document_title: The Good Place (season 2)

question_text: the good place season 2 episode 12 release date

text: The Good Place (season 2)

text: Cast[edit]

text: Main[edit]

text:
Kristen Bell as Eleanor Shellstrop, a deceased saleswoman from Arizona who entered an afterlife utopia called "The Good Place" seemingly after being mistaken for a human rights lawyer by the same name.[2]
William Jackson Harper as Chidi Anagonye, a deceased ethics professor who was born in Nigeria and raised in Senegal. He is supposed to be the soulmate of "real Eleanor".[3]
Jameela Jamil as Tahani Al-Jamil, a deceased, wealthy philanthropist who traveled extensively around the world. She was born in Pakistan, raised in England, and went to school in France. Her full name means "Congratulations Beautiful".[4]
D'Arcy Carden as Janet, a programmed guide who acts as the neighborhood's main source of information, analogous to an intelligent personal assistant.[5] She is from the real Good Place.
Manny Jacinto as Jason Mendoza, a deceased DJ and small-time drug dealer from Florida who seemingly was mistaken for "Jianyu Li", a silent Buddhist monk from Taiwan and Tahani's alleged soulmate.[6]
Ted Danson as Michael, the architect of the titular "Good Place" neighbourhood that the other main characters inhabit. At the end of season 1, Eleanor deduced they were really all in the Bad Place and Michael was tricking them into torturing each other, at which points he wipes their memories to repeat the experiment.

text: Recurring[edit]

text:
Tiya Sircar as Vicky Sengupta, a resident of the Bad Place whom Michael has hired as an actress for his experiment. In season 1, she pretended to be the "real Eleanor Shellstrop".
Marc Evan Jackson as Shawn, Michael's boss in the Bad Place. He supports traditional torture and believes that Michael's plan will go down in history as a colossal failure.
Maribeth Monroe as Mindy St. Claire, the only resident of the Medium Place, a neutral plane of existence between the Good Place and the Bad Place.
Jason Mantzoukas as Derek Hoffstettler, an artificial "rebound guy" that Janet creates to get over Jason.

text: Guest[edit]

text:
Dax Shepard as Chet, a demon in the Bad Place responsible for torturing people guilty of toxic masculinity.
Maya Rudolph as Judge Hydrogen ("Gen" for short), an impartial inter-dimensional judge who rules on matters involving the Good Place and the Bad Place.

text: Episodes[edit]

text:
No.
overall
No. in
season
Title
Directed by
Written by
Original air date
U.S. viewers
(millions)

14[a]

15[a]
1

2
"Everything Is Great!"
Trent O'Donnell
Jen Statsky

Joe Mande
September 20, 2017 (2017-09-20)
5.28[7]

Eleanor's, Chidi's, Tahani's, and Jason's memories have been erased and they start over in the Bad Place. Shawn believes Michael's project will fail and Michael's existence will be ended through "retirement". Janet gives Eleanor the note she wrote to find Chidi. Chidi is forced to choose between two potential soul mates; just as he chooses Angelique, who seems ideal for him, Michael determines that the other woman, Pevita, with whom Chidi felt no connection, is his accurate soul mate. Eleanor finds Chidi, but he is distracted by his own situation and is unwilling to help Eleanor. Tahani is dissatisfied that her soulmate Tomas is very short and has unrefined taste and that their home is small and cramped. Michael plans for Eleanor to get drunk and behave badly at the welcome party, but instead Tahani gets drunk and makes a scene.

Jason's new soulmate is Luang, a monk who is meant to be his spiritual companion; Luang accompanies Jason and copies his every action, leaving Jason bored and desperate to escape. Jason quickly gloms onto Janet, who is nice to him. Vicky, who portrayed "Real Eleanor", is frustrated by her new, minor role as pizza parlor owner Denise. Chidi realizes the paper of Eleanor's note is from a book in his library; he suspects they have met before. At Eleanor's house, Eleanor admits that she doesn't belong in the Good Place. Michael, Janet, Tahani, Jason, and everyone's supposed soul mates arrive. Tahani and Jason openly express their dissatisfaction and Eleanor figures out that they are not in the Good Place; she reveals the note. Michael again erases the humans' memories and reboots the Good Place, but conceals the false start from Shawn, who has disallowed a third attempt.

16
3
"Dance Dance Resolution"
Drew Goddard
Megan Amram
September 28, 2017 (2017-09-28)
4.67[8]

Michael reboots the neighborhood hundreds of times, but Eleanor (and, on one occasion, Jason) eventually realizes its true nature each time. In the 802nd iteration, Eleanor and Chidi learn of the memory wipes when they discover dissatisfied neighborhood workers (including an undisguised demon) complaining about Michael's version of the Bad Place. Eleanor, Chidi, and Janet take the train to the Medium Place, where Mindy St. Claire reveals that it is Eleanor's sixteenth visit; Eleanor and her companions always return to Michael's neighborhood with a new plan to defeat him. Mindy also reveals that Eleanor and Chidi often form a sexual relationship and once mutually professed their love. In the neighborhood, Vicky and the other actors go on strike. Vicky presents their individual demands and hers is to take Michael's job; she threatens to reveal the multiple attempts to Shawn. Jason tells Michael about his dance crew being challenged to a dance-off and that they united to instead slash the other dancers' tires; when Eleanor returns and leads the humans in confronting Michael, he asks to form an alliance with them.

17
4
"Team Cockroach"
Morgan Sackett
Dan Schofield
October 5, 2017 (2017-10-05)
4.17[9]

Michael tries to recruit all four humans to his plan, in which he will reboot the neighborhood but secretly leave their memories intact and they will feign ignorance; if they refuse, Michael asserts they will again detect the ruse, Vicky will expose him, and the humans will be remanded to traditional, hellish torture, while Michael is burned eternally. Michael also claims he can get the four and himself into the real Good Place. Chidi agrees quickly, accepting that his work on ethics in life was unsuccessful. Jason is oblivious, but Michael's bow tie earns his trust. Tahani insists she belongs in the Good Place, but concedes after Michael reveals her cause of death; she was crushed by a statue of her sister Kamillah that she pulled down, demonstrating Tahani's self-obsession. Eleanor initially plans to flee to Mindy's house, but accedes to Michael's plan after Michael informs her that Chidi never refused to help her. She adds a condition: Michael must participate in Chidi's ethics classes. Even though Michael sees humans as "cockroaches", he agrees. The neighborhood is rebooted with Vicky taking on the role of the top point earner and honorary mayor. The humans and Michael meet in secret and are joined by Janet, whose programming compels her to make humans happy; thus, she will support the only real humans present.

18
5
"Existential Crisis"
Beth McCarthy-Miller
Andrew Law
October 12, 2017 (2017-10-12)
4.05[10]

When Chidi realizes that Michael's immortality prevents him from engaging with human ethics, he confronts Michael over the possibility of existence-ending "retirement". Michael becomes despondent and then replaces his existential crisis with a stereotypical midlife crisis, which Chidi determines is less psychologically productive. Eleanor explains to Michael that sadness over death is intrinsic to humanity; he thanks her and Chidi decides their studies can move forward. Tahani is tortured by having her birthday party for Gunnar overshadowed by an extravagant one planned by Vicky; Tahani is miserable despite knowing Vicky's plan and laments her character flaws that enable such superficial problems to affect her. Jason praises Tahani and they sleep together; both enjoy it, but Tahani wants to talk about it afterwards, while Jason is oblivious. Eleanor recalls formative experiences concerning death: Eleanor's alcoholic mother flippantly explaining the family dog's death to a young Eleanor, an adult Eleanor attending her father's funeral and claiming to be fine, and Eleanor crying at Bed Bath & Beyond upon seeing a toothbrush holder designed for a family's use.

19
6
"The Trolley Problem"
Dean Holland
Josh Siegal & Dylan Morgan
October 19, 2017 (2017-10-19)
3.92[11]

Chidi teaches the group the trolley problem thought experiment, but Michael's practical knowledge of the afterlife scoring system conflicts with Chidi's theoretical approach. Supposedly as a learning aid, Michael subjects Chidi to realistic simulations of the trolley problem and related ethical questions, then admits he is deliberately torturing Chidi. Chidi expels Michael, who tries to placate the humans with extravagant personalized gifts that Chidi calls bribes. Chidi allows Michael to return after Michael offers an apology that consists of exact and seemingly sincere wording Chidi has pre-approved. Tahani and Jason continue their relationship, but Tahani insists on secrecy while Jason wants to go public. Janet becomes their couples counselor. Over the course of a month, their relationship improves but Janet, performing beyond her specifications, is suffering from short term errors; Janet tells Michael the neighborhood could collapse from the errors' increasing severity.

20
7
"Janet and Michael"
Dean Holland
Kate Gersten
October 26, 2017 (2017-10-26)
3.97[12]

Before beginning his experiment, Michael steals Janet from a warehouse and claims to be a Good Place architect; they build the neighborhood together. Now, Michael troubleshoots Janet while Vicki is distracted by torturing Chidi with needles. When Janet's manual suggests the glitches are caused by falsehoods, Michael blames himself for lying about the neighborhood's real purpose. But when a glitch occurs while Janet is speaking to Tahani and Jason about their relationship, he realizes the problem is Janet's own subconscious lies – she isn't really happy for the couple because she's retained her second incarnation's love for Jason. Janet advises Michael to activate her self-destruct mechanism but he makes excuses and ultimately refuses because Janet is his friend. They solicit Eleanor's advice instead, and Eleanor successfully talks Janet through processing her human emotions. Acting on Eleanor's recommendation of a rebound relationship, Janet creates a boyfriend named Derek whose mental state is infantile, excitable and easily distracted.

21
8
"Derek"
Jude Weng
Cord Jefferson
November 2, 2017 (2017-11-02)
3.06[13]

Michael fears Derek's existence will expose him. Michael sends Jason and Tahani on a private retreat and seeks Chidi and Eleanor's advice. Janet and Derek's relationship deteriorates. After Jason and Tahani ask Janet to marry them, Chidi acknowledges that the most ethical action is to inform the couple of Janet's issue, despite the double effect that Janet might eliminate Derek. Eleanor does so, and as Janet's friend offers to help her work through her deep emotions over time. Janet deactivates Derek. Jason and Tahani remain intimate, but are unsure where they stand. Eleanor, having secretly repeatedly viewed Mindy's tape of herself and Chidi, shows it to him; he does not feel he loves her, and she claims to feel the same way. Michael asks to speak with Eleanor about ethics; she tells him that striving to do right is emotionally rewarding, and that reaching out to her was human. Shawn comes to Michael's office.

22
9
"Leap to Faith"
Linda Mendoza
Christopher Encell
January 4, 2018 (2018-01-04)
3.08[14]

Shawn congratulates Michael; Michael's falsified progress reports have earned them both promotions and the new torture plan will be widely implemented. Michael "reveals" to Eleanor, Chidi, Tahani, and Jason that they are in the Bad Place, and announces the demons will destroy and abandon the neighborhood while the humans will be remanded to traditional torture the next day. The four consider exposing Michael to Shawn or fleeing to Mindy St. Clair's house, but Eleanor realizes Michael mentioned Kierkegaard as a cue for them to take a leap of faith on him, and his cruel roast of them encoded a plan: Janet retrieves Derek, who conducts a decoy train while the humans hide under the demons' train and Michael frames Vicky for the humans' apparent escape. When the demons leave, Michael, Janet, and the humans are left alone and safe in the neighborhood. Mindy is delighted when a sexually willing Derek arrives at her house with cocaine.

