JoJo Siwa made history on Dancing with the Stars as part of the first same-sex couple in the actual competition.
JoJo and Jenna Johnson made it to the finals before losing out to NBA star Iman Shumpert and his partner, Daniella Karagach.
While JoJo and Jenna were great, week after week, in the competition, they were often at a disadvantage. One week, they finished in the bottom two.
The problem many fans had with JoJo was that they considered her a professional dancer, even though she is only a teenager and is more of a pop star with dance training.
Several people in Season 30 had dance training, but JoJo’s television popularity as a child star worked against her.
Now, it seems that training will work in her favor as she is returning to another dance competition show, this time as a judge.
JoJo Siwa joining So You Think You Can Dance
There is only one star set to return to So You Think You Can Dance Season 17.
The rest of the cast underwent a total overhaul.
Nigel Lythgoe, Mary Murphy, and Laurieann Gibson were the last three judges and were all set to return for Season 17 in 2020. It took two years for it to return, with the auditions starting.
Replacing them are Stephen “Twitch” Boss, Matthew Morrison, and JoJo Siwa.
Boss had worked as a judge on So You Think You Can Dance in Season 15 and returns as the only newcomer with experience. He was a dancer and DJ for The Ellen DeGeneres Show.
He also hosted The Real Dirty Dancing earlier this year.
Matthew Morrison was the star of Glee and went on to become a Tony, Emmy, and Golden Globe-nominated actor.
As for JoJo Siwa, she got her start on Dance Moms as a child and went on to become a pop music star. She appeared on Dancing with the Stars in Season 30.
Why the So You Think You Can Dance shakeup
Nigel was the first to admit that he was fired from the show, saying he was not asked back as a judge.
“I am so thrilled that America’s young aspiring dance talent will get to work with some of our greatest creative choreographers,” he wrote on Twitter. “On a personally sad note, I have not been asked to be on the judging panel this season. I don’t know who will be saying ‘Cue Music’ but I wish them well.”
According to Nigel, the show was ready to “freshen up.”
Both Murphy and Gibson were let go as well.
So You Think You Can Dance premieres on Wednesday, May 18, at 9/8c on Fox, following The Masked Singer season finale.