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
So You Think You Can Dance: Tappers Bianca and Phillip Leave
Posted: 4 Nov 2009
“So You Think You Can Dance” is still a bit messed up due to the World Series, so this week, two more would leave the show based on the judge’s decision.
Noelle (yes, for now she is staying on the show) and Russell did a hip hop number that Adam said left them a bit overwhelmed. [...]
So You Think You Can Dance: The Top 20 Special
Posted: 26 Oct 2009
Big news tonight on “So You Think You Can Dance” – Adam Shankman is now permanent judge and Nigel had a chair beside him for a very special guest judge – Paula Abdul (if she shows up). After a cool group dance, hip hoppers Russell, Kevin, and Legacy did a very exciting routine that [...]
So You Think You Can Dance: The Top 20 Are Revealed!
Posted: 24 Oct 2009
It was the moment everyone had been waiting for in “So You Think You Can Dance” – the announcement of the top 20 dancers. Included in the Top 20 was several firsts – a married couple, a krumper, and a tapper.
Females
Channing Cooke
Ariana Debose
Ashleigh Di Lello
Mollee Gray
Karen Hauer
Noelle Marsh
Pauline Mata
Kathryn McCormick
Bianca Revels
Ellenore Scott
Males
Phillip Attmore
Billy [...]
So You Think You Can Dance: Las Vegas week continues
Posted: 14 Oct 2009
Las Vegas week continued tonight on So You Think You Can Dance, with the remaining dancers beginning Day 2 by learning a jazz routine. The day started with 77 dancers left in contention, but by 9 pm that night there were 69 left. After the jazz round the dancers were broken into groups and asked [...]
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.
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