Welcome back from a two-week hiatus to So You Think You Can Dance Season 18. did you miss us
Our last two Monday nights were not almost so eventful with no chance to watch our faves compete for America’s Favorite Dancer. So, in case you didn’t catch last night’s episode, we’re here to tell you what you missed—the dancing, the drama, the Deeley of it all. And trust us, this episode was worth the wait.
If your last two weeks have been as busy as ours, it’s easy to forget what happened at the end of the last episode. To recap: The judges have chosen our top 10 (!!) and they will not only be dancing together this year, but living together, for the first time ever.
We also learned that JoJo Siwa will be joining the judging panel. And the final twist? This year, the “SYT” dancers will compete outside of the studio, taking on practical dance challenges each week. “This season we’re taking the challenges from the shiny floor to the real world,” said longtime host Kat Deeley. NGL, it gives us chills.
The first challenge for the dancers? Music videos. The top 10 were randomly divided into two groups and put to the test with industry icons Luther Brown and: Philip and Mackenzie Chbib. The first (modern) group was assigned to work with Philip and Mackenzie to recreate the video for: “All Around Me” by Justin Bieber, and the duo was joined by Avery Gay, Dakayla Wilson, Braylon Browner, Roman Nevinchanyi and Jaylin Sanders (much to Jaylin’s dismay, the only hip-hopper in the top 10). The second (hip-hop) group was asked to repeat the video for: “Juice” by Lizzo with Luther and consisted of Olivia Albocher, Mariah Hawkins, Madison Rouge Alvarado, Easton Maggiarditi and Anthony Curley.
The dancers moved from rehearsals to the actual video taping, where the judges joined them to begin their judging. They reminded the dancers that they will be judged not only on dancing but also on other metrics such as professionalism, group dynamics and star quality. We weren’t sure exactly how you rate star quality, but we were excited to find out.
First up was the contemporary band performance. After watching the video in its entirety, the judges gave their critiques. They can’t seem to agree on who the star of the video is – for JoJo, it’s Dakayla; for Maksim Chmerkovskiy, it was Jaylin. That’s the star quality we’ve been looking for, folks!
The hip-hop group was next with a fun, upbeat performance. The judges loved the video, but were concerned about Madison and Easton’s performance. Both are strong hip-hop dancers, but they seem to be struggling a bit in the video. For Madison, the struggle was to find his speed; for Easton, the struggle stood out.
Then it was time for the results. The judges selected six dancers who were safe and advanced to the next round, leaving four dancers at risk of elimination. Easton, Avery, Braylon and Olivia. Each dancer on the chopping block had the chance to perform a solo routine to prove their mettle, and TBH, these performances gave us all the vintage “SYT” vibes.
The judges seemed particularly impressed with Easton and Braylon’s performance, and in the end their dancing was enough to see them through to the next round. Unfortunately, this meant that both Avery and Olivia were sent home. “This is not the end. This is just the beginning for you,” Alison told both talented dancers.
And with that, we have our top 8. Who do you think will make it to the end as America’s Favorite Dancer?