So You Think You Can Dance (American season 9)
So You Think You Can Dance, an American television dance competition, returned for its ninth season on May 24, 2012 on FOX Television. Fox and series creator Nigel Lythgoe have each independently confirmed that the weekly results show, a staple of the series in seasons 2-8, has been cut from the show format and that only one episode will air each week for the show's ninth season. This season has marked three firsts in the series history: this season had two winners, as opposed to the single winner format used in previous seasons, a contemporary dancer was not amongst the contestants remaining in the competition in the finale, and lastly, a ballet dancer is the winner of the competition.
Auditions
Open auditions for this season were held in the following locations:| Air Date | Audition Venue | City | Audition Date | Guest judge |
| May 24, 2012 | McFarlin Memorial Auditorium | Dallas, Texas | January 13, 2012 | Lil' C |
| May 24, 2012 | Manhattan Center | New York City | January 23, 2012 | Tyce Diorio |
| May 30, 2012 | Orpheum Theatre | Los Angeles, California | March 2, 2012 | Jesse Tyler Ferguson |
| June 6, 2012 | The Fox Theatre | Atlanta, Georgia | January 5, 2012 | Debbie Allen |
| June 13, 2012 | Capitol Theatre | Salt Lake City, Utah | February 23, 2012 | Adam Shankman |
Las Vegas week
The Las Vegas callbacks were held at Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. For the first time in nine seasons, contestants were allowed to choose their own groups for the group choreography round, in contrast to previous seasons where the groups were assigned. With cuts made following each round of choreography, thirty-five dancers remained at the close of the week, prior to the selection of the Top 20.Finals
Format changes
In January 2012, Fox announced that So You Think You Can Dance would be returning for its ninth season in a format similar to that seen in season one; a single two-hour episode per week, eliminating each week's results show. In an interview shortly thereafter, Lythgoe hinted at a format where each week's episode is ended with the revelation of the bottom three couples but after all dancers had performed the new week's routines, giving the judges an additional routine to take into account when deciding which dancers to save and which to send home for that week. This contrasts with the season one format where judges would nominate a bottom three couples and home viewers would vote out two dancers, the results being pre-taped and shown at the beginning of the next week's episode. Lythgoe also hinted at which elements of the results show were likely to be carried over into the new format, suggesting the group and guest dance routines would be shown priority over guest musical acts.These above changes all proved to be in place once the season's performance shows began airing but were also accompanied by a number of other format tweaks. These additional changes most notably include the fact that the season will crown two winners and that voting for individual dancers began with the first week of the Top 20 competition with 1-855-GO-HIM## for the guys and 1-855-GO-HER## for the girls as opposed to halfway through the performance show phase, as in previous seasons. Additionally there have been tweaks to the format of the "dance for your life" solos, the last chance efforts which dancers are given to impress judges and remain in the competition if the at-home-viewer votes put them in the bottom 6 dancers. In previous seasons, all dancers who were in danger of elimination were automatically assigned to perform such solos but in season 9 the judges, taking into advisement the dancers' previous performances and the advice of the choreographers who have worked with them, will decide each week which dancers will perform solos. For example, in Week 2, the first week of the competition to feature eliminations, the judges decided which two of the six dancers in danger they wished to save without asking for additional solos. By contrast, in week 3 they decided that Lindsay Arnold and George Lawrence Jr. would be safe without being required to perform a solo but the remaining four dancers were required to perform, with two ultimately eliminated.
The ninth season is also the first in which dancers have been able to exert some control over the styles they dance for their duets; Lythgoe revealed during the week 3 performances that during this season couples are given the ability to pick their styles from the pool of available routines for a given week, with the order of choosing determined by drawing lots. Season 9's Top 14 show also became the first episode in the show's history to feature only one style, the first to feature only one choreographer and the first to feature routines from previous seasons danced by new contestants when it aired as a tribute to long-time contributing choreographer Mia Michaels, with seven of her past contemporary routines danced by season 9 contestants.
