# So You Think You Can Dance -- SYTYCD -- Fall 2009 **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 7, 2009, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-you-think-you-can-dance-sytycd-fall-2009/509165 "2009-09-07T15:34:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2009, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-you-think-you-can-dance-sytycd-fall-2009/509165/1 "2009-09-07T15:34:01Z")
Believe it or not, the new season starts this week. There’s a one-hour show this Wednesday and another next Wednesday, both with audition footage. Presumably the real stuff will start ramping up at the end of the month. ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2009, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-you-think-you-can-dance-sytycd-fall-2009/509165/2 "2009-09-07T16:16:14Z")
I feel a little bad for Jeanine, who has the satisfaction of being America’s Favorite Dancer for a whole…3 months? Talk about getting pushed out of the limelight in a hurry… ---
**Author:** ![Avarie537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/48db29/32.png) [@Avarie537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Avarie537)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2009, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-you-think-you-can-dance-sytycd-fall-2009/509165/3 "2009-09-08T14:08:58Z")
Whee! I’ll go set the Tivo. ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2009, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-you-think-you-can-dance-sytycd-fall-2009/509165/4 "2009-09-08T14:29:43Z")
> [@ArchiveGuy](#): > > I feel a little bad for Jeanine, who has the satisfaction of being America’s Favorite Dancer for a whole…3 months? Talk about getting pushed out of the limelight in a hurry… Ooh, I hadn’t thought of that. ---
**Author:** ![Boggette](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/858c86/32.png) [@Boggette](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boggette)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2009, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-you-think-you-can-dance-sytycd-fall-2009/509165/5 "2009-09-08T15:09:57Z")
At least they spoke to her following her ‘crowning’. Previous years, they announced the winner, dropped the balloons, and ended the show. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2009, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-you-think-you-can-dance-sytycd-fall-2009/509165/6 "2009-09-08T15:19:00Z")
> [@ArchiveGuy](#): > > I feel a little bad for Jeanine, who has the satisfaction of being America’s Favorite Dancer for a whole…3 months? Talk about getting pushed out of the limelight in a hurry… I’m sure she’s way more psyched about the money and the exposure than she is about the title. (What’s the performer’s equivalent of a resume/CV? Do you think she lists it on that as the title – “America’s Favorite Dancer” – or just “winner, season 6”?) ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2009, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-you-think-you-can-dance-sytycd-fall-2009/509165/7 "2009-09-08T18:05:49Z")
> [@Boggette](#): > > At least they spoke to her following her ‘crowning’. Previous years, they announced the winner, dropped the balloons, and ended the show. Another improvement was that they had farewell montages for the last two finalists. Usually, they’d just announce the winner, so the also-ran didn’t even get a highlight reel. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2009, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-you-think-you-can-dance-sytycd-fall-2009/509165/8 "2009-09-10T12:34:26Z")
I loooooooooooooove tap, so you know I was in heaven last night. (Ryan is the best of those three, BTW, at least based on what we saw in those snippets.) Loved watching Ryan and … whatshername, Bianca? … trade steps. In the salsa couple, when Nigel asked the partner (Pepe?) why he didn’t audition, what was the answer? General questions – has anyone ever made it to final 20 who didn’t get an automatic ticket to Vegas after the first audition, i.e., without having to do choreography as well? And how many auditions do the name judges watch? Two minutes of dance each, two minutes of comments, a minute to bring in the next person – I’m not seeing how they can do more than 12 an hour, which would be 96 in 8 hours. Are they really only seeing 100-150 per day, or is there some pre-screening involved by people we never see? ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2009, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-you-think-you-can-dance-sytycd-fall-2009/509165/9 "2009-09-10T13:09:39Z")
The first year we watched the show, we hated the auditions – so many incompetents, looking so embarrassed, it felt… I dunno, unpleasant. So, after watching the first audition show, we skipped the next few and started watching when they had their top 20. After that, we’ve watched the auditions. It helps understand how terrific those top 20 are, really: even the ones sent home quickly. ---
**Author:** ![YWalker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/6f9a4e/32.png) [@YWalker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YWalker)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2009, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-you-think-you-can-dance-sytycd-fall-2009/509165/10 "2009-09-10T23:29:34Z")
> [@twickster](#): > > In the salsa couple, when Nigel asked the partner (Pepe?) why he didn’t audition, what was the answer? > > General questions – has anyone ever made it to final 20 who didn’t get an automatic ticket to Vegas after the first audition, i.e., without having to do choreography as well? I think it was something like “I don’t have as much dance background as she does.” Background or no, though, I thought he was better than she was. Didn’t Philip have to go to choreography last year? ---
**Author:** ![cactus\_waltz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/74df32/32.png) [@cactus\_waltz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cactus_waltz)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2009, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-you-think-you-can-dance-sytycd-fall-2009/509165/11 "2009-09-10T23:53:19Z")
Hooray, it’s the return of the good Idol show. My brain says that it’s really a bit too soon for a new season and that the show is risking over-exposure. But my heart cannot have too much of it. Here’s hoping that we see more dancers who are specialised in things other than contemporary or hip hop. ---
**Author:** ![DudleyGarrett](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d9b06d/32.png) [@DudleyGarrett](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DudleyGarrett)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2009, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-you-think-you-can-dance-sytycd-fall-2009/509165/12 "2009-09-11T00:56:49Z")
We just watched this show. It’s truly a great production. I wondered why Evan was chosen over Ryan last year – Ryan is much, much better. Hopefully we’ll get to see him stick around a lot longer this time around. ---