23
10
"Best Self"
Julie Anne Robinson
Tyler Straessle
January 11, 2018 (2018-01-11)
3.11[15]

Michael tells the humans they will travel to the Good Place in a hot-air balloon that challenges them to prove they are the best versions of their respective selves. They struggle to do so, and Michael admits he is stalling because he was actually unable to determine a means to enter the Good Place despite exploring over a billion options. Out of options, the group holds a party. Tahani ends her relationship with Jason. Eleanor admits she has feelings for Chidi, who describes his struggle to process his feelings and wishes he and Eleanor had met under normal circumstances. The humans name Michael an "honorary human", praising him for making more of an effort to do the right thing than a typical person. Tahani suggests they "demand to speak to a manager", but Michael says the Judge rarely hears cases and can only be reached through the Bad Place. Eleanor suggests they try, and everyone agrees. Michael incapacitates the Bad Janet sent to transport him, and Janet conducts everyone to the Bad Place on a train as the neighborhood disintegrates.

24
11
"Rhonda, Diana, Jake, and Trent"
Alan Yang
Jen Statsky & Dan Schofield
January 18, 2018 (2018-01-18)
3.00[16]

Inside Bad Place headquarters, Michael works to obtain special badges that enable use of the Judge's portal. When a reception is unexpectedly held in the others' hiding place, the humans impersonate demons and Janet impersonates a Bad Janet. Chidi is unwilling to lie until Eleanor convinces him moral particularism permits it. Michael intends to use the humans' extradition paperwork as a cover, but Shawn (against regulations) sends commandos to Mindy's house and learns the humans aren't there. Michael flees, stealing badges, and rejoins the humans at the reception, where a presentation about the neighborhood reveals the humans' identities. The five escape without Janet after Jason blocks Shawn's pursuit with a Molotov cocktail. Michael sends Tahani, Jason, and Chidi through the portal before discovering he is one badge short. He then gives his to Eleanor—determining self-sacrifice solves the trolley problem—-and pushes a protesting Eleanor through the portal as Shawn arrives.

25
12
"The Burrito"
Dean Holland
Megan Amram & Joe Mande
January 25, 2018 (2018-01-25)
3.65[17]

Michael confesses his lies to Shawn, who rather than retire him (which would make a spectacle that would publicize the scandal) decides to imprison him. The Bad Janet assisting Shawn reveals herself to be Michael's Janet; she incapacitates Shawn. The four humans arrive at the Judge's chambers. Eleanor reveals Michael's sacrifice. The Judge, Gen, agrees to hear out Eleanor, Chidi, Jason, and Tahani, and tells them they must be subjected to separate tests of their personal growth. At their own request, they will share one fate and can only pass if all do individually. Jason fails a test of impulse control, while Tahani fails when, instructed to ignore what others think of her, she maturely confronts her parents over their lifelong cruelty towards her. Eleanor is told that she and Chidi have passed while the others have failed; after Chidi tells her that it's ethical for them to go to the Good Place without Jason and Tahani, she correctly identifies "Chidi" as a construct and refuses the offer; Gen commends her. The real Chidi fails a test of decisiveness. Gen tells the foursome they have failed, and Eleanor claims to have also failed personally. Before Gen can send them to the Bad Place, Michael and Janet arrive.

26
13
"Somewhere Else"
Michael Schur
Michael Schur
February 1, 2018 (2018-02-01)
3.19[18]

Michael argues that the humans' postmortem self-improvement, which the immortal beings thought impossible, means the afterlife system is corrupt. Janet tells Jason she loves him, inspiring Chidi to kiss Eleanor. Gen offers to put each of the humans in their own, separate Medium Places while she deliberates for up to a million years, but Eleanor refuses the proposal as unjust. Gen believes the humans only improved in pursuit of moral desert, but Michael believes they would have striven to improve, regardless, if encouraged. Eleanor's memory is again wiped; in a new scenario, she is saved from the accident that would have killed her; Michael and Janet monitor the behavior of all four humans. Eleanor has an epiphany; she quits her immoral job to work as an environmentalist, and she tries to be ethical. After six months, Eleanor loses enthusiasm for environmentalism and her kindness has opened her to mistreatment by others; she reverts to her previous lifestyle for another six months. Michael, evading Gen's notice, appears to Eleanor as a bartender and questions her morality, leading her to watch Chidi's three-hour-long online lecture on "what we owe to each other," which enthralls her. Eleanor travels to Australia to meet Chidi, pleasing Michael.

text: ^ Jump up to: a b The second-season premiere aired as one hour-long episode, but the on-screen title identified it as "Chapters 14 & 15" of the series.

text: Critical reception[edit]

text: The second season has received highly positive reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, the second season has a rating of 100%, based on 26 reviews, with an average rating of 8.62/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "By voluntarily blowing up its premise, The Good Place sets up a second season that proves even funnier than its first."[19] On Metacritic, the second season has a score of 87 out of 100, based on reviews from 10 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[20]

text: Television critics' top 10 lists[edit]

text: The Good Place ranked fifth on Metacritic's "Best of 2017: Television Critics' Top 10 Lists". The list is determined by giving a score to each show based on the number of times it appears in year-end top ten lists of various major TV critics and publications.[21]

text: Ratings[edit]

text:
No.
Title
Air date
Rating/share
(18–49)
Viewers
(millions)
DVR
(18–49)
DVR viewers
(millions)
Total
(18–49)
Total viewers
(millions)

1/2
"Everything Is Great!"
September 20, 2017
1.3/5
5.28[7]
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A

3
"Dance Dance Resolution"
September 28, 2017
1.4/5
4.67[8]
0.8
N/A
2.2[22]
N/A

4
"Team Cockroach"
October 5, 2017
1.2/5
4.17[9]
0.8
N/A
2.0[23]
N/A

5
"Existential Crisis"
October 12, 2017
1.2/5
4.05[10]
0.8
N/A
2.0[24]
N/A

6
"The Trolley Problem"
October 19, 2017
1.1/4
3.92[11]
0.8
N/A
1.9[25]
N/A

7
"Janet and Michael"
October 26, 2017
1.1/4
3.97[12]
0.7
N/A
1.8[26]
N/A

8
"Derek"
November 2, 2017
1.0/4
3.06[13]
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A

9
"Leap to Faith"
January 4, 2018
1.0/4
3.08[14]
0.9
2.03
1.9
5.11[27]

10
"Best Self"
January 11, 2018
1.0/4
3.11[15]
0.8
1.90
1.8
5.01[28]

11
"Rhonda, Diana, Jake, and Trent"
January 18, 2018
1.0/4
3.00[16]
0.8
1.82
1.8
4.80[29]

12
"The Burrito"
January 25, 2018
1.1/4
3.65[17]
0.8
1.82
1.9
5.47[30]

13
"Somewhere Else"
February 1, 2018
1.1/4
3.19[18]
0.8
1.75
1.9
4.95[31]


document_title: So You Think You Can Dance (U.S. TV series)

question_text: who won this year's so you think you can dance

question_tokens: who won this year 's so you think you can dance

root

text: Show format[edit]

text: A typical season of So You Think You Can Dance is divided between a selection process, during which expert judges select competitors from a wide pool of applicant dancers, and a competition phase, during which these 'finalists' (more typically referred to as the 'Top 20') compete for votes from home viewers. Though it is produced over the course of months, the selection phase is highly edited and usually constitutes only the first 2–4 weeks of aired episodes, with the competition episodes forming the remaining 8–9 weeks of the season.

tag: p

text: Open auditions[edit]

text: The open auditions, the first stage in determining a seasons finalists, take place in 5–6 major U.S. cities each season and are typically open to anyone aged 18–30 at the time of their audition. The cities where auditions are held change from season to season but some, such as Los Angeles and New York, have featured in most seasons. During this stage, dancers perform a brief routine (typically a solo, but duet and group routines are allowed as well) before a panel of dance experts, usually headed by series creator and executive producer Nigel Lythgoe. This panel then decides on-the-spot whether the dancer demonstrated enough ability and performance value to proceed further. If the dancer exhibited exceptional ability in their performance, judges award "a ticket to Vegas" (or in more recent seasons "a ticket to the Academy"), moving them instantly one step forward in the competition. Alternatively, if judges are on the fence about the dancer, they may ask the contestant to wait until the end of that day's auditions to participate in a short test of their ability to pick up professional choreography.

text: Callbacks[edit]

text: The second stage of the selection process is referred to as "the callbacks" (the round has often been held in the city of Las Vegas and also been known as "Vegas Week" for much of the show's run, but has been called Academy Week since season 13). The callbacks consist of a several-day-long process in which the remaining hopefuls are tested for overall well-rounded dance ability, stamina, creativity and their ability to perform under pressure. The dancers are put through a battery of rounds that test their ability to pick up various dance styles; these are typically some of the more well-represented genres that are later prominent in the competition phase, such as hip-hop, jazz, ballroom, and contemporary. Additionally the dancers may be asked to perform further solos in styles of their choosing and participate in a group choreography round in which small teams of contestants must display their musicality and ability to communicate professionally by choreographing a performance to a randomly selected piece of music — this challenge is notable as being the only time competitors are asked to choreograph themselves, aside from solos. The Callbacks are often collectively portrayed as one of the most exhausting and stressful stages of the competition; each successive round sees cuts in which a significant portion of the remaining dancers are eliminated from competition and dancers are given a limited amount of time to adapt to styles they are sometimes wholly unfamiliar with while being physically taxed by the rapid progression of rounds and a limited amount of rest. At the end of this process, usually less than 40 competitors remain in a pool that final contestants are chosen from. Most seasons have featured 20 top finalists for the competition portion of the show, but Season One was represented by a Top 16, Season Seven saw a Top 11, and Season Thirteen employed a Top 10.

text: Finalist selection and showcase episode[edit]

text: Following Vegas Week—-which has, through video vignettes, made many of the dancers increasingly familiar to the audience as it observes their attempts to cope with the challenges of the week-—the judge's panel selects their finalists from the remaining dancers, breaking the good or bad news to each dancer. Since Season six, the series has also featured a showcase episode that takes place immediately before the main competition. In this episode, dancers compete for the first time on the main SYTYCD stage in Los Angeles before a live audience, dancing duet or group routines, but only in their own styles. In seasons eight through ten, the finalist announcement episode and the dancer's showcase were combined into one episode, with groups of dancers taking to the stage for the first time immediately after they are revealed. In seasons six through nine, no dancers were in danger of elimination at this point and the first round of viewer voting and judge eliminations occurred the following week. In the slightly more compact format of the more recent seasons, the dancer showcase is often the first episode to be accompanied by viewer voting and a resulting elimination.

