TVSquad

Louis Van Amstel must be the hot ticket in the reality TV dace circuit. After choreographing several dances this summer on So You Think You Can Dance, he's back on Dancing with the Stars.

For season nine of DWTS, Louis is paired with Kelly Osbourne. It sounds like an odd pairing because Louis is 37 and Kelly is 24. I'd imagine that Kelly had a younger professional like Mark Ballas (23) or Derek Hough (24). Let's assume height and ABC executives were a big factor.

This leaves the question: Which show fits for Louis Van Amstel?

Exposure and ratings have to be a big selling point for Louis. DWTS has solid ratings in both the spring and fall, but SYTYCD is having it's first fall season this year. It may flop like Big Brother's spring writer strike substitution. SYTYCD was under America's Got Talent in ratings this summer. As a performer wanting exposure, higher ratings means more exposure. The big caveat is if Kelly Osbourne can't keep up with choreography and gets eliminated early. His exposure gets cut to occasional results shows' professional dances.

One also has to remember that Louis only choreographed four routines during his time on SYTYCD. It's important to note that the judges picked three of the four during the finale: Asuka & Vitolio's Waltz, Kayla & Max's Samba, and Jeanine & Brandon's paso doble. Those dances were also the only ballroom / Latin dances represented in the judges' picks. The judges wanted to see more, especially Mary Murphy who said that she's a long time friend of Louis.

Where does Louis fit the best? I don't think that he uses half of his potential with DWTS because he never gets a ringer. Monique Coleman, although a solid performer, had only Disney Channel supporters, like future contestants Cody Linley and Sabrina Bryan. He did do well teaching Lisa Rinna and dealt with the stiffness of Priscilla Presley, but neither won. On SYTYCD Louis provided us with the best samba of season five, but he also provided us with the worst Samba (Jeanine & Ade's). The first samba's choreography was amazing for a week one performance and the second seemed like an dumbed down afterthought.

The real question is what Louis' intentions are. If he wants celebrity and fame, go on DWTS to schmooze with C-Listers, but if he wants to enhance his credibility on the dance circuit, SYTYCD can display his choreographing. He also can inspire younger dancers with his knowledge: he was Dmitri Chaplin's coach.

Worst case scenario: Louis will be in the fall and spring seasons of DWTS and the next summer season of SYTYCD. The scenario looks to be the same with choreographer Shane Sparks (replace DWTS with America's Best Dance Crew in his case). Here's hoping that Louis can sneak over to SYTYCD this fall and choreograph an amazing tango for one week without angering ABC. Where do you think Louis is most fitting or most needed? Leave your comments below.