Big Brother 14: Double Eviction Chats with Frank Eudy & Joe Arvin

Before Frank and Joe headed to the Jury House after Thursday night’s eviction, they were given time to answer questions from various outlets and YakkityYaks got to ask them YOUR questions. After Frank was misled about this week’s target, he left the house on a sour note, not hugging anyone but ally Jenn. With news that this week was a Double Eviction, each houseguests played their hearts out in the HOH competition, with Dan Gheesling coming out on top. Ian and Joe were subsequently nominated. But when Ian used the Power of Veto on himself, Dan was forced to nominate ally Danielle in his place. However, with a clearly one-sided vote, Joe was sent packing by the end of the episode.

Read on below to see what they each had to say and make sure you check out our FORUMS for everything Big Brother, Reality TV and more! Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter if you already aren’t – @YakkityYaks!

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The Yak: You were a major competitor as far as competitions went. Do you think, looking back, had you played that down a bit or thrown a few your game would have lasted longer?
Frank: I absolutely went into the house not wanting to win competitions, but because my back was against the wall from week one I had to win to stay safe in the game. I originally only wanted to win competitions when it was absolutely necessary.

The Yak: Who would like to see sitting in the final two chairs? Who would you like to join you next in the jury?
Frank: I’d like to see Dan join me next in the jury. I’d like to see Jenn make it far in this game.

The Yak: Do you think your obvious alliance to Mike Boogie is part of why you were constantly targeted?
Frank: I think it is part of it, but I don’t think it’s the main reason. In the beginning I was probably the strongest target Mike had with his players – people saw me as a threat physically and mentally. But at the same time, I knew Dan wanted to work with Mike because he knew he could beat him in the final two. So I was a Dan’s target because he wanted to work with Mike on his own.

The Yak: Were you surprised when you were evicted last night?
Frank: I was absolutely skeptical that I could go home, but because I am a positive thinker, I thought I had a chance to stay. If I weren’t such a positive thinker I probably would have known I was going home. Everyone there had lied to me so many times already there was no way I could really trust them to keep me this time.

The Yak: What is your biggest regret in the game?
Frank: My biggest regret in the game was sending Wil home instead of Joe. I think the game could have turned out differently if I hadn’t done that.

Next Up: Read On to see what Joe Arvin had to say

2012 MTV Video Music Awards Full Winner’s List

With a host who actually brought the laughs, MTV and Kevin Hart took to announcing the 2012 VMA winners in style Thursday night. After cutting down the show earlier this week to two hours, so as not to “compete” with Pres. Obama and the DNC, the MTV VMAs appeared to move fairly quickly for a night full of performances and some awards to hand out. With confusing performances like Rihannas to rockin’ performances like Pink, Alicia Keys and Frank Ocean to the “surprise” appearance by Psy for some Gangnam Style dancing, the awards might have had a little of something for everyone. Check out the full winner’s list below and let us know what you thought about the show! It might not be the VMAs of the late 90’s early 2000’s, but is the show still cutting it for you?

Video of the Year
Katy Perry, “Wide Awake”
Gotye, “Somebody That I Used To Know”
Rihanna, “We Found Love”
Drake feat. Rihanna, “Take Care”
M.I.A., “Bad Girls”

Best New Artist
Fun. feat. Janelle Monae, “We Are Young”
Carly Rae Jepsen, “Call Me Maybe”
Frank Ocean, “Swim Good”
One Direction, “What Makes You Beautiful”
The Wanted, “Glad You Came”

Best Hip-Hop Video
Childish Gambino, “Heartbeat”
Drake feat. Lil Wayne, “HYFR”
Kanye West feat. Pusha T, Big Sean & 2 Chainz, “Mercy”
Watch the Throne, “Paris”
Nicki Minaj feat. 2 Chainz, “Beez in the Trap”

Best Male Video
Justin Bieber, “Boyfriend”
Frank Ocean, “Swim Good”
Drake feat. Rihanna, “Take Care”
Chris Brown, “Turn Up the Music”
Usher, “Climax”

