Paula Abdul to guest judge on ‘So You Think You Can Dance’

Paula Abdul has been out of the reality TV competition-judging game for a couple of years, but she’s sitting back down behind the table Tuesday night for a guest spot on Fox’s other long-running competition show, “So You Think You Can Dance.�

Of course, most people remember Abdul from her eight seasons as a judge on “American Idol.� And though she had a very successful career as a pop singer in the ‘90s, she had another successful career as a choreographer before that. So she’s more than qualified to critique people’s dancing as well as their singing.

Abdul’s “SYTYCD� appearance will reunite her with Nigel Lythgoe, who served as executive producer on “Idol� during Abdul’s tenure on the show. Lythgoe has been a judge on the dance show since it premiered in 2005.

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After leaving “Idol� in 2009, Abdul has been making the rounds as a judge, serving for a season on Simon Cowell’s new singing-competition show, “The X Factor,� and creating her own show, “Live to Dance,� which was canceled by CBS after seven episodes. She’s also served as a guest judge on the all-stars edition of “Dancing With the Stars.�

Producers are no doubt hoping that Abdul’s appearance will recapture some of that old “Idol� magic. Like “Idol,� “SYTYCD� has seen a ratings slide, with the current season drawing an audience well below the audience the show had last summer.

In an effort to draw more eyes, producers have had a series of guest judges this season, including Minnie Driver, Wayne Brady and Jesse Tyler Ferguson.

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