Monday’s Season 18 premiere of “So You Think You Can Dance” was the first episode since the December 2022 death by suicide of former judge and contestant Stephen ‘Twitch’ Boss, and the first with his widow, Allison Holker, sitting in as one of the new panel of judges.
Holker was already tearing up when contestant Jin Lee mentioned she had recently lost her father, and when Lee performed her routine to “Lovely” by Billie Eilish and Khalid, a visibly moved Holker touched her hand to her heart.
Holker said she was “so captivated” by Lee’s dancing, which combined Chinese folk, bone-breaking and waving.
Lee responded, “I really just want to speak to you directly and say I’m really, really inspired by the way that you’ve held yourself in grace and the way that you’re holding Twitch’s legacy. Thank you for continuing to be a light for us.”
“It’s not an easy journey for anyone,” Holker said. “Stephen ‘Twitch’ Boss was and will forever be an icon and a legend because he was truly the best at what he did, but also because he brought out the best in everyone around him.”
She continued, “And to this day, right now, for me, my children, and everyone here, he’s still doing that. And how we honor him is by giving that light back. Because that’s what he would want too.”
The show ended with clips of Boss dancing, smiling and greeting the audience and a title card that read: “Stephen ‘Twitch’ Boss, 1982 -2022.”
Former “Dancing With the Stars” pro Maksim Chmerkovskiy and former contestant and all-star Comfort Fedoke also made their judging debuts on the season premiere.
Series co-creator and producer Nigel Lythgoe had been benched as on-screen judge in the previous season, but after multiple sexual assault allegations, he has now stepped away from the show completely. JoJo Siwa, who was one of the judges in Season 17, will take the fourth judge’s slot in upcoming episodes.
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