ROUND 1: CONTESTANT CONFLICT
SYTYCD: So You Think You Can Dance? is to dancing what American Idol is to singing. Ordinary people from across the country audition for a chance to be crowned “America’s Favourite Dancer” or, once CTV gets the Canadian version running, “Canada’s Favourite Dancer”. The contestants are on the show because they can actually dance.
STARS: Meanwhile, the only prerequisite for competitors on Dancing with the Stars is that they’re famous. Twelve actors, singers, athletes, models, or celebrities are paired up with a professional dancer to show off their smooth moves (or relaunch their failed careers). Past contestants include Spice Girl Mel B., Olympian Apolo Anton Ohno, and actor Mario Lopez, among others.
Combat Corner isn’t a fame game. SYTYCD steals the first point!
SCORE: SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE? – 1
DANCING WITH THE STARS – 0
ROUND 2: HOSTING HOSTILITY
SYTYCD: If you’re a Reality TV buff, then you may remember Amanda Byram, the Irish-born lass who hosted Paradise Hotel and The Swan, earning her a reputation for being annoyingly superficial. Cat Deeley hosts SYTYCD and, while she isn’t quite as insufferable, she delivers more of the same, old entertainment.
STARS: Tom Bergeron and Samantha Harris co-host Dancing with the Stars as if it were a figure skating championship, with Bergeron as the announcer and Harris as the backstage interviewer who gets the competitors’ reactions. Bonus points go to Bergeron for bringing humour to what could otherwise be a boring display.
Cat has to “dance for her life”! Tom Bergeron bags a point for Dancing with the Stars!
SCORE: SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE? – 1
DANCING WITH THE STARS – 1
ROUND 3: JUDGE JOUST
SYTYCD: The tables have turned and it’s time to judge the judges! Nigel Lythgoe, the show’s producer and would-be Simon Cowell, and choreographer Mary Murphy are joined each week by a rotating guest judge such as director Adam Shankman or choreographer Mia Michaels (who?).
STARS: Dancing with the Stars’ panel of three judges is no less obscure, but the difference is that Len, Bruno, and Carrie Ann have each developed a unique character which makes their opinions more legitimate and their presence more dynamic. Next to these three stars, the judges on SYTYCD look more like three stooges.
Len and Bruno team up to knock out Nigel Lythgoe! Dancing with the Stars pulls ahead…
SCORE: SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE? – 1
DANCING WITH THE STARS – 2
ROUND 4: TALLY TROUBLE
SYTYCD: On SYTYCD, viewers vote for their favourite dancers and the three couples who poll the lowest are forced to perform solos to “dance for their lives”. The judges then eliminate the two worst dancers. In the second half of the finals, the two that receive the fewest votes each week are automatically out.
STARS: Dancing with the Stars combines the judges’ scores out of 30 with the percentage of viewers’ votes that each dancing duo receives in order to determine which star is sent home every week. It’s a simple formula, but it doesn’t yield the same kind of excitement as the sudden death dance-off on SYTYCD.
Dancing with the Stars “dances” around the issue. SYTYCD makes a comeback!
SCORE: SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE? – 2
DANCING WITH THE STARS – 2
ROUND 5: STAGE FRIGHT
SYTYCD: SYTYCD has a huge stage riddled with lights and has showcased some of the hottest musical acts from Fergie to Mika, and Hilary Duff to Rihanna. However, the result is a very impersonal setting that looks like an unoriginal carbon copy of Idol or America’s Got Talent.
STARS: On the other hand, the set of Dancing with the Stars is more intimate, allowing viewers to get up close and personal with their favourite competitors. Though the stage may look small, the show has a live band each week and has had performances by Enrique Iglesias, J-Lo, Nelly Furtado, and Avril Lavigne, among others.
SYTYCD is more glitz than glam. Dancing with the Stars hijacks the “hot tamale train” to win Round 5!
SCORE: SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE? – 2
DANCING WITH THE STARS – 3
ROUND UP: So You Think You Can Dance? Think again. The Idol-inspired dance competition may boast a better crop of contestants and an innovative voting scheme, but its lacklustre host and judging talents leave the Fox program reaching for the “Stars”. Dancing with the Stars waltzes its way to a perfect 30!
Web Links:
www.fox.com/dance
www.abc.com/primetime/dancingwiththestars