Breaking News!: Mary Murphy Returning to So You Think You Can Dance

After a season on the bench, Mary Murphy is returning to Fox’s So You Think You Can Dance as a resident judge.

The opinionated dancer and choreographer is returning to the show after the series suffered a rather dramatic ratings dip last summer.

“I am delighted to have Mary back on the show,” says producer and judge Nigel Lythgoe, who will sit alongside Murphy during critiques. “Her expertise in dance, coupled with her warmth, compassion and humor, make her an excellent judge and fun to work with.”

No worder on who Mary may be "replacing"? Will Mia Michaels and Adam Shankman also be resident judges? Will So You Think You Can Dance have four resident judges? We'll have to wait and see what transpires. All in all, we're glad to have Mary back on the "Hot Tamale Train".

Eliminated Dancer: ‘Anything Can Happen’ on So You Think You Can Dance

Another female contestant said goodbye on So You Think You Can Dance Thursday, and this week the curtain closed for salsa dancer Cristina Santana. With only three girls left and all six boys standing, season 7 is starting to look like a boys club, and the judges couldn’t be more excited for what the competition has to bring.

“I love male dancers unless the girls are just as strong,” Mia Michaels said after the elimination. “We have some strong girls and I want them to step it up.”

Nigel Lythgoe isn’t surprised at all by the show’s current two-to-one ratio. “How many girls have we had win? Two girls out of seven seasons,” he said. “If it’s great dancing, I don’t care. It’s always going to be a boys club unless we have an outstanding girl.”

Joining Santana in the bottom three for a second week in a row was tap dancer Melinda Sullivan and contemporary dancer Robert Roldan.

While last week’s decision to let Alexie Agdeppa go was unanimous, the judges were divided on which of the girls to let go this week, with Lythgoe pulling for Santana to stay and Michaels and Adam Shankman choosing to give Melinda another chance to find a sense of vulnerability and connect with the audience.

“We feel like Melinda grew the most last night because she did something completely out of her genre,” Michaels said of her panel-pleasing performance on Wednesday. “And she was pretty awesome. Other than that dress.” When it came down to making their final decision the judges took everything from the opening number to the individual solos into consideration and both Shankman and Michaels agreed that Santana wasn’t as strong as Sullivan in comparison.

Lythgoe, however, couldn’t have disagreed more. After giving Santana high praise for her paso doble and calling it his favorite performance of the night, he wanted to see more from her throughout the competition. “I think she’s grown across the season,” he said. “And I thought she was fabulous last night.”

While Santana couldn’t deny that Lythgoe’s compliments were flattering, she wasn’t completely surprised she was in the bottom for a second consecutive week. “Anything can happen on this show,” she stated in a recent interview. “I wasn’t expecting not to be in the bottom three. I’m actually pretty happy with what I’ve done, but it’s sad to go home.”

Mia Michaels & Adam Shankman Named 'So You Think You Can Dance' Judges

We all know that the guest judges on 'So You Think You Can Dance' can tango with the best of them, but occasionally, even the most accomplished choreographers want to trade the toe-tapping for a more verbal form of the rumba.

Following the news that former judge Mary Murphy will be ditching the judging table full-time to provide more choreography in season 7 (Murphy will still serve as a guest judge), The Wrap is now reporting that previous guest judge Mia Michaels will be stepping up to fill her spot alongside returning experts Nigel Lythgoe and Adam Shankman.

Michaels first joined the talent contest in 2005 as a contributing choreographer, and has gone on to win two Emmy Awards for her choreography on Celine Dion's 'Calling You' and 'Mercy' TV shows.

"I am extremely happy that Mia and Adam have returned and agreed to be resident judges," show-creator Lythgoe said in a statement. "Mia's outspoken approach combined with Adam's passion will definitely add a fresh new chemistry to the panel."

Michaels' appointment is one of several new shake-ups designed to reinvigorate the franchise. Other adjustments include 10 finalists in competition and only one elimination per week. Competitors are also set to switch partners every week, dancing with one of several 'SYTYCD' all-star dancers, all recognizable former finalists who are skilled in numerous styles of dance. In addition, all performances will now be live.

The all-stars include Stephen "Twitch" Boss, Comfort Fedoke, Courtney Galiano, Anya Garnis, Lauren Gottlieb, Neil Haskell, Allison Holker, Mark Kanemura, Pasha Kovalev, Kathryn McCormick, Ade Obayomi and Dominic "D-trix" Sandoval.

British presenter Cat Deely is returning to host the series, which premieres May 27 on FOX.

So You Think You Can Dance's Nigel Lythgoe: Bringing Back All-Stars for Dance Partners

After previously revealing that Season 7 of "So You Think You Can Dance" will change things up with weekly partner switching, no choosing genres and no Top 20, Nigel Lythgoe finally revealed what ties all these changes together.

"There's going to be a Top 10 that will come out of Vegas. Each week they will only be leaving one at a time, so you should get to know them," Nigel tells us on the conference call. The Top 10 will still be split evenly between male and female dancers.

"We obviously don't have to push them and their partners anymore, so like most shows of this nature you're going to get their back stories and understand who they are."

"They are changing partners every week. We are going to put together a pool of ex-"So You Think You Can Dance" all-stars, some of our favorite dancers form across all six seasons and they will act as a pool of dancers," continues Lythgoe.

"The competitors instead of drawing the genre of dance out of the hat, will draw a photograph of one of the all-stars and that will dictate the genre of dance that they're going to be dancing."

