FOX
"I was getting bored."
So says Nigel Lythgoe, producer and judge of Fox's So You Think You Can Dance, in a recent interview with Zap2it. So when the seventh season of the popular dance competition premieres this Thursday at 8 p.m. ET, it will feature a new format and a judging panel switcheroo.
No longer will there be 20 finalists paired with one another, and two expelled each week. Instead, 10 competitors will pair up with 10, non-competing "all-stars" (SYTYCD contestants from previous seasons). At each episode's end, when a pair's scores put them in last place, only one dancer will be booted from the competition, not two. "It sounds good in theory, so hopefully it works," Lythgoe says. "Before, if you had two people who couldn't do hip-hop, you had a terrible routine. Now at least you have one good person."
As for the judges, Mary Murphy and Mia Michaels will switch roles, with Murphy focusing on occasional choreography and Michaels taking up residence between Lythgoe and Adam Shankman at the judging table. "Mia's outspoken approach combined with Adam's passion will definitely add a fresh new chemistry to the panel," Lythgoe says in a TV Guide interview. Murphy's tendency towards caterwauling doesn't appear to have been a factor in her reassignment.
Do you think the format changes will make 'SYTYCD' better? Chime in below!