Top 20 Finalists
Female Contestants
Male Contestants
Elimination chart
Contestants are listed in reverse chronological order of elimination. Haley Reinhart's "Free" is played in the montage of a female contestant's elimination, and Mikey Wax's "Counting On You" is played in the male contestant's.Voting will be based on the individual contestants from the start, rather than from Top 10 on.
Performance shows
Unlike previous seasons, each week's Bottom 6 / Bottom 4 dancers are determined by the previous week's voting. The judge's panel still chooses which of these bottom dancers will be eliminated each week until the Top Ten. However, not all dancers who are in danger of elimination will perform final solos by default; the judges will determine each week which dancers will be asked to perform a "dance for your life" solo, if any. As no voting had been conducted previously, no dancers were eliminated for the Week 1 show; as a result, four dancers were eliminated in the Week 2 show, as opposed to the usual two. No voting took place after the Top 6 performance / Top 4 announcement show. The next week's show was followed by voting, the results of which were announced yet one more week later on the season's grande finale.Meet the Top 20 (June 27, 2012)
- Judges: Nigel Lythgoe, Mary Murphy, Zooey Deschanel
- Performances:
| Dancers | Style | Music | Choreographer |
| Alexa Anderson Amber Jackson George Lawrence, Jr. Will Thomas | Contemporary | "We Found Love" —Jessie J. | Tyce Diorio |
| Lindsay Arnold Nick Bloxsom-Carter Witney Carson | Cha-cha-cha | "Dance Again"—Jennifer Lopez feat. Pitbull | Jason Gilkison |
| Daniel Baker Eliana Girard | Ballet | "Romantic Inclinations/Like A Shot/Fury"—P. Mottram, S. Everitt, G. Shadid, T. Marberger | Dwight Rhoden Desmond Richardson |
| Audrey Case Tiffany Maher Janelle Issis* | Jazz | "Sail"—Awolnation | Sonya Tayeh |
| Janaya French Matthew Kazmierczak Dareian Kujawa Amelia Lowe | Contemporary | "Modern Drift"—Efterklang | Stacey Tookey |
| Cole Horibe Brandon Mitchell Cyrus Spencer | Martial Arts, Stepping, Animation | "Resolve"—Nathan Lanier | Christopher Scott |
| Top 10 girls | Contemporary | "Where the Light Gets In"—Sennen | Travis Wall |
| Top 10 guys | Jazz | "Precognition" —Steed Lord | Sonya Tayeh |
| Top 20 | Contemporary | "Eyes" —Kaskade | Mia Michaels |
Week 1 (July 11, 2012)
- Judges: Nigel Lythgoe, Mary Murphy, Kenny Ortega
- Group dance: "Architect of the Mind"—Kerry Muzzey
- Performances:
| Dancers | Style | Music | Choreographer |
| Witney Carson Chehon Wespi-Tschopp | Samba | "Jump"—The Cube Guys & Lucinana | Louis van Amstel |
| Tiffany Maher George Lawrence Jr. | Contemporary | "Turning Page"—Sleeping At Last | Sonya Tayeh |
| Janaya French Brandon Mitchell | Lyrical hip-hop | "Take Care"—Drake featuring Rihanna | Nappytabs |
| Alexa Anderson Daniel Baker | Jazz | "Hey Hey"— —Dennis Ferrer | Sean Cheesman |
| Amber Jackson Nick Bloxsom-Carter | Viennese Waltz | "Nights in White Satin"—Tina Arena | Jason Gilkison |
| Amelia Lowe Will Thomas | Jazz | "The Lovecats"—The Cure | Nappytabs |
| Janelle Issis Dareian Kujawa | African Jazz | "Jungle"—Hilight Tribe | Sean Cheesman |
| Eliana Girard Cyrus "Glitch" Spencer | Broadway | "Run and Tell That"—Hairspray | Tyce Diorio |
| Audrey Case Matthew Kazmierczak | Contemporary | "Unchained Melody"—The Righteous Brothers | Travis Wall |