text: Finalist Stage[edit]

text: Following the finalist selection process, the show transitions into its regular competition phase, which lasts the rest of the season. The competition stage is typically divided into 8 weeks, generally with two contestants eliminated per week. Dancers are paired-up into male-female couples that will sometimes stay paired for half of the remaining competition if neither is eliminated. These couples perform 1–2 duets per week in randomly selected styles. These duets, as with all non-solo performances at this stage in the competition, are choreographed by professional choreographers. Prior to most duet performances, a video packet of clips of the couple preparing to perform the routine is shown; these packets are intended not only to demonstrate the couple's efforts to master the routine, but also to give glimpses of the personalities of the dancers as well as to allow the choreographer to give insight as to the thematic, narrative, and artistic intentions of the piece. Following each duet performance, the week's panel of judges gives critical feedback, often emphasizing the two key areas of technique and performance value. Duets and their accompanying video packets and critiques typically take up the majority of a competition show but may also be supplemented by solos or group numbers. Each competition show ends with a quick recap of the night's routines accompanied by voting prompts--traditionally by phone, but increasingly through online voting processes. Performance shows typically last around two hours, commercials included.

text: In seasons 2-8 the show's weekly format was split between two episodes, a performance episode, as described above, and a results show which reveals the outcome of the at-home-viewer voting. Results shows typically aired on the night immediately following that of the performance show of the same week and usually opened with a group routine from the remaining contestants. The main purpose of this show was to determine which of the dancers are eliminated that week, but these episodes generally also featured guest dance performances or guest musical acts, and sometimes further video packets that provide insight on the dancers and their journey on the show. More recent seasons have moved to a one-show-per-week format, combining elements that used to be found in both varieties of show. Regardless of how many shows air per week, a "bottom three" couples (those that garnered the fewest votes from viewers--in some seasons it is a bottom three of individual dancers rather than couples) are typically revealed weekly at this stage in the competition. Each of these dancers are then in danger of elimination and must perform a solo for the judges as their last effort to impress and stay in the competition. The judges then retire briefly (typically during the night's headlining musical guest performance) to determine which man and woman (which are not necessarily from the same couple) will leave the competition. The eliminated dancers are then announced and given a brief send-off via a video montage. On very rare occasions, the judges have been unwilling to send any of the bottom dancers home on the merits of their performances that week and have abstained from making an elimination and instead allowed all competitors to proceed to the next week (often to be followed by a double elimination the following week). Since Season 7, dancers have also been routinely paired with "All Stars", returning dancers from previous seasons who partner with the contestant dancers, but are not themselves competing.

text: The total number of hours shown in a given week during the performance phase of the competition has varied from two to four hours. In season one there was no results show and the dancers' eliminations were pre-recorded the week they occurred and then broadcast at the beginning of the next week's episode. Seasons 9-14 have also utilized one show per week, but with votes from the previous week being revealed later in the show. Voting has varied by season (and often within seasons) with regard to whether the voter selected individuals or couples. There has also been variability in how long couples are kept together and how the at-home-viewer votes are balanced against judge decisions, though ultimately at some point in every season, the judges give up their power to save dancers at this point, and eliminations are determined exclusively by viewer votes, with judges serving in only an advisory capacity. Each season undergoes one final format shake-up in its last week, which typically takes place when the show reaches a Top 4. In the final performance show, the remaining dancers typically each dance duets with all of their remaining fellow finalists as well as perform solos and participate in group numbers. The following night's season finale episode is often the most elaborately produced show of a season and features the last performances of the competitors, encore performances of many of the season's most acclaimed routines, guest dancers (including returning past season competitors and cast-members from other international versions of the franchise), musical performances and multiple video packets chronicling the course of the season's events, all culminating in the announcement of the winner of the competition, as decided by the previous night's vote. Some seasons have featured a singular winner, while others have allowed for a male and female winner. Following the closure of the season, the Top Ten dancers often go on tour for several months, performing hit routines from the season amongst other performances.

text: Judges[edit]

text: The judging panel has also varied considerably in size and composition over the run of the series. Typically a season has 2–3 permanent judges with an additional 1–2 guest judges for most episodes, with the panel ballooning up to six to nine members for Vegas Week and the finale. Executive producer Nigel Lythgoe is the only permanent judge on the panel for all of the seasons. Other permanent judges have included ballroom specialist Mary Murphy, film director and choreographer Adam Shankman and contemporary choreographer Mia Michaels. Guest judge positions are typically filled by choreographers who work regularly on the show—though choreographers will never develop routines for an episode on which they judge—who in rare cases may also be former contestants themselves, and by iconic names from the entertainment industry. Guest judges for the show have included: Debbie Allen, Christina Applegate, Robin Antin, Toni Basil, Cicely Bradley, Kristin Chenoweth, Alex Da Silva, Ellen DeGeneres, Tyce Diorio, Joey Dowling, Napoleon and Tabitha D'umo, Carmen Electra, Brian Friedman, Jean-Marc Généreux, Jason Gilkison, Neil Patrick Harris, Hi-Hat, Katie Holmes, Dan Karaty, Lady Gaga, Carly Rae Jepsen, Lil' C, Rob Marshall, Mandy Moore, Megan Mullally, Kenny Ortega, Toni Redpath, Debbie Reynolds, Wade Robson, Doriana Sanchez, Shane Sparks, Sonya Tayeh, Olisa Thompson, Stacey Tookey, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, and Travis Wall. In earlier seasons, the judges decided on eliminations until around week five of the competitive phase of the show, but in seasons seven through nine the judges decided the eliminations until week seven. Beginning with the twelfth season, Paula Abdul and Jason Derulo joined Lythgoe as permanent judges.[2] For the thirteenth season, 13-year-old dancer Maddie Ziegler joined the panel as a fourth judge.[3] Season Fourteen has seen the departure of Abdul, Derulo, and Ziegler from their season-long positions of the judges panel, but introduction of Vanessa Hudgens and the return of Mary Murphy to her seat.

text: Overview of format and presentation by season[edit]

text:
Season
Dates
Host
Permanent judges
Separate results show?
Dancer showcase episode?†
Number of finalists in first live show
Number of contestants eliminated per week
Number of contestants remaining in finale
No. of winners
All-Stars included
in format?
Point at which judge eliminations end
Voting for individual dancers starting with

1
Summer 2005
(July–October)
Lauren Sánchez
Nigel Lythgoe
No
No
16
2
4
1
No
Top 8
Top 8

2
Summer 2006
(May–August)
Cat Deeley
Yes
No
20
2
4
1
No
Top 10
Top 10

3
Summer 2007
(May–August)
Nigel Lythgoe
Mary Murphy
Yes
No
20
2
4
1
No
Top 10
Top 10

4
Summer 2008
(May–August)
Yes
No
20
2
4
1
No
Top 10
Top 10

5
Summer 2009
(May–August)
Yes
No
20
2
4
1
No
Top 10
Top 10

6
Fall 2009
(September–December)
Nigel Lythgoe
Mary Murphy
Adam Shankman
Yes
Yes
20
2
6
1
No
Top 10
Top 10

7
Summer 2010
(May–August)
Nigel Lythgoe
Adam Shankman
Mia Michaels
Yes
Yes
11
1*
3
1
Yes
Top 4
Top 11

8
Summer 2011
(May–August)
Nigel Lythgoe
Mary Murphy
Yes
Yes‡
20
2*
4
1
Yes
Top 6
Top 10

9
Summer 2012
(May–September)
No
Yes‡
20
2*
4
2
Yes
Top 6
Top 20

10
Summer 2013
(May–September)
No
Yes‡
20
2
4
2
Yes
Top 6
Top 20

11
Summer 2014
(May–September)
No
Yes
20
2
4
1
Yes
Top 10
Top 20

12
Summer 2015
(June–September)
Nigel Lythgoe
Paula Abdul
Jason Derulo
No
Yes
20
2⁂
4
1
Yes
Top 14
Top 20

13°
Summer 2016
(May–September)
Nigel Lythgoe
Paula Abdul
Jason Derulo
Maddie Ziegler
No
Yes
10
1**
4
1
Yes
Top 8
Top 10

14
Summer 2017
(June–September)
Nigel Lythgoe
Mary Murphy
Vanessa Hudgens
No
No
10
1
4
1
Yes
Top 6
Top 10

tag: table

text: † From its inception in season 6 and through season 10, the dancer showcase episode represented a non-competitive round with no viewer voting or subsequent eliminations, followed the next week by the first competitive round. In season 11 it was the first episode of the season upon which viewers voted.

text: ‡ For seasons 8-10, the dancer showcase episode was combined with the Top 20 reveal episode, with groups of the dancers performing immediately after being revealed as finalists.

text: * In both seasons 7 and 8, the judges decided not to eliminate any dancers on the occasion of one results show; in both cases this event was followed by the elimination of double the normal amount of contestants the following week. Similarly, for format reasons, season 9 featured two shows with double eliminations, with four dancers eliminated instead of two for each of these shows.

text: ⁂ Unlike all previous seasons, season 12 featured the elimination of one "street" dancer and one "stage" dancer each week, as opposed to one female and one male contestant (as in all previous seasons which eliminated two dancers per week).

text: °Season 13 (during which the show was subtitled 'The Next Generation') featured competitors between the ages of 9 (or as young as 8 at time of application) and 14.

text: **In season 13, the judges held the audition rounds, but the all-stars, rather than the judges, made the eliminations during Academy week to choose the top 10. After this, in episodes 7 and 8, from the two contestants with the lowest viewer votes, the judges made the elimination. In episode 9, the two contestants with the lowest viewer votes were both eliminated, and in episodes 10 and 11, the contestant with the lowest viewer votes was eliminated.

text: Dance styles and choreographers[edit]

text: Over the course of its eleven seasons, So You Think You Can Dance has featured dozens of distinct dance styles in its choreographed routines. Most of these styles fall into four categories that are regularly showcased and can be found in almost every performance episode: western contemporary/classical styles, ballroom styles, hip-hop/street styles, and Jazz and its related styles. Various other forms of dance that do not especially fall into these broad categories are seen as well, but not as regularly. The following styles have all been seen in a choreographed duet or group routine; styles featured only in auditions or solos are not listed.

text: Classical styles[edit]

text: Routines from the classically derived style of contemporary dance are the most common dances seen on the show, being seen in every performance episode of the series (and typically at least twice per episode). While contemporary, lyrical, and modern dance are typically considered three separate (if overlapping) styles, the practice on So You Think You Can Dance has been to refer to all routines in this area as "contemporary", except in the first season where the label "lyrical" was used for the same purpose. Ballet routines occur much more rarely, at a rate of one or two per season since their introduction in the fourth season.

text:
Genre
Styles

Western Classical styles

Contemporary, Lyrical, Modern, Ballet/Pas de Deux

Choreographers

Dee Caspary, Tessandra Chavez, Tyce Diorio, Joey Dowling, Justin Giles, Mandy Moore, Mia Michaels, Dwight Rhoden, Desmond Richardson, Garry Stewart, Sonya Tayeh, Stacey Tookey, Travis Wall, Tovaris Wilson, Keith Young, Lindsay Nelko

text: Street and club styles[edit]

text: Hip-hop routines are also present in every performance episode. While these routines frequently feature elements from many different subgenres of hip-hop (locking and popping, for example) and various "street" styles (such as breaking), they are typically all labelled under the umbrella term of hip-hop. An exception is the now frequently featured lyrical hip-hop, which is unique amongst all the styles on SYTYCD in that it is the only one that is held to have become a known distinct style at least in-part as a result of the show; the style is widely attributed to regular show choreographers Tabitha and Napoleon D'umo and the term itself to judge Adam Shankman. These two broad categories are occasionally supplemented by krump routines, which have been featured a few times a season since their introduction in season 2. Additionally the styles of breakdancing (in the sense of a full breaking routine as opposed to a hip-hop routine with a few breaking tricks), waacking, and stepping have all been featured in exactly one routine. In Season 12, there are more street style dances because of the season's new format where there are 10 street dancers which do only street styles.

