Image Credit: Kelsey McNeal/Fox; Ray Mickshaw/WireImage.com; NBCAt about 2 a.m. on Tuesday night, while I was writing my So You Think You Can Dance recap, it hit me: I really, really miss Mary Murphy. This is not a conclusion I ever expected myself to come to — I mean, I am the intrepid journalist who physically held a decibel meter up to Ms. Murphy’s mouth two years ago to measure just how loud her trademark scream really was, and my eardrums are still bleeding ringing. And yet this season I’ve found Mary’s replacement on the SYTYCD judging panel — Mia Michaels, the Emmy-winning choreographer with a history of terrifically cutting commentary as a guest judge on past seasons — to be a shocking bore. She’s polite and constructive and articulate. She thinks about what she’s going to say before she says it. And she’s never, not once, done this.
It turns out you actually do need a double-dip banana boat of crazy on the judging panel to make a successful reality competition show, and SYTYCD is but one example. America’s Got Talent with bland Howie Mandel instead of barmy David Hasselhoff? A snooze fest. And no matter how much we may personally adore Ellen DeGeneres, she was an excessively cautious dud as an American Idol judge. Paula Abdul did at times speak in accidental haiku when delivering her critiques on Idol, but that’s just it: We never had a clue what was going to come out of her mouth from one moment to the next, and that tension resulted in some truly fantastic television. Was Mary Murphy going to start inexplicably wailing about her hot tamale train? Would the Hoff struggle to articulate an entire sentence? Is Paula even paying attention? Yeah, we’ve tuned into these shows to see the breathtaking talent on display, but what’s also kept us riveted — especially in the face of the occasional lackluster episode — was our not-so-secret itch to see just what Paula/Hasselhoff/Mary would do next.
Now that itch is gone, and what are we left with? Humdrum platitudes and the sporadic nugget of practical advice. Woo hoo. Please, reality show producers, please don’t overlook the value of eccentric wardrobes, rambling metaphors, and jackhammer laughter. This could very well be a sign of the apocalypse, but it would appear they’re a big part of what made your shows true must-see TV. They’re the real X factor.
Do you agree, PopWatchers? Are there other loopy reality show judges you miss now that they’re gone? And did I hear “Janice Dickinson” just now, or was that just my sputtering air-conditioner?
Yes, I absolutely miss Mary Murphy the moment I heard this announcement. I find Mia rather boring. Of course, Paula was a bit of a looney, but she did add spark. However, I don’t ever want a Reality Show to be about the Judges. The focus must remain on the contestants!
Paula was a delight, and I was one that didn’t get her….but I get her now that I miss her. She was good for the water cooler at work…nobody talks about AI at the job anymore.
Yes to your last point! PLEASE let’s keep the focus on the contestants. I don’t want them to cast judges because they’re “zany” and “wacky” and whatever. That stuff annoys the hell out of me – Mary Murphy drove me up the freaking wall. I can see where it’s a little sad not to have a hot tamale train any more, but I really do NOT miss the screeching. I kind of enjoy watching a judging panel give constructive advice because then I don’t have to get filled with rage at their stupid antics and/or take a Tylenol for my Mary Murphy-induced headache. I did love the time Mia threw a pen at a female dancer when she was done, but generally I like judge shenanigans to be kept to a minimum…otherwise, the show doesn’t focus on the contestants as much and it spends too much time on how Simon drew a mustache on Paula (which was so stupid and annoying).
WHERE is Mary Murphy?? Please tell me why she left? The scream? Please the contestents looked forward to it…I really miss her, Mia is boring…
I miss Mary, too. But the switch makes sense on a technical level. There has been significantly less ballroom this season and remarkably more Jazz and Contemporary. I think this has to do with the specialities of the all-stars.
Actually, the judges are the number one reason I can’t consistently watch reality competition shows. Paula Abdul and Mary Murphy made me cringe with dread, not anticipation. I’m very glad they’re both gone.
