"So You Think You Can Dance' kickstarted Season 12 by visiting two major American cities, Memphis and Dallas. Contestants who passed auditions received a plane ticket to Las Vegas, Nevada from one of three judges. Season 12 divided contestants into two different categories depending on their choice of dance style, street or stage. Episode 1 aired on Monday, June 1 on FOX at 8/7c.
Season 12 introduced two new judges to the show, former "American Idol' judge Paula Abdul and American singer Jason Derulo. Currently, Team Stage has 43 members and Team Street has 37 members. As the show advances, the number will be cut down to 20 dancers. The Top 20 will be split evenly between Team Stage and Team Street. Each team will have an leader. Travis Wall coaches Team Stage and Stephen "Twitch" Boss coaches Team Street.
"I was a little afraid to do this. It was a lot to take on, but it's a positive show," said Jason Derulo in a recent interview with Zap2it. "There's so much give-and-take, and I've learned so much from being with the show already. I'm able to show much of what I've learned through my career and give the contestants little tidbits."
In the series premiere, four dancers stood out from the pack. Peyton Albrecht, Andre Rucker, Ladia Yates, and Edson Juarez received accolades and positive feedback from all three judges. Albrecht was well-received for her powerful techniques in her stage style dance routine. Rucker, a member of dance crew Dragon House is on Team Street. Yates, also on Team Street was asked by Derulo to teach some of his dance team members her impressive moves. Juarez, a former Season 11 contender was deemed "one of the best performances of the night" by Derulo and "the best" by Abdul.
The winner is named "America's Favorite Dancer" and typically receives a $250,000 cash prize. Auditions for Season 12 began on January 24, 2015 in five major cities in the United States. Ep. 2 airs on Monday, June 8 at 8/7c on FOX. The judges of the show are Nigel Lythgoe, Paula Abdul, and Jason Derulo. The show was created by Simon Fuller and Lythgoe. It is directed by Matthew Diamond and Lythgoe. "So You Think You Can Dance' is hosted by Cat Deeley. The production companies behind the show are 19 Entertainment and Dick Clark Productions. The show won nine Emmy Awards.
