So You Think You Can Dance 7 (Courtesy Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)
So You Think You Can Dance is a United States television reality program and dance competition airing on the Fox Broadcasting Company network. Season seven premiered on May 27, 2010. In the August 12 finale, contemporary dancer Lauren Froderman was named "America's Favorite Dancer" and received the grand prize of $250,000, as well as an appearance on the cover of Dance Spirit magazine and in print advertising for Gatorade. Contemporary dancers Kent Boyd and Robert Roldan were named runner-up and third place finisher, respectively.
Judging panel
Nigel Lythgoe and Adam Shankman returned as permanent judges and Cat Deeley returned to host. Mary Murphy stepped down from her judging position, but guest judged during Las Vegas week and made an appearance at the finale. Mia Michaels became the third permanent judge for this season. During the auditions, various guest judges joined Lythgoe, including Shankman and Michaels along with others. This is Michaels' first and only season of being a permanent judge. It was announced in early 2011 that Mary Murphy would return as a permanent judge for season 8. Michaels left because she felt she didn't fit well on the panel and wanted to do her own work without being linked to the show.
Judges: Nigel Lythgoe, Mary Murphy, Adam Shankman, Toni Redpath, Lil' C, Tyce Diorio Day 1 kicks off with individual solos, Day 2 is hip-hop, Day 3 is cha-cha, Day 4 is broadway, Day 5 is group routines, Day 6 is Contemporary, and the final day is individual solos.
The Las Vegas callbacks were held at Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Executive producer Nigel Lythgoe has stated numerous format changes for this season.
Instead of naming a top 20 to compete in the finals, the show planned on selecting a top 10, and ended up accepting an extra dancer to create a top 11. The contestants were informed of their inclusion in the finals by the judges either traveling to each dancer's home or personally telephoning them to reveal their fate. This is in contrast to previous seasons where the contestants walked down a long corridor to face the judging panel.
Rather than partnering up the contestants with each other and eliminating two every week, partners were chosen at random each week from a pool of All-Stars and they'll be voted as individuals every week, which was composed of top dancers that have appeared in previous seasons of the show. The competitors performed in their All-Star partners' specialized styles, and one dancer was eliminated every week. Only three contestants were featured in the finale, as opposed to the usual four.
On June 16, 2010"the first performance show"host Cat Deeley revealed that the phone numbers viewers needed to dial to vote for their favorite contestant(s) were changed to 1-888-6BEST## from the usual 1-866-TEMPO##, ## being the numerical order of the contestant. This year also marks the first season in which, just like the results shows in all seasons prior, the performance shows were aired live, as opposed to being taped earlier in the week. This is also the first season to be broadcast in high-definition video.
Top 11 finalists
Male contestants
Finalist
Age
Home Town
Dance Style
Elimination date
Placement
Kent Boyd
19
Botkins, Ohio
Contemporary
August 12, 2010
Runner-Up
Robert Roldan
20
Thousand Oaks, California
Contemporary
August 12, 2010
Third
AdéChiké Torbert
23
Brooklyn, New York
Contemporary
August 5, 2010
Fourth
Jose Ruiz
21
Pembroke Pines, Florida
Breakdance
July 29, 2010
Fifth
Billy Bell
20
Loxahatchee, Florida
Contemporary
Sixth
Alex Wong
23
Vancouver, British Columbia
Ballet
July 8, 2010 (Injured)
Eighth
Female contestants
Finalist
Age
Home Town
Dance Style
Elimination date
Placement
Lauren Froderman
19
Phoenix, Arizona
Contemporary
Won
Winner
Ashley Galvan
20
Visalia, California
Lyrical Jazz
July 15, 2010 (Injured)
Seventh
Melinda Sullivan
22
Thousand Oaks, California
Tap
July 1, 2010
Ninth
Cristina Santana
24
San Diego, California
Salsa
June 24, 2010
Tenth
Alexie Agdeppa
26
Rowland Heights, California
Contemporary
June 17, 2010
Eleventh
Elimination chart
Legend
Female
Male
Bottom 3 contestants
Bottom 2 contestants
Injury
Result show date:
6/17
6/24
7/1
7/8
7/15
7/22
7/29
8/5
8/12
Contestant
Results
Btm 3
Winner
Kent Boyd
Runner-Up
Robert Roldan
Btm 3
Btm 3
Btm 2
3rd place
AdéChiké Torbert
Elim
Billy Bell
Btm 3
Btm 2
Btm 2
Injury
Elim
Jose Ruiz
Btm 2
Btm 2
Ashley Galvan
Btm 2
Injury
Alex Wong
Injury
Melinda Sullivan
Btm 3
Btm 3
Elim
Cristina Santana
Btm 3
Elim
Alexie Agdeppa
Elim
Performance shows
The dancers that are marked in bold are contestants.
^ Shean was asked to step in due to an injury sustained by Allison Holker.
^ Marla, the assistant choreographer, was asked to step in due to contestant Alex Wong sustaining an injury during rehearsal that would force his withdrawal from the competition.
Alex was forced to do foxtrott with Anya, but due to his injury, it was cancelled.