| Lindsay Arnold Cole Horibe | Paso Doble | "Unstoppable"—E.S. Posthumus | Jason Gilkison |
Week 2 (July 18, 2012)
- Judges: Nigel Lythgoe, Mary Murphy, Adam Shankman
- Group dance: "The Beautiful People "—Marilyn Manson
- Guest dancers: Dancers from '
| Dancers | Style | Music | Choreographer | Results''' |
| Lindsay Arnold Cole Horibe | Hip-hop | "Teeth"—Lady Gaga | Christopher Scott | Both Safe |
| Amelia Lowe Will Thomas | Contemporary | "3326"—Ólafur Arnalds | Sonya Tayeh | Both Safe |
| Amber Jackson Nick Bloxsom-Carter | Argentine Tango | "Tanguera"—Sexteto Mayor | Miriam Larici Leonardo Barrionuevo | Bloxsom-Carter eliminated |
| Audrey Case Matthew Kazmierczak | Jazz | "Hear Me Now" —Steed Lord | Sonya Tayeh | Both Safe |
| Janelle Issis Dareian Kujawa | Lyrical hip-hop | "My Girl"—The Temptations | Christopher Scott | Both Safe |
| Janaya French Brandon Mitchell | Broadway | "Bring on the Men"—Linda Eder | Sean Cheesman | French eliminated |
| Eliana Girard Cyrus "Glitch" Spencer | Jive | "I'm Shakin'"—Jack White | Tony Meredith Melanie LaPatin | Both Safe |
| Alexa Anderson Daniel Baker | Contemporary | "So Long My Friend"—Yanni | Dee Caspary | Both eliminated |
| Tiffany Maher George Lawrence, Jr. | Foxtrot | "I Want to Be Loved by You"—Sinéad O'Connor | Tony Meredith Melanie LaPatin | Both Safe |
| Witney Carson Chehon Wespi-Tschopp | Bollywood | "Tandav Music"—Aatish Kapadia | Nakul Dev Mahajan | Both Bottom 6 |
- Amber Jackson and Brandon Mitchell became a new couple when their former partners were eliminated after the results were revealed.
Week 3 (July 25, 2012)
- Judges: Nigel Lythgoe, Mary Murphy, Christina Applegate
- Group dance: "The Here and After"—Jun Miyake
- Guest dancers: Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater
- Mens Elimination Montage: "Counting on You"—Mikey Wax
| Dancers | Style | Music | Choreographer | Results |
| Tiffany Maher George Lawrence, Jr. | Hip-hop | "Out of My Mind"—B.o.B feat. Nicki Minaj | Tabitha and Napoleon D'umo | Lawrence in Bottom 6 |
| Amber Jackson Brandon Mitchell | Jazz | "Dr. Feelgood "—Aretha Franklin | Ray Leeper | Both eliminated |
| Janelle Issis Dareian Kujawa | Cha-cha-cha | "Call Me Maybe"—Carly Rae Jepsen | Pasha Kovalev | Kujawa in Bottom 6 |
| Lindsay Arnold Cole Horibe | Contemporary | "Wild Horses"—Charlotte Martin | Mandy Moore | Arnold in Bottom 6 |
| Amelia Lowe Will Thomas | Jazz | "You!"—The Creatures featuring Siouxsie Sioux | Mandy Moore | Both Safe |
| Audrey Case Matthew Kazmierczak | Salsa | "Cinco Salsa"—Sverre Indris Joner/HSC/Kork | Liz Lira | Both Safe |
| Witney Carson Chehon Wespi-Tschopp | Contemporary | "I Will Always Love You"—Whitney Houston | Stacey Tookey | Both Safe |
| Eliana Girard Cyrus "Glitch" Spencer | Hip-hop | "Toxic"—District 78 feat. Cheesa | Tabitha and Napoleon D'umo | Girard in Bottom 6 |
- Solos:
| Dancer | Style | Music | Result |
| Amber Jackson | Contemporary | "This Is What Makes Us Girls"—Lana Del Rey | Eliminated |
| Brandon Mitchell | Stepping | "I Want It All Back"—Tye Tribbett & G.A. | Eliminated |
| Eliana Girard | Ballet | "Near Light"—Ólafur Arnalds | Safe |
| Dareian Kujawa | Contemporary | "Ordinary People"—John Legend | Safe |
Week 4 (August 15, 2012)
- Judges: Nigel Lythgoe, Mary Murphy, Michael Nunn, Billy Trevitt
- Group dance: "Hanging On"—Active Child
- Theme: All couples perform routines choreographed by Mia Michaels for previous seasons.
