Favoritism on So You Think You Can Dance

Two summers ago, I got hooked on "So You Think You Can Dance." I saw the previews for it during the American Idol season and wanted to check it out. I ended up getting sucked in by the talents of a lot of these men and women. One of the most enjoyable parts of the show for me was seeing hip hop dancers perform ballroom, or vice versa. How fun is it to watch a dancer perform in a style they have no training or familiarity with?

This year, though, there is a blatant problem with one of my favorite summer series. I believe that the judges showed favoritism when selecting a few people that made the top 20 finalists. Let's take a look at the break down between some of these dancers:

Danny Tidwell is the adopted brother of last season's runner up, Travis Wall.

Faina Savich, whose run on the show came to an end last night (June 21), is the brother of season 2 top 20 finalist Stanislav who got ousted in the first week.

Lacey Schwimmer is the sister of last year's winner Benji.

Lauren Gottleib assisted choreographer Tyce Diorio last year with some of his routines.

Break dancer Hok is a friend of season 1 breaker Ryan.

I'm not trying to say that none of these people have true talent, except maybe for Lauren, who personally leaves me feeling cold. That is another article altogether though.

I watched the episode where the judges selected the top 20 finalists. What bothered me is that when the dancer who was connected to a past contestant was up against someone else, a judge would give them a speech about how they shouldn't show favoritism. This happened when Lacey was up against another dancer named Kristen for the final female slot in the top 20. Kristen expressed wanting the last slot so badly, but Lacey did not show any of that. After a speech about favoritism and how hard the decision was, Lacey was given the last spot. So how is it that you're not favoring anyone yet giving the sister of last year's winner a top 20 slot?

Honestly, I think the judges, particularly executive producer Nigel Lythgoe, deserved a fat "Yeah right!" for their favoritism speech. If they truly weren't showing any, they would've selected Kristen over Lacey or fellow breaker Twitch over Hok. That didn't seem to be the case though. It makes me wonder if any of the five dancers I listed would've gotten in if they didn't have connections to prior contestants. Is the dance world really so small? If the panel acts this way in future seasons, I have a feeling that the favoritism towards those who know past contestants will be the show's downfall.

The judges' favoring certain contestants leaves a lot of unanswered questions. Will another Schwimmer become America's Favorite Dancer? Will Lauren, who to some (me included) has been so far mediocre, be able to coast through on subpar performing because she knows Tyce? Faina did not even manage to last much longer than her brother. Quite honestly, I think Nigel and Co. should've put another female dancer through in her place. She was pretty weak in everything outside her own style and wasn't very memorable when she did dance ballroom.

Also, why is the Schwimmer family getting so much screen time? Don't these other contestants have families in the audience? Try showing them once in awhile.

It's still early in the season, so it will be interesting to see how things shape up for the remaining favored contestants. In the future, though, I think the producers of the show should make things fair for those who are not as lucky to know past competitors. Here are some rules I feel are appropriate to enforce on those with connections:

-Anyone who knows a prior top 20 contestant cannot audition in the season following their friend's or relative's audition/appearance on the show (example: Lacey should've been made to wait until season 4).

-Alternative to above: If you are connected to a choreographer or former top 20 contestant, you are not eligible to audition.

-If you do know someone who has competed on the show, you understand that you can be cut at any time regardless of who you know instead of getting a free pass to the top 20.

-There should be a limit on people connected to a contestant that are allowed to audition (example: no more than five of Travis' family members should be eligible for the show).

If you notice in real life, employees of retail stores or radio stations who run contests are not eligible to win those contests. No one has ever objected to that rule. Why are dancers who are direct family members of past contestants or who assist choreographers allowed to audition then?

So, to recap: You're a dancer who's somehow connected to a former contestant or choreographer? This may be the reality show for you to audition for. Nigel will tell you he won't show favoritism towards you, and then do whatever he can to ensure you make it far. Hey, even your former contestant family member can sit in the audience and still be shown on camera every week. What are you waiting for? Start planning for your audition for the fourth season of So You Think You Can Dance!