'DWTS' Alum Maks Chmerkovskiy Joins Rival TV Show
Chmerkovskiy will be a judge on the upcoming 18th season of 'So You Think You Can Dance,' premiering in March.
Former Dancing With the Stars pro Maksim Chmerkovskiy is moving on to a different dance series. People reports that Chmerkovskiy will be serving as a judge on the upcoming 18th season of Fox's dance competition So You Think You Can Dance. He will be joining fellow new judge Allison Holker Boss — who will be following in the footsteps of her late husband, Stephen "tWitch" Boss — and Nigel Lythgoe. Cat Deeley, meanwhile, will return to host.
Chmerkovskiy first joined Dancing With the Stars in Season 2, and throughout his time on the series, he competed on 17 seasons. He won Season 18 with Meryl Davis. After competing on Season 25 with Vanessa Lachey, Chmerkovskiy announced he would be retiring from DWTS. Despite being away from the ballroom, it seems like he is itching to come back, even if it's not exactly the same.
"So You Think You Can Dance is television's preeminent dance competition, and we are thrilled to bring the beloved show back for an all-new season," Allison Wallach, President of Unscripted Programming at Fox Entertainment, said in a statement. "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."
On top of the new judges for Season 18, there will also be a new format. Contestants will be competing "in new, intense dance challenges that will give them a real taste of the career." They will be performing in a music video, football halftime show, with a Broadway performer, and more as they compete for the $100,000 grand prize and the coveted title of the champion of So You Think You Can Dance. The series will also focus on the contestants' personal and competitive journeys with "a documentary-style inside look."
There is going to be a lot to look forward to on So You Think You Can Dance when the show finally returns for Season 18. As part of Fox's 2024 spring schedule, don't miss the new season on Monday, Mar. 4 at 8 p.m. ET only on Fox. Even though it's not Dancing With the Stars, and he won't be doing a lot of dancing, it will be exciting to see Maks Chmerkovskiy back on TV and back on a dance competition series, no matter the capacity. At least you know he has a lot of experience to be judging the dance fanatics.