‘SYTYCD’ Season 12 Premiere: Jason Derulo Is the Judge to Want

So You Think You Can Dance, aka The Best Show on Television, returned this Monday for an eagerly anticipated 12th season — but I admit I was worried that SYTYCD would no longer be The Best Show on Television, due to some major changes.

Why? Because along with a new “Stage vs. Street” format (which pits formally trained ballerinas, ballroom dancers, and contemporary types against B-boys, breakers, krumpers, poppers, wackers, animators, and the like), this premiere had two new judges. Sure, Paula Abdul — who’s choreographed some truly iconic dance routines — would no doubt be an amazing addition to the panel. But Jason Derulo? Instead of Mary Murphy? That was enough to make me emit a particularly high-pitched Murphy-esque scream. Who would hand out the Hot Tamale Train tickets now?

Well, after watching Monday’s premiere, I’m actually handing out the first Hot Tamale Train ticket of Season 12 to… Jason Derulo. Woo woo! The R&B/pop star might bring some new, younger viewers to the show (his smash hit “Want to Want Me” is currently at No. 7 on the Hot 100), and so far, he’s already bringing a lot of energy and enthusiasm to the small screen.

This Monday, whether Jason was serenading a troupe of breakdancing kiddos, gamely picking up jazzercise tips from an over-caffeinated Richard Simmons wannabe, or just constantly cracking up Paula as they exchanged inside jokes and made googly eyes at each other, he was a ton of fun. This is going to be a good season, after all.

But of course, SYTYCD is truly about the fantastic dancers, not the judges. Unfortunately, there weren’t nearly enough auditions shown in full this Monday, which probably had something to do with a power outage that derailed Memphis’s entire second day. And I could have sworn that I spotted Hampton “The Exorcist” Williams and Caleb Brauner (that bow-tied kid who’s tried out many times) in the audience. But I never saw them dance.

However, all that being said, Monday’s Memphis/Dallas auditions did not disappoint. There were several phenomenal “street” dancers (including the requisite Dragon House member), all hoping to be the next D-Trix, Glitch, or Fik-Shun; soon, they will train under the watchful eye of one of SYTYCD’s most popular alums of any genre, Stephen “Twitch” Boss. And then there were some exquisite “stage” dancers, who’ll probably lose their minds once they find out that they get to work with Season 2 runner-up (and Emmy-nominated choreography genius) Travis Wall.

Let’s review the standout auditions of the week… and don’t forget to check out the playlist, at the very bottom of this article, of cool tunes featured on Monday’s premiere. Cue music!

STREET DANCERS

Andre Rucker – I think there’s some unofficial Fox rule that every SYTYCD season must feature at least one member of Dragon House, the futuristic hip-hop collective that introduced Season 9’s Cyrus “Glitch” Spencer to the world. (With the crew now 23 members strong, I keep wondering when Fox is going to give Dragon House their own spin-off show, actually.) Anyway, Andre may be a familiar face to regular SYTYCD viewers, as he previously tried out in Cyrus’s season. Jason loved Andre’s new styles of waving and tutting; Paula loved Andre’s musicality. Nigel Lythgoe seemed to show some concern over whether Andre could adapt to other dancing styles — which, come to think of it, was a problem for Cyrus three seasons ago. “I don’t want everyone crashing and burning on the first day of Vegas,” Nigel warned. But there was no purgatory/choreography round for Andre; he received a ticket straight to Sin City. I’m not sure if Andre has Cyrus’s natural star quality, but this was an impressive audition. Let’s face it, that back bend at the end was everything.

Ladia Yates – After a little lesson about the Memphis street dance specialty jookin’ (and gangsta-walkin’, buckin’, and choppin’), this dynamite diva hit the stage and really taught everyone how it’s done — literally, because she’s a dance teacher! And her adorable pint-sized students (the kids who later got bucc with Jason Derulo) have picked up some very fancy footwork from her. Jason even invited Ladia to teach his own backup dancers some moves… but they may have trouble keeping up! Seriously, this dance, to “Side 2 Side” by Three 6 Mafia, was so fast-paced, I thought I was watching time-lapse footage. (Jason described Ladia’s performance as a “movie.”) I can’t wait to see more of Ladia in Season 12. And I hope to see some of her students on future SYTYCD seasons.

Courtney Barnes – Here’s another familiar SYTYCD face. You may remember this Ariana Grande-ponytailed, stenciled-eyebrowed cutup from last year, when he hilariously impersonated Wendy Williams. That was the best thing about his Season 11 audition (he seemed like more of a joke contestant), but his dancing surprised me this time around. I don’t necessarily think Courtney is top 20 material; he still seemed like a novelty act. (He boogied to a bizarre medley of Meek Mill, Nick Jonas, and Selena, for starters.) Jason wasn’t feeling Courtney’s excessive hairography, and neither was Paula, who cried out, “One too many hair whips!” But I was thoroughly entertained. Twitch ain’t gonna know what to do with this guy, but Courtney belongs in Vegas one way or another, I suppose, so I’m glad he got a golden ticket after all. (Side note: If the judges put Courtney through, they probably should have also given a Vegas ticket to Kiosh Monroe, the above-mentioned jazzerciser, who was just as much fun. I’d totally buy Kiosh’s workout tape.)

