So You Think You Can Dance (American TV series) season 15

So You Think You Can Dance
Season 15
Hosted by	Cat Deeley
Judges	Nigel Lythgoe Mary Murphy Vanessa Hudgens Stephen "tWitch" Boss
Winner	Hannahlei Cabanilla
Runner-up	Jensen Arnold
Release
Original network	Fox Broadcasting Company
Original release	June 4 (2018-06-04) – September 10, 2018 (2018-09-10)
Season chronology
← Previous Season 14 Next → Season 16

So You Think You Can Dance , an American dance competition show, returned for its fifteenth season on Monday, June 4, 2018. The season's judge panel once again features series creator Nigel Lythgoe, as well as the return of ballroom expert Mary Murphy, and Vanessa Hudgens, while Season 4 runner-up Stephen "tWitch" Boss is the new fourth judge during the auditions and the live shows. Cat Deeley continues in her role as host for a fourteenth consecutive season. ^{[1] [2]} This is the last season to feature Hudgens as judge.

Auditions

Open auditions for season 15 were held in two cities beginning in March 2018. During the auditions, the judges were joined by special guest judge, Stephen "tWitch" Boss.

Air Date	Audition Venue	City	Audition Date
June 18 & 25, 2018	Gelsey Kirkland Academy of Classical Ballet	Brooklyn, NY	March 2–4, 2018
June 4 & 11, 2018	Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts	Los Angeles, CA	March 26–28, 2018

The Academy

Top 20 contestants

Below comprises those who have advanced into the initial top twenty contestants (both gender: ten female contestants and ten male contestants), until this year's "twist" which ultimately cut the contestants roster going to the live shows in half.

Female Contestants

Top Ten Female	Dance Style
Dayna Madison	Jazz
Brianna Penrose	Tap
Stephanie Sosa	Latin Ballroom
Sydney Moss	Contemporary
Emily Carr	Contemporary

Male Contestants

Top Ten Male	Dance Style
Justin Pham	Contemporary
Peyton Albrecht	Contemporary
Kyle Bennett, Jr.	Animation
Dustin Payne	Animation
Allen Genkin	Ballroom

Contestants

Top 10 contestants

Female contestants

Contestant	Age	Home town	Dance style	Placement
Hannahlei Cabanilla	18	Anaheim Hills, California	Contemporary	Winner
Jensen Arnold	20	Provo, Utah	Latin Ballroom	Runner-Up
Genessy Castillo	18	Jamaica, New York	Contemporary	3rd Place
Magda Fialek	27	Nowy Sacz, Poland	Latin Ballroom	Top 8
Chelsea Hough	24	Nashville, Tennessee	Jazz	Top 10

Male contestants

Contestant	Age	Home town	Dance style	Placement
Slavik Pustovoytov	19	Poltava, Ukraine	Hip Hop/Animation	4th Place
Jay Jay Dixonbey	20	Detroit, Michigan	Jazz	Top 6
Darius Hickman	19	Green Acres, Florida	Contemporary	Top 6
Cole Mills	24	Ocean Township, New Jersey	Latin Ballroom	Top 8
Evan DeBenedetto	19	Ansonia, Connecticut	Tap	Top 10

Elimination chart

Contestants are listed in chronological order of elimination (TBD).

Legend

Female	Male	Bottom 4 contestants	Eliminated

Result show date:	8/13	8/20	8/27	9/10
Contestant	Results
Hannahlei Cabanilla				Winner
Jensen Arnold				Runner-Up
Genessy Castillo		Btm 4		3rd Place
Slavik Pustovoytov				4th Place
Jay Jay Dixonbey			Elim
Darius Hickman		Btm 4
Cole Mills	Btm 4	Elim
Magda Fialek	Btm 4
Evan DeBenedetto	Elim
Chelsea Hough

Performances

Top 10 Perform, Part 1 (August 6, 2018)

• Group dance: Top 10: "Dream State" — Son Lux (Contemporary; Choreographer: Travis Wall)
• Judges: Nigel Lythgoe, Mary Murphy, Vanessa Hudgens, Stephen "tWitch" Boss