Best Female Video
Rihanna, “We Found Love”
Katy Perry, “Part of Me”
Beyoncé, “Love on Top”
Nicki Minaj, “Starships”
Selena Gomez & The Scene, “Love You Like a Love Song”

Best Pop Video
One Direction, “What Makes You Beautiful”
Fun. feat. Janelle Monae, “We Are Young”
Rihanna, “We Found Love”
Justin Bieber, “Boyfriend”
Maroon 5 feat. Wiz Khalifa, “Payphone”

Best Rock Video
Coldplay, “Paradise”
The Black Keys, “Lonely Boy”
Linkin Park, “BURN IT DOWN”
Jack White, “Sixteen Saltines”
Imagine Dragons, “It’s Time”

Best Electronic Dance Music Video
Duck Sauce, “Big Bad Wolf”
Calvin Harris, “Feel So Close”
Skrillex, “First of the Year (Equinox)”
Martin Solveig, “The Night Out”
Avicii, “Le7els”

Best Video With a Message
Demi Lovato, “Skyscraper”
Rise Against, “Ballad of Hollis Brown”
Kelly Clarkson, “Dark Side”
Gym Class Heroes, “The Fighter”
K’Naan feat. Nelly Furtado, “Is Anybody Out There?”
Lil Wayne, “How to Love”

Best Art Direction
Katy Perry, “Wide Awake”
Drake feat. Rihanna, “Take Care”
Lana Del Rey, “Born to Die”
Regina Spektor, “All the Rowboats”
Of Monsters & Men, “Little Talks”

Best Choreography
Chris Brown, “Turn Up the Music”
Rihanna, “Where Have You Been”
Beyoncé, “Countdown”
Avicii, “Le7els”
Jennifer Lopez f/Pitbull, “Dance Again”

Best Cinematography
M.I.A., “Bad Girls”
Adele, “Someone Like You”
Drake feat. Rihanna, “Take Care”
Coldplay feat. Rihanna, “Princess of China”
Lana Del Rey, “Born to Die”

Best Direction
M.I.A., “Bad Girls”
Duck Sauce, “Big Bad Wolf”
Coldplay feat. Rihanna, “Princess of China”
Frank Ocean, “Swim Good”
Watch the Throne, “Otis”

Best Editing
Beyoncé, “Countdown”
A$AP Rocky, “Goldie”
Gotye, “Somebody That I Used to Know”
Watch the Throne, “Paris”
Kanye West feat. Pusha T, Big Sean and 2 Chainz, “Mercy”

Best Visual Effects
Katy Perry, “Wide Awake”
Rihanna, “Where Have You Been”
David Guetta feat. Nicki Minaj, “Turn Me On”
Linkin Park, “BURN IT DOWN”
Skrillex, “First of the Year (Equinox)”

Big Brother 14: The Yak Chats With Jury Member, Britney Haynes

Last night on Big Brother 14, another veteran was sent home. Britney Haynes was put up on the block after Dan Gheesling’s truly last ditch effort as extending his life in the game. After Jenn used the Veto on Dan, Britney was nominated in his place next to Danielle. By a vote of 4-1 (Ian voted in Britney’s favor), she was sent packing to the jury house to join Ashley. We had the opportunity to ask Britney a few questions before Jury. Read on to see what they had to say. Don’t forget to join all of our Big Brother and TV talk in our FORUMS.

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The Yak: You built a close bond with Shane because of the coaching twist, but do you think that bond also hurt your chances to win the game?
Britney: I don’t think it hurt my chances to win. He is a competition beast and as long as he had my back, I felt pretty safe going into every nomination and veto.

The Yak: Would you have still agreed to do this season of BB if you knew you’d eventually be playing the game as a HG & not as a coach?
Britney: Yes, I pretty much already suspected that would be the case going in. I just had to act like I didn’t like it because the houseguests weren’t finding the twist favorable.

