Stephen “tWitch” Boss looks right at home doling out advice and critiques to performers on So You Think You Can Dance. Of course, he brings a lengthy dance background and a history with the show to that role — but he honed other skills during his time as a fill-in host on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, which recently wrapped after 19 seasons.
Boss spoke to TV Insider after taping last night’s “absolutely incredible” episode in which all 12 contestants made it through to next week. (What better way to celebrate SYTYCD’s 300th installment?) “I met Ellen from doing this show. I became the DJ on Ellen, and later I became a co-executive producer. Then I started guest-hosting. That led to 38 guest-host shows. I’m not going to lie—I fell in love with it.”
Given his experience at Ellen both behind and in front of the camera, wouldn’t Boss being the host of his own show be, well, “boss”? Agents have to be making calls, no? “We’ll see. I don’t like to jinx things,” he demurs, adding with a smile, “but we’re on the same page.”
In the meantime, Boss is celebrating SYTYCD’s 300th episode and its return after missing a few years due to COVID-19. “We needed this,” he enthuses. “Dance has the power to heal, inspire, and celebrate. I think tonight’s episode really showed that. Yes, it’s a competition, but we were celebrating the craft we love so much.”
Edited packages showed judges getting rather quickly to the point on whether a dancer was going home. However, Boss wants SYTYCD fans to know that the actual letdowns were not that abrupt. In the coming weeks, he says, there will be more time for audiences to see just how much the judges support the contestants.
“Here’s the thing,” Boss points out. “JoJo [Swisher] and I have been through [competition shows]. She’s been on Dancing With the Stars, and I’ve been through this show. We’d never say anything abruptly to dancers now that we’re sitting on a panel where we have to deliver news about advancing or not. We always give encouragement and share things that dancers can take with them into the future.”
So You Think You Can Dance, Wednesdays, 9/8c, Fox
