Mike Ruiz/FoxCat Deeley, Adam Shankman, Mia Michaels, Mary Murphy and Nigel Lythgoe spoke to the press this morning at the Television Critics Association press tour. We were also treated to live performances from some of this season's standout dancers, and let us tell you, a Phillip Chbeeb live solo is wasted on the stiffs in this crowd of reporters.
Here are some key points from the morning's panel, including the sad news about a memorable character from season five:
• Season-five tryout standout Alex Wong has not auditioned for season six. So sad! Darn you to heck, Miami Ballet!
• Paula Abdul is flying to Vegas this weekend to meet with Nigel to talk about doing SYTYCD, but Nigel is not convinced that Abdul is really, really not going to be on the next cycle of Idol. He thinks she might show up at the last minute after all.
• "Will [Wingfield] was the Daughtry of season four," according to Adam Shankman. The judges seem to have a consensus on the best dancers of each season: season one, Blake McGrath; season two, Travis Wall; season three, Danny Tidwell; season four, Katee Shean/Will Wingfield. They say the best dancer of the year has never won a season of SYTYCD.
• Ryan Kasprzak (Evan's brother) and Caitlin Kinney's sister Megan are both in the running for season six. Ryan is through to Vegas.
• Adam Shankman thinks there will be more than ballet dancers and tappers in season six.
• There are five SYTYCDers in Adam Shankman's movie Step Up 3-D, including Joshua Allen and Twitch Boss. Kherington Payne is one of the leads in the new Fame movie, and there will be several SYTYCDers in Glee. (Whee!)
Lots more to come today, so check back early and often.