Format
The format of the show closely follows that of other entries in the franchise. Dancers first present themselves at open auditions, where they dance in a style of their choosing before a panel of judges. This panel will make one of three determinations. If the dancer simply did not impress, he will be or she will not progress further. If the dancer impressed but the judges have reservations, he or she may be asked to stay until the end of auditions to try to prove themselves by picking up a short piece of expert choreography. If the dancer is found to excel, they may be given a "Ticket to the Bootcamp" and are advanced instantly one step further. Following the open auditions, dancers are put through a "Bootcamp", a week-long live-in series of workshops, usually held in a foreign locale, where they are drilled and tested in a variety of dance styles. At the end of this process, and after successive waves of cuts, a Top 18 dancers are selected to move on and participate in the "live shows", which are the main segment of the competition and the point at which call-in voting begins. The live shows place the dancers in groups and duets to tackle routines in various styles that are mostly randomly assigned, leaving dancers from a wide variety of backgrounds often out of their element as they attempt to display versatility and overall dance ability, which is then evaluated by the judge's panel. At-home viewers vote for their favorite dancer or dancers and the three couples with the lowest number of votes are at risk of being eliminated from the competition and must "dance for their life" to avoid being one of the two dancers (one male, one female) eliminated that week. In later weeks the judges lose their authority in this process and the dancers are selected purely by viewer vote. The season ends with a Top 4 dancers and a finale in which the champion is announced.Seasons
Overview and finalists
Season One
The first season was presented by singer EliZe. The permanent members of the judge's panel consisted of Dan Karaty, Jaako Toivonen and Euvgenia Parakhina. The finale was broadcast on 11 December 2008 and concluded with the announcement of Ivan Paulovich as the first winner of the competition. Paulovich won a dance study of choice in America, €20,000, and a dance solo in the musical ''Season Two
The second season saw a broadening of the show's audience and contestant pool to include the Flemish. The season also began with a change of hosts, with Dennis Weening and An Lemmens taking over presentation from singer Elize. The judges panel also changed with Nicky Vernieuwe and Jan Kooijman taking the places of season one judges Jaako Toivonen and Euvgenia Parakhina. After a season plagued by injuries in the live shows, Els Smekens was announced winner during the 29 November 2009 season finale. Smekens and her partner Angelo Pardo, had been judge and fan favorites from early in the competition and took the top two winning positions. Smekens winning prize consisted off a dance study program of choice in America, €20,000, and a dance solo in the musical ''Season Three
The third season saw a third shake-up of the judges panel, which now consisted of returning judges Dan Karaty, Euvgenia Parakhina, and Jan Kooijman as well as new judge Marco Gerrits. An Lemmens and Dennis Weening continued in the role of co-hosts. Dancer Lorenzo van Velzen Bottazzi, one of the finalists of the second season who was prematurely forced to leave the show after he tore his knee ligaments during the first live show, was allowed to return to the competition. He was not required to audition but was required to re-secure a place in the Top 20 in the Bootcamp phase of the competition. Also returning was Natascha de Jong, a dancer who was selected for the top 20 in season one but was unable to participate for personal reasons. Both dancers earned a place amongst the finalists again and ultimately came in 2nd- and 4th-placed, respectively. First place went to hip-hop dancer Floris Bosveld during the 28 November 2010 finale. Bosveld won €25,000, a choice of dance school opportunities in America and a role in Johan Nijenhuis' Dutch dance film ''Body Language''. The season was the largest ratings success yet for the show, with average viewership peaking above a million viewers per episode for the first time.Season Four
The fact that a fourth season had been commissioned was announced during the third season finale. For the first time no alterations were made to hosting duties or the judges panel from the previous season. However, Dan Karaty was prevented from participating in the bootcamp for this season as it was located inSeason Five
Season Five was officially announced during the season four finale and aired between 2 September and 9 December 2012. The second phase of bootcamp took place in New York.Season Six
As with the previous two seasons, the reveal of a renewal was made during the Season Five finale, this time with the additional announcement that online enrollment for auditions via the show's official website were immediately open. This sixth season began airing on September 1, 2013 and broadcast its finale on December 1, 2013See also
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