The Yak: Looking back, do you think it may have been a mistake to tell Willie your prediction that the coaches would be entering the game?
Britney: Yes, who knew that he would go into total psycho mode and send the house into mass hysteria. I definitely should have kept that one to myself.

The Yak: If you got a do-over, what would you do different?
Britney: Worked harder to get Dan out before the coaches came into the game.

The Yak: Who are you hoping to see sitting in the final two chairs? Who do you hope to see next in the jury house?
Britney: For final two – Danielle and Ian. For the Jury – Frankenstein.

Thanks, Britney. Have fun in the Jury House!

SYTYCD: The Yak Chats with Eliminated Dancers Lindsay & Will

Last night, So You Think You Can Dance trimmed it’s Top 8 by eliminating one guy and one more girl from the competition. En route to finding America’s Favorite Dancers (remember, we have a guy and girl winner this season), ballroom dancer Lindsay Arnold and contemporary king Will Thomas were eliminated from the competition last night after a night full of nearly flawless performances. Judges Mary Murphy and Nigel Lythgoe were joined by Modern Family star and Emmy nominee Jesse Tyler Ferguson, who once again proved that a fan boy can be more as he was entertaining and critical at the same time. While we’re at the point of the competition when tough when the talent is this good, it has to happen. Witney Carson, Eliana Girard, and Tiffany Maher were safe and will compete in the Top 6 alongside Chehon Wespi-Tschopp, Cole Horibe and Cyrus Spencer. This afternoon, we had the pleasure of chatting with Lindsay and Will, who couldn’t be more grateful and positive about this experience of a lifetime. Check it out below!

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Before discussions about their experiences on SYTYCD, Will was given the opportunity to discuss his supportive community in southeastern Michigan and appeared very grateful for the support he’s received.

Lindsay, what was it like being in this whole experience with your best friend, Witney Carson?
Lindsay Arnold: Me and Whitney have been best friends since we were like eight, and just auditioning together we were like okay, we’ll just try it this year, and then maybe hopefully next year we’ll be able to make it for real. But then we both made it, and it was just so amazing, and I was so happy to have her with me, because it was just, it was helpful to have someone that you’re so comfortable with there with you through that experience.

On Their Hardest Style to Pick Up This Season
Will Thomas: For me it was this past week, the hip hop with Christopher Scott. The movement was a different kind of style hip hop that I never even knew existed, so that was a huge challenge I guess, but also the props and the emotion that went with the dance, too. It was just really, really big struggle, but by the time I was showed it, I was like forget it. I’m just going to have fun and so I did. It was very fun.
Lindsay: Same for me, mine was probably hip hop with Christopher Scott. It was really hard and it was hard getting into the character of that piece, so I feel like that probably was my hardest dance on the show.

On Whether Judge’s Comments Foreshadow An Elimination
Lindsay: I think it goes both ways. I mean, yes, when you do get a bad critique, you kind of automatically think, okay, well, I’m going home then. At the same time, they’ve surprised us in a lot of ways, and it’s not always predictable every single night.
Will: Right, yes, I agree with Lindsay. I mean, they know who’s in the bottom already before the show starts, so that is in the back of their head. Then so while we’re performing, say me and Lindsay were in the bottom, while we’re performing, they’re thinking should they stay, should they stay, should they stay; so yes, they might be a little bit harder on us, just so that they can like reason to themselves maybe why, who or what who’s going home. But at the same time, you really never know. I mean this past show they said really nice things to me and I ended up going home, and same with Amelia when she went home, so you never know.

On Their Future Plans
Lindsay: I’m hoping that from this, we’re going to go on tour in the next couple weeks, which is going to be really fun. Then I’m hoping after that, I would love to do TV shows, music videos, everything. I really want to be on “Dancing With The Stars,” so I’m hoping that that will work out for me.
Will: Yes, and for me I would say I just want to keep growing and working as an actor or and a dancer. I’m in acting classes, so I really want to keep going in that. I would love anything like “Gle”e or I don’t know, “Smash”, anything like that. I just want to keep growing and keep taking class and keep auditioning and just see where it takes me.

