'So You Think You Can Dance'? Prove it

New York Daily News - New York, NY, USA - Dancers who want a ticket on "So You Think You Can Dance" judge Mary Murphy's hot tamale train need to do more than just get the choreography right.

"You have to have a phenomenal performance," Murphy told the Daily News. "It has to be a hot number that gets me all fired up, and it's also all about whether I think that it was a performance that's going to take you toward the finale, because that's where the train heads to. If somebody has a first-class ticket, I'm thinking the final two."

Murphy's tamale train has become a staple on the Fox reality dance competition, now in its fourth season.

"So You Think You Can Dance," much like "American Idol," scours the country for talent. It features styles of dancing from salsa to ballroom, hip hop to krumping, ballet to jazz.

During the Top 20 rounds, viewers vote for their favorite; the bottom three couples are at risk of elimination, with the judges deciding their fate. Once the field is narrowed to the Top 10, elimination is based solely on viewers' votes.

Performance shows air Wednesdays at 8 p.m., while eliminations air Thursdays at 9 p.m.

Murphy has been with the show since season one. She's a ballroom expert, having danced it competitively for years, but she says she feels comfortable judging any style.

"I know what I like, and I know what's good dancing," Murphy said. "I joke on TV that I'm not a krumping specialist, but I've seen Lil' C, and if it's not up to his standard, then it doesn't work for me."

She's not afraid to tell a contestant just that.