'So You Think You Can Dance' Season 18: Who is O’Shea? Fans call out Maksim Chmerkovskiy for saying 'No' to hip-hop dancer

'So You Think You Can Dance' Season 18 contestant O’Shea's fate ultimately dependent on Comfort Fedoke's decision
UPDATED MAR 5, 2024
'SYTYCD' Season 18 judge Maksim Chmerkovskiy wasn't impressed with hip-hop artist O’Shea (@FOX)
'SYTYCD' Season 18 judge Maksim Chmerkovskiy wasn't impressed with hip-hop artist O’Shea (@FOX)

ATLANTA, GEORGIA: 'So You Think You Can Dance' Season 18 contestant O’Shea is a b-boy, hip-hop artist given another chance to shine in the dance industry.

O’Shea impressed the judges as he grooved to '567 ATE' by Lemon. Following O’Shea's performance, Allison Holker was the first to comment, stating, "You're so fun to watch, with this high energy. My favorite thing is that you really know how to command the room."

However, she provided some constructive criticism, adding, "I just feel like I need a little more skill set."

On the other hand, Maksim Chmerkovskiy was not entirely mesmerized by O’Shea's performance. He remarked, "I don't question your skills; I just wonder what your feelings and emotions would be like through a contemporary lens."

Despite this, O’Shea expressed his eagerness to show more to Maksim. Despite a promising future, Maksim ultimately gave a no to the dancer, saying, "Unfortunately, from me, today it's a no." 

A fan slammed Maksim, "Maks saying no to him surprises literally no one." Another questioned, "Who are these judges? I don’t like them especially the man. Won’t be watching cause their not gonna pick the best dancers. The women in the middle needs to stand her ground. Won’t be watching I had to stop watching the “voice” because only certain type of singers win on show."



 



 

Another dubbed Maksin "stern," saying, "Maks is a great judge so far. i love that he’s stern." One wondered, "What is Maksim up to?" One tweeted, "Not maks blaming TikTok on these auditions."



 



 



 

'SYTYCD' Season 18 dancer Oshae faces criticism by Maksim (FOX)
'SYTYCD' Season 18 dancer O’Shea faces criticism by Maksim Chmerkovskiy (@FOX)

Did O’Shea move ahead in 'SYTYCD' Season 18?

Despite Maksim saying no to Oshae, the dancer got the chance to move ahead in the show. Allison said yes to Oshae, and in the end, it all depended on Comfort Fedoke to decide whether the dancer should progress.

She complimented him, saying, "Honestly, you were rocking. You hit the floor, gave us footwork..." She added, "I do believe that you could show us more, but your skills were seen when you hit the floor; that's when it was magic."

Thankfully, Comfort decided to say yes to O’Shea, allowing him to move ahead to the next round.

'SYTYCD' Season 18 dancer Oshae moves ahead in the show with Comfort 's Yes (FOX)
'SYTYCD' Season 18 dancer O’Shea moves ahead in the show thanks to Comfort Fedoke (@FOX)

'SYTYCD' Season 18 dancer O’Shea struggled with arrhythmia

In the 'SYTYCD' Season 18 audition, Oshae revealed that he has been given a second chance to build his dance career. Previously, he was diagnosed with arrhythmia, a condition where the heart's beat pattern is inconsistent, sometimes too fast, sometimes too slow.

To address this, O’Shea got a pacemaker to help his heart function properly. Thankfully, he is doing fine now and is all set to perform on the stage in the next round.

'SYTYCD' Season 18 dancer Oshae reveals his struggle with (FOX)
'SYTYCD' Season 18 dancer O’Shea reveals his struggle with arrhythmia (@FOX)

'SYTYCD' Season 18 premiered on March 4 at 9/8c on FOX. The new episodes will be premiering every Monday at the same time.

GET THE BIGGEST ENTERTAINMENT STORIES
STRAIGHT TO YOUR INBOX.

MORE STORIES

‘Masked Singer’ Season 14 is set to celebrate the 30th anniversary of 'Clueless' with a themed episode airing January 21 on FOX
3 days ago
Calla Lily’s emotional performance and personal clues spark intense debate over the celebrity performing behind the mask on ‘The Masked SInger.’
3 days ago
Owl’s strange clues, deep voice, and bird-filled hints on ‘The Masked Singer’ Season 14 have fans circling one big Hollywood comeback name
3 days ago
‘The Masked Singer Season 14 Episode 2 sends fans spiraling over ‘grease’ and ‘patriot’ clues
3 days ago
Shocking reveals shook up 'The Masked Singer' as the Croissants and Le Who Who were finally unmasked in the second season 14 episode
3 days ago
A commanding 'Daily Double' run and a calm 'Final Jeopardy' helped the contestant reach the 'Jeopardy! Champions Wildcard' finals
4 days ago
'Wheel of Fortune' fans argue over the hardest Bonus Round categories, but they largely agree on which ones are easiest to solve
4 days ago
Originally announced in August 2025, 'Love Island: All Stars' Season 3 was set to return on January 14 with iconic Islanders for six weeks
5 days ago
During a Golden Globes commercial break, the host made a major announcement for 'Survivor 50: In the Hands of the Fans'
6 days ago
With the first batch of episodes, the identities of the first set of three traitors and a secret fourth one were eventually revealed
Jan 9, 2026