Episode
So You Think You Can Dance: The Top Eight Perform
Overview
Just two weeks away from the finale, eight contestants remained on Fox's "So You Think You Can Dance?" Four girls and four guys continued in the competition for the title of America's favorite dancer. The dancers picked new partners and routines out of a hat for this round of the competition. Every couple would perform twice and every dancer would perform a solo. Translation: Fox has two hours to fill! Guest judge Toni Basil (of "Mickey" fame) joined regulars Nigel Lythgoe and Mary Murphy. She got a chance to plug her current projects, working with Bette Midler on her Las Vegas show and Tina Turner on her tour.
Details
- Series
- So You Think You Can Dance
- Season
- Season 4
- Episode
- Episode 18
- Air date
- 2008-07-23
- Runtime
- 43 min
Episode context
The Top Eight Perform is Episode 18 in Season 4 of So You Think You Can Dance. It aired on 2008-07-23. The runtime is 43 min.
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Episode 17: Results Show: Two Dancers Eliminated
Before we get going, Jessica comes out and informs Cat that she has broken a few of her ribs and is out of the competition. Left with an odd number of female dancers, the show has decided to bring back the recently booted Comfort for tonight's show. Cat introduces us to tonight's judges Nigel Lythgoe, Mary Murphy and Lil' C, adding again that the threesome no longer has to make any cuts, with only the public's vote deciding future eliminations. The couples have been changed at random, with the girls drawing a new guy from a hat. Also, since the public will be voting on its favorite individuals, everybody will be dancing a solo during the show.
Episode 19: Results Show: Two Dancers Eliminated
Thursday night's episode of "So You Think You Can Dance?" spelled the end of the road for two more dancers who pulled in the lowest number of votes. The opening dance was a cool, futuristic hip-hop looking deal that was pretty captivating. Guest judge Toni Basil's speech about how she got into dancing, not so much. Host Cat Deeley asked Basil to talk about how much of a challenge it is for the dancers to learn all the different styles they have to know on the show and Basil's response was, essentially, that there are all kinds of dance and you'll never be able to master them.
More episodes from this season
Episode 16: The Top 10 Perform
"Finally," host Cat Deeley tells us, we're down the final ten. Cat adds that now America's voting will be the only factor in who advances and who is cut.
Episode 20: The Top Six Perform
With just six dancers left, we finally reached the glorious time of the summer when even "So You Think You Can Dance?" couldn't stretch itself to two hours. That meant instead of a bloated 120 minutes, viewers were treated to a packed 60 minutes as each couple performed twice and each individual dancer offered up a solo. Guest judge Adam Shankman joined regulars Mary Murphy and Nigel Lythgoe, and away we went..
Episode 15: Results Show: Two Dancers Eliminated
Host Cat Deeley is decked out ominously in black as she welcomes us to the show and tells us the judges will have to eliminate one more guy and one more girl. We open with a modest Napoleon and Tabitha Dumo routine featuring all 12 dancers wearing jackets which turn out to be glow-in-the-dark. Cat explains that three couples with have to dance for their show lives and were introduced to Mia Michaels, Mary Murphy and Nigel Lythegoe.
Episode 21: Results Show: Two Dancers Eliminated
Just six contestants remained, but that number on Thursday would be trimmed to the final four dancers still in the running for the title of America's favorite dancer on "So You Think You Can Dance?" Guest judge Adam Shankman announced that in addition to the $100,000 cash prize and the spot in a Las Vegas show, the winning dancer will also get a featured role in an upcoming movie he's producing. No details. That's just the prize. So, you know, yay! After the first commercial break, judge Nigel Lythgoe went all "Debbie Downer" on the dancers, telling them that they'll have to prepare themselves for rejection. In a minute-long speech, he said the word rejection -- or some form of it -- seven times, telling them dancers that by the end of the show, five of them will have been rejected. He said they should not dwell on it, but use it to propel themselves toward other opportunities. He then told them that each of them pulled in more than 1 million votes after Wednesday's performance show. Mary got emotional while telling them how proud she is of the progress they've made, and Adam told them to cherish the experience they've had on the show and to treat their fans well. All six dancers then performed their solos, and it would be the last time around the stage for two of them.
Episode 14: The Top 12 Perform
Host Cat Deeley reminds viewers that the final six couples will be competing for a place in "your" Top10. We're introduced to the final 12 dancers, followed by judges Mia Michaels, Mary Murphy and Nigel Lythegoe.
Episode 22: The Top Four Perform
It was the first part of the two-night finale on "So You Think You Can Dance?" and host Cat Deeley threw a curve ball at us from the start. In an effort to change things up -- and perhaps to stretch another episode into two hours! -- each of the remaining dancers would perform with every other dancer. That meant the two girls would dance with each other, as would the two guys. Suddenly, those rumors of Lance Bass pairing up with another dude on "Dancing with the Stars" don't seem so special, huh? During the introduction, there was no immediately mention of the reports that Twitch and Joshua were rushed to the hospital earlier in the week after suffering from dehydration during rehearsals. Guest judge Mandy Moore joined regulars Mary Murphy and Nigel Lythgoe and Cat got the action started quickly, introducing the first dance from Courtney and Twitch.
Episode 13: Results Show: Two Dancers Eliminated
After a wild opening Broadway routine choreographed by Tice D'Orio, it was time to cut two more contestants on Thursday's episode of "So You Think You Can Dance?" But first, viewers were treated to a montage of D'Orio ripping into dancers during the earliest audition rounds.
Episode 23: Results Show: Winner Announced
Kicking off the bloated, two-hour finale of "So You Think You Can Dance?" host Cat Deeley noted that the season had consumed 35 hours of television. Gotta love summer TV. Six judges sat on the panel for the finale: Mia Michaels, Adam Shankman, Debbie Allen, Lil C and regulars Mary Murphy and Nigel Lythgoe. The night began with a quick video journey back through the season.
Episode 12: The Top 14 Perform
Host Cat Deeley promised at the outset that the final 14 dancers will face some changes and the competition would get more difficult for the final seven couples. She soon explained that each of the couples would have to dance twice for the first time this season. Hip hop choreographers Napoleon and Tabitha Dumo served as guest judges, joining regulars Mary Murphy and Nigel Lythgoe.
Episode 11: Results Show: Two Dancers Eliminated
After some kind of freakish group dance routine that's definitely going to cause some nightmares, it was time to find out which two contestants would be sent home on "So You Think You Can Dance?" on Thursday. Host Cat Deeley handled the duties of introducing guest judge Adam Shankman, who again joined regulars Mary Murphy and Nigel Lythgoe. Cat said it was time to get right to business and introduced the first three couples that would get news on whether they were still in the competition for $250,000 and a chance to perform in Las Vegas. The bottom three couples would perform solo routines before the judges decide which guy and which girl were out.