Couple	Style	Music	Choreographer(s)
Jensen Arnold Jay Jay Dixonbey	Samba	"Mad Love" — Sean Paul & David Guetta feat. Becky G	Jean-Marc Généreux
	Jazz	"Ex's & Oh's" — Elle King	Mandy Moore
Hannahlei Cabanilla Cole Mills	Contemporary	"They Won't Go When I Go" — George Michael	Tyce Diorio
	Paso Doble	"Heroes of Chaos" — Tybercore	Jean-Marc Généreux
Chelsea Hough Evan DeBenedetto	Pop Jazz	"Make Me Feel (EDX Dubai Skyline Remix)" — Janelle Monáe	Ray Leeper
	Tap	"Singin' In The Rain" — Jamie Cullum	Anthony Morigerato
Genessy Castillo Slavik Pustovoytov	Hip-hop	"Round & Round" — Fabolous	Luther Brown
	Contemporary	"An Evening I Will Not Forget (Acoustic)" — Dermot Kennedy	Talia Favia
Magda Fialek Darius Hickman	Contemporary	"Glass Heart Concerto" — Blondie & Philip Glass	Travis Wall
	Cha-cha	"I Like It Like That" — Pete Rodriguez	Val Chmerkovskiy

Top 10 Perform, Part 2 (August 13, 2018)

• Group dance: Top 10: "Yummy" – Gwen Stefani ft. Pharrell Williams (Hip-hop; Choreographer: Luther Brown)
• Judges: Nigel Lythgoe, Mary Murphy, Vanessa Hudgens, Stephen "tWitch" Boss

Couple	Style	Music	Choreographer(s)	Result
Magda Fialek Darius Hickman	Bollywood	"Badri Ki Dulhania"—Badrinath Ki Dulhania Soundtrack	Nakul Dev Mahajan	Fialek Bottom 4 Hickman Safe
	Jazz	"Fever"—Peggy Lee	Mandy Moore
Chelsea Hough Evan DeBenedetto	Lyrical Hip-hop	"Love on the Brain"—Rihanna	Christopher Scott	Both Eliminated
	Contemporary	"Snowing"—Sonya Kitchell	Travis Wall
Hannalei Cabanilla Cole Mills	Hip-hop (Stepping)	"Pump It Up"—Joe Budden	Joe Brown	Cabanilla Safe Mills Bottom 4
	Disco	"Last Dance"—Donna Summer	Doriana Sanchez
Jensen Arnold Jay Jay Dixonbey	Contemporary	"Lost Without You"—Freya Ridings	Jaci Royal	Both Safe
	African Jazz	"Run"—Hybrid Core Music + Sound	Sean Cheesman
Genessy Castillo Slavik Pustovoytov	Jive	"Jump, Jive an' Wail"—The Brian Setzer Orchestra	Sharna Burgess	Both Safe
	Broadway	"Someone to Watch Over Me"—Ella Fitzgerald & London Symphony Orchestra	Al Blackstone

Top 8 Perform (August 20, 2018)

• Group dance:
  • Top 8: "Runaway" – Nathan Lanier (Hip-hop; Choreographer: Christopher Scott)
  • Top 4 Female Contestants: "Wanderlust" – Empara Mi (Contemporary; Choreographer: Talia Favia)
  • Top 4 Male Contestants: "Juice" – Yo Gotti (Hip-hop; Choreographer: Luther Brown)
• Judges: Nigel Lythgoe, Mary Murphy, Vanessa Hudgens, Stephen "tWitch" Boss

Couple	Style	Music	Choreographer(s)	Result
Jensen Arnold Jay Jay Dixonbey	Jazz	"I Got You (I Feel Good)"—Jessie J	Sean Cheesman	Both Safe
	Hip hop	"Cookin"—Fat Joe, Remy Ma & French Montana ft. RySoValid	Randi & Hef
Genessy Castillo Slavik Pustovoytov	Contemporary	"Fall For You"—Leela James	Mandy Moore	Castillo Bottom 4 Putstovoytov Safe
	Jazz	"House Work"—Jax Jones ft. Mike Dunn & MNEK	Ray Leeper
Magda Fialek Darius Hickman	Hip-hop	"Killa"—Disto	Pharside & Phoenix	Fialek Eliminated Hickman Bottom 4
	Contemporary	"Undertow"—Ane Brun	Jaci Royal
Hannahlei Cabanilla Cole Mills	Broadway	"Get Happy (Live)"—Judy Garland	Travis Wall	Cabanilla Safe Mills Eliminated
	Cha Cha	"Sing It Back"—Moloko	Sasha Farber & Emma Slater

