So You Think You Can Dance returns tonight with a brand-new season—and a brand-new format.
Only the audition episodes (taped in L.A., Atlanta, Salt Lake City and the Las Vegas callbacks) will stay the same—but after tonight's special premiere, the show will air weekly on Wednesdays (8-10 p.m.).
So what's changing? Here are five things to know about SYTYCD's ninth season…
1. Perfect Pair: For the first time, two dancers, a guy and a girl, will be crowned the winners of SYTYCD. Fox has yet to reveal their prize—last season's champ, Melanie Moore, received $250,000—so will this year's double champs share that amount, or will the show throw down more cash?
2. All in One: As we originally reported, for the first time SYTYCD will air weekly two-hour installments, instead of having two separate performance and results shows. So how will it work? On Wednesday, June 27 (the series' 200th episode), the judges will announce the 20 finalists. Then, instead of being randomly assigned a particular style (like ballroom or jazz), the dancers will perform in their own specialties.
3. Get Out—the Vote: America will vote after the first live performance show (July 11), when the dancers are officially paired and perform their assigned choreographed routines. The next week, the bottom couples will perform solo routines, and the judges will eliminate one guy and one girl.
4. Awesome Auditions: If the judges' unprecedented enthusiasm is anything to go by, the dancers are facing tough competition to earn a spot in the top 20. One ballerina receives a standing ovation, and guest judge Jesse Tyler Ferguson calls it a "privilege" to watch her perform; Adam Shankman is so excited by another dancer he yells, "Shut the f--k up!"
5. Return of the All-Stars: Once only 10 dancers remain, they will be paired with a SYTYCD All-Star, partnering to perform in the veteran's dance specialty (like ballroom babe Pasha). Of course, we're counting on Melanie's return.
So You Think You Can Dance premieres tonight at 8 p.m. on Fox.
What do you think of the revamped So You Think You Can Dance? Sound off in the comments, and check out the video above to see the judges blown away by the new batch of dancers.