It’s been a crazy season of So You Think You Can Dance. We saw the show try out an entirely new format, with dancers competing in practical challenges instead of performing on stage. We saw our top 10 not only dance together, but live together for the first time ever. We saw new judges and new guest choreographers. And of course we saw a whole bunch of amazing dancing.
But even with all the twists and turns, it wouldn’t be So You Think You Can Dance if a winner wasn’t crowned in the end. So who among our final three was named “America’s Best Dancer”? We’ve got the answer for you here — plus all the best moments from last night’s episode.
ICYMI, we finally made it to the finale of “SYTYCD.” And with the all-new format for this season, longtime host Cat Deeley had to tell us what the competition will look like this week. She explained that each of our finalists will have: two: chances to dance first in a duet with an eliminated top 10 member; secondly, in a one-man show. But the catch? One member of the top 3 would be eliminated after the duet round, leaving only two dancers to compete for the crown. Wow. The race is on, folks.
In rehearsals, we started with Madison Rouge Alvarado partnered with ex-con Braylon Browner. The two were joined by choreographers Tucker Barkley and Kayla Radomski to put together a performance that showcased Madison’s strengths — a jazz-funk routine. Madison was still struggling a bit with the pain in her hip, but said, “I’m not going to let my hip affect me in any way. I can’t give less than 100, especially on the day of the exhibition. Believe it.”
On the day of the show, Madison and Braylon gave it their all. The judges were impressed and told Madison that she was the season’s most consistent dancer. But they also had concerns, questioning whether the routine was competitive enough for Madison to stay in the competition.
We then cut to a rehearsal with Anthony Curley, who was joined by Mariah Hawkins for his routine. The two had the chance to work with Diana Matos and “SYTYCD” Season 2 alum Ivan Kumaev on choreography and immediately hit on a Western-inspired performance.
After rehearsals, we had the chance to see Anthony and Mariah perform. The judges gave them lots of praise and judge Alison Holker told Anthony: “You’re a real dance warrior. You’re ready to be hired immediately.”
Finally, we joined rehearsals with Dakayla Wilson, who is partnered with Easton Magliarditi, who we just saw eliminated in last week’s episode. The two had the chance to work with Talia Favia, who choreographed a classic contemporary routine for them.
It was finally time for Dakayla and Easton to come out. They received their fair share of well-deserved praise from the judges, along with the third standing ovation of the night. Judge Jojo Siva told Dakayla, “I’m so insanely proud of you,” and we all went home “Awww!.”
It’s safe to say that each member of our final three rocked their final performance. But to continue in the next round, we had to say goodbye to one. And so the judges announced that Madison was in third place, and you guessed it, dancers and showmanship Anthony and Dakayla were moving on to the final round. “Never before on ‘So You Think You Can Dance’ has a couple gone head-to-head for the title,” Kat said.
Anthony came out first with his final performance, telling the crowd: “I can’t believe I’m competing against the love of my life right now.” TBH, we feel like we might have missed something. But Anthony didn’t miss a step in his final routine, performing an emotional solo to Aaryan Shah’s ‘Better Alone’.
After Anthony, we saw Dakayla take the stage for her solo set to “A Palé” by Rosalía. And it’s safe to say that Dakayla’s routine was pretty strong. This girl was in it to win it, folks. Dakayla said: “I didn’t think I’d be competing against my friend, but secretly I’d like to win.”
Finally, it’s time for results. And it ended up being…Anthony:! Cat told the finalists that it was “the closest result in the show’s history,” and Anthony was named the season 18 champion. And with that, the “SYTYCD” crown was passed to another generation.