• Top 8 contestant's solos:

Contestant	Style	Music
Cole Mills	Jive	"Jailhouse Rock" – Elvis Presley
Hannahlei Cabanilla	Contemporary	"River (King Kavalier Remix)" – Bishop Briggs
Jay Jay Dixonbey	Jazz	"Clear Air" – Sevdaliza
Slavik Pustovoytov	Hip-hop	"Separate" – whereisalex
Magda Fialek	Samba	"Marchina (Samba/50 Bpm)" – TNN
Jensen Arnold	Cha Cha	"Ain't Your Mama" – Jennifer Lopez
Darius Hickman	Contemporary	"Strange Fruit" – Nina Simone
Genessy Castillo	Contemporary	"Yours" – Ella Henderson

Top 6 Perform (August 27, 2018)

• Group dance:
  • Top 6: "Spring 1" – Max Richter (Contemporary; Choreographer: Mia Michaels)
  • Top 3 Female Contestants: "Bump" – Trish (Hip-hop; Choreographer: Luther Brown)
  • Top 3 Male Contestants: "Violence Broken" – No Mono (Hip-hop; Choreographer: Christopher Scott)
• Judges: Nigel Lythgoe, Mary Murphy, Vanessa Hudgens, Stephen "tWitch" Boss

Couple	Style	Music	Choreographer(s)	Results
Jensen Arnold Kiki Nyemchek	Cha cha cha	"Bailar (Radio Edit)" — Deorro ft. Elvis Crespo	Jenna Johnson	Safe
Genessy Castillo Lex Ishimoto	Jazz	"Be Brave" — My Brightest Diamond	Mandy Korpinen Elizabeth Petrin	Safe
Slavik Pustovoytov Jana "Jaja" Vaňková	Hip-hop	"Beggin' & Pleadin'" — Brandy	Comfort Fedoke	Safe
Hannahlei Cabanilla Marko Germar	Contemporary	"Welcome Home" — Joy Williams	Robert Roldan	Safe
Jay Jay Dixonbey Lauren Froderman	Jazz	"Runaway Baby" — Bruno Mars	Mandy Moore	Eliminated
Darius Hickman Taylor Sieve	Contemporary	"It Takes A Lot to Know a Man" — Damien Rice	Travis Wall	Eliminated
Jensen Arnold Jay Jay Dixonbey	Tahitian	"Lugahiva" — Te Vaka	Tiana Liufau	Arnold Safe Dixonby Eliminated
Genessy Castillo Slavik Pustovoytov	Salsa	"Machika" — J Balvin, Jeon & Anitta	Jonathan Platero Oksana Platero	Both Safe
Hannahlei Cabanilla Darius Hickman	Argentine Tango	"Tanguango" — Ryota Komatsu	Miriam Larici Leonardo Barrionuevo	Cabanilla Safe Hickman Eliminated

Top 4 Perform (September 3, 2018)

• Judges: Nigel Lythgoe, Mary Murphy, Vanessa Hudgens, Stephen "tWitch" Boss

Couple	Style	Music	Choreographer(s)	Results
Genessy Castillo Slavik Pustovoytov	Hip-hop	"Poke It Out" — Playboi Carti & Nicki Minaj	Luther Brown
Hannahlei Cabanilla Jensen Arnold	Jazz (Heels)	"Dem Beats" — Todrick Hall ft. RuPaul	Brian Friedman
Genessy Castillo Jonathan Platero	Samba	"Watch Out For This (Bumaye)" — Major Lazer	Elena Samodanova	3rd Place
Slavik Pustovoytov Melanie Moore	Contemporary	"Gun" — Mas Ysa	Travis Wall	4th Place
Hannahlei Cabanilla Slavik Pustovoytov	African Jazz	"When Rivers Cry" — Somi ft. Common	Sean Cheesman
Genessy Castillo Jensen Arnold	Broadway	"Maybe This Time" — Liza Minnelli	Travis Wall
Hannahlei Cabanilla DuShaunt "Fik-shun" Stegall	Hip-hop	"Move Something" — DJ Quik & Problem	Randi & Hef	Winner
Jensen Arnold Robert Roldan	Contemporary	"Can't Help Falling In Love" — Kina Grannis (from "Crazy Rich Asians")	Mandy Moore	Runner-Up
Genessy Castillo Hannahlei Cabanilla	Contemporary	"Numbers" — Daughter	Talia Favia
Jensen Arnold Slavik Pustovoytov	Cha-Cha	"Boom" — Tiësto & Sevenn ft. Gucci Mane	Oksana Platero