Steven Ban – This guy came to the auditions to “prove to the world that nerds can get down.” Well, mission accomplished. This bespectacled “dancing Bill Gates” and IT technician really had some thrilling moves (to Thriftworks’ “Sky Fiyah,” a very non-nerdy song choice), including one hand-illusion party trick that had Paula calling him a “magician.” It’s true, as Paula pointed out, that Steven needs to fill up his dance vocabulary, but I agreed with Jason, who said, “I think it’ll be interesting to see you go up against some other street dudes.” That’s going to be fun. Nerds rule!

Vishonda Sims – Along with Ladia Yates, here’s another girl who could be The New Comfort. Or maybe even The Female Twitch. I’m so glad that Season 12’s new format means we’ll be seeing a whole lot more badass B-girls this year. Freestyling to Erykah Badu’s “The Healer,” Vishonda’s supercool solo was deceptively simple and lax, but she put so much emotion into her routine. (Vishonda has been through a lot: She had to care for her paralyzed grandmother, who recently passed away, when she was a child.) “That was dope,” drawled Nigel. “I just felt alive inside from watching you,” raved Jason. “You’re a little star,” said Paula. Girls like Ladia and Vishonda are getting me so pumped for this season.

STAGE DANCERS

Peyton Albrecht – “That was a helluva song choice,” Jason told this athletic, limber, coltish powerhouse, who came lumbering out of the gate to Steed Lord’s “Ghost of the Sky” and immediately set the tone for a high-energy season. I’m not sure if I totally agreed with elder-statesman judge Nigel, who said Peyton was a “young Travis Wall” — that’s some pretty insane praise, right there. Plus, the actual Travis Wall is still quite young! But I’m definitely excited to see Peyton and Travis work together in Vegas.

Jordan “JoJo” Hilgenberg – This gorgeous redhead, the daughter of a dance teacher and a contemporary contestant “with a ballet base,” had such an ethereal, wood-nymphlike quality as she glided across the stage to folk multi-instrumentalist Julia Stone’s “The Line That Ties Me.” Paula praised JoJo’s “extraordinary elegance,” and Jason loved her “stunning lines,” but Nigel complained that he wanted more movement from her — that she seemed too much like a “bird held in a cage.” I think Travis could be the perfect guy to release JoJo from that cage (although I’d love to see her work with Mandy Moore and Stacey Tookey, too). This girl has so much potential, and she’s ready to fly.

Guillermo Morrales – A valet parker, college student, and amateur comedian by day, at first Guillermo seemed like just another joke contestant. I don’t think he was as strong as some of the other contemporary auditioners, but considering that he only started dancing three years ago, he was surprisingly good. His sports background clearly helped him out in that regard, as this was a very gymnastic solo, full of death-defying flips and leaps. Guillermo will have his work cut out for him in Vegas, but he’s a funny guy, and I think America will love his underdog story arc and goofy charm.

Jaclyn Hamric – Every season has at least one smiley, aggressively sexy girl-next-door. This year, that girl is Jaclyn. Nigel appreciated that this all-American blonde beauty performed a happy, peppy, winky solo instead of a typically dark, despairing, “the world is coming to an end” routine. (But I like those “world is coming to an end” routines!) Anyway, Paula told Jaclyn, “The camera loves you.” We’ll see if America loves her, too; sometimes these bombshell types have a tough time winning over SYTYCD’s largely female audience. But Jaclyn for sure has huge potential.

Lily Leyva – Lily is the sort of instantly likable, brilliant, Melanie Moore/Lauren Froderman-esque sparkplug that could go very far on this show. From the moment she started her solo, rising from an incredible spider-like backbend, I decided that she was my favorite stage dancer of this episode. Her breathtaking routine, set to South African songtress Tailor’s “Shaped Like a Gun,” was truly special. Lily received an instant golden ticket without any commentary at all, but her three-judge standing ovation said it all. We’ll definitely be seeing this girl in the top 20.

Edson Juarez – Oh, but wait! There was one more stage dancer left. And I think Edson is a shoo-in for the top 20 as well. I can’t believe he didn’t make it when he tried out in Season 11 (supposedly because of a lack of connection), because his solo to Tank’s “Hope This Makes You Love Me” made me love him, indeed. “One of the best we’ve seen today,” marveled Jason. “For me, the best,” added Paula. Nigel still needed more connection from Edson, but I have a feeling that Travis Wall can bring that out. The technique is certainly there. And so are his abs! Don’t think Paula didn’t notice.

So far, I’m more excited about this season’s street dancers, but the competition is still very new, and of the past 13 SYTYCD winners or co-winners, only two of them (Season 6’s Russell Ferguson and Season 10’s Fik-Shun) were strict street specialists. So this season could go any which way. #TeamStage could still prevail in the end.

All I know is, Season 12 is off to an awesome start. See you next Monday for more dancing, more Jason, more Paula… and more playlisting! We’re going to “cue music” all summer long.

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