Mary Murphy to Depart SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE

By: Jan. 12, 2015
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According to The Hollywood Reporter, Mary Murphy will officially exit Fox's long-running competition series SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE. Execs reportedly wanted "new blood" to join NIgel Lythgoe on the judging panel.

Murphy confirmed the news today in a statement:

"I'm saddened of course to be released from my contract," she said, per THR. "I'm very grateful and proud to have been part of such an extraordinary television show, So You Think You Can Dance, for 11 seasons. I'm sure there wasn't a person watching that didn't know I loved what I did.""

In September, Ricky Ubeda was named the Season 11 winner during the live two-hour Season Finale. Miami native Ubeda, 18, received the most votes and danced off with the cash prize of $250,000, the cover of Dance Spirit Magazine and the offer of a role in the Broadway revival of "On The Town." Ubeda also joined the rest of the Top 10 dancers for the Season 11 SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE Live Tour, which visits 77 cities in the U.S. and Canada and runs through February 18, 2015 at the Scheels Arena in Fargo, ND. Ticket information and more details are available at www.fox.com/dance.

Over the course of its 11 seasons, SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE has received 44 Emmy Award nominations and garnered 13 Emmy Award wins, including Outstanding Choreography for Mia Michaels (2011, 2010 and 2007); Napoleon and Tabitha Dumo (2014 and 2011); Tyce Diorio (2009); and Wade Robson (2008 and 2007). The hit series also received awards in the category of Outstanding Costumes in 2014, 2010 and in 2009, as well as awards in Outstanding Lighting Design in 2011 and 2012. SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE recently celebrated seven Emmy Award nominations, including repeat nods in the categories of Outstanding Reality - Competition Series and Outstanding Host for Reality or Reality - Competition Series for Cat Deeley. The series won a TEEN CHOICE Award in 2012 for Outstanding Achievement in Reality Programming, a Critics' Choice Television Award in 2012 for the category of Best Reality Series - Competition, and Deeley won the Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Reality Show Host in 2012.

SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE was created by Simon Fuller and Nigel Lythgoe and is from 19 Entertainment, a division of CORE Media Group, and dick clark productions. The series is executive-produced by Fuller; Lythgoe; Allen Shapiro, CEO of dick clark productions; Barry Adelman, Executive Vice President of dick clark productions; James Breen; and Jeff Thacker.

Photo by Brooklin Rosenstock/FOX


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