SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE (USA)

"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 their 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.