text:
Genre
Styles

Street and Contemporary Club Styles

Hip-hop (umbrella term for all Popping, Locking, and New Style/Commercial Hip-Hop styles), Lyrical Hip-hop, Breaking/B-boying, Krump, Stepping, Waacking

Choreographers

Cicely Bradley, Luther Brown, Tessandra Chavez, Tabitha and Napoleon D'umo, Dan Karaty, Marty Kudelka, Lil' C, Chuck Maldonado, Todd Sams, Christopher Scott, Dave Scott, Shane Sparks, Jamal Sims, Olisa Thompson, Dana Wilson, Pharside and Phoenix, Luam.

text: Ballroom styles[edit]

text: Ballroom styles are also seen regularly in every performance episode; these dances may be traditional European-derived styles or Latin-American styles or a mix of the two.

text:
Genre
Styles

Standard or Smooth Ballroom styles

Foxtrot, Tango, Argentine Tango, Quickstep, Waltz (including Smooth Waltz, Slow Waltz, American Slow Waltz, and Viennese Waltz variants)

Latin/Rhythm Ballroom styles

Cha-Cha-Cha, Jive, American Jive, Mambo, Paso Doble, Rumba, Salsa, Street Salsa, Samba, African Samba

Choreographers

Mark Ballas, Leonardo Barrionuevo, Dmitry Chaplin, Valentin Chmerkovskiy, Alex Da Silva, Sasha Farber, Anya Garnis, Jean-Marc Généreux, Jason Gilkison, Hunter Johnson, Pasha Kovalev, Melanie LaPatin, Miriam Larici, Liz Lira, Michael Mead, Tony Meredith, Tomas Mielnicki, Ron Montez, France Mousseau, Mary Murphy, Jonathan Platero, Oksana Platero, Toni Redpath, Jonathan Roberts, Fabian Sanchez, Edward Simon, Emma Slater, Heather Smith, J.T. Thomas, Louis Van Amstel, Gustavo Vargas, Glenn Weiss

text: Jazz, Broadway, and musical theater styles[edit]

text: Jazz is featured in nearly all performance episodes. While these routines are typically labelled simply "Jazz", the genre is notable as being one of the most fusional featured on the show and various style combinations and sub-categories have been referenced. Descended from Jazz but treated as a separate genre on SYTYCD, "Broadway" is analogous to the label "Musical Theater" outside the U.S.

text:
Genre
Styles

Jazz Styles

Jazz, Contemporary Jazz, Modern Jazz, Lyrical Jazz, African Jazz, Jazz-Funk, Latin Jazz, Pop-Jazz/Pop

Broadway/Musical Theatre Styles

Broadway, Burlesque, Can-Can, Tap

Choreographers

Andy Blankenbuehler, Sean Cheesman, Tyce Diorio, Brian Friedman, Laurie Ann Gibson, Derick K. Grant, Charles Klapow, Ray Leeper, Spencer Liff, Mandy Moore, Anthony Morigerato, Amanda Robson, Wade Robson, Sonya Tayeh, Savion Glover

text: American social styles[edit]

text: These dance styles are featured less frequently than their ballroom relatives, but have been seen intermittently since the first season.

text:
Genre
Styles

American Social / Traditional Club Styles

Charleston, Country-Western Two-Step, Disco, Go-Go, Hustle, Lindy Hop, Rock n' Roll, Swing, West Coast Swing

Choreographers

Ronnie DeBenedetta, Carla Heiney, Brandi Tobais, Travis Payne, Doriana Sanchez, Benji Schwimmer, Kristen Sorci, Maria Torres, Nick Williams

text: Regional/traditional styles[edit]

text: In addition to the broad categories above, many more styles that are less common in the U.S. are sometimes featured. Most of these are seen only once, but the Bollywood style has been featured several times per season since the fourth season.

text:
Genre
Styles

Regional/Traditional Styles

Bollywood, African, Capoeira, Kalinka, Malevos, Tahitian, Tropak

Choreographers

Lilia Babenko, Leonardo Barrionuevo, Nakul Dev Mahajan, Miriam Larici, Tiana Liufau, Youri Nelzine.

text: Seasons[edit]

text: Grand Finalists[edit]

text:
Season
Winner
Runner-up
Third place
Fourth place
Fifth place
Sixth place

1
Nick Lazzarini
(Contemporary Jazz)
Melody Lacayanga
(Contemporary)
Jamile McGee
(Popping)
Ashlé Dawson
(Jazz)

2
Benji Schwimmer
(Swing/Latin)
Travis Wall
(Contemporary)
Donyelle Jones
(Jazz/Hip-Hop)
Heidi Groskreutz
(Ballroom)

3
Sabra Johnson
(Contemporary)
Danny Tidwell
(Contemporary)
Neil Haskell
(Contemporary)
Lacey Schwimmer
(Swing/Latin)

4
Joshua Allen
(Hip-Hop)
Stephen "Twitch" Boss
(Hip-Hop)
Katee Shean
(Contemporary)
Courtney Galiano
(Contemporary)

5
Jeanine Mason
(Contemporary)
Brandon Bryant
(Contemporary)
Evan Kasprzak
(Broadway)
Kayla Radomski
(Contemporary)

6
Russell Ferguson
(Krump)
Jakob Karr
(Contemporary)
Kathryn McCormick
(Contemporary)
Ellenore Scott
(Jazz)
Ashleigh Di Lello
(Ballroom)
Ryan Di Lello
(Ballroom)

7
Lauren Froderman
(Contemporary)
Kent Boyd
(Contemporary Jazz)
Robert Roldan
(Contemporary Jazz)

8
Melanie Moore
(Contemporary)
Sasha Mallory
(African Jazz)
Marko Germar
(Contemporary Jazz)
Tadd Gadduang
(Breakdance)

Female winner
Male winner
Female runner-up
Male runner-up

9
Eliana Girard
(Ballet)
Chehon Wespi-Tschopp
(Ballet)
Tiffany Maher
(Jazz)
Cyrus "Glitch" Spencer
(Popping/Animation)

10
Amy Yakima
(Jazz)
Du-Shaunt "Fik-Shun" Stegall
(Hip-Hop)
Jasmine Harper
(Contemporary)
Aaron Turner
(Tap)

Winner
Runner-up
Third place
Fourth place

11
Ricky Ubeda
(Contemporary)
Valerie Rockey
(Tap)
Jessica Richens
(Jazz)
Zack Everhart, Jr.
(Tap)

12
Gaby Diaz
(Tap)
Jaja Vaňková
(Animation/Krump)
Virgil Gadson
(Hip-Hop)
Hailee Payne
(Jazz)

13
Leon "Kida" Burns
(Hip-Hop)
J.T. Church
(Jazz)
Tate McRae
(Contemporary/Ballet)
Emma Hellenkamp
(Tap)

14
Lex Ishimoto
(Contemporary Hip-Hop)
Koine Iwasaki
(Contemporary)
Taylor Sieve
(Contemporary)
Kiki Nyemchek
(Latin Ballroom)

text: Season 1[edit]

text: Season 2[edit]

text: The second season premiered on May 12, 2006. The top 20 finalists were revealed on June 8, and the winner, Benjamin Schwimmer, was named "America's Favorite Dancer" on August 16, 2006 after 16 million votes were collected for the season finale. Travis Wall was the first runner-up, and Donyelle Jones was named second runner-up. There were several changes to the show's format in the second season. This season was the first to feature two episodes per week, splitting the bulk of the performances and the voting results segments between two nights. New styles of dance were also introduced, and the winning prize was increased from US$100,000 to $250,000 and also included a new car and a one-year contract to perform in a Céline Dion show then performing Las Vegas. The season was also the first followed by a live tour for the top ten dancers.

text: Season 3[edit]

text: Open auditions for season 3 began early October 2006, held in New York City, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Atlanta. Like the previous season, those that made the cuts moved on to Las Vegas. The taped auditions premiered on the Fox on May 24, 2007, and the subsequent shows were taped and broadcast live for a 12-week season. Cat Deeley returned as host, and Nigel Lythgoe returned as permanent judge. Joining Lythgoe permanently at the judging table was Mary Murphy; her promotion was reported by TV Guide on March 8, 2007. The prize for the winner remained at $250,000 cash. On the performance finale show (August 16, 2007), Sabra Johnson was named "America's Favorite Dancer," while Danny Tidwell (brother of season 2 runner-up Travis Wall) was runner-up.

text: Season 4[edit]

text: Auditions for Season 4 began in Texas on January 17 and took place in six locations through March 2008. The show kicked off its two-hour season premiere on May 22, 2008.[4] Cat Deeley returned as host and Nigel Lythgoe and Mary Murphy as permanent judges. This season saw the introduction of new dance styles, including Bollywood, and new choreographers, including hip-hop duo Tabitha and Napoleon D'umo. The prize for the winner was again $250,000 cash and the title of "America's Favorite Dancer" and additionally included an offer for a role in the dance film Step Up 3D. In the finale, viewers voted Joshua Allen as the overall winner, while Katee Shean was voted the top female dancer and was given a previously unannounced award of $50,000.[5]

text: Season 5[edit]

text: Auditions for Season 5 kicked off in New York City on November 13, 2008 and continued on to Miami, Los Angeles, Denver, Memphis, and Seattle. The premiere aired on May 21, 2009. Louis van Amstel joined the show's cast of choreographers and Shane Sparks returned to choreograph while on break from America's Best Dance Crew. The prize for the winner was once again $250,000 cash, the chance to be on the November 2009 issue cover of Dance Spirit Magazine, and the title of "America's Favorite Dancer." On August 6, 2009 (the finale), Jeanine Mason was given the title.

text: Season 6[edit]

text: After a low-rated special episode of Dance featuring Lythgoe presenting his and viewer's favorite dance routines from seasons 1–5, the sixth season of Dance, premiered on Wednesday, September 9, 2009.[6] Auditions were held in Boston, Atlanta, Los Angeles, New Orleans, Phoenix, and Salt Lake City.[7] Adam Shankman joined as the permanent judge for the first time this season. The winner was Russell Ferguson and the runner-up was Jakob Karr.

text: Season 7[edit]

text: Auditions began in Miami, Florida, on January 18, 2010, continuing through New York, Dallas, Nashville, and Chicago, ending in Los Angeles on March 26. The season premiered on May 27, 2010. This season introduced significant format changes to the show, with a Top 11 dancers instead of the traditional Top 20 and "All-Stars", contestants from previous seasons who returned to partner with the Top 11 for a portion of their routines. Lauren Froderman won this season with Kent Boyd as runner-up.

