SYTYCD’s Nigel Lythgoe reacts to his sacking

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Nigel Lythgoe

FOX announced in early March that “So You Think You Can Dance” would return for its 17th season in the summer of 2022 — but it won’t have the judges that fans know and love. Here’s what we know so far and how Nigel Lythgoe reacted to being fired from the show he helped create and where he was the only judge to have been there all 16 seasons.

“So You Think You Can Dance” returns without Nigel, Cat Deeley or Mary Murphy

FOX announced the renewal of So You Think You Can Dance in a press release, which touted, “An all-new season of the multi-Emmy Award-winning dance competition series So You Think You Can Dance will premiere on FOX this summer to have. ”

But the press release only mentioned judge Nigel Lythgoe to cite him as one of the show’s co-creators. Nigel is the only judge who was there from the start.

The press release also didn’t mention Mary Murphy, who joined Nigel on the judging panel for season three (although she wasn’t part of seasons seven, 12, or 13), or Cat Deeley, who hosted every season of the show except the first.

Nigel then confirmed he was fired in a tweet, writing, “I’m so thrilled that America’s young up and coming dance talent will be collaborating with some of our greatest creative choreographers. To my personal sadness, I was not asked to sit on the jury this season. I don’t know who will say ‘Cue Music’ but I wish them the best of luck.”

In the answers a spectator compared Nigel’s shooting on the Dancing With the Stars shake up that saw Tom Bergeron and Erin Andrews fired as hosts, writing, “Reminds me about the overhaul of DWTS, didn’t make this show any better than they did, I’m saying the same thing ahead here. It won’t be the same without you, Nigel.”

Several other commenters expressed a feeling that “So You Think You Can Dance” won’t be the same without Nigel.

Neither Mary nor Cat have commented on social media about the renewal of So You Think You Can Dance.

What’s odd is that FOX actually picked up the show two years ago, in February 2020, for a 17th season, and at the time, FOX said Cat, Nigel, and Mary were all reportedly returning along with Laurianne Gibson TVLine. Laurieann was a judge in season 16.
But then the pandemic paralyzed everything and FOX canceled the extension in June 2020, according to FOX TVLine.

This new renewal is the first anyone has heard of “So You Think You Can Dance” since it was canceled in June 2020. FOX has not said anything about what has changed regarding Nigel between the 2020 renewal and now; We’ve asked for a comment and we’re not back yet.

Auditions begin in March 2022

The FOX press release teases that the upcoming season of So You Think You Can Dance will “feature highly skilled dancers, between the ages of 18 and 30, showcasing their talents in a variety of dance styles including contemporary, tap, hip-hop, ballroom, Animation, breaking and more.” It also said auditions would begin immediately.

The press release states:

Auditions for So You Think You Can Dance begin in March. Dancers can submit online by registering and providing a link to a video of their performance. Please check https://danceshow2022.castingcrane.com/ or fox.com/dance for audition dates, full eligibility requirements, official rules, and additional details. Selected dancers are invited to auditions in New York, Los Angeles and New Orleans. From these auditions, the selected dancers are invited to Los Angeles to perform before the judging panel and attempt to win a spot as one of the final candidates. Additional eligibility requirements and terms and conditions may apply.

Those selected to transfer to the SYTYCD studio will work alongside world-renowned choreographers and compete in a variety of styles each week, introducing brand new twists and turns to the competition. Further details will be announced later.

So You Think You Can Dance has been quite the pipeline for professional dancers on Dancing With the Stars over the years. Current Pros Artem Chigvintsev, Witney Carson, Lindsay Arnold, Jenna Johnson and Alan Bersten are all So You Think You Can Dance alumni, as well as former Pros/Troop members Dmitry Chaplin, Allison Holker, Lacey Schwimmer, Chelsie Hightower and Hayley Erbert , Britt Cherry, JT Church and Jake Monreal also all got their start on So You Think You Can Dance.

It is not yet known when “So You Think You Can Dance” will return in summer 2022.

Dancing With the Stars has not yet taped for season 31. If renewed, it should premiere in September 2022.

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