Top 4 contestant's solos:

Contestant	Style	Music
Genessy Castillo	Contemporary	"Cried" – Candice Glover
Slavik Pustovoytov	Hip-hop	"Some Minds" – Flume ft. Andrew Wyatt
Jensen Arnold	Cha Cha	"Where Have You Been" – Rihanna
Hannahlei Cabanilla	Contemporary	"Back Again" – Party Favor & Gent & Jawns

• all top 4 contestants were safe from elimination on September 3, winner was declared the following week on September 10, 2018.

Ratings

U.S. Nielsen ratings

Show	Episode	First Air Date	Rating (18–49)	Share (18–49)	Viewers (millions)	Rank (timeslot)	Rank (night)
1	Auditions #1	June 4, 2018 (2018-06-04)	0.7	3	3.25 [3]	3	3 (tied)
2	Auditions #2	June 11, 2018 (2018-06-11)	0.7	3	2.96 [4]	3	3 (tied)
3	Auditions #3	June 18, 2018 (2018-06-18)	0.8	4	3.17 [5]	2	3 (tied)
4	Auditions #4	June 25, 2018 (2018-06-25)	0.6	3	2.85 [6]	2	4 (tied)
5	Academy #1	July 9, 2018 (2018-07-09)	0.7	3	2.73 [7]	3	3 (tied)
6	Academy #2	July 16, 2018 (2018-07-16)	0.6	3	2.42 [8]	3	5
7	Top Ten Women	July 23, 2018 (2018-07-23)	0.6	3	2.60 [9]	3 (tied)	4 (tied)
8	Top Ten Men	July 31, 2018 (2018-07-31)	0.6	3	2.61 [10]	3 (tied)	4 (tied)
9	Top 10 Perform, Part 1	August 6, 2018 (2018-08-06)	0.6	3	2.49 [11]	3 (tied)	4 (tied)
10	Top 10 Perform, Part 2	August 13, 2018 (2018-08-13)	0.6	3	2.59 [12]	4	5
11	Top 8 Perform	August 20, 2018 (2018-08-20)	0.5	2	2.39 [13]	4	5 (tied)
12	Top 6 Perform	August 27, 2018 (2018-08-27)	0.6	3	2.68 [14]	3	3 (tied)
13	Top 4 Perform	September 3, 2018 (2018-09-03)	0.5	2	2.43 [15]	4	4 (tied)
14	Season Finale	September 10, 2018 (2018-09-10)	0.6	3	2.60 [16]	4	5 (tied)

References

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2. Andreeva, Nellie (March 20, 2018). "Fox Summer Premiere Dates: 'MasterChef', New Ramsay Series, 'SYTYCD', Game Shows & More". Deadline. Retrieved March 20, 2018.
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10. Welch, Alex (July 31, 2018). "'The Proposal' adjusts down: Monday final ratings". TV by the Numbers . Archived from the original on August 1, 2018. Retrieved July 31, 2018.
11. Welch, Alex (August 7, 2018). "'Elementary' adjusts down: Monday final ratings". TV by the Numbers . Archived from the original on August 8, 2018. Retrieved August 7, 2018.
12. Welch, Alex (August 14, 2018). "'Whose Line Is It Anyway?,' 'The Proposal' adjust down: Monday final ratings". TV By The Numbers. Archived from the original on August 14, 2018. Retrieved August 14, 2018.
13. Welch, Alex (August 21, 2018). "'Whose Line Is it Anyway?' and 'The Proposal' adjust down: Monday final ratings". TV By the Numbers. Archived from the original on August 21, 2018. Retrieved August 21, 2018.
14. Welch, Alex (August 28, 2018). "'Penn & Teller: Fool Us' adjusts up, 'Mom' repeat adjusts down: Monday final ratings". TV By The Numbers. Archived from the original on August 29, 2018. Retrieved August 28, 2018.
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16. Welch, Alex (September 11, 2018). "'Bachelor in Paradise' adjusts down: Monday final ratings". TV By The Numbers. Archived from the original on September 11, 2018. Retrieved September 11, 2018.