| Dancers | Style | Music | Results |
| Eliana Girard Cyrus "Glitch" Spencer | Contemporary | "Mercy"—Duffy | Safe |
| Tiffany Maher George Lawrence, Jr. | Contemporary | "Hometown Glory"—Adele | Lawrence, Jr. in Bottom 6 |
| Amelia Lowe Will Thomas | Contemporary | "Koop Island Blues"—Koop feat. Ane Brun | Lowe eliminated |
| Janelle Issis Dareian Kujawa | Contemporary | "Dreaming with a Broken Heart"—John Mayer | Both eliminated |
| Audrey Case Matthew Kazmierczak | Contemporary | "Time"—Billy Porter | Kazmierczak eliminated |
| Witney Carson Chehon Wespi-Tschopp | Contemporary | "Calling You"—Celine Dion | Safe |
| Lindsay Arnold Cole Horibe | Contemporary | "Gravity"—Sara Bareilles | Arnold in Bottom 6 |
- Solos:
| Dancer | Style | Music | Result |
| Amelia Lowe | Contemporary | "Falling Slowly"—Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova | Eliminated |
| Janelle Issis | Belly dance | "Inta Omri"—Elie Attieh | Eliminated |
| Lindsey Arnold | Samba | "Hip Hip Chin Chin"—Club des Belugas | Safe |
| George Lawrence, Jr. | Contemporary | "So Long, Lonesome"—Explosions In the Sky | Safe |
| Dareian Kujawa | Contemporary | "It's a Man's Man's Man's World"—Joshua Ledet | Eliminated |
| Matthew Kazmierczak | Contemporary | "Delicate"—Damien Rice | Eliminated |
Week 5 (August 22, 2012)
- Judges: Nigel Lythgoe, Mary Murphy, Benjamin Millepied
- Group dance: "The Cool World Stomp"—Mark Isham
- Guest dancers: LA Dance Project
| Dancers | Style | Music | Choreographer | Results |
| Brandon Bryant Tiffany Maher | Disco | "You Make Me Feel..." —Cobra Starship feat. Sabi | Doriana Sanchez | Safe |
| Witney Carson Nick Lazzarini | Jazz | "Sing It Back"—Moloko | Travis Wall | Bottom 4 |
| Anya Garnis Cole Horibe | Cha-cha-cha | "Glad You Came"—The Wanted | Dmitry Chaplin | Safe |
| Lindsay Arnold Jakob Karr | Broadway | "Dancin' Dan" from Fosse | Spencer Liff | Safe |
| Kathryn McCormick Will Thomas | Bollywood | "Ooh La La" from The Dirty Picture | Nakul Dev Mahajan | Safe |
| Jaimie Goodwin Cyrus "Glitch" Spencer | Contemporary | "Outro"—M83 | Travis Wall | Safe |
| Lauren Gottlieb Chehon Wespi-Tschopp | Hip-hop | "Pretty Wings"—Maxwell | Dave Scott | Bottom 4 |
| Allison Holker George Lawrence, Jr. | Jazz | "Bahamut"—Hazmat Modine | Tyce Diorio | Eliminated |
| Eliana Girard Alex Wong | Contemporary | "Bang Bang "—Nancy Sinatra | Stacey Tookey | Safe |
| Stephen "tWitch" Boss Audrey Case | Hip-hop | "Sincerely, Jane"—Janelle Monáe | Dave Scott | Eliminated |
- Solos:
| Dancer | Style | Music | Result |
| Witney Carson | Samba | "You'll Find a Way" —Santigold | Safe |
| Audrey Case | Contemporary | "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going"—Jennifer Holliday | Eliminated |
| Ballet | "Til Enda"—Ólafur Arnalds | Safe | |
| George Lawrence, Jr. | Contemporary | "Brotsjor"—Ólafur Arnalds | Eliminated |
Week 6 (August 29, 2012)
