This episode we dive right into the summer reality TV show So You Think You Can Dance as it heads into its 12th season with a twist: the contestants are all kids this time. SYTYCD (as it is cumbersomely named) is a unique corner of reality television that has managed to bring awareness around the art and profession of dance, while showing off the mad skills of the young Americans who grace its stage. Jeff and I are both big time fans, and here we chat about what makes the show work.
We cover the great hosting work of Cat Deeley, a rotating panel of judges that bring their own energy to the show, and the music that can either make or break a performance. We also talk about some of our favourite performances over the years, including this one of Jeff’s:

And this favourite of mine:

We turn to look at the new season of So You Think You Can Dance, and discuss the way precocious tots are taking over our reality television airwaves. Will it be too cute to bear? We’ll have to see!
In our second segment this week, we’re talking about Challenging TV—shows that push us outside of our comfort zone and ask a little more of the viewer. We discuss whether or not Game of Thrones qualifies as a challenging show, whether that uncomfortable feeling perfected by The Office is worthy of our time, why we might choose to watch a show from The Selfish White Male Canon, and the difference between shows that challenge us in a good way and those that just aren’t for us.  
Pop Culture Kool-Aid Picks
This week I’ve picked Australian Rules Football as the thing I think you should check out. If you think quidditch or men with beautiful arms are cool, this might be the weird sport for you!
Jeff is finally watching RuPaul’s Drag Race (which we did an entire podcast about, find that post here), and he’s seen the light. Oh yes, hunty. 
Corrections!
A couple of small mispeaks this week. Jeff talked about the great dancer Misty Copeland and said that she was a dancer with the New York City Ballet. She is a principal dancer with the American Ballet Theater. 
Also, we talked about a faux-Christian lite rock band and erroneously referred to them as “Lighthouse”, when we meant to say “Lifehouse”.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Thanks so much for joining us this week! Don’t want to miss an episode? Go ahead and subscribe on iTunes or on Google Play!  Check back on June 23rd for our next episode (all about The Tony Awards).
We’d love to hear from you! If you want to get in touch, Jeff is @jlabryan, and I’m @laurencheal.
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