Group dance: "When We Dance""Sting (Contemporary; Choreographer: Mia Michaels)
Guest dancer(s):
Touring cast of In the Heights: "96,000" from In the Heights (Choreographer: Andy Blankenbuehler)
All-Stars Pasha & Anya - Cha-Cha from Season 3 Auditions; Song: "Magic Carpet Ride""Mighty Dub Katz
Bottom 3's solos:
Dancer
Style
Music
Result
Alex Wong
N/A
Withdrew
Billy Bell
Contemporary
"To Build a Home""The Cinematic Orchestra
Safe
Ashley Galvan
Contemporary
"Lost" (Acoustic version)"Anouk
Safe
^ Wong sustained an injury to his Achilles tendon during rehearsal and was unable to perform during the show on 7/7/2010. He was therefore automatically placed in the bottom 3 and in danger of elimination. Due to the seriousness of the injury, Wong needed surgery and 3 months of recuperation and was forced to leave the competition, causing both Bell and Galvan to be safe to continue into the next week.
Week 5 (July 15, 2010)
Group dance: "Charleston" from Billion Dollar Baby (Broadway; Choreographer: Tyce Diorio)
Guest dancer(s):
Fernando Martín-Gullans and Lauren Vayser from Mary Murphy's Champion Ballroom Academy ("Jailhouse Rock""Elvis Presley); Jive
Jamar Roberts and Rachael McLaren from the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater ("Gravity's Angel""Laurie Anderson; Contemporary ballet)
All-Stars Twitch & Comfort: ("Forever""Chris Brown; Choreographer: Dave Scott; Hip-hop)
Bottom 3's solos:
Dancer
Style
Music
Result
Ashley Galvan
N/A
Withdrew
Billy Bell
Contemporary
"Stand by Me""Ben E. King
Safe
Jose Ruiz
Breaking
"Chicken Bone Circuit""RJD2
Safe
^ Galvan sustained an injury to a rib on Monday July 12, 2010. Unable to perform, she was automatically placed in the bottom 3 for the week.
Week 6 (July 22, 2010)
Group dance: "All That Jazz""Lea DeLaria; Choreographer: Kelley Abbey
Guest dancer(s):
Soloists Yuriko Kajiya and Jared Matthews from American Ballet Theater-Don Quixote Act III Grand Pas de Deux
DJ Smart-Contemporary
All-Stars Lauren & Neil - Jazz from Season 3 "Night of the Dancing Flame" - Roisin Murphy
Bottom 3's solos:
Dancer
Style
Music
Result
Billy Bell
N/A
Safe
Robert Roldan
Contemporary
"Fireflies""Ron Pope
Safe
Jose Ruiz
B-boying
"It's Just Begun""Jimmy Castor Bunch
Safe
^ The judges chose not to eliminate anyone, which means that two people are to be eliminated in week seven.
Week 7 (July 29, 2010)
Group dance: "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic""Sting (Contemporary; Choreographer: Mia Michaels)
Guest dancer(s): Cast of Step Up 3D, to "Already Taken" by Trey Songz, "My Own Step (Theme from Step Up 3D)" by Roscoe Dash & T-Pain featuring Fabo and "This Instant" by Sophia Fresh featuring T-Pain
Bottom 3's solos:
Dancer
Style
Music
Result
Jose Ruiz
B-boying
"Hot Music""Soho
Eliminated
Billy Bell
Contemporary
"Szerencsetlen""Venetian Snares
Eliminated
Lauren Froderman
Contemporary Jazz
"Let's Get It On""Marvin Gaye
Safe
Week 8 (August 5, 2010)
Group dance (All-Stars): "Drumming Song""Florence & the Machine (Contemporary; Choreographer: Dee Caspary)
Guest dancer(s): Desmond Richardson ("Sympathy for the Devil""The Rolling Stones)
The All-Stars Dance Pool features some of the best and most popular dancers that have been featured on previous seasons. They acted as partners for the top eleven contestants this season, and rotated every week. Each of the dancers represents one specific style of dance and only danced in that genre with a partner. They did not choreograph any routines but learned them just as the contestants did.
^ Allison had an old back injury flare up so for this dance she was replaced by Season 4's Katee Shean (3rd Place)
^ McCormick was asked to step in for competing contestant Ashley Galvan, who suffered a rib injury and was unable to compete.
^ Boss was asked to step in for competing contestant Billy Bell, who suffered a knee injury and did not compete.
{{colorbox}} This dancer was eliminated this week.
{{colorbox}} This dancer was in the bottom 2 this week
{{colorbox}} This dancer was in the bottom 3 this week.
{{colorbox}} This dancer did not perform this week due to injury making it the dancer's routine with all-star cancelled.
{{colorbox}} Due to a dancer injury, this All-star stepped in to perform with the injured dancer's contestant partner.
{{colorbox}} This All-Star did not perform this week and had someone else step in for them.
{{colorbox}} This All-Star did not perform this week.
{{colorbox}} This dancer won the competition
Tour
The SYTYCD 2010 Season 7 tour took place in 40 cities across the USA, creating many sold-out shows. It took place from the end of September to the end of November. The dancers from Season 7 for the tour were Lauren Froderman, Kent Boyd, Robert Roldan, AdéChiké Torbert, Billy Bell, Jose Ruiz, and Ashley Galvan. The all-stars for the tour were Allison Holker from Season 2, Dominic Sandoval from Season 3, Courtney Galiano from Season 4, Ade Obayomi from Season 5 and Kathryn McCormick from Season 6. Also featured was the winner of Season 6, Russell Ferguson.