What pieces are you most looking forward to performing on tour?
Lindsay: From this season I would really love to do my Paso that I did the first week, just because I was in my own style, and it was really fun, and I just feel like me and Cole did really good.
Will: Yes, that Paso was so good. I kind of want to do what I did my first week – the Nappy Tabs hip-hop routine with the trash can. It was just a really good, fun way to start off the season for me, so I don’t know. I’d like to bring that back because it was so much fun.

In addition, they would like to see the “titanic” piece redone on the tour, as well as the Stacey Tookey routine Tiffany and Ade did this week.

On The Emotions of Elimination Night
Lindsay: I cried more tears of happiness and excitement. It was tears of sadness too, because it was hard to leave all my friends and to leave Witney. But at the same time it was just watching my video back and showing when they just showed my experience and stuff. It was just that I was so happy and just so like proud of myself for how far I’ve come.

On Splitting Votes from Utah
Lindsay: Yes, I mean, it was funny because yes, we both were back and forth with being in the bottom. Like if I wasn’t, [Witney] was; if I was, she wasn’t. I think yes, we might have been splitting votes, because we were so much alike. But I don’t know. I mean we ended up being at the bottom together, so hopefully now that Whitney is staying, the people who voted for me are going to vote for her, so she can win, because that would be amazing, and I hope they do that.

On Which Choreographer or Piece They Learned Most From
Will: For me I think it was my very, very, very opening first show when there was “Meet The Top 20.” We all did little small little group dances in our own genre, and Tyce was my choreographer. I learned the most from him. He literally is so inspiring and just brings things out of you that you didn’t realize you could and yes, he’s amazing.
Lindsay: I think for me it was when we did the tribute to Mia and I did the addiction piece. That was just like a really hard week for me, because I have so much to live up to just because that’s the first time that piece was so amazing. But then it was just so helpful because through the week, Mia helped me gain confidence in that piece, and then I just realized that I just had to do it to the best of my abilities and not really worry about living up to anything.

On The Seemingly Polarizing Mia Michaels Week
Lindsay: I mean it was hard going into that week just because we all knew that we had to live up to so much. I think it was good and bad. I mean it’s hard, because you can’t ever replace something. You can’t redo the pieces that were already done because they were so amazing. So it was hard because I feel like the judges are expecting a lot, and even though we gave something different, it was really hard to top the performances that had already been done.
Will: Yes, I think it was a great week, and I’m so honored to be able to be a part of that week; but at the same time it was very hard going into it trying to recreate a moment that was so amazing on the show that was unlike any other routine that we would have done. So just trying to recreate that moment all over again was intimidating.

On Their Perceptions About Different Styles of Dance
Lindsay: Being on the show really just like made me honestly appreciate all the other styles, because they’re all do different and all so hard. You really do have to bring a different vibe to every dance. So I feel like I learned that from this show and I learned that like even though I’m a ballroom dancer, if I get another style, I have to bring something to that style to make it what it is.
Will: Yes, I think it’s definitely brought in me I never in a million years would I imagine myself in Bollywood, but it was so much fun and like honestly in a heartbeat I would do it again. So I think it just made me more excited about going forward from here.

On Will Tapping Into his Serious Side
Will: It really actually wasn’t that bad. I know they make it seem like it was, but like I’m a contemporary dancer, so I’m used to being like more on the emotional side, especially when I’m on stage. So it wasn’t that hard to channel that and the frustration of this piece itself with the movement and the style was already really hard for me, so honestly I just used that while I was dancing. So that’s literally what my face was doing while I was dancing, but it was also telling a story about what was going on in the piece.

On The Importance of Arts in Schools
Will: I was always down. I really never came home from school. I would come home and just run in my room and just not come out. I was just always sad. I just wanted everyone to like me, but it’s hard to find that. Whereas if I’m dancing, it’s literally a new me, so I was still me, but I channeled all my creative energy more in the positive way rather than a nonsense way. I think that the arts would be most important because then if you don’t have art and something kids can find fun in and reach out of their element and then it’s just going to be school; math, history, science and English. You can look for that one hour of relaxing and fun and just let them go and do what you want.

