Every summer begins the same way.  May rolls around, all of my shows have just finished rolling out their season finales, and I am left with a hole in my heart.  How will I get through this?  Then, like a beacon of light shining through the grey clouds within the depths of my soul, So You Think You Can Dance premieres and I know that everything is going to be okay.

SYTYCD (as the cool kids abbrev it) is the best show of the summer, every summer and I am going to list the reasons why:

1) Dancing! – I will start this one off with a disclaimer.  I. Love. Dancing movies.  That being a said,  a  show that takes the only redeemable quality from dancing movies (no, not the acting) and gives it to me on a weekly basis is always going to be a-OK in my book.  Whether the dancers are launching themselves at each other in a contemporary piece, throwing it down in a hip-hop piece, or getting down in a jazz piece, I am loving every minute. Is every dance number on SYTYCD amazing?  No, but when it delivers, it delivers a beautifully wrapped package containing a bomb that I am to then insert into my ear.  So that it can blow my MIND!

2) Low investment– You can get as involved in SYTYCD as you want.  I have had seasons where I only care about the dancing, so I only watch the dancing.  I have had seasons where I want to know every bit of back story on the contestant, every caterwauling critique from Mary Murphy, every quip from Cat Deeley, so I watch the whole episode. Now, with the new format and no results show, it has become even less high maintenance.

3) Judges – Stay with me on this one.  I like the judges on this show.  Is Mary a bit crazy?  Yes.  Is Nigel a bit pervy?  Yes.  Despite all that, though, they know what they are talking about and it shows.  On occasion, there will be a dance that leaves me feeling less than enthusiastic, but I am not always able to pinpoint why.  That’s where the judges come in.  Plus, the addition of a new guest judge every week mixes it up nicely and gives a different voice to the panel, whether I like that voice (ADAM!) or not (Tyce).

4) The lovely Cat Deeley– If this woman doesn’t win the Emmy for Best Reality Host, I will lose all faith in the Academy (like that hasn’t already happened).  She really is the best out there, though.  She is charming, funny, and shows a genuine interest in the dancers and the choreography.  Girlfriend throws an annual 4th of July BBQ at her house for all of the dancers!

5) Summer tunage – Perhaps the most important reason of all (after dancing, because, c’mon), SYTYCD always supplies me with a solid summer playlist.  Whether they be songs that I have never heard or songs that I have loved my whole life, there is something about setting choreography to song that makes it really stick with you. For example, I can never hear “Ramalama Bang Bang” without “unzip[ping] my body, take my heart out” like in that Wade Robson piece.

There you have it.  Did I miss something?  What has been your favorite dance of the season so far?  (“Bang Bang” or “The Lovecats”, see below) Who is your favorite choreographer? (NappyTabs, Wall, Tookey, or Sonya)  Let us know in the comments below!

– Ellen