So You Think You Can Dance has announced its Season 18 premiere date and new judging panel, including new judges Allison Holker and Maksim Chmerkovskiy.

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Fox has announced So You Think You Can Dance will return with a one-hour premiere episode on Monday, March 4 at 9PM ET/PT.

In addition to Cat Deeley reprising her role as host, Nigel Lythgoe will also be returning as a SYTYCD judge after not being part of Season 17's panel.

Joining Nigel on the judging panel this season will be Allison, a former So You Think You Can Dance All-Star and Dancing with the Stars pro, as well as Maksim, a former Dancing with the Stars pro and guest judge.

Allison will be a part of So You Think You Can Dance nearly one year after she lost her late husband, So You Think You Can Dance Season 17 judge Stephen "tWitch" Boss, to death by suicide.

TWitch took his own life shortly after the pair celebrated their ninth wedding anniversary.

"So honored and grateful to announce I'll be judging for SYTYCD @danceonfox !!" Allison wrote via Instagram alongside a video of herself celebrating her new job.

"What an absolute dream come true!!! A full-circle moment that has changed my life in quite literally every way. IM HOME!! And sitting next to people I admire and love is just perfection!!"
 
And this past weekend, Maksim took to Instagram with a "photo dump of the auditions round" for So You Think You Can Dance's eighteenth season.

"Still feeling like it's all just a dream!" Maksim captioned the carousel.

"Still finding myself grinning from ear to ear! Still unbelievably grateful for the life I get to live! Incredible talent is coming to your TV screens in 2024 and I CAN NOT WAIT for you all to see the next superstars of dance!"

During the auditions round, So You Think You Can Dance All-Star Comfort Fedoke, who has been working as a choreographer for films and theater, will be sitting on the judging panel as a guest judge.

Nigel, Allison, Maksim and Comfort will watch and critique dancers from across the country as they showcase their talents in dance styles such as contemporary, tap, hip-hop, and ballroom.

Dancers will audition in the hopes of landing one of 10 coveted spots on the show.

So You Think You Can Dance will feature an all-new format when it airs its new season next year.

"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," according to Fox.

"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 finale, which will conclude with one dancer winning the $100,000 grand prize and being named So You Think You Can Dance's champion.

Fox executive Allison Wallach said in a statement that producers are "thrilled" to bring So You Think You Can Dance back for an all-new season.
 
"Reuniting Cat, Nigel, Allison and Comfort and, welcoming Maksim into the SYTYCD family, is sure to make Season 18 bigger than ever for their legions of fans around the globe," Wallach said.

The upcoming So You Think You Can Dance season will also feature new storytelling elements to "further capture the authentic ups and downs experienced by professional dancers."

For the first time in So You Think You Can Dance history, viewers will watch documentary-style footage of the contestants and catch glimpses of what the competition is like for its contestants behind the scenes.

Fans will be able to follow the contestants "as they go through their personal and competitive journeys, including the daily struggles, new relationships, personality clashes and more," according to the network.

And as per usual, there will be "big spectacle" dance numbers that viewers have come to love.

Last year, ballroom dancer Alexis Warr from Orem, Utah was named the winner of So You Think You Can Dance.

So You Think You Can Dance is produced by 19 Entertainment and Dick Clark Productions. The show is executive produced by Nigel, Daniel Martin, Barry Adelman, Eli Holzman and Aaron Saidman. Cat Deeley also serves as a producer.


About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski

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