text: Season 8[edit]

text: Auditions started October 13, 2010 in Oakland, California and continued through November 15 in Brooklyn, New York. The premiere aired on May 26, 2011. This season began a new version of the "All-Star" format in which the All-Stars didn't come in until the top 10. The show returned to a top 20 with couples. This season also marks the first time that the public can cast votes online, in addition to calling in, with a limit of 50 votes per viewer. On August 11, 2011, Melanie Moore won season 8, and Sasha Mallory was named the runner-up. Together they received 79% of the 11.5 million votes.

text: Season 9[edit]

text: The ninth season premiered on May 24, 2012. Fox discontinued the results show.[8] The two winners selected on September 18, 2012 were Eliana Girard and Chehon Wespi-Tschopp.

text: Season 10[edit]

text: Season 10 premiered on May 14, 2013, in its new Tuesdays at 8 p.m. time slot.[9] The two-part premiere concluded on May 15, 2013 at 9 p.m., after the finale of American Idol season 12.[10] On September 10, 2013, Amy Yakima and Du-Shaunt 'Fik-Shun' Stegall were named the season 10 winners, becoming the first contestants to take the top two positions who had been a couple at the beginning of the live show competition. No music artists or special dance performers appeared on this season except for All-Stars who were former contestants.

text: Season 11[edit]

text: The eleventh season premiered on Wednesday, May 28, 2014. The season finale aired on Wednesday, September 3, 2014. Contemporary dancer Ricky Ubeda was the winner of the season with Tap dancer Valerie Rockey finishing as the runner-up.[11]

text: Season 12[edit]

text: The twelfth season of the show divided contestants into two equally sized teams, one representing "stage" dancers and the other "street" styles, with one contestant eliminated from each team weekly until the finale.[12] Auditions began on January 24, 2015 and took place in five major American cities.[13] Season 12 premiered on Monday, June 1. Tap dancer Gaby Diaz was the winner of the season, becoming the first tap dancer to win So You Think You Can Dance. Animation dancer Jaja Vankova finished as the runner-up.

text: Season 13[edit]

text: The thirteenth season of the series premiered on May 30, 2016, titled So You Think You Can Dance: The Next Generation. The season features young dancers between the ages of 8 and 13 (at their date of application). After auditions, during Dance Academy episodes, 10 All-Stars eliminated competitors until each selected one contestant to mentor and partner with in performances during the live episodes.[14] One or more finalists were eliminated each week beginning July 18, 2016.[15] 13-year-old dancer Maddie Ziegler observed the Academy episodes and joined the judging panel for the live shows (also observing and commenting on rehearsals), together with continuing judges Abdul, Derulo and Lythgoe, the three of whom conducted the auditions.[3][16] Leon "Kida" Burns won the top prize of $250,000. J. T. Church was the runner-up.[17]

text: Season 14[edit]

text: On January 30, 2017, Fox renewed the series for a fourteenth season, which returned to its former contestant age range of 18-30 but keeps the All-Star partnerships. The season premiered on June 12, 2017. Contemporary dancer Lex Ishimoto was the winner of the season with contemporary dance Koine Iwasaki finishing as the runner-up and female winner, becoming the first Asian-Americans to take the top two positions of So You Think You Can Dance.[18]

text: Special shows[edit]

text: On September 2, 2009, as prelude to season 6, a special show aired featuring judge picks for the top 15 routines from the first five seasons. At the end of the show, show creator and judge Nigel Lythgoe presented his favorite performance, a contemporary piece choreographed by Tyce Diorio and performed by Melissa Sandvig and Ade Obayomi.

text: In March 2014, Chinese television station CCTV broadcast a promotional episode in which notable all-star dancers from the U.S. and Chinese versions of So You Think You Can Dance competed directly against one-another as teams. Titled Zhōngměi Wǔ Lín Guànjūn Duìkàngsài - Super Dancer Born Tonight, the show was shot in Las Vegas but never aired on U.S. television.

text: Ratings[edit]

text: So You Think You Can Dance premiered with over 10 million viewers in 2005. For Season 1, it was the No. 1 summer show on television. However, when NBC's America's Got Talent premiered in the summer of 2006, it took the title of "#1 summer show" and, over the following few years, broadened its lead. In summer 2009, SYTYCD premiered strong with a 3.4 rating in its target demographic, although with the start of America's Got Talent roughly a month later in the same timeslot, Dance fell to No. 4 on the ratings board. It continued to lose viewers throughout the summer of 2009 and ended up with an average of approximately 8 million viewers. Fox then moved SYTYCD to its fall 2009 schedule where its ratings continued to decline; hitting an all-time series low of 4.6 million viewers for a "special" episode hosted by Nigel Lythgoe on September 2, 2009. The move to the fall was short-lived. After dropping to an average of 6 million viewers, Fox moved SYTYCD back to the summer in 2010. With Mia Michaels replacing Mary Murphy and former contestants termed as "All-Stars" being used as partners, the ratings for Dance continued to slide to all-time series lows; dropping to just 5.6 million viewers on July 15, 2010. For Season 7, So You Think You Can Dance averaged just over 5 million viewers. After season 7, Mia Michaels was replaced on the judge's panel by returning personality Mary Murphy. The change appeared to have little effect on the ratings, and the show continued to average just over five million viewers per episode in 2011's season 8. Season 9 saw a slight uptick in ratings early on, with each of the season's first five episodes garnering between six and seven million viewers, but the rise was short-lived and the show's ratings hit a new low of 4.16 million viewers on August 29, 2012. Season 10 maintained similar numbers, averaging about 4 million viewers per episode in 2013, with a 4.3 million viewership for the last episode of the season, an all-time series low for a finale.[19]

text: In April 2014, Nigel Lythgoe appealed on Twitter to fans to share information about the show ahead of the 11th season's May premiere in an attempt to augment the show's ratings for the upcoming season and bolster its chances of renewal thereafter.[19][20] The show was renewed for a 12th season, but ratings continued to decline, with an average of around 3.5 million viewers per show. FOX renewed the show for a 13th season, but with a drastically re-worked format focused on child dancers. Ratings declined further for the new version, with only five episodes breaking the 3 million viewer mark; the finale saw a series low viewership of just 2.27 million viewers.[citation needed]

text: In 2016, a New York Times study of the 50 TV shows with the most Facebook Likes found that "in general", Dance "is more popular in cities, though it hits peak popularity in Utah".[21]

text: Influence and international franchise[edit]

text: Dance competition had been a part of American television for decades before the premiere of So You Think You Can Dance, but usually in the form of all-around talent searches, (such as Star Search, Soul Train, or Showtime at the Apollo). However, a season-long American Idol-like talent-search show with a sole focus on dance had never been broadcast on American network television. Producers and judges associated with the show have stated on numerous occasions, both within the context of the show and in interviews, that the series was meant to rejuvenate the visibility and appreciation of dance as an art form in the U.S. and to give exposure to struggling dancers. Series judge Mary Murphy says, for example, "Of course you hope you can make a living at it, because you don't want to give up on something that you do, but the honest truth is most dancers have to carry one or two jobs and dance as much as they can on the side -- it's a very lucky dancer who gets a full scholarship."[22] A number of dance-themed competition shows have been produced for American television since the premiere of So You Think You Can Dance, including America's Best Dance Crew, Superstars of Dance, and Live to Dance.

text: In 2009, Lythgoe came together with fellow SYTYCD judge Adam Shankman as well as Katie Holmes, Carrie Ann Inaba, and others in the dance entertainment industry, in an effort to launch The Dizzyfeet Foundation, with the aim of providing scholarships and training to young dancers of limited means.[23] The foundation has been referenced sporadically on the show since. In 2010, Lythgoe, with the assistance of other SYTYCD personalities and long-time healthy lifestyles proponent Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton, was successful in getting another of his dance-oriented concepts realized—an official National Dance Day, held now annually on the last Saturday of July, to promote fitness through movement.[24] This national dance day has been celebrated annually by the show since.[25]

text: Before the end of 2005, the year the series first premiered, its format had already been licensed for the first of a number foreign adaptations. To date, the resulting So You Think You Can Dance franchise has produced 26 shows representing 37 different countries and comprising more than 80 individual seasons. These adaptations have aired in Armenia, Australia, Belgium, Canada, China, Denmark, Egypt, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iraq, India, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Lithuania, Malaysia, Morocco, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Palestinian Territories, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, South Africa, Sudan, Sweden, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom and Vietnam.

text: Awards and nominations[edit]

text: Emmy Awards[edit]

text:
[hide]Emmy Awards and nominations

Year
Result
Category
Recipient(s)/
Choreographer(s)
Style
Music

2007
Won[a]
Outstanding Choreography
Wade Robson
Pop-Jazz
"Ramalama (Bang Bang)"—Róisín Murphy

Mia Michaels
Contemporary
"Calling You"—Celine Dion

2008
Won
Outstanding Choreography
Wade Robson
Jazz
Hummingbird and Flower/"The Chairman's Waltz" from Memoirs of a Geisha

Nominated
Mandy Moore
Jazz
Table/"Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)"—Eurythmics

Nominated
Shane Sparks
Hip-hop
Transformers/"Fuego"—Pitbull

Nominated
Outstanding Makeup For A Multi-Camera Series Or Special (Non-Prosthetic)

2009
Won
Outstanding Choreography
Tyce Diorio
Contemporary
Adam and Eve/"Silence" from Unfaithful

Nominated
Tabitha and Napoleon D'umo
Hip-hop
"Bleeding Love"—Leona Lewis

Nominated
Mia Michaels
Contemporary
"Mercy"—Duffy

Nominated
Dmitry Chaplin
Argentine tango
"A Los Amigos" from Forever Tango

Nominated
Outstanding Makeup For A Multi-Camera Series Or Special (Non-Prosthetic)

Won
Outstanding Costumes For A Variety/Music Program Or A Special
Soyon An

2010
Won
Outstanding Choreography
Mia Michaels
Contemporary
"Koop Island Blues"—Koop feat Ane Brun

Contemporary
Addiction/"Gravity"—Sara Bareilles

Contemporary
"One" from A Chorus Line

Nominated
Stacey Tookey
Contemporary
Fear/"Two Steps Away"—Patti LaBelle

Nominated
Outstanding Makeup For A Multi-Camera Series Or Special (Non-Prosthetic)

Won
Outstanding Costumes For A Variety/Music Program Or A Special
Soyon An
Graine O'Sullivan

2011
Won
Outstanding Choreography
Tabitha and Napoleon D'umo
Hip-Hop
"Scars"—Basement Jaxx ft. Kelis, Meleka, and Chipmunk

Lyrical Hip-Hop
"Fallin'"—Alicia Keys

Hip-Hop
"Outta Your Mind" (District 78 Mix)—Lil Jon and LMFAO

Won
Mia Michaels
Contemporary
Alice in Mia-Land/"Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic"—Sting

Contemporary
"When We Dance"—Sting

Contemporary
"This Bitter Earth/On the Nature of Twilight"—Max Richter and Dinah Washington

Nominated
Mandy Moore
Pop-Jazz
"Oh Yeah"—Yello

Jazz
"Boogie Shoes"—KC & the Sunshine Band

Contemporary
"I Surrender"—Celine Dion

Nominated
Stacey Tookey
Contemporary
"Mad World" (Alternate Version)—Michael Andrews ft. Gary Jules

