Connect with us

General Hospital

8

Antonio Sabato Jr. Makes His DWTS Debut With A Cha Cha! Will This Be Dance Partner Cheryl Burke's Final Season?

By Michael Fairman

Published

on

Photo: CBurkeTwitter

Photo: CBurkeTwitter

Last night was the season 19 premiere of ABC’s Dancing with the Stars and in the celebrity line-up is former General Hospital, and The Bold and the Beautiful star, Antonio Sabato Jr!  When the show began, it was none other than Antonio, and his dance partner two-time champ Cheryl Burke who had been given  the task of being first on the floor, and out of the gate of the competitors vying for this season’s Mirror Ball Trophy!

In their rehearsal segment package prior to their Cha Cha, Cheryl says she is happy to have “a “sexy” partner, (Sorry, Jack Osbourne)” this time around, and that an Antonio “wink” and working his good looks, along with using his feet to do the moves, can help him win this thing!

After hitting the dance floor on the live show, the judges were a tad harsh on Antonio, in our opinion, especially with him being first up.  After all was said and done the judges scored Antonio 25 out of 40 and he remains now towards the bottom of the leaderboard going into tonight’s live elimination Results Show!

The lowest score of the night was given to fashion designer Betsey Johnson and partner Tony Dovolani.  Betsey had a prop wardrobe malfunction with a boa, and then scored a 20.  Olympian Lolo Jones and partner Keo Motsepe scored a 22 for her Cha Cha, after  Lolo repeatedly told the audience and the judges  she could have done much her routine better …. blaming it on a text message mishap at the top of her number!  And NASCAR driver Michael Waltrip and his dance partner Emma Slater tie dwith Sabato Jr. and Burke with 25 points after their Cha Cha! The judges take the time to remind everyone that Emma was paired with Bill Engvall last year, and seemingly gets the older men, “daddy” types to dance with each season!

In additional news for Antonio and Cheryl, the two-time dance champ revealed all signs point to this season of DWTS being her last!  Cheryl had told ABC that:  “As of now, this is probably going to be my last season. After doing something for a decade, you know, I started when I was 20, I’m 30. I want to try new things, just see what’s out there.”

Watch Antonio and Cheryl’s first dance of the season after the jump!  Then weigh-in, who do you think should be sent home tonight on the Results Show?  How do you think Antonio and Cheryl did in their first dance?  Remember, every vote counts!  So if you want to keep this soap favorite in the game, you have to dial in and cast your vote each week!  And don’t miss Antonio on Thursday night’s Soap Nation Live! with Michael Fairman!

8 Comments

8 Comments
oldest
newest

I’ll miss Cheryl.

I think Antonio did a good job.

Michael Waltrip was awful. There’s no way he should be tied with Antonio.

I think they had a hard time casting this season…. they will need a ratings boost to compete against the Voice next week! I am a DWTS fan…and I couldn’t get into it at all.

Well it is a grueling show so I wouldn’t blame Cheryl if she had enough of it. As for the show itself, it seemed a tad disorganized — as if production team lost interest. Frankly I miss the old band and the old stage. It so flashy now, it doesn’t even look like a ballroom anymore. I thought Antonio had a good start– he should make it to at least the half way point.

@Mary SF….totally agree! I absolutely love dance and I love to dance as well. When this show came on I absolutely reveled in it! To me, it was the epitome of joy and I just couldn’t get enough of it. Great music, comraderie, banter, costumes, choreography…not to mention beauty on every level. I also love music…and am a big fan of The Voice. Ultimately, I watched The Voice and caught DWTS either on a makeup show or OnDemand.

But as to what you said I thought the same thing. Last night seemed completely disorganized….I, too, miss the old band and stage…and preferred when the regular dancers had group numbers rather than the filler dances they had before commercials last night. Not sure if I like Julianne in the judge role…was she in it last season? Didn’t watch.

All in all…didn’t hold the same allure for me. However, I actually I loved Alfonso…he was amazing! Also thought Chong was great for his age…and the blogger girl. The blonde athlete…can’t think of her name (too lazy to look it up now) thought she’d jump in there was a cliff right then and there over her own performance. Had a look to kill the rest of the show. And Betsy Johnson? LOL…Creative woman with the energy of a woman half her age. Still love the spirit of the show…hope it improves. (And when oh when will Tony get a good partner!) 😉

Julianne was a guest judge a couple of times last year, but she hasn’t been a dancer for quite a while. I think they may be grooming her to take over Len’s spot, since he mentioned at the end of last season he might be quitting the show this year–
I also think the reason the show might be off technically this year is because the person who used to produce the show left at the end of last year and whoever is doing it now obviously needs more experience with live television because it seems so rushed and mixed up at times.

