Nigel Lythgoe Won't Be Returning To Judge 'So You Think You Can Dance'

On March 4, the longtime judge, Nigel Lythgoe, stunned fans by announcing that he won't be a judge in the upcoming 17th season "So You Think You Can Dance".

This came as a surprise as Lythgoe, who started the show along with Simon Fuller, has claimed a spot at the table alongside Mary Murphy and other judges.

"I am so thrilled that America's young aspiring dance talent will get to work with some of our greatest creative choreographers," he wrote in full. "On a personally sad note, I have not been asked to be on the judging panel this season. I do not know who will be saying 'Cue Music' but I wish them well."

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Born on Merseyside, Lythgoe trained professionally in dance and began dancing at the English National Ballet, performing in the Viennese operetta, The Merry Widow.

He parlayed his dance skills and worked for names such as Shirly Bassey and Muppets.

The icon rose further to become a TV executive, serving as London weekend's head of comedy and entertainment.

Then he became a TV judge on Popstars and then Pop Idol, where his scathy remarks earned him the nickname "Nasty Nigel."

While he was on Popstars, his caustic remarks reduced Kym Marsh to tears. "Christmas may be gone but I see the goose is still fat."

"And of course," he mentioned to the Press Association years later, "she has made an absolute mint on slimming down, looking fabulous now, acting brilliantly, and she's made a huge career for herself, bless her."

In an interview with Daily Mail, he reflected on being sad and mean. "Much better than Nice Nigel. Much more fun to be a baddie."

Lythgoe has been the only permanent judge to appear on all 16 seasons, which premiered in 2005. Other stars that have appeared alongside him include Adam Shankman, Mary Murphy, Vanessa Hudgens, Maddie Ziegler, Jason Derulo, and Paula Abdul. Ballroom champion Murphy joined Lythgoe as a permanent judge, and it has remained the same ever since.

Lythgoe co-created the show, and Fuller served as one of its executive producers. Although it is certain he won't be coming back as a judge, it is unsure if he will be coming back as an executive producer.

In January, Lythgoe spoke about the show's future amidst the uncertainty and its continued hiatus period.

"I believe it is going to come back this year. No one has really contacted me yet, but there's rumors that it's going to come back," he said during an "On Air with Ryan Seacrest" appearance.

"Obviously, during the COVID period, it was really difficult to create a bubble because we had so many different choreographers coming in and you were swapping partners. It wasn't as though you were staying with your one partner," he continued. "So it is very difficult to do it during this terrible sort of pandemic but hopefully, we'll come into the end of it now and it will come back."

Lythgoe's announcement on not returning as a judge came after the network announced the show's return on Wednesday. The show was supposed to return in 2020 after its 16th season concluded prior. However, it faced a three-year hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic.

"Get ready; # SYTYCD is BACK! An all-new season starts this summer on @FOXtv," the show shared on its official Twitter page. It also added that auditions would take place in Los Angeles, New York, and New Orleans later in the month."

It is an American reality dance show which airs on Fox. The series debuted on July 20, 2005, with over ten million viewers and was rated as the most viewed show in the summer of that year.

The debut season was hosted by American news personality Lauren Sanchez. Since its second season, it has been hosted by Cat Deeley, former British's children game show and personality emcee.

The show explores a format where dancers trained in various dance genres enter open auditions held in several major cities in the US. At the end of this rigorous process, a small number of dancers are shortlisted as finalists. These people move to the competition's main phase, where they perform solo or in twos and on different dance styles, including classical, jazz, ballroom, street, and club.

They all compete for the votes of the viewers and audience, which is combined with the appraisal of the judges and determines the set of dancers to advance to the next stage.

The dance competition has won a culmination of nine Emmy awards and seven Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Choreography.