Idol suffered by going to a production that placed more importance on the dysfunctional 4 judges and the “Great” Ryan Seacrest than the contestants.
Randy phoned it in, Ellen was clueless, and Dioguardi and Cowell blatantly played 3 favorites all season – CRystal, Lee, and Big Mike. Worse, the last two judges worked to undermine the confidence and performances of the other 7 Finalists…and generally convey to the audience they were miserable and put on just to suffer through the Idol show. Still worse, Dioguardi was irritating, contradictory, and dishonest in much of her criticism and her personal attacks on contestants triggered most of the “talking back to the sacred judges!!” episodes.
The most talented of the disfavored 7, Katie Stevens, Aaron Kelly, Siobhan Magnus and Casey James all saw their performances decline the more they interacted with the judges.
No surprise that 1st reviews of the Tour are of the “Who knew!!” Aaron Kelly and Katie Stevens were so good??? nature – with big praise also going to Casey and Siobhan. Even one critic who didn’t care at all for Siobhan’s music tastes admitted “you can’t ignore her or her talent – she delivers a real show in her set of 3 songs.”
The bottom line is that if Idol is about the contestants, not the Ryan Seacrest Show or “Your Idol Judges” – they were worse off without Paula. As daffy as she was, Paula was the one committed to improving performances, championing a contestant after an abherrent bad performance, and never hesitated to praise a contestant that you knew was not on her true faves list.
Paula was also more entertaining and watchable than Randy, Ellen, and Kara put together have been at judges table this season.
Speaking of boring judges – someone should figure out a way to muzzle YOU. Your judgemental comments are so predictable, don’t you get it?
Well said, Petra. Agree with every word. The Idol tour is tanking and I think one of the reason is this judging panel didn’t help to get the best out of the contestants.
Also who can miss David Hasselhoff? Seriously? And I don’t watch America Got Talent this year only because previous seasons were absolutely horrible. One week when I actually watched this season (purely by accident)it was not bad and Howie is certainly not worse than David! I would get rid of that annoying Osborn woman too. What does SHE know about talent?
Sometimes annoying can be interesting. Just like “The View” needs Elizabeth Hasselbeck to say something stupid and offensive daily, talent competitions needs sparky judges. “Dancing with the Stars” three terrific judges and a smart, funny host, probably the big reason the ratings continue to rise for the aging show. I agree. You do need a spark.
Right, because we know that none of the other ladies on The View have ever offended anyone.
meeeeeeeeeowwww…they probably have but not with the stupidity and judgement of a fundamentalist bible thumping Fox News talking points that Elizabeth brings
with Mr. Spock that is…
It’s not about a judge being annoying..It’s about being compassionate. We need atleast 1 judge who has some compassion for the contestant. The judges should represent the viewers and to do that you need a variety of them.
1 honest or brutally honest
1 tecnical
1 compassionate
Come to think of it, I don’t know what Adam is doing there because he rarely judge by any these criteria.
I think SYTYCD without Mary Murphy is much duller. Mia is a boring judge. Why did Mary leave? I read something about she needed time off for a foot surgery or something.
I miss Mary Murphy’s train interpretation. The train that passes by my house everyday just does not hold a candle to Mary’s call of th wild, like night and day.
No one will ever be a better crazy judge than Little Richard on the sadly short lived Celebrity Duets.
I remember that! Marie Osmond and I think David Foster just sat there completely dazed as Little Richard went on and on…great stuff!
You’re crazy Adam! So glad Mary Murphy is gone. I always muted her commentary from the judging panel. Those screams were unnecessary and painful!
I do miss murphy but I didn’t miss Paula. Maybe because everytime she would talk I think ” What is this giirl on? Is she high? Drunk? or just palin crazy?”
That’s the best typo ever… unless it wasn’t a typo.
