So You Think You Can Dance is an American reality television program and dance competition airing on the Fox network. Season three premiered May 24, 2007.
Cat Deeley returned for her second consecutive season as host. Nigel Lythgoe returned as a permanent judge, joined this season by choreographer Mary Murphy.TV Guide (March 8, 2007) The remaining third—and during Vegas Week, fourth—judging spot was filled by a guest judge (see main article).
Auditions Open auditions were held in the following locations: Audition VenueCityDateGuest Judges(s)Manhattan Center Theatre New York City, New York March 1–3, 2007 Dan KaratyChicago Theatre Chicago, Illinois March 8–10, 2007 Shane SparksOrpheum Theatre Los Angeles, California March 22–24, 2007 Wade RobsonFox Theatre Atlanta, Georgia April 5–7, 2007 Shane Sparks
Vegas week As in the previous season, those making the cut moved on to an intensive week of dance training in Las Vegas, Nevada. This season, Vegas week included hip-hop choreography taught by Shane Sparks, samba choreography taught by Mary Murphy with assistance from season two contestant Dmitry Chaplin, and contemporary choreography taught by Mia Michaels. The contestants that survived the cuts following those rounds were divided into groups, asked to randomly select from a box a CD containing one of five possible music types, and choreograph a routine to the song on their chosen disk. The contestants remaining after the group choreography round were asked to perform one last solo, following which the group was whittled down to 34 contestants—each gender: 17 female, 17 male. From this 34, the judges chose their top 20.
Contestant(s)Task/styleMusicChoreographer(s)AllHip-hop"Last Night"—Diddy feat. Keyshia ColeShane SparksAllSamba"Baila, Baila"—Angela ViaMary Murphy with Dmitry ChaplinAllContemporary"I Miss You"—Vitamin String QuartetMia MichaelsGroupsChosen out of a hatGroupsAll (individual)SoloIndividual songs chosen by contestantThe contestant
Studio Shows Format As in season 2, the studio shows began with 20 contestants, ten female and ten male. After partners are assigned, couples pick a dance style out of a hat, are rehearsed by a choreographer, and perform their routine, which is taped two days prior to airing. Following the airing of the performances, home viewers vote for their favorite couple. The bottom three couples (six contestants overall) are then liable for elimination by the judges on the live, or broadcast on tape delay in the western United States, results show. All six contestants perform a solo, after which the judges eliminate one female and one male contestant. If the eliminated contestants are not from the same couple, their respective partners form a new pair for the following week's performances. Once the field of contestants is narrowed down to the top 10, permanent partnerships dissolve and contestants draw their new partners from a hat each week. The judges no longer have any say in the elimination process; viewers call in to vote for their favorite individual contestant, and the female and male with the lowest number of votes are eliminated each week.
Recurring theme Mary Murphy's loud, high pitched scream, reserved for performances she liked best, made a reappearance this season, along with the added element of the "hot tamale train", which can make the viewers have the ability to keep dancers safe from elimination. On the first performance show, Murphy enjoyed Anya Garnis and Danny Tidwell's jive performance so much, she made a metaphor of a "hot tamale train" having "just pulled up and let Anya off the train, special delivery." Two weeks later, she gave Sabra Johnson and Dominic Sandoval "two tickets on the hot tamale train" for their outstanding rumba performance. The phrase was regularly referred to by Murphy throughout the rest of the season, sometimes with an added distinction of being in "first class" for truly extraordinary routines. On the week before the final performance show, she brought the metaphor to a close by noting that the "hot tamale train was entering finale station."
Controversy The sixth week of competition marked controversy surrounding Emmy-nominated choreographers Wade Robson and Mia Michaels.
The controversy regarding Wade Robson was due to the anti-war solo routine he created for the top 10 contestants. His choreography was meant to be a dance promoting peace, but was considered by some viewers as a political statement against the Iraq War. The dancers wore T-shirts on which they painted words of their own choosing, such as "compassion", "understanding", "unity", and "peace." The following night, Nigel Lythgoe addressed the controversy by stating that the choreography was not in any way meant to be against the troops fighting in the war. He did not wish anyone to be offended by a routine that had words such as "peace" and "compassion" in it. To make light of the moment, Lythgoe joked that he was more upset to have seen the same routine ten times.
