There has been such a hoo-ha about So You Think You Can Dance.

The darling of 2008 has begun to grate on the nerves of fans, with some even going so far as accusing it of being … wait for it … a reality TV show!

Can you believe it, Ten’s new reality TV show is actually … a reality TV show in disguise.

The fact that they had an enormous cattle call with thousands of people making fools of themselves in front of three judges, before they opened up the phone lines for the unwashed public to vote for their favourite dancer, makes it a reality TV show.

Who knew!

Well, thank God someone pointed it out to me, because before these clever individuals started making noise I actually thought it was a serious drama (you know, along the lines of Home and Away.)

Are these people for real!? It does explain how John Howard stayed in power for so long – not only are these champions-of-stating-the-obvious allowed to have an opinion, they are also allowed to vote in federal elections. There is a lot to be said for not having a democracy.

While I will concede that some of their complaints do have merit, let’s be honest here - what were you expecting to come from this show? It’s not a documentary, people!

There have been complaints that the judges are biased and are killing off the best dancers. Well, as they say frequently on the show, they aren’t looking for Australia’s best dancer (that person didn’t even audition, they were too busy actually being a dancer to need the publicity and promotion afforded by television). Instead, the judges are searching for Australia’s favourite dancer.

How is this done? Well, members of the public get to vote each week for their favourite, with the couples who don’t get as many votes ending up in the bottom three.

Hang on, this reminds me of something else I have seen on the teev … I know, it’s just like Australian Idol! It MUST be a reality TV show.

After the bottom three couples are announced, they have to “dance for their lives” – a phrase I particularly like as it summons up images of these poor little dancers dancing like crazy to avoid dying.

But they don’t actually die. The judges pick the worst boy and girl and send them packing. Their So You Think You Can Dance dream is over.

So until we get down to the top 10, the judges do get to decide who goes home, and while we might not always agree with their decisions, the fact remains that they are experts and we aren’t.

You might think that Laura’s strange convulsions around the dance floor are captivating and terribly clever, but if the experienced Matt, Bonnie and Jason don’t think so, I would hazard a guess and say that they know more about it than you.

The interesting thing is that a lot of the whinging and complaints have come from contestants who have been booted off. What a surprise!

Of course they aren’t impressed about not winning the prize money and taking out the gong as Australia’s favourite dancer. I mean you don’t hear contestants saying: “Oh I am so glad I got kicked out, I know I’m the worst dancer in the show so it is my time to go.”

To those contestants who want to have a whinge, I say: “Suck it up Princess, no one wants to cast a moaning Myrtle.”

Despite its downfalls, SYTYCD (Ten, Sundays, 7.30-9pm; Monday, 7.30-8pm) is good, old-fashioned entertainment, and it is bringing dance in Australia back into the hearts and minds of paying audiences who might be encouraged to trundle along to see this kind of thing done live instead of spending $140 to see some two-bit American cover-band sing at the Entertainment Centre.

And as far as I am concerned, that is the best thing that is going to come out of So You Think You Can Dance (and maybe Matt Lee landing a lead role for a change).

- NATHANAEL COOPER