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Dancing With the Stars is set to celebrate 20 years on air with a special guest judge, who was announced on the Nov. 5 episode of Good Morning America.
‘Dancing With the Stars' Carrie Ann Inaba Reacts to Scoring Criticism
Dancing With the Stars is waltzing into 20 years.
In honor of the competition show’s 20th anniversary, DWTS is bringing in a special guest judge for the Nov. 11 episode: Tom Bergeron, who hosted the series from 2005 to 2019.
The news was announced on the Nov. 5 episode of Good Morning America, with much fanfare and excitement.
"It feels really good," Tom told the GMA hosts of returning to the ballroom. "I'm really looking forward to it."
And on DWTS celebrating 20 years, he said, "I think 20 years of any primetime show is amazing, but for a show that's 20 years old that's also having a ratings resurgence—you're more likely to see a zebra playing the piano."
He credits the team behind Dancing With the Stars for getting the show "back to its essence."
It's fitting to have Tom join fellow judges Carrie Ann Inaba, Bruno Tonioli and Derek Hough, as Dancing With the Stars celebrates two decades on air with its 34th season. The show—based on the British show Strictly Come Dancing—first began airing on ABC in June 2005.
The broadcast did look slightly different then, since Tom and Lisa Canning were on hosting duties, and Carrie Ann and Bruno were joined at the judges’ table by Len Goodman. Goodman officially retired from the show after season 31 and died of prostate cancer in 2023, with the Mirrorball Trophy being renamed the Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy in his honor.
Eric McCandless via Getty Images
And while many aspects of the show have changed over 20 years, there has been one constant since General Hospital star Kelly Monaco and her partner Alec Mazo took home the first Mirrorball Trophy: the judges never holding back their thoughts.
And being very candid with her opinions has even seen judge Carrie Ann face some backlash in recent weeks.
“It’s okay to disagree about what we see,” the 57-year-old replied to an Instagram user who questioned her scoring. “That’s what makes our show great. You have a say in the matter.”
Disney/Eric McCandless
Carrie Ann added, “We want you to vote for what you love and believe in. I appreciate your comment and the way you expressed your feelings. Thank you for your passion and your opinion.”
Even those in the competition realize what a difficult time the judges have, with dancing pro Pasha Pashkov acknowledging that they have “the hardest job.”
“It’s one thing to give your opinion in a comment online or just in passing,” he told E! News following the series’ Oct. 21 episode, “but to then actually make that decision and pick up that number in front of millions of people watching, knowing that you might get a backlash on it is not easy.”
For a look at all the celebs ready to hear what the judges have to say on this season of Dancing With the Stars, keep reading.
Disney
Baron Davis
Partnered with Britt Stewart
Disney
Jennifer Affleck
Partnered with Jan Ravnik
Disney
Alix Earle
Partnered with Valentin Chmerkovski
Disney
Dylan Efron
Partnered with Daniella Karagach
Disney
Corey Feldman
Partnered with Jenna Johnson
Disney
Elaine Hendrix
Partnered with Alan Bersten
Disney
Robert Irwin
Partnered with Witney Carson
Disney
Jordan Chiles
Partnered with Ezra Sosa
Disney
Scott Hoying
Partnered with Rylee Arnold
Disney
Whitney Leavitt
Partnered with Mark Ballas
Disney
Hilaria Baldwin
Partnered with Gleb Savchenko
Disney
Andy Richter
Partnered with Emma Slater
Disney
Danielle Fishel
Partnered with Pasha Pashkov
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