Personality, performance, plus perfection equal popularity, says So You Think You Can Dance judge and co-producer Nigel Lythgoe.

Lythgoe says he was “delighted last season to see the finals between Travis and Benji, purely, simply because if you put them together, that would have been the perfect person – performance from Benji, and technique from Travis. That was just the best, I think, we found.”


What does a contestant need to have to win the show? Lythgoe says “I think you’ve got to have personality, performance, perfection; all of those go together and they create the popularity. And at the end of the day, it’s a popularity contest. You’re asking America to like you, and vote for you.”

While “no one knows” what the magic x-factor is to win this show, says Lythgoe, he says that if he knew, he’d be “bottling it.” He does believe that it’s not about technique, though. “It’s about what’s inside you.”

Lythgoe warns potential contestants not to expect the judges to be nice. “We can’t all be Paula Abduls. If you can’t dance, I’m gonna tell you you can’t dance.”

Nigel Lythgoe: “I think the thing that excites me most about season three of So You Think You Can Dance is the talent. We found some great dancers last season, we found some crazies, too, like Ian Bernardo, but I think the real talent…that’s what I’m looking forward to finding.”

The Fox official website for So You Think You Can Dance now says that the premiere of the third season is Thursday, May 24. (What happened to the show on the 23rd?) This will be the previously taped auditions, as usual, with the next twelve weeks both live and taped. This season Mary Murphy’s been made a permanent judge alongside Nigel Lythgoe. Dan Karaty, Mia Michaels, and Shane Sparks are all listed as judges and choreographers as well. Cat Deeley returns as host.


-Mel, BuddyTV Staff Columnist
Source: Fox.com
Photo credit: Fox