‘So You Think You Can Dance’ debate: Will Madison and Eddie benefit from all the screentime they got before the live shows? [WATCH]

There are 10 contestants going into the “So You Think You Can Dance” live shows starting on August 12. At this point it’s up to America to choose their favorite competitors, so whatever happened in the audition and Academy rounds is a thing of the past. But is the playing field really level? “Sometimes you’ll have people who are featured all the time and people who you really don’t see that much until you get right down to it,” points out Gold Derby senior editor Daniel Montgomery about the unequal screentime contestants get during the pre-taped rounds. Watch him and fellow editor Susan Wloszczyna discuss the top 10 contestants above.

Montgomery notes that tap dancer Eddie Hoyt has been prominently featured on the show ever since his moving audition when he told us his coming out story. Wloszczyna “would be so happy if a tap dancer won again because only one has: Gaby Diaz.” The season 12 champion “was great in most styles,” and Hoyt proved that he can be versatile as well, going out of his comfort zone during the “Final Cut” and delivering a stellar hip-hop routine.

Wloszczyna points out that Madison Jordan has gotten probably the most screentime among the women. “When she tried out and her boyfriend was there, they got an extra routine in with each other,” she says. “And her story is compelling.” Jordan lost her hair due to alopecia, for which she was bullied as a child. And along with her inspirational candidacy, Wloszczyna adds that she’s “a fan favorite on Twitter, so she does have backing already.”

Getting lots of screentime during the early rounds of the competition gives the audience time to get acquainted with a contestant, giving them a head start in developing the kind of fan base you need to win. Who do you think will claim the season 16 “SYTYCD” title? You can make your predictions right here.

Be sure to make your predictions so that the contestants can see how they’re faring in our racetrack odds. You can keep changing your predictions until just before the next episode airs every Monday on FOX. You’ll compete to win a spot on our leaderboard and eternal bragging rights. See our contest rules and sound off with other fans in our reality TV forum. Read more Gold Derby entertainment news.