So You Think You Can Dance Finale Recap: Did the Right Dancer Win Season 18?

Rebecca Iannucci
·2 min read
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So You Think You Can Dance‘s unconventional 18th season came to a close on Monday night, with a finale that actually did feel more like the show we used to know.

Although the Fox competition has largely traded in its usual format for a pre-taped, weekly-industry-challenge approach — I previously wrote about why that pivot hurt the show more than it helped — Monday’s finale went back to basics, asking finalists Dakayla, Anthony and Madison to perform regular duets that might help them clinch the big win.

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For those duets, each finalist was paired with a previously eliminated member of this season’s Top 10, beginning with Madison’s jazz/funk performance with Braylon. If you’d turned off the finale episode after that routine, you’d be left to assume Madison would likely win the whole shebang; all three of the judges gave her glowing reviews, with Allison calling her “the most consistent dancer” of the season, while Maks said she was “ready for any job, any opportunity and every spotlight.”

But Anthony held his own in a hip-hop duet with Mariyah, leading Allison to remark that he’ll be “someone people will fall in love with.” Lastly, Dakayla performed an emotional contemporary routine with Top 10 alum Easton, which brought the judging panel to tears. “I’m so in awe of you right now,” Allison told her, and Maks agreed that Dakayla has revealed herself to be “passionate, soft and emotional” in her performances.

And with that, despite the high praise she received for her jazz/funk performance, Madison was eliminated after the duet round, leaving only Anthony and Dakayla to perform solos for the final victory. In this round, both remaining contestants left everything on the stage — including some blood from Anthony, who cut up his feet a bit during his solo — but the judges appeared to lean toward Dakayla, given her remarkable growth throughout the season. (“I’ve never seen someone go through a 10-week transformation such as this,” Maks told her.)

But after some spirited discussion at the judges’ table — “It’s the closest result we’ve ever had!” said Cat Deeley, a fairly meaningless superlative when it’s only three people choosing the champion — the Season 18 winner was revealed to be… Anthony! Confetti rained down; last season’s victor, Alexis Warr, handed Anthony his trophy; and Maks remarked that Anthony is in for a “long career, man; it’s going to be big.”

That’s a wrap on SYTYCD Season 18! Do you agree with Anthony’s victory, or would you have liked to see Madison or Dakayla triumph? Tell us below!

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