As for Tony the poor guy– he did win once, with Melissa Raycroft, in the All Star Season, so he at least had one moment in the sun.

Well I have to say tonight’s show was excellent! I actually felt the old magic back! Loved Smokey Robinson’s number complete with Mark Ballas and the new dancer…(always loved those entertainment/dance numbers)…enjoyed watching “Carlton’s” dance again….and felt the whole show much more cohesive on this second night.

Len leaving? If so…he’d be missed by me. I like the dynamic of the original three. As for Julianne, always loved her as a dancer. Adorable and incredibly talented! Both she and Derek are amazing! I also think the sports-like commentators with Jerry Rice, Kenny Mayne and Len are hilarious…hope they still continue that tradition.

Finally, yes…I do remember Tony winning with Melissa…well deserved! It’s just that it took him soooo long to have a winning partner and then they went right back to pairing him up with people (in my recollection) that he couldn’t possibly win with.

And I miss Max…

I thought Antonio and Cheryl did an AMAZING JOB. OMG they were hot and have the chemistry.

Beyond the Gates

RATINGS: ‘Beyond the Gates’ Inches Closer to ‘General Hospital’ in Total Viewers

Published

on

By

Beyond the Gates and General Hospital

The latest ratings are out for the week of October 26-30, 2026 and the big takeaways include: that CBS daytime’s Beyond the Gates was separated by only 23,000 viewers behind third place (of the soaps) General Hospital! For the last several weeks, Beyond the Gates has been closing the gap on this year’s winner for Outstanding Daytime Drama Series, and continuing to best GH in the key demos.

According to the latest Nielsen ratings breakdown from Soap Opera Network, the final week of October brought Beyond the Gates 1.790 million on average tuning-in and the show set a season high in total viewers. Meanwhile, General Hospital hit a new season low! The long-running ABC soap had 1.813 million for the week, and once again the series did not go over the 2 million mark.

Meanwhile, in the key Women 18-49 demo, Beyond the Gates was firmly ahead of GH with a rating share of 0.21, while General Hospital had 0.17 rating share.Then, in the key Women 25-54 demo, Beyond the Gates was once again ahead of the ABC soap with a ratings share for that demo at 0.30 while GH came in with 0.26.

Photo: CBS

MORE BY THE NUMBERS

In addition and comparatively, Beyond the Gates +22,000 viewers week-to-week, and had the largest gains in viewership year-to-year in daytime TV with +267,000 from this in 2025.. However, General Hospital seems to be going in reverse. The show was down -56,000 viewers week-over-week and down -22,000 year-over-year .

BEYOND THE GATES

Let’s take a look at some of the storylines that had people tuning-in to Beyond the Gates during the ratings week:

Hayley (Marquita Goings) attempted a massive shocker regarding her pregnancy and tried to use it to extract money from Bill Hamilton (Timon Kyle Durrett). Although, Bill saw right through her game, he demanded a paternity test, and made it clear he has no intention of raising the child—planning instead to pay her off to take the baby and leave. Meanwhile, Hayley confided her plan to her cousin Randy (Maurice P. Kerry).

Jacob Hawthorne (Jibre Hordges) and Naomi Hamilton (Arielle Prepetit) clashed over Jacob’s ongoing investigation into The Impaler, causing significant strain in their marriage. At the same time, Smitty (Mike Manning) considered taking matters into his own hands—including potentially heading to Mexico for evidence—while Martin Richardson (Brandon Claybon) worried about what comes next.

Photo: ABC

GENERAL HOSPITAL

Over at General Hospital for the ratings period, the story served up included:

Carly (Laura Wright) and Valentin (James Patrick Stuart) teamed up to investigate what really happened to Jack Brennan (Chris McKenna). Later, Danny (Asher Antonyzyn) leads them to Jack’s dead body.

Jude (Wil Traval) dropped a bombshell claim to Alexis (Nancy Lee Grahn); that he is Phoebe’s father, while Brook Lynn (Amanda Setton) and Chase (Josh Swickard) signed their divorce papers.

Then, Danny caught Rocco (Finn Carr) and Scout (Kayden Brenna Tokarski) sharing a kiss, plus the shocking return of Heather Webber (Alley Mills) capped the week.

Now the questions become; without having much promotional synergy in the ABC day-part to draw more eyeballs it is not helping but hurting General Hospital. It seems Beyond the Gates is also a  benefactor of a one-two-three punch of CBS soaps (Y&R, B&B and BTG) and promotion.

However, that still doesn’t take away the fact that Beyond the Gates is close to besting GH in all ratings category as they go head-to-head in some markets across the country.