- Judges: Nigel Lythgoe, Mary Murphy, Jesse Tyler Ferguson
- Group dance: "Run Boy Run"—Woodkid
| Dancers | Style | Music | Choreographer | Results |
| Stephen "tWitch" Boss Witney Carson | Hip-hop | "My Homies Still"—Lil Wayne feat. Big Sean | Luther Brown | Bottom 4 |
| Allison Holker Cole Horibe | Contemporary | "Possibly Maybe" —Björk | Sonya Tayeh | Bottom 4 |
| Ryan Di Lello Eliana Girard | Quickstep | "That Man"—Caro Emerald | Jonathan Roberts | Safe |
| Lindsay Arnold Alex Wong | Jazz | "Somebody That I Used to Know"—Gotye feat. Kimbra | Sonya Tayeh | Eliminated |
| Lauren Gottlieb Will Thomas | Hip-hop | "Dance My Pain Away" —Wye Oak | Christopher Scott | Eliminated |
| Melanie Moore Cyrus "Glitch" Spencer | Jazz | "Badder Badder Schwing"—Freddy Fresh feat. Fatboy Slim | Mandy Moore | Safe |
| Anya Garnis Chehon Wespi-Tschopp | Argentine Tango | "Breathing Below Surface"—Jesse Cook | Miriam Larici Leonardo Barrionuevo | Safe |
| Tiffany Maher Ade Obayomi | Contemporary | "The Power of Love"—Celine Dion | Mandy Moore | Safe |
- Solos:
| Dancer | Style | Music | Result |
| Tiffany Maher | Jazz | "I Was Here"—Glee cast | Safe |
| Will Thomas | Contemporary | "Better Man"—James Morrison | Eliminated |
| Lindsay Arnold | Paso Doble | "Señorita"—bond | Eliminated |
| Chehon Wespi-Tschopp | Contemporary | "On the Nature of Daylight"—Max Richter | Safe |
| Witney Carson | Cha-cha-cha | "Where Have You Been"—Rihanna | Bottom 4 |
| Cole Horibe | Martial Arts Fusion | "Arise"—E.S. Posthumus | Bottom 4 |
| Eliana Girard | Contemporary Ballet | "Infra 8"—Max Richter | Safe |
| Cyrus "Glitch" Spencer | Animation | "Existence" —Excision & Downlink | Safe |
Week 7 (September 5, 2012)
- Judges: Nigel Lythgoe, Mary Murphy, Christina Applegate
- Group dance: "Scream"—Kelis
| Dancers | Style | Music | Choreographer | Results |
| Tiffany Maher Benji Schwimmer | Jive | "What I Like About You"—Lillix | Jean-Marc Généreux | Safe |
| Cole Horibe Melanie Moore | Jazz | "Too Close"—Alex Clare | Sonya Tayeh | Eliminated |
| Stephen "tWitch" Boss Eliana Girard | Hip-hop | "Please Mr. Postman" —The Marvelettes | Christopher Scott | Safe |
| Kathryn McCormick Chehon Wespi-Tschopp | Contemporary | "Eli, Eli" —Sophie Milman | Tyce Diorio | Safe |
| Witney Carson Marko Germar | Lyrical Jazz | "No Nothing"—Curtis & Reinhard feat. Blaire | Ray Leeper | Eliminated |
| Comfort Fedoke Cyrus "Glitch" Spencer | Dubstep | "Cinema" —Benny Benassi feat. Gary Go | Christopher Scott | Safe |
| Witney Carson Chehon Wespi-Tschopp | Cha-cha-cha | "Where Have You Been"—Rihanna | Jean-Marc Généreux | Carson eliminated |
| Eliana Girard Cole Horibe | Contemporary | "Adagio for Strings"—Brno Philharmonic Orchestra | Mia Michaels | Horibe eliminated |
| Tiffany Maher Cyrus "Glitch" Spencer | Broadway | "Treat Me Rough" —Debbie Gravitte | Spencer Liff | Safe |
