You've got to appreciate a show that goes beyond the average categories to hand out awards for achievements like Choice Fandom, Choice Instagrammer, and Choice AnTEENcipated Movie. The Teen Choice Awards also have a Choice Dancer category, which usually includes Dance Moms break-outs among stars from other shows. Last year, Dance Moms star Chloe Lukasiak won the Choice Dancer award, beating her former co-star Maddie Ziegler who seemed to be the favorite heading into voting. (She also bested fellow nominees Stephen "tWitch" Boss, Allison Holker, Derek Hough, and Les Twins.) This year, Ziegler and Lukasiak competed for the honor again, along with ballerina Misty Copeland, Derek Hough, Julianne Hough, and a Dance Moms newcomer to the category, Kalani Hilliker. Lukasiak had the chance to repeat, but things went differently this year. On Sunday night, Maddie Ziegler was crowned Choice Dancer for 2016.
What year hasn't been big for Maddie Ziegler since she became a Dance Moms fave, right? But for real, 2016 has been an especially massive year for the dancer so far. First of all, Ziegler is sitting at the judge's table at Fox's rebooted version of their reality competition series So You Think You Can Dance. In an effort to inject some new energy, the show lowered the age of its contestants pretty significantly and made this season So You Think You Can Dance: The Next Generation. And since the 14-year-old is probably the most recognizable dancer under the age of 18, the producers brilliantly picked her to be an expert who's also a peer.
Ziegler is also still doing her thing as Sia's muse and recurring video star. Fans of the dancer have been hoping for some news about Ziegler performing live with the singer when she goes embarks on her Nostalgic For The Present tour. Just this week, Sia announced on her Twitter that everyone's favorite mini-Sia will be on the road with her. If you need to pause and go grab your tickets, I won't be offended.
As if Ziegler isn't already putting the productivity of people twice and three times her age to shame, she's also starring in a movie this year. The Book Of Henry features Room cutie Jacob Tremblay and Naomi Watts and is helmed by Jurassic World director Colin Trevorrow. Not bad for a debut feature role.
It's a tough slate of projects to compete with, even for reigning 2015 Choice Dancer, Lukasiak. The rest of the nominees are equally impressive and worthy, but Ziegler is working hard and getting tons of exposure, which unsurprisingly resulted in votes.
Maddie Ziegler didn't get to accept her surfboard on stage, but she and So You Think You Can Dance host Cat Deeley did make an appearance to judge a sorry dance contest between TCA co-hosts John Cena and Victoria Justice. Apparently, a Choice Dancer's work is never done.
