SYTYCD Joshua and Twitch COLLAPSE, Is Fox Responsible?

Aug 5th, 2008 | By RealityTV | Category: Lead Article, So You Think You Can Dance | 1,008 views |

If you didn’t catch the news yet, two out of the four finalists, Joshua and Twitch, of So You Think You Can Dance were hospitalized Saturday after supposedly succumbing to dehydration. Sunday rehearsals were canceled as a result. Judge Mary Murphy was interviewed by People Magazine on Sunday, and she stated “The kids are completely dehydrated – two of them. I’m sure they’re doing a lot of blood work to see if there’s anything else.”

Mary was optimistic that a day off would be beneficial to all, and that the remaining two dancers should not have any advantage as a result.

In reality, though, a day of rehearsal is critical to these performers, and so is being in peak physical condition. Their performances place physical demands on the dancers that are on par with those placed on many Olympic athletes.

Murphy actually blamed Twitch and Joshua themselves, stating, “they want it so bad, so, they keep pushing themselves and pushing themselves and not letting anybody know that, ‘Hey, I’m running on empty,’ and then it catches up on them and then they collapse.”

We are not so sure the show is not responsible for placing demands on the performers that are unsafe and risky, and failing to properly monitor the dancers’ health. These aren’t the first dancers shuffled off in an ambulance.

It appears to us that the show could be pushing the contestants to the brink risking their health and careers. Earlier this season alone, Jessica was forced to back out of the competition with a pair of broken ribs, restoring Comfort to the top ten. And last year’s winner, Sabra, suffered an ugly blow to the head that could have led to a severe neck or head injury after being dropped in practice by a dancer much less trained than she.

Twitch and Joshua are powerful men that are at the top of their game in dance. They are strong, hard-hitting and have proven to be amazing athletic dancers with extensive backgrounds, and BOTH, not just one, were driven to collapse by the So You Think You Can Dance program.

The good news is that both Twitch and Joshua were treated and released from the hospital, but we think that Mary and company should take pause before they truly damage someone’s career. 12 hours of rehearsal a day is common according to Mary, and that is likely not sustainable over the duration of the season.