So You Think You Can Dance Auditions: 'Marge Simpson' Mania

Emergency advice: Now's a good time to start watching So You Think You Can Dance if you haven't. After lackluster seasons of American Idol and Project Runway, quality reality programming is making a zesty comeback in the form of Cat Deeley's danceoff. Stellar judging, magnetic contestants, and now, a sloppy "Marge Simpson" bun on dancer Nicole Knudson are setting this show apart. We're revisiting last night's three greatest moments -- Nicole's startling audition (and zany body), the return of two contestants who were eliminated for contractual reasons last year, and the reemergence of an inspiring young robot.

Nicole Knudson's style can be described as cartoonish, and that's not just because her hair resembles the Simpson matriarch's. Her playful throes, rambunctiously bent limbs, and otherworldly body all render her a Hanna-Barbera creation -- a limber new citizen of Bedrock.

Billy Bell and Alex Long tried out in past seasons and voluntarily removed themselves from the competition thanks to illness and contractual obligations with dance companies, respectively. This year they're back and invincible. If the judges' askew gapes are any indication, we have two guaranteed Top 10 qualifiers.

Here, Bryan Gaynor, the most amazing and provocative robot dancer I've ever seen, gives it his all. He tried out in a prior season and has since even improved his act. Gaynor's a sufferer of chronic (and worsening) scoliosis, and the judges didn't send him through to Las Vegas -- but they did burst into tears and clap like patrons at a dolphin show.