JoJo Siwa is slipping back into Fox’s So You Think You Can Dance season 18 judging panel following Nigel Lythgoe’s exit from the upcoming season. Lythgoe was accused of sexual assault by former SYTYCD judge Paula Abdul, with two additional women also making assault claims. In early January 2024, Lythgoe announced he was stepping down from judging season 18.
JoJo Siwa will be joining a panel that includes Emmy-nominated choreographer/So You Think You Can Dance All-Star Allison Holker and professional dancer/Dancing with the Stars choreographer Maksim Chmerkovskiy. Cat Deeley is returning to host and serve as a producer on the dance competition for season 18.
Siwa was a host of the reality series on season 17.
SYTYCD has earned 72 Emmy nominations, winning 17 times. Season 18, which is dramatically changing up the formula, will premiere on Fox on March 4, 2024 at 9pm ET/PT.
Fox released this description of the upcoming season:
“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 be crowned the winner of So You Think You Can Dance Season 18.
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.”