Contemporary
"Sundrenched World" (Live Session)—Joshua Radin

Contemporary
"Heaven is a Place on Earth"—Katie Thompson

Nominated
Travis Wall
Contemporary
"Collide" (Acoustic Version)—Howie Day

Contemporary
"How It Ends"—DeVotchKa

Contemporary
"Fix You"—Coldplay

Nominated
Outstanding Host for a Reality or Reality-Competition Program
Cat Deeley

Won
Outstanding Lighting Design/Lighting Direction for a Variety, Music, or Comedy Series
Robert Barnhart
Pete Radice
Patrick Boozer
Matt Firestone

Nominated
Outstanding Reality-Competition Program
Producers

2012
Nominated
Outstanding Choreography
Stacey Tookey
Contemporary
"In This Shirt"—The Irrepressibles

Contemporary
"Turning Tables"—Adele

Contemporary
"Heart Asks Pleasure First"—Ahn Trio

Nominated
Christopher Scott
Hip-hop
"Misty Blue"—Dorothy Moore

Hip-hop/Contemporary
"Velocity"—Nathan Lanier

Nominated
Spencer Liff
Broadway
"Whatever Lola Wants"—Ella Fitzgerald

Broadway
"Please Mr. Jailer"—Rachel Sweet

Broadway
"(Where Do I Begin) Love Story (Away Team Remix)"—Shirley Bassey

Nominated
Outstanding Host for a Reality or Reality-Competition Program
Cat Deeley

Won
Outstanding Lighting Design/Lighting Direction for a Variety Series
Robert Barnhart
Matt Firestone
Pete Radice
Patrick Boozer

Nominated
Outstanding Reality-Competition Program
Producers

2013
Nominated
Outstanding Choreography
Sonya Tayeh
Contemporary
"Possibly Maybe"—Björk

Contemporary
"Turning Page"—Sleeping At Last

Jazz
"Sail"—Awolnation

Nominated
Mandy Moore
Contemporary
"The Power of Love"—Celine Dion

Contemporary
"Wild Horses"—Charlotte Martin

Nominated
Tabitha and Napoleon D'umo
Jazz/Hip-hop
"The Circle of Life/Nants Ingonyama (District 78 Remix) from The Lion King"—Ella Fitzgerald

Jazz[26]
"The Lovecats"—The Cure

Jazz
The Beautiful People (District 78 remix)"—Marilyn Manson

Nominated
Travis Wall
Contemporary
"Where the Light Gets In"—Sennen

Contemporary
"Without You"—Harry Nilsson

Contemporary
"Unchained Melody"—The Righteous Brothers

Nominated
Outstanding Host for a Reality or Reality-Competition Program
Cat Deeley

Nominated
Outstanding Lighting Design/Lighting Direction for a Variety Series
Robert Barnhart
Matt Firestone
Pete Radice
Patrick Boozer

Nominated
Outstanding Reality-Competition Program
Producers

2014
Nominated
Outstanding Choreography
Christopher Scott
Hip-hop
"Trigger (Original Mix)"—Kezwik ft. Mel Presson

Jazz
"Sand"—Nathan Lanier ft. Karen Whipple

Contemporary
"The Gravel Road" from The Village (Score from the Motion Picture)

Nominated
Mandy Moore
Contemporary
"I Can't Make You Love Me"—Mark Masri

Jazz
"Feeling Good"—Jennifer Hudson

Contemporary
"Edge of Glory (Live from a Very Gaga Thanksgiving)"—Lady Gaga

Won
Tabitha and Napoleon D'umo
Hip-hop
"Gold Rush"—Clinton Sparks ft. 2 Chainz, Macklemore, & D.A.

Hip-Hop
"Run the World (Girls) (Nappytabs Remix)"—Beyoncé

Hip-Hop
"Puttin' On the Ritz"—Herb Alpert ft. Lani Hall

Nominated
Travis Wall
Contemporary
"Hangin' By a Thread"—Jann Arden

Contemporary
"Medicine"—Daughter

Contemporary
"Wicked Game (Live at Kilkenny Arts Festival, Ireland 2011)"—James Vincent McMorrow

Nominated
Outstanding Host for a Reality or Reality-Competition Program
Cat Deeley

Nominated
Outstanding Makeup For A Multi-Camera Series Or Special (Non-Prosthetic)

Nominated
Outstanding Reality-Competition Program
Producers

2015
Won
Outstanding Choreography
Travis Wall
Contemporary
"Wave"—Beck

Contemporary
"When I Go"—Over the Rhine

Contemporary
"Wind Beneath My Wings"—RyanDan

Nominated
Sonya Tayeh
Contemporary
"Vow"—Meredith Monk

Contemporary
"So Broken (Live)"—Björk

Contemporary
"Europe, After The Rain" —Max Richter

Nominated
Spencer Liff
Broadway
"Hernando's Hideaway"—Ella Fitzgerald

Broadway
"I've Got the World on a String"—Frank Sinatra

Broadway
"Maybe This Time"—Liza Minnelli

Nominated
Outstanding Host for a Reality or Reality-Competition Program
Cat Deeley

Nominated
Outstanding Lighting Design/Lighting Direction for a Variety Series
Robert Barnhart
Matt Firestone
Patrick Boozer
Pete Radice

Nominated
Outstanding Hairstyling for a Multi-Camera Series Or Special
Sallie Nicole
Sean Smith
Dean Banowetz
Ralph Abalos
Shawn Finch
Melissa Jaqua

Nominated
Outstanding Makeup for a Multi-Camera Series or Special
Heather Cummings
Marie DelPrete
Amy Harmon
Tyson Fountaine
Adam Christopher

Nominated
Outstanding Reality Competiton Program
Producers

2016
Nominated
Outstanding Choreography
Travis Wall
Contemporary
"Beautiful Friends"—Helen Money

Contemporary
"November"—Max Richter

Contemporary
"Gimme All Your Love"—Alabama Shakes

Nominated
Anthony Morigerato
Tap
"Dibidy Dop (Swing Mix)"—Club Des Belugas feat. Brenda Boykin

Nominated
Outstanding Lighting Design/Lighting Direction for a Variety Series
Robert Barnhart
Matt Firestone
Patrick Boozer
Pete Radice

2017
Won
Outstanding Choreography
Travis Wall
Contemporary
"The Mirror"—Alexandre Desplat

Contemporary
"Send in the Clowns"—Sarah Vaughan and the Count Basie Orchestra

Contemporary
"She Used to be Mine"—Sara Bareilles

Nominated
Mandy Moore
Contemporary
"Unsteady (Erich Lee Gravity Remix)"—X Ambassadors

Contemporary
"This is Not the End"—Clare Maguire

Nominated
Outstanding Lighting Design/Lighting Direction for a Variety Series
Robert Barnhart
Matt Firestone
Patrick Boozer
Pete Radice

As of 2017, nine former SYTYCD contestants have been nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Choreography. Five were nominated for their work on Dancing with the Stars: Chelsie Hightower in 2010, Travis Wall and Nick Lazzarini in 2012 (with Teddy Forance), Alison Holker in 2013 (with Derek Hough), and Witney Carson in 2015. Hokuto “Hok” Konishi, Ryan “Ryanimay” Conferido, and Dominic “D-Trix” Sandoval were nominated in 2016 as part of the B-boy troupe Quest Crew for their work on America's Best Dance Crew. Dmitry Chaplin in 2009 and Travis Wall in 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2017 were nominated for their work on SYTYCD, itself. The only former contestants to have won the Choreography Emmy are Konishi, Conferido, and Sandoval in 2016 and Wall in 2015 and 2017. [27]
^a : Wade Robson and Mia Michaels were joint-winners along with Rob Marshall and John Deluca from Tony Bennett: An American Classic.

text: Teen Choice Awards[edit]

text:
Year
Result
Category

2006
Won
Choice TV: Breakout Show

Choice Summer Series

2007
Nominated
Choice Summer TV Show

2008
Nominated
Choice Summer TV Show

Choice TV: Reality Dance

2010
Nominated
Choice Personality: Cat Deeley

Choice Summer TV Show


document_title: Government of India

question_text: who is the constitutional head of government of india

text: Government of India

text: Basic structure[edit]

text: Modelled after the Westminster system[1] for governing the state, the union government is mainly composed of the executive, legislative, and judicial branches, in which all powers are vested by the Constitution in Parliament, the Prime Minister and the Supreme Court. The President of India is the Head of State and the Supreme Commander of the Indian Armed Forces while the elected Prime Minister acts as the chief executive (of the executive branch) and is responsible for running the union government.[2] There is a bicameral Parliament with the Lok Sabha as a lower house and the Rajya Sabha as an upper house. The judicial branch systematically contains an apex Supreme Court, 24 high courts, and several district courts, all inferior to the Supreme Court.[3]

text: The basic civil and criminal laws governing the citizens of India are set down in major parliamentary legislation, such as the Civil Procedure Code, the Indian Penal Code, and the Criminal Procedure Code.[4] Similar to the union government, individual state governments each consist of executive, legislative and judicial branches. The legal system as applicable to the union and individual state governments is based on the English Common and Statutory Law.[5] The full name of the country is the Republic of India. India and Bharat are equally official short names for the Republic of India in the Constitution,[6] and both names appears on legal banknotes, in treaties and in legal cases. The Union Government, Central Government or Government of India (Bharat Sarkar) are often used in an official and unofficial capacity to refer to the Government of India.[citation needed] Because the seat of government is in New Delhi, "New Delhi" is commonly used as a synonym for the Central Government.[citation needed]

text: Legislative branch[edit]

text: The powers of the legislative branch in India are exercised by Parliament, bicameral legislature consisting of the Rajya Sabha and the Lok Sabha. Of the two houses of Parliament, the former is considered to be the upper house or the Council of States and consists of members appointed by the President and elected by the state and territorial legislatures. The latter is considered the lower house or the House of the people.[7]

text: Parliament does not have complete control and sovereignty, as its laws are subject to judicial review by the Supreme Court of India.[8] However, it does exercise some control over the executive branch. The members of the cabinet, including the prime minister and the Council of Ministers, are either chosen from parliament or elected thereto within six months of assuming office.[9] The cabinet as a whole is responsible to the Lok Sabha.[10] The Lok Sabha is a temporary house and can only be dissolved when the party in power loses the support of the majority of the house. Whereas the Rajya Sabha is a permanent house which can never be dissolved. The members of the Rajya Sabha who are elected for a six-year term.[11]

text: Executive branch[edit]

text: The executive branch of government is the one that has sole authority and responsibility for the daily administration of the state bureaucracy. The division of power into separate branches of government is central to the republican idea of the separation of powers.[12]

text: President[edit]

text: The executive power is vested mainly in the President of India, as per Article 53 (1) of the constitution. The President has all constitutional powers and exercises them directly or through officers subordinate to him as per the aforesaid Article 53(1). The President is to act in accordance with aid and advice tendered by the Prime Minister, who leads the Council of Ministers as described in Article 74 of the Constitution of India.

