travis and Benji. Benji, whose father Buddy is the "King of Swing," was eventually named the winner. He and Heidi danced together on Fox's New Years Eve show and released an instructional dance video. He is also set to appear in a made-for-TV movie titled "For the Love of Dance."
Season One
The final four were Ashle Dawson, Jamile McGee, Melody Lacayanga, and Nick Lazzarini. Ashle and Jamile were eliminated in the semi-finals, leaving best friends Melody and Nick in the finals. Nick Lazzarini was declared the winner. He lives in Los Angeles and continues to dance professionally with Melody.
Additional SYTUCD Resources
So You Think You Can Dance TV Listings, Episode Guide, Photos, Message Board, Cast and More TVGuide.com
