Listen, I’m not one to cast aspersions, especially about reality TV producers/”joo-jez”, but I’m a firm believer that So You Think You Can Dance’s Nigel Lythgoe was the inspiration for Doctor Teeth on The Muppet Show.

First, the visual evidence:

Nigel Lythgoe:

Doctor Teeth:

So they both have a large set of uppers? So what?

Well, there’s the fact that Nigel was a floor director and part-time choreographer for The Muppet Show.

And that’s about it.

Still, it’s a nifty coincidence. Never mind that Doctor Teeth is obviously a melange of Doctor John, Elton John and possibly Leon Russell, it’s Nigel Lythgoe’s teeth that seal the deal.

Now the information on Wikipedia and the Muppet Wiki is sketchy on exactly what Nigel did and when, and so is IMdB, so I’m taking it on faith that he knew Henson in 1975.

And even if it doesn’t pan out, it’s still pretty funny to think of Nigel choreographing Muppets and progressing to American Idol and So You Think You Can Dance.

Yay!

ADDENDUM: I’m happy I didn’t go with the “separated at birth” theme here. Too much felt and enamel.