text: The Council of Ministers remains in power during the 'pleasure' of the President. However, in practice, the Council of Ministers must retain the support of the Lok Sabha. If a President were to dismiss the Council of Ministers on his or her own initiative, it might trigger a constitutional crisis. Thus, in practice, the Council of Ministers cannot be dismissed as long as it holds the support of a majority in the Lok Sabha.

text: The President is responsible for appointing many high officials in India .These high officials include the Governors of the 29 States, the Chief Justice, other judges of the Supreme Court and High Courts of India on the advice of other judges, the Attorney General , Controller and Auditor General the Chief Election Commissioner and other Election Commissioners, the Chairman and other Members of the Union Public Service Commission, the President's Officer, the Cabinet Secretary and the Ambassadors and High Commissioners to other countries on the recommendations of the cabinet[13][14]

text: The President, as Head of State also receives the credentials of Ambassadors from other countries, whilst the Prime Minister, as Head of Government, receives credentials of High Commissioners from other members of the Commonwealth, in line with historical tradition.

text: The President is the de jure Commander in Chief of the Indian Armed Forces.[15]

text: The President of India can grant a pardon to or reduce the sentence of a convicted person for one time, particularly in cases involving punishment of death. The decisions involving pardoning and other rights by the President are independent of the opinion of the Prime Minister or the Lok Sabha majority. In most other cases, however, the President exercises his or her executive powers on the advice of the Prime Minister.[16]

text: Vice-President[edit]

text: The Vice-President is the second highest constitutional position in India after the President.The Vice-President represents the nation in the absence of the President and takes charge as acting president in the incident of resignation impeachment or removal of the President.The Vice-President also has the legislative function of acting as the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha.[17] The Vice-President is elected indirectly by members of an electoral college consisting of the members of both Houses of Parliament in accordance with the system of Proportional Representation by means of the Single transferable vote and the voting is by secret ballot conducted by election commission.

text: Prime Minister[edit]

text: The Prime Minister of India, as addressed in the Constitution of India, is the chief of the government, chief adviser to the President of India, head of the Council of Ministers and the leader of the majority party in the parliament. The prime minister leads the executive branch of the Government of India.

text: The Prime minister is the senior member of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. The prime minister selects and can dismiss other members of the cabinet; allocates posts to members within the Government; is the presiding member and chairman of the cabinet and is responsible for bringing a proposal of legislation. The resignation or death of the prime minister dissolves the cabinet.

text: The Prime minister is appointed by the president to assist the latter in the administration of the affairs of the executive.

text: Cabinet, executive departments and agencies[edit]

text: The Cabinet of India includes the Prime Minister and his Cabinet Ministers.[18] Each Minister must be a member of one of the houses of India's Parliament. The Cabinet is headed by the Prime Minister, and is advised by the Cabinet Secretary, who also acts as the head of the Indian Administrative Service. Other Ministers are either as Union Cabinet Ministers, who are heads of the various Ministries; Ministers of State, who are junior members who report directly to one of the Cabinet Ministers, often overseeing a specific aspect of government; or Junior Ministers of State (Independent Charges), which do not report to a Cabinet Minister. As per article 88 of the constitution, every Minister shall have the right to speak in, and to take part in the proceedings of, either House, any joint sitting of the Houses, and any committee of Parliament of which he may be named a member, but shall not be entitled to a vote in the house where he is not a member.

text: Civil service[edit]

text: The Civil Services of India is the civil service and the permanent bureaucracy of the Republic of India. The executive decisions are implemented by the Indian civil servants.

text: In the parliamentary democracy of India, the ultimate responsibility for running the administration rests with the elected representatives of the people which are the ministers. These ministers are accountable to the legislatures which are also elected by the people on the basis of universal adult suffrage. The ministers are indirectly responsible to the people themselves. But the handful of ministers are not expected to deal personally with the various problems of modern administration. Thus the ministers lay down the policy and it is for the civil servants to enforce it.

text: Cabinet Secretariat[edit]

text: The Cabinet Secretariat is the staff agency of the Cabinet .It is operated under the leadership of the Prime Minister of India. The administration of the Cabinet Secretariat is carried out by the Cabinet Secretary of India who is the senior most civil servant in India.

text: The Cabinet Secretariat is responsible for the administration of the Government of India by facilitating smooth transaction of business in Ministries of the Government .The Secretariat assists in decision-making in Government by ensuring Inter-Ministerial co-ordination, ironing out differences among Ministries and evolving consensus through the instrumentality of the standing or ad-hoc Committees of Secretaries. Management of major crisis situations in the country is also one of the functions of the Cabinet Secretariat

text: The Cabinet Secretariat ensures that the President of India, the Vice-President and ministers are kept informed of the major activities of all Departments by means of a monthly summary report of their activities.[19]

text: Judicial branch[edit]

text: India's independent union judicial system began under the British, and its concepts and procedures resemble those of Anglo-Saxon countries. The Supreme Court of India consists of a Chief Justice and 30 associate justices, all appointed by the President on the advice of the Chief Justice of India. The jury trials were abolished in India in the early 1960s, after the famous case KM Nanavati v State of Maharashtra, for reasons of being vulnerable to media and public pressure, as well as to being misled.

text: Unlike its United States counterpart, the Indian justice system consists of a unitary system at both state and union level. The judiciary consists of the Supreme Court of India, High Courts of India at the state level, and District Courts and Sessions Courts at the district level.

text: Supreme Court[edit]

text: The Supreme Court of India is situated in New Delhi, the capital region of India. The Supreme Court of India has the power original, appellate and advisory jurisdiction. Its exclusive original jurisdiction extends to any dispute between the Government of India and one or more states, or between the Government of India and any state or states on one side and one or more states on the other, or between two or more states, if and insofar as the dispute involves any question (whether of law or of fact) on which the existence or extent of a legal right depends on.

text: In addition, Article 32 of the Indian Constitution gives an extensive original jurisdiction to the Supreme Court in regard to enforcing fundamental rights. It is empowered to issue directions, orders or writs, including writs in the nature of habeas corpus, mandamus, prohibition, quo warranto and certiorari to enforce them. The Supreme Court has been conferred with power to direct transfer of any civil or criminal case from one State High Court to another State High Court, or from a court subordinate to another State High Court and the Supreme Court.Although the proceedings in the Supreme Court arise out of the judgment or orders made by the subordinate courts, of late the Supreme Court has started entertaining matters in which interest of the public at large is involved.This may be done by any individual or group of persons either by filing a Writ Petition at the Filing Counter of the Court, or by addressing a letter to Hon'ble The Chief Justice of India highlighting the question of public importance for redress. These are known as Public Interest Litigation.[20]

text: Elections and voting[edit]

text: India has a Quasi federal form of government, called "union" or "central" government,[21] with elected officials at the union, state and local levels. On a national level, the head of government, the Prime Minister, is appointed by the President of India amongst the party which won the majority seats in Lok Sabha. The members of the Lok Sabha are directly elected for a term of five years by universal adult suffrage through first-past-the-post voting system. All (except 12 members who are nominated by the President) of the Rajya Sabha, which represents the States, are elected by the members of State legislative assemblies by proportional representation.

text: India is currently the largest democracy in the world, with around 834 million eligible voters, as of 2014.[22]

text: State and local governments[edit]

text: State governments in India are the governments ruling States of India and the chief minister heads the state government. Power is divided between union government and state governments. State government's legislature is bicameral in 7 states and unicameral in the rest. Lower house is elected with 5 years term, while in upper house 1/3 of the total members in the house gets elected every 2 years with 6-year term.

text: Local government function at the basic level. It is the third level of government apart from union and state governments. It consists of panchayats in rural areas and municipalities in urban areas. They are elected directly or indirectly by the people.

text: Finance[edit]

text: See Reserve Bank of India

text: Taxation[edit]

text: India has a three-tier tax structure, wherein the constitution empowers the union government to levy income tax, tax on capital transactions (wealth tax, inheritance tax), sales tax, service tax, customs and excise duties and the state governments to levy sales tax on intrastate sale of goods, tax on entertainment and professions, excise duties on manufacture of alcohol, stamp duties on transfer of property and collect land revenue (levy on land owned). The local governments are empowered by the state government to levy property tax and charge users for public utilities like water supply, sewage etc.[23] More than half of the revenues of the union and state governments come from taxes, of which 3/4 come from direct taxes. More than a quarter of the union government's tax revenues is shared with the state governments.[24]

text: The tax reforms, initiated in 1991, have sought to rationalise the tax structure and increase compliance by taking steps in the following directions:

text:
Reducing the rates of individual and corporate income taxes, excises, customs and making it more progressive
Reducing exemptions and concessions
Simplification of laws and procedures
Introduction of permanent account number (PAN) to track monetary transactions
21 of the 29 states introduced value added tax (VAT) on 1 April 2005 to replace the complex and multiple sales tax system[23][25]

tag: ul

text: The non-tax revenues of the central government come from fiscal services, interest receipts, public sector dividends, etc., while the non-tax revenues of the States are grants from the central government, interest receipts, dividends and income from general, economic and social services.[26]

text: Inter-state share in the union tax pool is decided by the recommendations of the Finance Commission to the President.

text: Total tax receipts of Centre and State amount to approximately 18% of national GDP. This compares to a figure of 37–45% in the OECD.

text: General budget[edit]

text: The Finance minister of India usually presents the annual union budget in the Parliament on the last working day of February. However, for the F.Y. 2017-18, this tradition had been changed. Now budget will be presented on the 1st day of February. The budget has to be passed by the Lok Sabha before it can come into effect on 1 April, the start of India's fiscal year. The Union budget is preceded by an economic survey which outlines the broad direction of the budget and the economic performance of the country for the outgoing financial year[27]

text: India's non-development revenue expenditure had increased nearly five-fold in 2003–04 since 1990–91 and more than tenfold since 1985–1986. Interest payments are the single largest item of expenditure and accounted for more than 40% of the total non-development expenditure in the 2003–04 budget. Defense expenditure increased fourfold during the same period and has been increasing because of India's desire to project its military prowess beyond South Asia. In 2007, India's defence spending stood at US$26.5 billion.

text: Issues[edit]

text: Corruption[edit]

text: Several ministers are accused of corruption and nearly a quarter of the 543 elected members of parliament had been charged with crimes, including murder, in 2009.[28] Many of the biggest scandals since 2010 have involved high level government officials, including Cabinet Ministers and Chief Ministers, such as the 2010 Commonwealth Games scam (₹70,000 crore (US$11 billion)), the Adarsh Housing Society scam, the Coal Mining Scam (₹1.86 lakh crore(US$29 billion)), the Mining Scandal in Karnataka and the Cash for Vote scam.


document_title: Timeline of plant evolution

question_text: when do bryophytes (including mosses liverworts and hornworts) first appear in the fossil record

question_tokens: when do bryophytes ( including mosses liverworts and hornworts ) first appear in the fossil record

text: Timeline of plant evolution

text: Earliest classifiable plants[edit]

text: In the strictest sense, the name plant refers to those land plants that form the clade Embryophyta, comprising the bryophytes and vascular plants. However, the clade Viridiplantae or green plants includes some other groups of photosynthetic eukaryotes, including red and green algae that have evolutionary significance to modern plants and are included in the plant kingdom, Plantae.

