Michaels to Replace Murphy on FOX's SYTYCD?

Radaronline reports that Mary Murphy, one of the judges on the popular FOX dance competition series SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE, may soon be replaced by former judge Mia Michaels, who exited the show three years ago. Murphy is currently in the midst of a lawsuit brought on by her former manager Michael Sanchez for "breach of written and oral contract for more than $1 million in unpaid commissions and damages." 

“Executives are going over options because they’re furious that Mary has allowed a minor legal dispute to derail the success of the show,” a source close to the production tells the site. “Behind the scenes, they have talked about what to do, and Mia replacing Mary is plan B if the struggling show gets another season.” 

Recently the show's ratings have declined drastically, hitting a record low with 5 million viewers on June 28th, down 20 percent from the previous week. “They blame most of the show’s viewership decline on the Murphy scandal and have discussed dumping Murphy if she doesn’t clean up her mess,” adds the source.

Murphy is a world-class technical dance instructor and founder of the Champion Ballroom Academy in San Diego, CA. Her film credits include “Dance with Me” starring Vanessa Williams and “Killer Movie” starring Leighton Meester, RoBert Buckley and J.C. Chasez. Additionally, Murphy appeared as Julia Roberts’ body double in “Something To Talk About.” The long list of stars she has coached in dance includes Dennis Quaid, Mary Steenburgen and Donnie Wahlberg. Murphy and her dance partners have won the Austrian National Championships and the U.S. Nine Dance Championships, and claim an impressive list of top finishes at competitions around the world.