On SYTYCD’s New Format
Lindsay: I think the new format was a little bit hard, because it was hard doing a performance night and having the height of that and then all of a sudden going straight into eliminations. It was really hard emotionally every night because it was like we can never just have a night of fun performances. It was like it always ended with a sad note, but I mean I think that’s just how I have to go with it. It helped us all grow a lot, I think, because we had to deal with those things emotionally and so it helped us like to be able to cope with it much better.
Will: Yes, I completely agree with that. I think in another way, I feel America didn’t really get to know us as they did maybe other seasons, where they get to see us two nights a week, rather than just one night a week. So that was also another hard thing, but mainly, mainly because we were just so happy with our performance, and then boom, they kick off eliminations so fast. The most crazy rollercoaster ever.

Lindsay and Will also addressed rumors that this might be the final season of SYTYCD. They both believe and hope that the show will continue, so that other dancers will get the experience that they did. Lindsay noted that those behind the scenes are preparing as if a season 10 is in the future. They were both a pleasure to talk to and we wish them the best in their future endeavors!

Big Brother 14: Dan’s Shocking Speech, Plus Draw Something Preview

CBS has released two separate previews of Big Brother “must-see” moments, according to fans. Without spoiling the events of the house, catch a sneak peek of the shocking speech Dan held after being put on the block. How did that affect the Power of Veto? Find out tonight as the Houseguests participate in a Draw Something themed POV competition!

For full details about the events in the Big Brother 14 house this week, click HERE. Please note, this will contains spoilers of all of the events after the HOH made his nominations at the end of Sunday’s episode.



Gay Themed Sitcom Gets Pulled from Utah NBC Affilate

“The New Normal” hasn’t premiered yet and it is already causing a stir in some communities around the country. According to Salt Lake Tribune, a Utah NBC Affiliate has pulled Ryan Murphy’s new sitcom from it’s Tuesday nights lineup. KSL, which is owned by the Latter-day Saints church, refuses to air a television show showcasing the ups and downs of a gay couple raising their new child.

“The dialogue might be excessively rude and crude,” CEO of KSL’s parent company, Bonneville International, Jeff Simpson tells the Tribune. “The scenes may be too explicit or the characterizations might seem offensive.”

KSL is no stranger to pulling questionable content off their airwaves. Last year, NBC show “The Playboy Club” didn’t get any airtime on the NBC affiliate. The show was eventually cancelled in October. In regards to “The Playboy Club,” KSL’s programming director Michelle Torsak said “Our intent is not to tell people what they can and cannot watch, but rather to share programming with our audience in accordance with our mission.”

Ryan Murphy, the creator of Glee, hasn’t commented on the developments yet. “The New Normal” was also under fire recently from One Million Moms who questioned the content and message the show sets to convey.

“The New Normal” premieres nationwide on Sept 11 at 8:30pm EST. Matt Jacquint, general manager of KUCW and KTVX, other affiliates in Utah, says that they WILL air the episodes on the weekends. They are just looking for a timeslot at the moment. So the folks in Utah will have a chance to catch the show, after all.

Big Brother 14: The Yak Chats with Ashley Iocca

As the second casualty of the double eviction, Ashley Iocca was available to answer questions to members of the media before heading off to sequester. Ashley was evicted after Ian won HOH and nominated Frank and Ashley for eviction. Frank was able to save himself with the Power of Veto, but Ashley was left on the block with a silent Joe. The Yak was lucky enough to get to poke at Ashley’s brain before she headed off to the jury house. Did we find more than unicorns and lollipops? Check out our brief interview below. Per protocol, we were only able to submit a few of our questions, but we appreciate all of your suggestions in our forum and on twitter!

