I love the show. I'm not necessarily a very loyal watcher, but I do watch the show when my schedule agrees.
The show is a reality show on TV. It is basically for young dancers in teens-twenties who want to be a professional dancer (e.g. dance in Broadway, music videos and live tour). I'm assuming the winning, or even being among the finalists, is a huge boost to the contestant's career as a dancer.
The producers have auditions in several major cities. In the round one, contestants show their dance (solo or with a partner), and if they can impress the judges/producers, they can advance. In the round two, they (usually) test contestants' ability to dance with choreography and with a partner. Contestants may have to go through some other rounds, and (usually) 20 finalists are selected to compete for the "America's favorite dancer" title, which is decided by the judging and by viewer's voting (the format can change). I don't think there is much room for favoritism in the process and it looks quite fair. Overall the show is somewhat like a long extended version of "A Chorus Line".
The audition format alone can tell you what it takes to be a professional dancer; who shows his/her dance for entertainment purpose in the dance industry to the broad audience. Your dance should be impressive, you need to be able to pick up choreography quick, and you need to be able to dance with a partner.
Certainly it's not for everyone. There are other ways to dance professionally, but here we are talking about the show business. A part of the dance world is very elitist world. Anything professional above a certain level requires this strictness, this sense of the quest for the best.
Last night's show (aired 6/20/12) alone showed many very talented dancers. I was amazed by the dances by some. In a dance, when a girl paused in a beautiful posture, I uttered "Wow". I watch the show because I want to have the "Wow" moment. It was funny the judging choreographer was like salivating while watching her dance.
They are still airing the audition process. There are many good dancers who do not necessarily conform to the professional dancer-selection process. The producers would point out that he/she is not for the show. But I am still entertained by their dances.
Thunder, a professional basketball team based in OKC, is playing NBA finals against Miami Heat. Tonight is the game 5, with Heat leading 3-1. Of course I'm cheering for OKC where I live. I got to go. The game will start.