There is going to be a pool of all-stars because they won't know if there are men or women going home each week, so there will be more than 10 all-stars returning. Lythgoe says that in choosing the all-stars, "They had to be dominant in their genre of dance because they are the ones that are going to dictate what the competitors are going to dance ... It's going to nd make the show more exciting."

Some of the returning all-stars include: season 3's Pasha (standard & latin ballroom), season 6's Kathryn (jazz, contemporary, broadway & cultural), aseason 4's Twitch (krump, popping & locking).

For the finale of the show, Nigel says they aren't sure if they are going to have 2 or 3 in the finale. "It depends on if I can do something very, very special, which I can't talk about at this moment in time, on where the finale is placed on FOX's schedule," teases Nigel."This is going to be another huge press release if I get my way on something."

Lythgoe also reveals that Mary Murphy will be both sitting on the panel and will be choreographing this year. Mia Michaels will also be back as well.

You can look for the all-stars to be revealed over the next few weeks on Nigel's Twitter account. This should be an exciting season for SYTYCD!

Mia Michaels:Why I Left So You Think You Can Dance

Emmy Award-winning choreographer Mia Michaels, 43, exudes art and creativity in dance from her freshly shaved head to her expert toes.

On October 14th, just moments after appearing on a Vegas-week episode of So You Think You Can Dance, she shocked fans across America, announcing (via Twitter) that she was leaving the show after five years. Speculation about her departure ranged from a strife with FOX to rumors of cancer (thanks to her new haircut). On Tuesday, Michaels spoke exclusively with People Magazine and revealed the factors that drove her decision to leave, as well as what is on the horizon for a woman whose name is synonymous with dance.

Why did you decide to move on from So You Think You Can Dance?
It’s been an amazing five-year journey and I am in a place where I have all these great opportunities that have been presented to me and I am ready to take on all these challenges. So when I was working on the show, I wasn’t able to really focus on anything else. Now I’m really focusing on these other projects that I can’t pass up. I think that’s pretty much the main reason why I left the show.

What went into the decision to make the announcement the way you did? And did anyone, like close pal and fellow SYTYCD choreographer Tyce Diorio, try to talk you out of it?
No, nobody tried to talk me out of it. I’m so about my instincts. Instincts never lead you wrong and they’ve never led me wrong. It was a hard decision, actually, because I love doing the show. I love being an artist that millions of people get to see my work. I knew in that moment and we had not even talked about contracts or anything for the new season yet, so I was just ready to move while I had all this other opportunities in front of me. Before I got into the season with the dancers — you know actually getting into a room and creating on them — I just thought it was best for me to step out before I did that.

After your announcement, you appeared on the final Vegas callbacks with your head shaved. Please address all the rumors, including the ones that you have cancer.
As far as me shaving my head, I just felt the need to get rid of it. I was kind of falling into a Hollywood image thing a little bit, and I just felt like it was a cool time to just start over. And that’s why I shaved it. And I had said on the show, “It’s been a difficult time,” and it’s like the last couple months in my life personally I’ve just been going through things … And then when I read those things I went “Oh no!” I do not have cancer. You can put that to rest.

Fans may be hoping this is just a break. Will you be back?
It wasn’t a break because I came to Canada and I choreographed the finale here in Canada, and I have right now scheduled to do the U.K., and Australian [versions of the show], as well as the new Canadian season three, so it’s not like I need a break because creatively I feel like I have a lot to say right now. It was just a decision that I made. It’s just something that I needed to do. I’ve been doing this for a long time and this is just another step in my journey to now take it to the next level.

Do you have any regrets in that you’re going to miss a chance to work with this cast?
It’s not like I can’t go and see the family and support the dancers. In order for me to move forward in my career, sometimes we have to let go before other things can take off. Am I sad? There’s moments, of course, but I’m also doing these other shows that I still get my fix on SYTYCD because I’m still choreographing, I’m still judging, I’m still seeing Nigel. So it’s all a very positive thing.

What new experiences are you talking about and what are about to start working on?
I am right now in talks of doing my own choreography show. I’m also doing a dance musical that will probably be documented as a doc-reality show. And then I’m working on a clothing line for dancers as well as just everyday lifestyle. And I’m working on a book deal as well.

Since leaving, what have you had a chance to enjoy now that you may not have been able to do while maintaining the show’s schedule?
You know sometimes when you’re working on a show, it was like you had to deliver a piece every single week. And you do, you start feeling like a machine. And then you start wondering, “Where is the inspiration for real? Is it inspiration or is that you’ve got to deliver, so you just have to turn it on and do it.” Now I find myself actually more inspired and more excited about creating. I feel like this time is so crucial for me to take that next step in my life.

Mia Michaels has Resigned from So You Think You Can Dance...But Why?

Emmy Award winning choreographer, Mia Michaels, announced her exit from So You Think You Can Dance on Twitter yesterday by posting the following comment: "I am officially an adoring fan of SYTYCD…Thank U for 5 wonderful yrs. To create moments and movement for the world to share with me was a gift…Thanks SYTYCD and look forward to what's ahead for me…lookout world!"

On Facebook, she added the following statement: "It's been an amazing five years on 'SYTYCD.' I thank them for all the great memories and movement I have been able to create for the world. Today was my official resignation of the U.S. show and look forward to what's ahead for me."

Here's one of Mia's best pieces of this season:


Oh no...I cannot believe Mia Michaels, my favorite choreographer of the show, is leaving. It will just never be the same without her.

We'll miss you Mia!