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The Yak: Ashley, at what point in the game did you think that going with Boogie and Frank’s side of the house would benefit you? Do you regret that or do you still think that was the move for you?

Ashley: It was last week…I decided that I didn’t want to just be a floater anymore and I wanted to be a part of a Team. I felt like they were just going to pick the floaters off and that’s why I made my decision. I hate to have regrets, but yes.

The Yak: Were you surprised that Ian put you on the block after he made his crush on you very apparent in the house?

Ashley: I was extremely surprised and it hurt me. I think he’s just a puppet for Dan. I hope he’s happy for what he did to me.

The Yak: Was your back injury real or did you use it as a strategy to get a little more time in the house? Same thing with Frank, were your feelings for him real or were you trying to remain in the house?

Ashley: Back pain was very real…not strategy. Very real. In terms of Frank, yes, it was strategy.

The Yak: If you could go back and change just one thing that might have given you a different outcome, what would it be? Would you have rather had a different coach?

Ashley: I would have played my role as a ‘floater’ longer in the game…and hopefully till the end. In terms of the coach…I initially wanted Dan as a coach, but now I don’t. It’s a very tough question. There are a lot of factors to consider.

The Yak:At the end of the day, was Big Brother what you expected it to be? How did it end up being different from your initial impressions?

Ashley: It was all that and more.

StandUp2Cancer Returns for Third Telecast

Via StandUp2Cancer:

Building on two historic fundraising telecasts in 2008 and 2010, Stand Up To Cancer will return to primetime television on Friday, September 7 (8:00-9:00 PM ET & PT). Executive producers Gwyneth Paltrow and Joel Gallen will join Stand Up To Cancer’s production team to deliver a one-of-a-kind show featuring performances from top recording artists, and celebrities from film, television and sports engaging viewers with powerful stories and a moving call-to-action.

This star-studded appeal will continue to build public support for groundbreaking translational research accelerating the delivery of new therapies to patients, getting them from the “bench to the bedside” as quickly as possible. SU2C brings together scientists from different disciplines across various institutions to collaborate.

ABC, CBS, FOX and NBC are donating one hour of simultaneous commercial-free primetime for the nationally televised fundraising special on September 7, to be broadcast live from the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. HBO, HBO Latino, Bio, LMN (Lifetime Movie Network), Logo, MLB Network, mun2, Palladia, TBS and VH1 have also committed to carry the Stand Up To Cancer telecast, with other cablers expected to, as well. The program will include a celebrity phone/multi-media bank that will allow viewers to interact with participating talent. Viewers will also be able to donate via text-to-give and at standup2cancer.org. One hundred percent of all public donations will go directly to cancer research.

The first two SU2C telecasts took place on September 5, 2008 and September 10, 2010, and have been viewed in more than 190 countries. To date, more than $180 million has been pledged for SU2C’s innovative cancer research. Since 2008, SU2C has made grants to seven multi-disciplinary “Dream Teams” of researchers as well as to 26 young innovative scientists who are undertaking high-risk, potentially high-reward projects to end the reign of cancer as a leading cause of death in the world today. Sixty-eight institutions are currently involved.

Talent participation in the 2012 SU2C broadcast will be announced as the special nears. Right now the following personalities are confirmed: Gwyneth Paltrow, Julia Roberts, Matt Damon, Michael Douglas, Jessica Biel, Samuel L. Jackson, Jeremy Renner, Emma Stone, Seth Rogan, Simon Baker, Jordana Brewster, Diem Brown, Dana Delany, Chelsea Handler, Marg Helgenberger, Rashida Jones, Minka Kelly, Joe Manganiello, Jillian Michaels, Masi Oka, Ana Maria Polo, Alison Sweeney, and SU2C co-founder Katie Couric. Taylor Swift, Alicia Keys, Coldplay, and Tim McGraw are scheduled to perform.

CBS Drops Lawsuit Against ABC’s The Glass House

Some say this might be long overdue. Others might be surprised to hear this hasn’t already been done, but CBS announced today that they will be dropping the lawsuit against ABC’s reality show, “The Glass House.” But first … there’s a twist.