- Solos:
| Dancer | Style | Music | Result |
| Witney Carson | Paso Doble | "Malagueña"—Brian Setzer '68 Comeback Special | Eliminated |
| Chehon Wespi-Tschopp | Ballet | "Way Back Home"—District 78 | Safe |
| Tiffany Maher | Lyrical jazz | "Just the Way You Are"—Carmen Reece | Safe |
| Cole Horibe | Martial Arts Fusion | "Night of the Wolf"—Nox Arcana | Eliminated |
| Eliana Girard | Contemporary | "I Will Follow You Into the Dark"—Death Cab for Cutie | Safe |
| Cyrus "Glitch" Spencer | Animation | "Harem"—Sarah Brightman | Safe |
Week 8 (September 11, 2012)
- Group dance: "Eine kleine Nachtmusik" —KPM Studio Artists
- Guest judges: Nigel Lythgoe, Mary Murphy, Rob Marshall
| Dancers | Style | Music | Choreographer |
| Eliana Girard Cyrus "Glitch" Spencer | Paso Doble | "The Game Has Changed"—Daft Punk | Jason Gilkison |
| Tiffany Maher William Wingfield | Jazz | "Time is Now"—Moloko | Sonya Tayeh |
| Eliana Girard Chehon Wespi-Tschopp | Classical ballet | "The Nutcracker Suite—Pas De Deux"—Bruton Apm Studios | Marat Daukayev |
| Tiffany Maher Cyrus "Glitch" Spencer | Lyrical hip-hop | "Best Thing I Never Had"—Beyoncé Knowles | Tessandra Chavez |
| Allison Holker Chehon Wespi-Tschopp | Contemporary | "Leave" from Once | Stacey Tookey |
| Eliana Girard Tiffany Maher | Broadway | "When You're Good to Mama" from Chicago | Ray Leeper |
| Cyrus "Glitch" Spencer Chehon Wespi-Tschopp | Jazz | "Fangs" —Little Red Lung | Sonya Tayeh |
| Eliana Girard Alex Wong | Contemporary | "Without You"—Harry Nilsson | Travis Wall |
| Tiffany Maher Chehon Wespi-Tschopp | Rumba | "Love Me Tender"—Adam Levy and Norah Jones | Dmitry Chaplin |
| Stephen "tWitch" Boss Cyrus "Glitch" Spencer | Animation | "Like a Criminal"—District 78 | Christopher Scott |
- Solos:
| Dancer | Style | Music |
| Eliana Girard | Ballet | "Passacaglia"—Johann Johannsson |
| Cyrus "Glitch" Spencer | Animation | "Holy Ghost" —Messinian |
| Tiffany Maher | Jazz | "I Believe"—Fantasia Barrino |
| Chehon Wespi-Tschopp | Contemporary | "How It Ends"—DeVotchKa |
Week 9 (Finale) (September 18, 2012)
- Judges: Nigel Lythgoe, Mary Murphy, Tyce Diorio, Debbie Allen, Lil' C, Adam Shankman
- Group dances & guest performers:
| Dancers | Style | Music | Choreographer |
| Top 20 | Contemporary/Hip-Hop | "Torn"—Nathan Lanier | Sonya Tayeh Christopher Scott |
| Cyrus "Glitch" Spencer Comfort Fedoke Stephen "tWitch" Boss Christopher Scott | Animation | "Holy Ghost "—Messinian | Christopher Scott |
| Dragon House Bryan Gaynor | Hip-hop/Animation | "Cryosleep"—Cyberoptics | Dragon House Bryan Gaynor |
| Top 10 with All-Stars | Jazz/Hip-hop | "The Circle of Life/Nants Ingonyama " from The Lion King | Nappytabs |
Judges & finalists' picks
- Female Runner-up
- *Tiffany Maher
- Female Winner
- *Eliana Girard
- Male Runner-up
- *Cyrus "Glitch" Spencer
- Male Winner
- *Chehon Wespi-Tschopp
All-Stars Dance Pool