'So You Think You Can Dance' is back already

"So You Think You Can Dance" has been a summer staple since 2005.

Now, Fox executives are confident the show will be able to compete in the big leagues as a prime-time player in their fall lineup.

Just a month after a Season 5 winner was declared, Season 6 is set to take the stage. The season premiere airs Wednesday at 7 p.m. on Ch. 13.

Fox Entertainment president Kevin Reilly gushed about how "Dance" has been "rock-solid over the summer with an unbelievably loyal fan base."

And Fox moved "Dance" to the fall as a stand-in of sorts for "American Idol," which returns in January.

"That's going to mirror the schedule we have in the second half of the season," said Reilly, who called it a "big step forward" for the network.

"If we can lock that in so we don't have to completely re-jigger the schedule and throw everything up in the air, that will create a lot of stability."

"So You Think You Can Dance" co-executive producer Jeff Thacker seemed to agree with network executives.

"Fox is big on the 18-34 demographic," Thacker said when he was in Salt Lake City for Season 6 auditions a month and a half ago. "There is not another show that hits that demographic. We top them."

As Season 5 wrapped up, Season 6 production was just taking off.

The show was filming episodes for Season 5 in Los Angeles and simultaneously auditioning for the new fall season in cities across the country.

The Beehive State has produced finalists in the second, third, fourth, fifth and sixth seasons of the show, and Utahn Sabra Johnson won the title of "America's Favorite Dancer" two years ago. With Utah talent proving its grit, show auditions returned in July.

Judges Mary Murphy, Nigel Lythgoe and guest judge/choreographer Mia Michaels were working double-duty while on their stop in Salt Lake City.

Murphy, the kind-hearted, energetic and sometimes (usually) screaming judge, said she likes to see the new talent raise the bar each season.

"You always think, 'How are people going to push the limits of their bodies?' " Murphy said.

Murphy said it is hard for dancers to not be critical of their own performances, and moments when they are pleased with their entire execution are rare. She thinks "So You Think You Can Dance" allows dancers to have those rare moments of deep satisfaction.