CBS cited low viewership number of “The Glass House” was the reason they were no longer interested in pursuing the case. The network will, however, continue to pursue claims against the show’s top producers who allegedly violated confidentiality agreements while working on the CBS show “Big Brother.” This motion will continue privately and not in a federal courtroom, as has been the case since May.

Read Our Eviction Interview with Big Brother’s Wil Heuser

From the Associated Press, CBS claimed the show copied “Big Brother” too closely. A judge refused to grant CBS’ request to block the show’s broadcast, saying the unpredictable nature of reality television meant that the two shows were likely to be very different, despite some similarities in their format.

In a statement released today, CBS wrote that “The viewers have spoken and delivered the ultimate form of justice against ‘The Glass House.'”

“The Glass House” has filmed it’s final episode, which will air Monday at 10/9c on ABC. “Big Brother 14” airs Sunday, Wednesday and Thursday nights on CBS.

SYTYCD: Honoring the Legendary Mia Michaels

In the midst of critical praise and a plethora of Emmy nominations, outside of the dance world, So You Think You Can Dance is arguably underrated in the reality TV genre. While people flock more to see celebrities try to dance, in a world of abounding reality competitions, the majority singing related, So You Think You Can Dance rests in a comfortable niche amongst its fans nearly midway through Season 9. After cuts by the Fox network this season, eliminating the show’s third hour each week and combining eliminations into the performance episode, many feared that this might spell the end of the reality TV gem.

Stepping aside from that uncertainty and setting aside (for just a moment) the UNBELIEVABLE talent the show has given us summer after summer (and even during the lockout inspired winter season), the SYTYCD dancers would not be able to shine as they do without the brilliance of the choreographers that stand behind them and work with them week after week. Among the many greats who have been nominated for industry awards, including the prestigious Emmys, stands out Mia Michaels. After a multi-season absence, the contestants on the show’s ninth season will bare all on stage to pay homage to one of dance’s greats.

In addition to her work for the Fox reality series, Mia has dedicated her career to working with some of the industry greats, including Celine Dion, Madonna, Ricky Martin, Tom Cruise, Gloria Estefan and Prince … just to name a few. In 2005, she choreographed Dion’s Vegas show, “A New Day,” for which she snagged an Emmy nomination. Just two years later, Michaels went home with an Emmy award for Outstanding Choreography for “Calling You,” which was showcased on SYTYCD’s 2nd season. In 2010, Michaels won three Emmys in the same category for “Koop Island Blues,” “Gravity,” and “One.” The following year, she earned Emmys for “Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic,” “When We Dance,” “This Bitter Earth/On the Nature of Daylight,” putting her at a “tie” that year with fellow SYTYCD choreographers Tabitha and Napolean D’Umo. She was also stationed as a permanent judge on the show’s 7th season, alongside Executive Producer Nigel Lythgoe and Step Up producer Adam Shankman.

To SYTYCD fans dismay, in 2009, Mia announced via Twitter that she will be leaving the show after five wonderful years. The door was, however, always open for a potential return. Since then, Michaels has expanded her choreography resume, worked on a clothing line and picked up a book deal. It was about a year later when her return to the show was confirmed.

Mia is the founder, artistic director, and choreographer for her New York based dance company, RAW (Reality at Work), which has been around since 1997.

With that, the remaining 14 dancers on SYTYCD’s ninth season will pay tribute to a choreographer whose pieces have struck the hearts of MANY around the world. As Season 4’s Joshua noted after performing “Hometown Glory,” “It’s so much more than dancing.”

Filled with raw emotion and storytelling (and a little bit of fun), we’ve chosen some of the many inspiring and breathtaking pieces Mia Michaels has given the show. So, sit back, enjoy and look forward to tonight’s episode of So You Think You Can Dance, which airs at 8/7c on Fox. You don’t want to miss it! That’s our Yak guarantee!

Which routines are you hoping to see tonight?

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