(Photo: Nathan Bolster /FOX)
Start warming up, dancers. So You Think You Can Dance has (finally) been renewed for an 18th season by FOX. The episodes will feature some new judges and an adjusted format.
A dance competition reality TV series, season 17 of So You Think You Can Dance aired during Summer 2022. After a three-year absence, the show was still hosted by Cat Deeley but Stephen “tWitch” Boss, Matthew Morrison, and JoJo Siwa took over as judges. After four episodes, Morrison left the show following reports that he had been texting with a contestant. Leah Remini took over his spot beginning with the show’s 300th episode.
The 17th season of So You Think You Can Dance averaged a 0.29 rating in the 18-49 demographic and 1.55 million viewers. Compared to season 16, that’s down by 38% in the demo and down by 25% in viewership in the live+same day ratings (including DVR playback through 3:00 AM).
The 18th season will launch on Monday, March 4th. Deeley will return as host and executive producer Nigel Lythgoe will be back on the judging panel. He’ll be joined by So You Think You Can Dance All-Star and Emmy-nominated choreographer for Dancing with the Stars Allison Holker, and dancer and Dancing with the Stars alum choreographer Maksim Chmerkovskiy.
Producers are planning to introduce some new elements on the show, and FOX teased them in a press release:
This season, during the auditions round, So You Think You Can Dance All-Star Comfort Fedoke, an associate choreographer on the new film Wicked and associate choreographer for Cabaret on London’s West End, will join the judging panel to audition dancers from across the country as they showcase their talent in a wide array of dance styles including contemporary, tap, hip-hop, ballroom and more, in hopes of securing one of ten coveted spots on the show.
Season 18 will infuse the long-running hit with a new format reflecting the authentic experience of building a successful career in dance, as so many So You Think You Can Dance alums have. Each week, contestants will compete in new, intense dance challenges that will give them a real taste of the career, from performing in a music video or a football halftime show to going toe-to-toe on stage with a Broadway performer. In the end, it will be up to the judges to decide their fate. Eliminations will take place weekly, with the Top 3 finalists competing in the season’s spectacular finale, but only one will win the $100,000 grand prize and the highly coveted title of So You Think You Can Dance champion.
This season will also debut new storytelling elements to further capture the authentic ups and downs experienced by professional dancers. For the first time ever, in addition to the big spectacle dance numbers that So You Think You Can Dance has long been famous for, viewers will get a documentary-style inside look at the contestants’ dynamics, following them throughout the competition as they go through their personal and competitive journeys, including the daily struggles, new relationships, personality clashes and more.
These new dimensions to the show’s format reflect and celebrate its consistency in launching illustrious dance careers for its contestants, who can be found in the dance troupes for superstar musical acts, on Broadway stages, on every dance show on TV and beyond. Each year, amateurs gain the experience and exposure to launch successful careers, and the real-world challenges of the 18th season will prove their professional readiness more than ever. Last year, ballroom dancer Alexis Warr from Orem, UT was named the winner of So You Think You Can Dance during the live two-hour season finale on FOX. Warr waltzed off with the grand prize winnings and prestigious title of “America’s Favorite Dancer.”
What do you think? Have you been hoping the So You Think You Can Dance TV series would return? Are you glad that it will be back for season 18 next year?
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