**Author:** ![Serenata67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/serenata67/32/10646_2.png) [@Serenata67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Serenata67)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2009, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-you-think-you-can-dance-sytycd-fall-2009/509165/13 "2009-09-11T02:37:50Z")
> [@twickster](#): > > I loooooooooooooove tap, so you know I was in heaven last night. (Ryan is the best of those three, BTW, at least based on what we saw in those snippets.) Loved watching Ryan and … whatshername, Bianca? … trade steps. So thrilled about this. LOVE tappers! ---
**Author:** ![corkboard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9bcb4/32.png) [@corkboard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/corkboard)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2009, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-you-think-you-can-dance-sytycd-fall-2009/509165/14 "2009-09-11T13:49:31Z")
I thought the third tapper/final dancer was better than Ryan and Bianca. Let me qualify that- not knowing much about the technical aspects of tap, I can’t say who was _better_, but I was more entertained by the third tapper. And Bianca got her ticket without even having to perform her audition piece! I guess she’s accomplished and all, but I sort of got the sense that based on their comments (“we’ve never had so many tappers audition!”) that they were stacking the deck, so to speak, to let them get weeded out in Vegas. And I’m sick to death of the ‘human interest’ segments about the crippled/handicapped/single mother who has “given it all up for me and drove across the country with nothing in our car but clothes and air mattresses just so I could audition” stories. Just cue music, already. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2009, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-you-think-you-can-dance-sytycd-fall-2009/509165/15 "2009-09-11T14:09:06Z")
> [@DudleyGarrett](#): > > We just watched this show. It’s truly a great production. > > I wondered why Evan was chosen over Ryan last year – Ryan is much, much better. Hopefully we’ll get to see him stick around a lot longer this time around. I was thinking about this – my guess is that it’s because they _know_ Ryan is a much better dancer than Evan. They put through Evan, knowing that they were doing a fall season. It didn’t really matter how well Evan did (way better than anyone expected, as it turned out, based on his charm) – they had a killer contestant on tap for the fall season. It wouldn’t really work to use both of them if they used the better dancer first. Ryan is a lock for top 20, and I expect him to do very well indeed – if he’s been touring in _Fosse_, you know he’s got serious skill and versatility. I’ll just be curious to see which, if either, of the other two tappers make it to top 20. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2009, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-you-think-you-can-dance-sytycd-fall-2009/509165/16 "2009-09-11T14:12:16Z")
> [@YWalker](#): > > Didn’t Philip have to go to choreography last year? Might have – I don’t remember. (Seriously, the way y’all keep track of everyone and remember all the various numbers they did – I’m awestruck.) ---
**Author:** ![YWalker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/6f9a4e/32.png) [@YWalker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YWalker)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2009, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-you-think-you-can-dance-sytycd-fall-2009/509165/17 "2009-09-11T14:17:32Z")
> [@corkboard](#): > > And Bianca got her ticket without even having to perform her audition piece! I guess she’s accomplished and all, but I sort of got the sense that based on their comments (“we’ve never had so many tappers audition!”) that they were stacking the deck, so to speak, to let them get weeded out in Vegas. Yeah, but the story they did in the run-up to her audition showed that this was going to be something like the 4th time she’d auditioned. They’d seen her several times before, and knew she had talent. The tap contest she did with Ryan was, I thought, adequate proof of her abilities. Like you, though, I get the feeling that they are stacking the deck a little bit. My bet is that this year they will have a new choreographer who will be able to do a tap number now that they have the talent to perform it. ---
**Author:** ![Serenata67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/serenata67/32/10646_2.png) [@Serenata67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Serenata67)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2009, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-you-think-you-can-dance-sytycd-fall-2009/509165/18 "2009-09-12T00:35:15Z")
> [@twickster](#): > > Might have – I don’t remember. (Seriously, the way y’all keep track of everyone and remember all the various numbers they did – I’m awestruck.) Yeah, he did. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2009, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-you-think-you-can-dance-sytycd-fall-2009/509165/19 "2009-09-17T14:21:35Z")
Not entirely sure why they sent the deaf girl to Vegas – there’s no freakin’ way she’ll make top 20. And apparently someone took the judges aside last season after the same-sex ballroom pair and explained a few things to them – much different reaction this season, no? I look forward to seeing more of them both in Vegas, and hope that one or the other of them makes top 20. ---
**Author:** ![corkboard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9bcb4/32.png) [@corkboard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/corkboard)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2009, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-you-think-you-can-dance-sytycd-fall-2009/509165/20 "2009-09-17T16:10:23Z")
I loved the bit with the blond girl who they initially liked, and seemed ready to move to choreography. Nigel said something like “very nice form. But I have to ask, have you ever been abducted by aliens?” and the girl replied, with a look that was meant to separate her from all the other weirdos that preceded her, “only once”. I think the deaf girl must have had a hell of a time reading Mary’s lips, which are so botoxed into submission they barely move. I think she just nodded politely until she saw Mary getting choked up and just assumed she was saying someting kind. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-you-think-you-can-dance-sytycd-fall-2009/509165.md?page=2)