If, like me, you've been underwhelmed by the current season of So You Think You Can Dance Canada, and the summer season of the U.S. mothership, I have good news: the Netherlands' SYTYCD is now available online via the torrent. I've been marathoning last year's first season since last week (the second season is currently airing), and I'm here to tell you that it's great. I'm about to watch the top 6 results show, and I'm on the edge of my seat because I love all the remaining dancers.

They largely retain the same format as the U.S., Canada, and Australia versions, down to the dance styles and even song choices. Interestingly, the Netherlands' first season has been dominated by the hip hop dancers, and much of the best choreography has been the hip hop routines. The choreography overall is the usual mixed bag, and usually not as adventurous as the Australian show's, but they really excel at hip hop.

Unfortunately, the camerawork and lighting is the worst that I've seen on any incarnation, but they only intermittently (albeit sometimes spectacularly) mar the performances. Oh, and the show's in Dutch, which I don't speak. But I found that if I don't listen too closely, it sort of sounds like English; when I do pay attention to the words, it sounds closer to German. It's still mostly easy to follow; if you know the format of the show, you can generally guess much of what's being said. By now, I'm even starting to laugh at the jokes in Dutch. And Dan Karaty from the U.S. show is a judge, who does his judging in English; that's especially helpful during the results shows, when he's generally the one who reveals the judges' decisions and rationale.

Basically, watching this version has made SYTYCD feel fun again, which it hasn't been the last couple of go arounds. Oh, and the audiences tosses stuffed animals on the stage as gifts for their favorite dancers after their performances, which is kind of sweet.