Nigel Lythgoe

Asuka Kondoh and Jonathan Platero were the latest hopefuls to head home in So You Think You Can Dance's third week of competition, but the results show wasn't only about the dancers' departures.

At the start of Thursday's show, judge Nigel Lythgoe paid tribute to... read more 1 Comment

After Misha Belfer (who is gay) and Mitchel Kibel (straight) performed at the Denver auditions, Lythgoe said, "It was a bit like watching ... Blades of Glory," a reference to the over-the-top Will Ferrell comedy about male skating partners.

"I think you probably alienate a lot of our audience," he continued. "I mean, we've always had the guys ... read more 52 Comments

It's that time again! So You Think You Can Dance premieres Thursday, May 21 (8 pm/ET, Fox) with a new crop of aspiring talent. Judges Mary Murphy and Nigel Lythgoe stopped by to chat with Matt Mitovich about what's new this season — including new styles from South Africa and Australia — and what they won't touch. Plus, Mary dishes on which audition city had the most beautiful pool of hopefuls, and which over-the-top auditioner is back again.

"What we've seen is that four judges tend to take away time from the program, which was always going to be the problem," he explained during a visit to TVGuide.com.

Lythgoe's comments about Idol's addition of a judge come on the heels of DioGuardi revealing to ET that she only was signed to a one-season deal ... read more 55 Comments

Nigel Lythgoe knows reality competition shows. As an executive producer of both American Idol and So You Think You Can Dance, the U.K. native has helped spur dreams of stardom worldwide. The producer's latest baby, Superstars of Dance, (Mondays, 8 pm/ET, NBC), has joined the performance show playing field with a global spin on the genre.

Unlike Idol's and Dance's battles of the neophytes, Superstars features professional dancers from eight different countries. Groups, couples and individuals compete in a format that was inspired in part by the Olympics, with judges from the participating countries scoring the routines. Hosted by "Lord of the Dance" Michael Flatley and TRL alum Susie Castillo, the costumes are lavish, the sets dazzle and the dancing is diverse. Just as Superstars is getting warmed up, TVGuide.com visited the set to chat with Lythgoe to discuss his inspiration for the series, why he thinks there's room for another dance show and how things have changed for him since he left his role with American Idol.