So You Think You Can Dance (American TV series) season 5

So You Think You Can Dance is a United States television reality program and dance competition airing on the Fox Broadcasting Company network. Season five premiered on May 21, 2009, with Nigel Lythgoe and Mary Murphy returning as permanent judges and Cat Deeley returning to host. Jeanine Mason was crowned America's Favorite Dancer on August 6, 2009, making her the second female to win the show. For the first time, the show moved to a new stage, but it turned out to be the last season at CBS Studios.
Open auditions for this season were held in the following locations:
Judges: Nigel Lythgoe, Mary Murphy, Mia Michaels, Lil' C, Adam Shankman, Debbie Allen.
The Las Vegas callbacks were held at Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. 172 contestants were invited to participate in the callback auditions. This number was cut to 32 contestants (each gender: 16 female and 16 male), before the announcement of the season's top 20 contestants. Las Vegas week included the following rounds, with cuts made after each:
Contestants are listed in reverse chronological order of elimination. The song for the eliminated female contestants was "Already Gone" by Kelly Clarkson. The song for the eliminated male contestants was "On Your Own" by Green River Ordinance.
Judges: Nigel Lythgoe, Mary Murphy, Adam Shankman
Judges: Nigel Lythgoe, Mary Murphy, Lil' C
Judges: Nigel Lythgoe, Mary Murphy, Toni Basil
Judges: Nigel Lythgoe, Mary Murphy, Mia Michaels
Judges: Nigel Lythgoe, Mary Murphy, Tyce Diorio
Judges: Nigel Lythgoe, Mary Murphy, Debbie Allen
Judges: Nigel Lythgoe, Ellen DeGeneres, Mary Murphy, Mia Michaels
Judges: Nigel Lythgoe, Mary Murphy, Lil' C
Top 6 contestant's solos:
Judges: Nigel Lythgoe, Mary Murphy, Adam Shankman
Top 4 contestant's solos:
Judges: only Debbie Allen and Mary Murphy
Judges: Nigel Lythgoe, Mary Murphy, Mia Michaels
Judges: Nigel Lythgoe, Mary Murphy, Adam Shankman, Debbie Allen, Tyce Diorio, Lil' C, Mia Michaels
On May 21, 2009, SYTYCD aired two males performing ballroom dance together for the first time, with dancers Misha and Mitchel performing a Samba. The dance couple's introduction on the show, and the judges' subsequent comments, have been criticized as homophobic. The two men were introduced with The Weather Girls' "It's Raining Men" played in the background. After the couple performed, judge Nigel Lythgoe said, "I think you'd probably alienate a lot of our audience. We've always had the guys dance together on the show but they've never really done it in each other's arms before. I'm really one of those people that like to see guys be guys and girls be girls on stage. I don't think I liked it, to be frank." He later went on to say that he'd like each man to dance with women and that: "You never know, you might enjoy that, too." The segment closed, and the song "It's a Man's Man's Man's World" is played in the background, which contains the lyrics: "This is a man's world, but it wouldn't be nothing, nothing without a woman or a girl." Cat Deeley went on to say that the pair were "out."
Lythgoe issued a formal apology letter later that week, stating that he regretted "poor word choices" and that he realized how his comments could be "misconstrued." He went on to say that he "believe[s] the sexual orientation of an auditioner or contestant is irrelevant... the fact that I have unintentionally upset people is distressing to me... I have made mistakes that I must learn from."
So You Think You Can Dance went on tour through 40 cities across the US and 1 city in Canada, Toronto. Nigel had also announced that Caitlin Kinney and Phillip Chbeeb would also be going on the tour as swing contestants since they made it to the top 12 before being cut.