So You Think You Can Dance season 18: Winner revealed

Popular Fox show So You Think You Can Dance season 18 has revealed the winner—19-year-old Anthony Curly from Phoenix. He was announced as the winner during the finale of the show. The finale episode of So You Think You Can Dance season 18 was released on Fox on Monday, May 20, 2024.

Anthony Curley won the grand prize of $100,000 and the winner's title. Along with him, other finalists included Dakayla Wilson and Madison Alvarado. The finalists were given the task of performing duets and each of them was paired with previously eliminated contestants for the duet.

All of the previously eliminated dancers attended the ceremony. There were many fan-favorite contestants, along with special performances throughout the finale. Natasha Bedingfield gave an exceptional performance while singing her popular single, Unwritten.

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What happened in So You Think You Can Dance season 18 finale?

After Nigel Lythgoe’s unexpected exit, Jojo Siwa joined the judges, Allison Holker and Maksim Chmerkovskiy. Cat Deeley hosted the So You Think You Can Dance finale.

For the 18th season, Fox opted for a pre-taped weekly approach for So You Think You Can Dance. However, they switched to the previously preferred approach for the finale episode. Hence, the finalists were assigned to perform regular duets before the big win.

The final performances started with Madison and Braylon, who danced to jazz/ funk beats. All of the judges gave positive reviews, while Alison referred to Madison as “the most consistent dancer” of the season. Maksim’s reviews about the dancer included that she was “ready for any job, any opportunity, and every spotlight.”

The second performer was Anthony with Mariyah. It was a hip-hop duet that won everyone’s hearts. Regarding the performance, Allison said that Anthony would be “someone people will fall in love with.”

The last performance was of Dakayla and Easton, where they performed an emotional contemporary routine. While everyone was in tears, Alison said:

“I’m so in awe of you right now.”

Later, Madison was eliminated and it left Dakayla and Anthony for the solo performances. Both of them showcased remarkable performances, where Anthony even spilled some blood when he cut his feet a bit on the stage. At first, judges seemed to lean more toward Dakayla. Maksim stated:

“I’ve never seen someone go through a 10-week transformation such as this.”

After a discussion at the judges’ table, the host, Cat Deeley, revealed:

“It’s the closest result we’ve ever had.”

By the end of all the rounds and long journeys of all the contestants, Anthony Curley was announced as the winner. Alexis Warr, the winner from season 17, presented the trophy to the current winner, Anthony.

Following Anthony’s winning and career-defining moment, Maksim complimented him and said that he would have a “long career" and that "it’s going to be big.”

When Anthony was asked about his plans for the grand prize, he expressed:

“My mom has made huge sacrifices for me her whole life, and winning this money would literally give me that final chance to give back to her and just really show her how thankful I really am.”

Dick Clark Productions and Sony Pictures Television’s 19 Entertainment co-produced the dance competition show. Executive producers include Barry Adelman, Aaron Saidman, Eli Holsman, and Daniel Martin, also showrunners. The host, Cat Deeley, is also one of the producers.

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Fans can stream previous episodes of So You Think You Can Dance on Fox.