The controversy surrounding Mia Michaels was regarding a jacket she wore during the performance show. The garment was a United States Marine Corps Blue Dress jacket with red piping, which only enlisted Marines are able to wear. In addition, a Marine Corps rank insignia was sewn upside-down and in the wrong location on the sleeve. Michaels addressed this by apologizing and stating that a friend of hers had given her the jacket, and that she wore it as a fashion statement, noting that she had no idea of its tradition or that it would offend anyone.
Top 20 Contestants Female Contestants ContestantAgeHome TownDance StyleElimination datePlacement Sabra Johnson 19 Provo, Utah (originally from Netherlands) Contemporary August 16, 2007Winner Lacey Schwimmer 18 San Diego, California Swing August 16, 2007 4th Place Lauren Gottlieb 18 Scottsdale, Arizona Contemporary/Hip-Hop August 13, 2007 Top 6 Sara Von Gillern 20 Rockford, Illinois Breakdance August 2, 2007 Top 8 Jaimie Goodwin 19 Virginia Beach, Virginia Contemporary July 26, 2007 Top 10 Anya Garnis 25 Queens, New York (originally from Russia) Latin Ballroom July 19, 2007 Top 12 Shauna Noland 18 San Jose, California Contemporary July 12, 2007 Top 14 Jessica "Jessi" Peralta 25 Ocala, Florida Contemporary/Hip Hop June 28, 2007 Top 16 Faina Savich 21 Brooklyn, New York Latin Ballroom June 21, 2007 Top 18 Ashlee Langas 19 Tyler, Texas Contemporary June 14, 2007 Top 20
Male Contestants ContestantAgeHome TownDance StyleElimination datePlacement Danny Tidwell † 22 Norfolk, Virginia Contemporary August 16, 2007 Runner Up Neil Haskell 20 Buffalo, New York Contemporary August 16, 2007 3rd Place Pasha Kovalev 27 Wyckoff, New Jersey (originally from Russia) Ballroom August 13, 2007 Top 6 Dominic “D-Trix” Sandoval 21 Sacramento, California Breakdance August 2, 2007 Top 8 Kameron Bink 20 Ocala, Florida Contemporary/Hip Hop July 26, 2007 Top 10 Hokuto “Hok” Konishi 22 Tokyo, Japan Breakdance July 19, 2007 Top 12 Cedric Gardner 22 Milwaukee, Wisconsin Hip Hop July 12, 2007 Top 14 Jesús Solorio 23 Pasadena, California Contemporary June 28, 2007 Top 16 Jimmy Arguello 20 Miami, Florida Contemporary June 21, 2007 Top 18 Ricky Palomino 25 Phoenix, Arizona Contemporary June 14, 2007 Top 20
Elimination chart The song played for the female contestants' elimination was Ryan Cabrera's "I Will Remember You". The song played for the male contestants' elimination was Audio Adrenaline's "Goodbye".
Contestants are in reverse chronological order of elimination. + Legend Female Male Bottom 3 couples Bottom 4 contestants
Week: 6/14 6/21 6/28 7/12 7/19 7/26 8/2 8/13² 8/16 Contestant Result Sabra Johnson Btm 3 Winner Danny Tidwell Btm 3 Btm 3 Btm 3 Runner-up Neil Haskell Btm 3 Btm 3 Btm 4 3rd place Lacey Schwimmer 4th place Pasha Kovalev Btm 3 Elim Lauren Gottlieb Btm 3 Btm 3 Btm 4 Btm 4 Dominic “D-Trix” Sandoval Btm 3 Btm 4 Elim Sara Von Gillern Btm 3 Kameron Bink Elim Jaimie Goodwin Btm 3 Btm 3 Hok Konishi Btm 3 Elim Anya Garnis Btm 3 Btm 3 Cedric Gardner Btm 3 Btm 3 Elim Shauna Noland Btm 3 Jesús Solorio Elim Jessi Peralta Btm 3 Elim¹ Jimmy Arguello Elim Faina Savich Btm 3 Ricky Palomino Elim Ashlee Langas
¹ Because Jessi Peralta was unable to participate in the performance show, she had to perform a solo despite not technically being in the bottom three couples.
² Because Fox aired NFL coverage during the regular Thursday time slot, the results broadcast was pre-recorded and moved to the following Monday. In order to keep the results from leaking before the airing, the audience and nonessential crew were asked to leave the studio, which was locked down, before eliminations were announced.
