So You Think You Can Dance season 18 finale- Recap and more details explored

So You Think You Can Dance season 18 finale was finally aired on Monday, May 20, on FOX. After the tough competition in the second last episode, Easton Magliarditi bit the dust and was eliminated right before the finale episode, leaving three finalists- Madison Alvarado, Anthony Curley, and Dakayla Wilson.

The finale episodes saw stellar performances from all three finalists, former contestants of the show, and esteemed star guests, who were called specially to grace the finale.

After their performances, as the audience braced frot he results, the 19-year-old Anthony Curley was announced the winner, who took home the So You Think You Can Dance trophy and the $100,000 prize money.

---

What happened on the finale episode of So You Think You Can Dance season 18?

The episode kicked off with a Luther Brown choreographed number, Fly as Me, which was performed together by all three finalists and seven other guests, the former contestants of the show.

After the group performance, host Cat Deeley announced that all three finalists would be performing a duet each, with an eliminated contestant of their choice. The host further explained that their performances would make the judges- Allison Holker, Maksim Chmerkovskiy, and JoJo Siwa decide who among the three to send home.

After one of the three finalists is sent home, the last two remaining will dance a solo each, which will act as the deciding performance for who will take home the trophy.

Madison Alvarado chose Braylon Browner as her duet partner for a jazz-funk dance style. The choreographers for this performance were Tucker and Kayla. Their power-packed performance got a standing ovation from all three judges.

JoJo commended Madison's versatility which spanned from elegance and poise to intense duets. Maks said Madison was ready for any job or opportunity, while Allison pointed out her consistency.

Next up on So You Think You Can Dance, was Anthony's duet with Mariyah Hawkins. Their routine was choreographed by Diana Matos and Ivan Koumaev. Anthony and Mariyah also received a standing ovation from all the judges.

Maks appreciated Anthony's emotional connection with Mariyah, while Allison thought the choreographers had done a great job of selecting a number that was fitting to Anthony's style.

Then it was Dakayla's turn. She chose to go with Easton Magliarditi for a contemporary dance form, which was choreographed by Talia Favia. Dakayla too secured a standing ovation from the judges like two of her contemporaries.

Allison told her that she was in awe of her performance, while JoJo said she was proud of her. Maks shared that her performance was passionate and emotional. This was followed by a performance from several season 18 contestants along with a few past season contestants. After the performances, the judges decided to eliminate Madison, pitting Anthony and Dakayla against each other for the last round.

At the time of solos on So You Think You Can Dance finale, Anthony went with the song Better Alone, which was by singer Aaryan Shah. After his performance, JoJo said that Anthony had the potential to be "the best of the best". Allison was impressed by his versatility, while Maks called him the most honest performer of the season.

For her solo performance, Dakayla performed to A Pale, a song by Rosalia. Her performance stunned the judges, as Maks said he was in disbelief at how greatly Dakayla had transformed through the 10-week run of the season. JoJo affirmed this and mentioned how far she had come on the show.

After their solos, Anthony was named the winner of the show, with Cat Deeley saying that it was a close call between the two.

---

So You Think You Can Dance season 18 can be streamed on Hulu, and Disney Plus.