On this page
The Atlanta Season.
A full relocation to Atlanta, video-submission auditions in place of the open-call tour, and judges-only voting make season eighteen the format's most restructured run to date.
A rhythm worth tracking.
Season eighteen relocates production entirely to Atlanta's Pullman Yards, the first time the show has filmed outside its usual Los Angeles base. The open-call audition tour gives way to video submissions, with a Top 100 invited directly to the city, and auditions film documentary-style on a flat floor with no live audience. JoJo Siwa joins the panel after a judging change, and eliminations run on judges' votes alone.
The #18 slot.
Slot #18 of 18 in the So You Think You Can Dance Editor's Canon. Season eighteen closes the canon for now, and it earns the spot honestly — this is the most-altered version of the format the show ever aired. Production leaves Los Angeles entirely for Atlanta's Pullman Yards, the open-call audition tour gives way to video submissions, and a Top 100 gets invited to the city sight unseen rather than discovered on the road. Auditions play out documentary-style on a flat floor with no stage and no live audience, and eliminations run on judges' calls alone, without the public vote that anchored every prior season. JoJo Siwa's arrival on the panel is a small change against a season that rewrites nearly everything else about how the show gets made.
5 moments, no spoilers.
- Ep 1 · a new home base
The entire season films in Atlanta's Pullman Yards, the first time production has left its usual Los Angeles base.
- Ep 1 · no open-call tour
Contestants apply by video submission instead of a multi-city tour, with a Top 100 invited directly to Atlanta.
- Ep 2 · a documentary turn
Auditions film on a flat floor without a stage or live audience, leaning into contestant backstories over spectacle.
- Ep 3 · a new judge joins
JoJo Siwa joins the panel alongside Allison Holker and Maksim Chmerkovskiy after a judging change ahead of the season.
- Ep 8 · the judges decide
Eliminations run on judges' calls this season rather than a public vote.