Allison Holker is embracing this full-circle moment. The pro dancer, 36, is one of the new So You Think You Can Dance judges for season 18, which premieres on March 4. Allison’s first appearance on So You Think You Can Dance was as a contestant in 2006 when she was just 18 years old. Now, she’s back at the judges’ table.
“I did not know how incredible it was going to be to sit at the actual judges’ table,” Allison told Hollywood Life exclusively. “I was a little nervous. At first, I was like, well, I want to be out there as one of the dancers, standing next to the dancers, because that’s what I was more used to. Being on the judges’ panel has just been a new resurgence for me. It’s been something I’m so grateful for, and I’m so honored. It’s already something I can’t even fully express in words how grateful I am for it. It’s been so wonderful.”
Allison’s return to So You Think You Can Dance is bringing back incredible memories of her time on the show years ago. SYTYCD is one of the many chapters of Allison and Stephen “tWitch” Boss’ beautiful love story. Allison and tWitch crossed paths while competing on the show and later married in 2013. The dancer admitted that coming back to So You Think You Can Dance has been a “great opportunity” to move forward in the wake of her husband’s death in 2022.
“I think it’s really good for me,” she told Hollywood Life. “It’s a really great step for my healing journey and being able to connect with someone I love so much. We can share this beautiful moment, and I can honor him. But also for myself, it was a way for me to step forward and pivot myself to who I am now and what am I going to do with my future. It’s been a really great opportunity that So You Think [You Can Dance] gave me to step into the next chapter of my life as well.”
Allison is a judge alongside Maks Chmerkovskiy and JoJo Siwa. The mom-of-three opened up about why they’re the perfect judging trio for season 18. “I worked with Max on Dancing With the Stars. He’s so lovely. We’ve been friends for years,” Allison began. “He’s such a specific personality but in a great way. You know exactly what he thinks. He tells you how it is. He tells you what he needs, and I love that from someone. And then JoJo, I have been around her a couple of times, but we’ve never really known each other. Now we know each other so well. It’s so crazy. We’ve only known each other for a couple of days, but we vibe so hard together. I love her. I’m obsessed.”
The pro dancer revealed that there are “major changes” in season 18. “The contestants are actually going to be filmed in their living spaces a little bit and just showing a little bit more,” she said. “It’s not crazy, totally evasive really, but a little bit more behind the scenes emotionally outside of just their performances.” Allison added that the challenges are “not just duet-based like they were in the past. Now they’re really based on career choices that you might make as a dancer. There’s going to be different challenges more focused on if you were to make a Broadway show, if you were to make a music video, if you were to be cast in a movie. The challenges vary and are very different than what was ever seen on the show before, which I think is so exciting and so wonderful, and it’s already going so well.”
In addition to So You Think You Can Dance, Allison was a notable pro dancer on Dancing With the Stars for 4 seasons. Given her SYTYCD return, would Allison be open to being a DWTS pro again in the future?
“It’s not that I would ever say no. You can’t say no to that,” she told Hollywood Life. “But just right now it’s not on the table. I haven’t been asked. If the right partner came about, if the right storyline came about as far as like, does it make sense for me, and also timing-wise it makes sense, I would absolutely do it again. But right now it’s not really on the table.”