Performances Week 1 (June 13, 2007) Judges: Nigel Lythgoe, Mary Murphy and Dan Karaty Couple dances: CoupleStyleMusicChoreographer(s)Results Jaimie Goodwin Hokuto Konishi Hip-Hop "Tambourine"—Eve Shane Sparks Safe Anya Garnis Danny Tidwell Jive "Girlfriend"—Avril Lavigne Tony MeredithMelanie LaPatin Safe Lacey Schwimmer Kameron Bink Contemporary "Dancing"—Elisa Mia Michaels Safe Sabra Johnson Dominic “D-Trix” Sandoval Disco "No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)"—Donna Summer & Westlife Bottom 3 Ashlee Langas Ricky Palomino "Sentimiento Tango"—Trio Federico-Berlingieri Alex Da Silva Sara Von Gillern Jesús Solorio Pop-Jazz "Cabaret Hoover" from The Triplets of Belleville (Les Triplettes de Belleville) Wade Robson Safe Jessi Peralta Pasha Kovalev Smooth Waltz "Come Away With Me"—Norah Jones Tony Meredith Safe Faina Savich Cedric Gardner Hip-Hop "Get It Shawty"—Lloyd Shane Sparks Bottom 3 Lauren Gottlieb Neil Haskell Salsa "Friday Night Rhythm"—Mazerati 5 Alex Da Silva Safe Shauna Noland Jimmy Arguello Broadway "Ease On down the Road" from The Wiz Tyce Diorio Safe
Week 2 (June 20, 2007) Judges: Nigel Lythgoe, Mary Murphy and Mia Michaels Couple dances: CoupleStyleMusicChoreographer(s)Result(s) Lauren Gottlieb Neil Haskell Hip-Hop Dave Scott Safe Jessi Peralta Pasha Kovalev Jazz "Stiff Jazz"—dZihan & Kamien Tyce Diorio Bottom 3 Jaimie Goodwin Samba "Bang Bang to the Rock 'n' Roll"—Gabin Safe Sabra Johnson Dominic “D-Trix” Sandoval Contemporary "I'll Stand by You"—The Pretenders Mandy Moore Safe Faina Savich Cedric Gardner Foxtrot "You're the Boss"—Elvis Presley & Ann-Margret Hunter Johnson Lacey Schwimmer Kameron Bink Broadway "Overture/All That Jazz" from Chicago Tyce Diorio Safe Anya Garnis Danny Tidwell Viennese Waltz "You and Me"—Lifehouse Hunter and Cyndi Johnson Safe Shauna Noland Jimmy Arguello Hip-Hop "U Sexy Girl"—Fat Man Scoop feat. Elephant Man and Jabba Dave Scott Sara Von Gillern Jesús Solorio Paso Doble "We Will Rock You (bonus remix)"—Queen Jean-Marc GénéreuxFrance Mousseau Safe
Week 3 (June 27, 2007) Judges: Nigel Lythgoe, Mary Murphy and Debbie Allen Couple dances: CoupleStyleMusicChoreographer(s)Result(s) Sara Von Gillern Jesús Solorio Krump "It's Okay (One Blood)"—The Game Lil' C Jesús Solorio eliminated Shauna Noland Cedric Gardner Contemporary "I Thought We Had"—The Family Stand Mia Michaels Safe Lacey Schwimmer Kameron Bink Quickstep "Big and Bad"—Big Bad Voodoo Daddy Tony MeredithMelanie LaPatin Safe Anya Garnis Danny Tidwell Hip-Hop "Oh Timbaland"—Timbaland Dan KaratyMandy Moore assisting Bottom 3 Sabra Johnson Dominic “D-Trix” Sandoval Rumba "Stickwitu"—The Pussycat Dolls Jean-Marc GénéreuxFrance Mousseau Safe Lauren Gottlieb Neil Haskell Tango "Tanguera"—Sexteto Mayor Jean-Marc GénéreuxFrance Mousseau Bottom 3 Jaimie Goodwin Hokuto Konishi Jazz "The Chairman's Waltz" from Memoirs of a Geisha Wade Robson Safe Jessi Peralta¹ Pasha Kovalev Cha Cha "Let's Get Loud"—Jennifer Lopez Tony MeredithMelanie LaPatin Jessi Peralta eliminated