Big changes are in store for season nine of “So You Think You Can Dance.” In a recent conference call with resident judge and executive producer Nigel Lythgoe, CTV.ca got the scoop on which dance styles to watch out for, how the final winners will be chosen and how the new elimination process works.

“This year, for the first time, and I don’t know why we haven’t done this before …we’re going to have a male winner and a female winner,” confirmed Lythgoe.

In seasons past, only one person was crowned the winner of the competition. But when news broke earlier this year that the results show would be cancelled, Lythgoe and company decided to revamp the show, including the number of winners crowned in the finale.

In order to accommodate these two changes, “SYTYCD” revised its voting process and introduced a new format: instead of voting for couples, viewers will vote for individual male and female dancers.

“Each dancer will have their own phone number so it will be much easier to say, ‘Here’s your top boys, vote for them, here’s your top girls, vote for them,’” Lythgoe explains on the new format of the live shows. After the initial week of performances, each live show will reveal the bottom three plus a new set of routines as well.

“You might have to dance for your life again,” says Lythgoe. “We’re going to take into account the dance you did last week, the dance you’ve just done for us and America’s vote before we make our decision for who’s going home. And at the end of the show, the judges will cut one male and one female from the people America voted into the bottom three from the week before.”

However, Lythgoe doesn’t want these changes to overshadow what people love about the show: the talented dancers. He happily revealed which dancers he wants viewers to watch out for on the new season. 

“I think we’ve got some good ballroom people this year, but the biggest thing that’s standing out to me are the creative hip hop kids,” he says. “(They) come out there and do the most ridiculous things.

“They have no fear and they don’t know…what will hurt them or what’s wrong,” he continues. “‘No you can’t do that with your knee, it doesn’t bend that way. Nope, so it did.’ It’s ridiculous and they do some of the most exciting things this year.”

The only details on the new season Lythgoe kept a lid on were who we might see pop up as a guest judge.  All he would share was that he’d love to have some of the judges who were previously on the show back again for a second round. However, he did let it slip he has his eyes on actress Zooey Deschanel.

“At the Upfronts I spoke to Zooey Deschanel, who’s an ardent fan, and hopefully we’ll get her on,” he says. “I love the fact that people admire the show and love the show and I welcome them to give an opinion. We’ve got enough technicalities with me and Mary (Murphy), so anyone else there would bring fun to the table.”

Don’t miss a new season of “So You Think You Can Dance” Wednesdays at 8/7C on CTV.