text: Chloroplasts in plants evolved from an endosymbiotic relationship between a cyanobacterium, a photosynthesising prokaryote and a non-photosynthetic eukaryotic organism, producing a lineage of photosynthesizing eukaryotic organisms in marine and freshwater environments. These earliest photosynthesizing single-celled autotrophs evolved into multicellular organisms such as the Charophyta, a group of freshwater green algae.

text: Scientists start the search for fossil evidence of plants with indirect evidence of oxygen-producing photosynthesis in the geological record, primary evidence for which comes from around 3000 Ma, in chemical and isotopic signatures in rocks and fossil evidence of colonies of cyanobacteria, photosynthesizing prokaryotic organisms. Cyanobacteria use water as a reducing agent, producing atmospheric oxygen as a byproduct, and they thereby profoundly changed the early reducing atmosphere of the earth to one in which modern aerobic organisms eventually evolved. This oxygen liberated by cyanobacteria then oxidized dissolved iron in the oceans, the iron precipitated out of the sea water, and fell to the ocean floor to form sedimentary layers of oxidized iron called Banded Iron Formations (BIFs). These BIFs are part of the geological record of evidence for the evolutionary history of plants by identifying when photosynthesis originated. This also provides deep time constraints upon when enough oxygen could have been available in the atmosphere to produce the ultraviolet blocking stratospheric ozone layer. The oxygen concentration in the ancient atmosphere subsequently rose, acting as a poison for anaerobic organisms, and resulting in a highly oxidizing atmosphere, and opening up niches on land for occupation by aerobic organisms.

text: Fossil evidence for cyanobacteria also comes from the presence of stromatolites in the fossil record deep into the Precambrian. Stromatolites are layered structures formed by the trapping, binding, and cementation of sedimentary grains by microbial biofilms, such as those produced by cyanobacteria. The direct evidence for cyanobacteria is less certain than the evidence for their presence as primary producers of atmospheric oxygen. Modern stromatolites containing cyanobacteria can be found on the west coast of Australia.

text: Paleozoic flora[edit]

text: Cambrian flora[edit]

text: Early plants were small, unicellular or filamentous, with simple branching. The identification of plant fossils in Cambrian strata is an uncertain area in the evolutionary history of plants because of the small and soft-bodied nature of these plants. It is also difficult in a fossil of this age to distinguish among various similar appearing groups with simple branching patterns, and not all of these groups are plants. One exception to the uncertainty of fossils from this age is the group of calcareous green algae, Dasycladales found in the fossil record since the middle Cambrian. These algae do not belong to the lineage that is ancestral to the land plants. Other major groups of green algae had been established by this time, but there were no land plants with vascular tissues until the mid-Silurian.

text: Ordovician flora[edit]

text: The evidence of plant evolution changes dramatically in the Ordovician with the first extensive appearance of spores in the fossil record (Cambrian spores have been found, also). The first terrestrial plants were probably in the form of tiny plants resembling liverworts when, around the Middle Ordovician, evidence for the beginning of the terrestrialization of the land is found in the form of tetrads of spores with resistant polymers in their outer walls. These early plants did not have conducting tissues, severely limiting their size. They were, in effect, tied to wet terrestrial environments by their inability to conduct water, like extant liverworts, hornworts, and mosses, although they reproduced with spores, important dispersal units that have hard protective outer coatings, allowing for their preservation in the fossil record, in addition to protecting the future offspring against the desiccating environment of life on land. With spores, plants on land could have sent out large numbers of spores that could grow into an adult plant when sufficient environmental moisture was present.

text: Silurian flora[edit]

text: The first fossil records of vascular plants, that is, land plants with vascular tissues, appeared in the Silurian period. The earliest known representatives of this group (mostly from the northern hemisphere) are placed in the genus Cooksonia. They had very simple branching patterns, with the branches terminated by flattened sporangia. By the end of the Silurian much more complex vascular plants, the zosterophylls, had diversified[2] and primitive lycopods, such as Baragwanathia (originally discovered in Silurian deposits in Victoria, Australia),[3] had become widespread.

text: Devonian flora[edit]

text: By the Devonian Period, life was well underway in its colonization of the land. The bacterial and algal mats were joined early in the period by primitive plants that created the first recognizable soils and harbored some arthropods like mites, scorpions and myriapods. Early Devonian plants did not have roots or leaves like the plants most common today, and many had no vascular tissue at all. They probably relied on arbuscular mycorrhizal symbioses with fungi to provide them with water and mineral nutrients such as phosphorus.[4] They probably spread by a combination of vegetative reproduction forming clonal colonies, and sexual reproduction via spores and did not grow much more than a few centimeters tall.

text: By the Late Devonian, forests of large, primitive plants existed: lycophytes, sphenophytes, ferns, and progymnosperms had evolved. Most of these plants have true roots and leaves, and many were quite tall. The tree-like Archaeopteris, ancestral to the gymnosperms, and the giant cladoxylopsid trees had true wood. These are the oldest known trees of the world's first forests. Prototaxites was the fruiting body of an enormous fungus that stood more than 8 meters tall. By the end of the Devonian, the first seed-forming plants had appeared. This rapid appearance of so many plant groups and growth forms has been called the "Devonian Explosion". The primitive arthropods co-evolved with this diversified terrestrial vegetation structure. The evolving co-dependence of insects and seed-plants that characterizes a recognizably modern world had its genesis in the late Devonian. The development of soils and plant root systems probably led to changes in the speed and pattern of erosion and sediment deposition.

text: The 'greening' of the continents acted as a carbon dioxide sink, and atmospheric concentrations of this greenhouse gas may have dropped.[5] This may have cooled the climate and led to a massive extinction event. see Late Devonian extinction.

text: Also in the Devonian, both vertebrates and arthropods were solidly established on the land.

text: Carboniferous flora[edit]

text: Early Carboniferous land plants were very similar to those of the preceding Latest Devonian, but new groups also appeared at this time.

text: The main Early Carboniferous plants were the Equisetales (Horse-tails), Sphenophyllales (scrambling plants), Lycopodiales (Club mosses), Lepidodendrales (arborescent clubmosses or scale trees), Filicales (Ferns), Medullosales (previously included in the "seed ferns", an artificial assemblage of a number of early gymnosperm groups) and the Cordaitales. These continued to dominate throughout the period, but during late Carboniferous, several other groups, Cycadophyta (cycads), the Callistophytales (another group of "seed ferns"), and the Voltziales (related to and sometimes included under the conifers), appeared.

text: The Carboniferous lycophytes of the order Lepidodendrales, which were cousins (but not ancestors) of the tiny club-mosses of today, were huge trees with trunks 30 meters high and up to 1.5 meters in diameter. These included Lepidodendron (with its fruit cone called Lepidostrobus), Halonia, Lepidophloios and Sigillaria. The roots of several of these forms are known as Stigmaria.

text: The fronds of some Carboniferous ferns are almost identical with those of living species. Probably many species were epiphytic. Fossil ferns include Pecopteris and the tree ferns Megaphyton and Caulopteris. Seed ferns or Pteridospermatophyta include Cyclopteris, Neuropteris, Alethopteris, and Sphenopteris.

text: The Equisetales included the common giant form Calamites, with a trunk diameter of 30 to 60 cm and a height of up to 20 meters. Sphenophyllum was a slender climbing plant with whorls of leaves, which was probably related both to the calamites and the modern horsetails.

text: Cordaites, a tall plant (6 to over 30 meters) with strap-like leaves, was related to the cycads and conifers; the catkin-like inflorescence, which bore yew-like berries, is called Cardiocarpus. These plants were thought to live in swamps and mangroves. True coniferous trees (Walchia, of the order Voltziales) appear later in the Carboniferous, and preferred higher drier ground.

text: Permian flora[edit]

text: The Permian began with the Carboniferous flora still flourishing. About the middle of the Permian there was a major transition in vegetation. The swamp-loving lycopod trees of the Carboniferous, such as Lepidodendron and Sigillaria, were replaced by the more advanced conifers, which were better adapted to the changing climatic conditions. Lycopods and swamp forests still dominated the South China continent because it was an isolated continent and it sat near or at the equator. The Permian saw the radiation of many important conifer groups, including the ancestors of many present-day families. The ginkgos and cycads also appeared during this period. Rich forests were present in many areas, with a diverse mix of plant groups. The gigantopterids thrived during this time; some of these may have been part of the ancestral flowering plant lineage, though flowers evolved only considerably later.

text: Mesozoic flora[edit]

text: Triassic flora[edit]

text: On land, the holdover plants included the lycophytes, the dominant cycads, Ginkgophyta (represented in modern times by Ginkgo biloba) and glossopterids. The spermatophytes, or seed plants came to dominate the terrestrial flora: in the northern hemisphere, conifers flourished. Dicroidium (a seed fern) was the dominant southern hemisphere tree during the Early Triassic period.

text: Jurassic flora[edit]

text: The arid, continental conditions characteristic of the Triassic steadily eased during the Jurassic period, especially at higher latitudes; the warm, humid climate allowed lush jungles to cover much of the landscape.[6] Conifers dominated the flora, as during the Triassic; they were the most diverse group and constituted the majority of large trees. Extant conifer families that flourished during the Jurassic included the Araucariaceae, Cephalotaxaceae, Pinaceae, Podocarpaceae, Taxaceae and Taxodiaceae.[7] The extinct Mesozoic conifer family Cheirolepidiaceae dominated low latitude vegetation, as did the shrubby Bennettitales.[8] Cycads were also common, as were ginkgos and tree ferns in the forest. Smaller ferns were probably the dominant undergrowth. Caytoniaceous seed ferns were another group of important plants during this time and are thought to have been shrub to small-tree sized.[9] Ginkgo-like plants were particularly common in the mid- to high northern latitudes. In the Southern Hemisphere, podocarps were especially successful, while Ginkgos and Czekanowskiales were rare.[8][10]

text: Cretaceous flora[edit]

text: Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms, spread during this period, although they did not become predominant until near the end of the period (Campanian age). Their evolution was aided by the appearance of bees; in fact angiosperms and insects are a good example of coevolution. The first representatives of many modern trees, including figs, planes and magnolias, appeared in the Cretaceous. At the same time, some earlier Mesozoic gymnosperms, like Conifers continued to thrive, although other taxa like Bennettitales died out before the end of the period.

text: Cenozoic flora[edit]

text: The Cenozoic is just as much the age of savannas, or the age of co-dependent flowering plants and insects. At 35 Ma, grasses evolved from among the angiosperms. About ten thousand years ago, humans in the Fertile Crescent of the Middle East develop agriculture. Plant domestication begins with cultivation of Neolithic founder crops. This process of food production, coupled later with the domestication of animals caused a massive increase in human population that has continued to the present. In Jericho (modern Israel), there is a settlement with about 19,000 people. At the same time, Sahara is green with rivers, lakes, cattle, crocodiles and monsoons. At 8 ka, Common (Bread) wheat (Triticum aestivum) originates in southwest Asia due to hybridisation of emmer wheat with a goat-grass, Aegilops tauschii. At 6.5 ka, two rice species are domesticated: Asian rice, Oryza sativa, and African rice Oryza glaberrima.

text: Species differentiation[edit]

text:
Development of rooted plants
Flowering plants vs. Conifers
Ferns and other primitive plants
Borderline species such as coliform protists