Paula Abdul and Jason Derulo are prepping for the ultimate pas de deux: The duo have been confirmed as permanent judges for season 12 of FOX's So You Think You Can Dance, the network announced this week. Abdul and Derulo, whose appointment follows the departure of longtime judge Mary Murphy, will join veteran panelist Nigel Lythgoe starting Jan. 24 for New York City auditions.
"I'm honored to be joining the judges' panel this season," the former SYTYCD guest judge, 52, tweeted after news broke Jan. 22. Her SYTYCD gig marks the award-winning choreographer's return to reality TV and to the FOX network, which she called home from 2002 to 2009 on American Idol, and The X Factor in 2011. (Abdul hosted the short-lived CBS competition series, Live to Dance, in 2011.)
Derulo, 25, who has also served as a guest judge, performed on the series in the past and lent his music to many a SYTYCD routine, is just as excited to sit on the panel. "[SYTYCD] is one of the most respected and longest-tenured shows on network television, and I hope to be a part of new growth and continued success," the "Wiggle" singer told Us Weekly in a statement.
A new judging panel isn't the only change viewers of the Cat Deeley-hosted series will see when it returns this summer. As previously announced, the reality series will depart from its traditional format to pit street dancers against classically trained stage dancers in an effort to determine America’s Favorite Dancer.
