So you think you can IDOL!!!

The season premier of American idol starts tonight. I must admit I have watched almost every episode of American idol since it aired (I missed one episode in season 2). Over the last few years I have noticed a decline in the show. Over the last 3 years one of my favorite shows (my favorite summer show) is So You Think You Can Dance (SYTYCD). The decline of American idol may be a figment of my imagination. Having said that, there are several reasons why I find (SYTYCD) more appealing at this time then American Idol. I think SYTYCD highlights many of the flaws I see in American Idol.


The format forces the contestants to grow. The performers can’t just “make every song your own” and sing all different genres the same way and not change. Performers have to actually learn something new every week. The result is a very well rounded performer.

The judges on SYTYCD ALL know what they are talking about and are not just polar caricatures. They are also all dancers. How can you have a singing contest where none of the judges are actually singers? Randy is a great producer and a good bass player, Paula is a choreographer that sings and Simon is an executive. I do not doubt there expertise in the music business but they are judging something that they themselves are not proficient in.

I get the impression that the judges on SYTYCD actually pick the 20 best dancers. Idol does NOT pick the 20 best voices. As a result you are left with people that shouldn’t be there in the end and they should have never been there in the first place. In my opinion you can’t begin to judge the intangibles until all of the performers have a level of proficiency. You can’t judge things like stage presence, personality, and sex appeal until EVERYONE IN THE COMPETITON CAN SING. By factoring in these intangibles too early in the process you are left with people that hang around in the competition because they are nice or good looking or something other than their musical ability. This is why I believe the ending is often times anti climactic.

The way people are eliminated in SYTYCD provides audience participation but does not allow for audience stupidity. I am by no means an elitist but there is something to be said for having a bottom three and then having the judges pick who leaves the completion. I have disagreed with the judges on SYTYCD at times but the process is much better then the idol process.

The fact that the choreographers make up one of the judging slots provides a very interesting relationship. The judging relationship then becomes more a teacher being critical of a student and not some ruthless judges trying to advance their own egos and agendas. This teacher relationship may be present in Idol but it is not readily apparent to the viewer. The people who go home on SYTYCD still learn something instead of just being yelled at as on Idol.


The format forces the contestants to grow. You can’t just make every song your own and sing all different genres in your own style and not change. You have to actually learn something new every week. The result is a very well rounded performer.

Aside from this there is Ryan Seacrest who is totally worthless (but apparently not as worthless as Brian Dunkleman). At least Kat Deely has a nice voice and long legs. Let us also not forget the THE HOT TOMALE TRAIN and A FREAKIN CATCHY THEME SONG.

So you think you can
DANCE dance dance ,,,,,,,,

I still like idol. I think that it is an appealing idea that someone can go from obscurity stand in line for a few hours and end up a recording artist. I just think that so you think you can dance highlights flaws in the Idol format. Just an opinion.
Id love to hear what others think of these 2 shows.