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Changes Ahead For SYTYCD Season Six
"So You Think You Can Dance" just wrapped up its fifth season and sooner than you can get Mary Murphy's ear piercing screams out of your head, it will be back. SYTYCD is moving to the Fall. It's an experiment FOX is hoping will pay off in ratings gold. The good news, if you are a fan, is that you don't have to wait long for more fantastic dancing. The bad news is that if the show performs well they most likely will not do a summer run next year.
Personally, I think SYTYCD has been a fantastic summer distraction and a reason to stay indoors. However, I'm thrilled for them to finally show those "Dancing With the Stars" celebrities what dancing is really all about. The two shows will go head to head on Tuesday nights this fall.
On Friday afternoon I was invited to a photo shoot with the judges -- Mary, Nigel Lythgoe and host Cat Deeley. We discussed what changes might be coming for the show, how they feel about the direct competition with DWTS and where Nigel stands with Paula Abdul joining the show.
While the format for season six remains the same, with 20 dancers competing for the title of America's best dancer, Nigel (as executive producer of the show) plans to make some changes. His first idea is to offer the top 20 a chance to dance without America voting.
"We get so many complaints with both this and Idol that they have seen certain members of the top 20, but they haven't seen them all. They don't know who they are," Nigel explains. "I would love to do a top 20 show where they are not in competition. They are just showing us what their style is and how good they are and how deserving they are of being in the top 20 and then start the competition a week later."
Nigel reveals we can expect more celebrity dancers (a la: Katie Holmes) and celebrity judges (a la: Ellen DeGeneres) as well as a change in the results shows.
"I would like to sort of do a competition so we can introduce Latin American ballroom formation teams. I love stepping. I don't mind a tap formation team. So anything that we can put in there to try and get more dance."
Nigel says we won't be seeing any more Russian folk dancing but he is hoping to add in a tap dance routine this season and a South African pantsula routine. The one unanswered question is whether or not Paula Abdul might be joining the series in some capacity.
Nigel's planned meeting in Vegas did not occur due to her being under the weather. He is going on a European vacation (during which his son will be getting married in Italy) and then he says he will try and woo Paula to the show in some capacity.
"We are not starting our main series until October because we have gotten all the auditions out of the way. So I have got plenty of time when I get back."
Mary is thrilled with the possibility of Paula joining the team, "Although I'm not sure America would be ready for me and Paula sitting next to each other," she jokes.
As for the overlap with DWTS this season, "There can never be enough dancing on TV for me. I hope the public feels the same and I think they will."
The two shows will also share space backstage as they both tape next door to each other at CBS Television City Studios ("Idol" also tapes right there, during the spring).
"How great is that for me?" Mary says, "I mean, I'm ballroom.... I know all the kids over there. So it's gonna be great for me because I'll be able to go back and forth and pop in on those guys all the time."
Cat also believes there is plenty of room for both shows. "I love the fact that we have got 'Dancing With the Stars' and it's so popular because it means that dance as a genre is so popular and we kind of feed off each other," she said adding, "I think our demographics are very different. Our demo skews much younger so in actuality we are not kind of competing for the same audience."
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