Heavy/Getty Maksim Chmerkovskiy is set to judge "So You Think You Can Dance," per a DWTS insider.
Former “Dancing With the Stars” pro Maksim Chmerkovskiy has landed a new gig.
“Taking off,” he captioned a post on his Instagram Stories on December 3, 2023. “Too excited about this one!!! Can’t wait for everyone to hear about my newest journey,” he added, sharing a selfie from an airplane.
A short while later, DWTS insider Kristyn Burtt revealed that Chmerkovskiy will be a judge on “So You Think You Can Dance.”
“I think everyone is going to be happy about the Season 18 judges panel,” Burtt commented on a TikTok announcing that Chmerkovskiy was set to judge the new season of the dance competition show.
The next day, the announcement was made official; Chmerkovskiy will join Nigel Lythgoe
and Allison Holker for the new season, which kicks off on Fox on March 4, 2024.
Chmerkovskiy called the new gig a “dream come true” on his Instagram Stories on December 5, 2023. “I’m super grateful. Ecstatic, to say this least. It’s a privilege and an honor,” he said.
Here’s what you need to know:
Fans Reacted to the News That Maks Chmerkovskiy Will Be Judging SYTYCD
Overall, fans seem really excited to hear that Chmerkovskiy will be judging “So You Think You Can Dance.” Shortly after Burtt uploaded her TikTok, many fans took to Reddit to react to the news.
“That’s exciting for him! I would love for them to bring Allison on as a judge as well. She was a contestant, mentor, all star, and choreographer. Plus it’ll be a consistent income and she could honor Twitch through taking over his role,” one person wrote.
“Wow good for him! I agree with others that this show needs a ballroom judge badly and I think Maks is a very good fit. He’ll tell it like it is but I know he’ll want to see young dancers succeed at the same time,” someone else added.
“You know what? much better for him to be a judge there. really the only thing that’s kept him from being a DWTS judge is his inability to keep his biases towards his family in check, and most likely there will be none of that on SYTYCD. and they desperately need ballroom representation on the judging panel,” a third Redditor weighed in.
Maks Chmerkovskiy Has No Plans to Return to ‘Dancing With the Stars’
Chmerkovskiy first joined the cast of “Dancing With the Stars” on season 2. He won his first and only Mirrorball Trophy on season 18 alongside Olympian Meryl Davis. After season 25, Chmerkovskiy decided it was time for him to part ways with the show.
In an exclusive interview with Heavy, Chmerkovskiy confirmed that he will not return to DWTS.
“This is a great show, great group of people. You know, look. If there’s a Mount Rushmore of that thing, ‘Dancing With the Stars,’ I’m probably a couple of spots on it. But I feel like we’ve written a book on how to do ‘Dancing With the Stars’ back in the day. And, you know, I’m that fan. I’m a fan of the original version. The way it was. The way everybody fell in love with the show,” Chmerkovskiy explained.
“I don’t have plans to be part of the show. Having said that, I’m always part of the show. There’s a wife, there’s a brother, there’s a sister-in-law. I’m there with my kids, supporting our fam,” he continued, adding, “I don’t have any plans for physical participation.”
Chmerkovskiy was back in the ballroom for the Len Goodman tribute, however, dancing a waltz with several other pros in October 2023.