So, are you excited to see Beyond the Gates climb in the ratings? Are you concerned for General Hospital? Do you think they can stave off Beyond the Gates in total viewers or will the upstart soap overtake them in the next ratings report? Share your thoughts in the comment section.

Continue Reading

General Hospital

Antonio Sabáto Jr. Breaks Silence on His Son’s Arrest for Fatal Hit-and-Run

Published

on

By

Antonio Sabato Jr.

Antonio Sabáto Jr., the former Jagger Cates of General Hospital and GH: Night Shift, and the former Dante Damiano of The Bold and the Beautiful has issued his first public statement since the incident involving his son, Jack’s arrest in Alaska for a fatal hit-and-run.

Jack is the son of Sabáto Jr. and Oscar-nominated actress Virginia Madsen, and according to court documents obtained by KTUU  Jack, was allegedly driving a white Chevy Tahoe when he hit and killed Carl Simmonds, 42, near an intersection in Anchorage around 5:35 a.m. on Monday, November 9.

The reports indicated that Jack fled the scene — but later decided to called the cops to say he hit “something” that “suddenly appeared in the road” while he was “doing late-night DoorDashing.”

Jack Sabato

Photo: NBC

Now, Antonio has taken to his Instagram breaking his silence on the situation, sharing, “At this time, my family and I are navigating an extremely sensitive and deeply personal matter.”

He added, “As a father, my love for my children remains unconditional, and my priority is the well-being of my family. We ask that the public and members of the media honor our privacy during this difficult time and keep us all in your thoughts and prayers.”

The soap alum concluded, “I also wish to extend my heartfelt condolences to the family and loved ones of the gentleman who tragically lost his life. My thoughts and prayers are with them as well. We sincerely appreciate your compassion, understanding, and respect for the privacy of everyone affected.”

Jack Sabáto was arraigned in court on Tuesday, November 10 with bail set at $5,000, and a no-driving order and the potential of $5,000 penalty fees if he fails to attend future court appearances.

Antonio is the father to Jack, 34, daughter, Mina Sabato, 24 and son, Antonio Sabáto III, 15.

This is a developing story. You can check out Antonio’s official statement below.

So, let us know your thoughts on this tragic hit-and-run, which claimed the life of another man, and Antonio’s statement, via the comment section below.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Antonio Sabato Jr (@antoniosabatojr)

Continue Reading

General Hospital

‘General Hospital’ Casts Ayla Bullington as the New Avery Jerome-Corinthos

Published

on

By

Ayla Bullington

Sonny (Maurice Benard) and Ava’s (Maura West) daughter Avery looks quite different, starting on today’s November 9 episode of General Hospital. That’s because GH has made Avery into a full-blown teenager and the role is now being played by actress Alya Bullington.

In her debut, the Tennessee native was thrown into the deep soap waters with Daytime Emmy winners, Maurice Benard and Eden McCoy (Josslyn). Bullington weighed-in to TV Insider about her first scene which featured Avery overhearing a fight between Sonny and Josslyn.

She explained “It was something I have never done before, I did not have a lot of experience with the screaming and the crying stuff, but I got my first script, and I was like, ‘OK, this is a huge opportunity to learn so much about how that stuff works and to become this character that I have never even tried playing before.’” 

Josslyn

Photo: ABC

THE TEENAGED VERSION OF AVERY WILL HAVE A LOT TO CONTEND WITH

Speaking of working with McCoy, Bullington shared, “She’s incredible. I remember her just laughing and making jokes on set, and then the minute that they started taping, she just locked in and she cried immediately, and my first thought was, ‘I want to be able to do that.’

The soap opera newcomer added, “I think she just inspired me so much because she is so great and she can just lock into whatever character she wants to in the moment.” 

The character of Avery was born back in 2014, but as recently as the October 8 episode of General Hospital, the character was suddenly referred to as a teenager. This is the second young female character in recent months to be aged up following the casting of Kayden Brenna Tokarski as Scout Cain.

As for her take on Avery and what’s ahead, Alya said,“She’s emotional, and she’s curious, and she’s a really fun person to play because so much stuff is happening in her life. I think she’s kind of confused about what’s happening and what to believe.”

So, what do you think about General Hospital making Avery a teenager? Are you excited to see the conflict between Sonny, Ava and Avery now that they have aged up the character? Share your thoughts and welcome Alya to GH via the comment section below.

Continue Reading

Video Du Jour

Jonathan Bennett joins the cast of GH as Joe Fitzpatrick. Catch the latest promo! Leave a comment.Leave A Comment

Recent Comments

Power Performance

Heather Tom

The Bold and the Beautiful

Airdate: 7-24-2026

Popular

8
0
Would love your thoughts, please comment.x
()
x