I don’t miss these people at all. In fact, what I miss is the creative impulse on television. Murphy, Abdul and Hasselhoff were overpaid talents who truly didn’t justify the attention lavished on them. When people are that irritating, you drop them like flies in real life. Those who sit around and enjoy watching (and mostly) judging them simply lack any discernment themselves. I don’t miss them and I think it’s time all three shows left the airwaves. And while we’re at it, let’s get rid of BIG BROTHER, anything with HOUSEWIVES in the title and those pathetic losers on the SHORE.
I miss Mary!
Yeah me too!!! I really miss Mary and Paula’s insanity. The reality show is not just about the contestants, its about the entire package–its entertainment guys, its not as if we’re really serious industry guys auditioning them. Thats why they show the auditioners who sing and dance ridiculously, because its entertaining. Mary and Paula are spontaneous, unpredictable, and fun to watch and without them the shows lose that spark and levity.
Amen to that! Add too that just as wild, unpredictable, half daffy judges enhance a show and draws viewership even by those who “hate them and talk about how they hate them to friends and people at the water cooler” – you need the unpredictable, wild, and somewhat daffy reality TV contestant. Marie Osmond, KAte Gosselin, Pam Anderson all added to DWTS because you didn’t know what was coming from them next.
Lambert added a big “what will he do next!” factor.
This year it was Siobhan Magnus that had people tuning in just to see what the heck she would do next – excel or trainwreck herself – not just in songs, but style of clothes. If she would wail or not.
When she left too early, ratings dropped and didn’t pop back until the Finale.
People CLAIM they want completely normal and predictable events and people on the shows. They lie. They want to roll their eyes on Pam Anderson, shake their head at some delerious thing Adbul said, watch Siobhan Magnus closely anticipating how mad they will be when Magnus uncorks “Those awful screams”, they couldn’t wait to see what new devious thing Russel Haines would do on Survivor..
Chris, you are the only one who tuned into AI to watch Magnus. The reat of us were interested in who would actually win the competition.
Agreed 1000%. I miss Mary, not only for her zaniness, but also for her canny ballroom critiques, her surprising moments of eloquence, as well as her emotional reactions to the dances, which feel less stagey to me than Nigel’s. I love Mia as a brilliant choreographer, not as a judge (her vision is too narrow and she can be genuinely cruel), and miss Mary a lot. The panel is two little robots now parroting jerky Nigel, and I also miss the guest judges, like Debbie Allen, Lil C, Toni Basil, so many others.
I would prefer the show concentrate on the contestants -not the judges. SYTYCD is supposed to helping young dancers get better at their craft. I think Mia is a positive influence because she offers constructive criticism and is well respected in the field. I don’t like it when the viewers feel it’s more important to be entertained by the “crazy antics” of a judge then the spirit of the performances on stage.
I have to disagree, Adam. I had many conversations with people who had tried watching SYTYCD, but found Mary too unbearable. With her gone, I have another shot at convincing them to get on the SYTYCD train (not to be confused with the Hot Tamale train, which, I’m sorry, was stupid, erratic, and all to easy to board).
I miss Mary as well. While some of her energy was over the top, she was unapologetically passionate about the performances. She also made the other judges seem more distinct. Mia’s snarky or gushing guest judge comment was more potent after a Mary Murphy WOO-HOO, Adam’s teary reaction served as a complement to Mary’s higher drama and she had far more banter with Nigel than Mia has.
While I miss Paula and David, I am glad Mary Murphy is gone. I would put the mute button on when she was speaking, because I could not stand her voice and screaming. I almost stopped watching the show because of her her. Hope she does not come back.
I totally miss Mary, she added flavor to the show,albeit some of it annoying at times but she definitely knows about dancing and did provide good comments and enthusiasm. I also think the judges had more chemistry and more camaraderie , which this season is missing with both the judges and dancers. Please Nigel, bring Mary back. Keep the rotating guest judges as well, but bring back the crazy!