Vanessa Hudgens joins ‘So You Think You Can Dance’

Actress, singer and dancer Vanessa Hudgens will join Nigel Lythgoe and Mary Murphy as the third judge on this season of So You Think You Can Dance. The season premiere, airing Monday, June 12th from 8-9 pm ET/PT on FOX, will mark Hudgens’ judging debut in part-one of the Los Angeles auditions.

“I am so excited for Vanessa to join Mary and me on the judging panel for the 14th season of So You Think You Can Dance. There was instant chemistry in the audition rounds, and I know the SYTYCD fans will love her as much as we do. Vanessa is an accomplished artist and brings her own brand of enthusiasm and energy to our panel,” says Lythgoe, who also executive-produces.

The 14th season of So You Think You Can Dance features highly skilled dancers between the ages of 18-30 who will showcase their talents in various dance styles, including contemporary, tap, hip-hop, ballroom, animation, breaking and more. The Top 10 dancers will be paired up with All-Stars who will guide them throughout the competition as they vie for America’s votes and the title of America’s Favorite Dancer.

“I am so excited for Vanessa to join Mary and me on the judging panel for the 14th season of So You Think You Can Dance.”

During the audition rounds, the most talented dancers compete in front of the judges for a coveted spot at “The Academy” callback rounds in Los Angeles. At the end of “The Academy” callback rounds, each of this season’s 10 All-Stars will choose one dancer to move on to the SYTYCD stage and become part of this season’s Top 10. Once the Top 10 are chosen, the dancers will compete live each week for America’s votes in different dance styles, working with world-renowned choreographers and dancing alongside the All-Stars. Millions of votes will be cast to determine which contestants will be eliminated each week until the winner is named America’s Favorite Dancer on the season finale.

Hudgens began her work in musical theater at a young age with shows such as The Wizard of Oz, The King & I, The Music Man and Cinderella. In 2015, she made her Broadway debut, starring in the title role of the beloved Academy Award- and Tony Award-winning film and stage musical ”Gigi,” and in 2016 starred in FOX’s Grease: Live, which was nominated for ten Emmys and won five, the most ever for a Special Class program. In 2010, Hudgens won the ShoWest Award for “Female Star of Tomorrow.” Her film credits include the Thirteen and Spring Breakers. Other television credits include “High School Musical” and most recently co-starring in the action comedy “Powerless,” set in the DC universe.

So You Think You Can Dance is from 19 Entertainment and Dick Clark Productions. The series is executive-produced by co-creator Nigel Lythgoe, Allen Shapiro, Barry Adelman, Peter Hurwitz, Mike Yurchuk and Jeff Thacker.

Buddy Iahn
Buddy Iahn

Buddy Iahn founded The Music Universe when he decided to juxtapose his love of web design and music. As a lifelong drummer, he decided to take a hiatus from playing music to report it. The website began as a fun project in 2013 to one of the top independent news sites. Email: info@themusicuniverse.com