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

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!
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.
General Hospital
GENERAL HOSPITAL Preview: Carly and Lulu Make Plans to Rescue Their Children; Anna Looks Determined to Secure Her Freedom

This week on all-new episodes of General Hospital, the race is on! Can Lulu (Alexa Havins) and Dante (Dominic Zamprogna) get to Rocco (Finn Carr) and Britt (Kelly Thiebaud) in time to ensure their safety from Cullum (Andrew Hawkes)? Can Carly (Laura Wright) with the help of her brother, Lucas (Van Hansis) rescue Josslyn (Eden McCoy) from captivity at Wyndemere? These questions may be answered, plus the return of the one and only Anna Devane (Finola Hughes) are on tap!
In the just released General Hospital spoilers video for the week of June 22-26, Lulu tells her mother, Laura (Genie Francis), “Dante and I have to get to Rocco before Cullum!” Meanwhile, Rocco (Finn Carr) looks angered and emotional as Britt walks through their cabin hideout. Does Rocco know his parents are on the way to find them, or has Cullum already tracked them down to the British Virgin Islands?
Back in Port Charles, Carly is informing Lucas that his niece, “is a WSB agent.” She knows Josslyn (Eden McCoy) is being held against her will at Wyndemere, and she has to find a way to get her out. Lucas agrees with Carly’s plan of, “We go in and we don’t leave without Josslyn!” Elsewhere, Josslyn is looking worried for her future as she is stuck in captivity thanks to Cassius, Cullum and Sidwell!

Courtesy/ABC
FINOLA HUGHES RETURNS
The final moments of the teaser promo reveal Anna in a psychiatric clinic in France. We have not seen her for months after Cullum, Sidwell and Pascal fed her hallucinogenics to make her believe her arch nemesis, Cesar Faison was alive!
Now, the doctors walk towards her hospital bed, where we see the super spy calmly knitting. Is Anna back to normal and playing everyone to get out of her predicament, or does she still remain deeply traumatized … or both?
Take a look at the rest of the official GH spoilers for the week below.
MONDAY, JUNE 22
Willow gets an unwelcome surprise. Trina sticks to her guns. “Nathan” wants reassurance. Ethan advises Ava. Brook Lynn receives an update.
TUESDAY, JUNE 23
Dante cautions Liz. Laura learns a secret. Brook Lynn confides in Michael. Sonny challenges Ava. Chase makes a decision.
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 24
Anna meets with her doctor. Carly makes a stunning confession. Britt extracts a promise. Cullum pulls a fast one. Gio and Emma hit the pool.
THURSDAY, JUNE 25
Josslyn clashes with Cassius. Lulu and Dante make a discovery. Chase receives a warning. Jordan seeks help. Alexis is summoned to the PCPD.
FRIDAY, JUNE 26
Anna takes a huge risk. Britt is in grave danger. Willow is in disbelief. Danny must act fast. Curtis jumps to the wrong conclusion.
Check out the latest General Hospital promo entitled, “Rescue Mission” below.
Now weigh-in: Do you think Anna is still mentally off-balance, or OK, and just pretending to be troubled to get out of France and get back to Port Charles? Will Josslyn finally be rescued, or will Carly and Lucas find themselves locked up with her? And, who will get to Britt and Rocco first? Cullum, or Dante and Lulu? Share your thoughts and theories via the comment section below.
General Hospital
Maurice Benard Gives High Praise to ‘General Hospital’ Writers; Teases Upcoming Sonny Scenes with Anna, Jason, Justine and Ric

With the highly-anticipated returns of Finola Hughes (Anna Devane) on this week’s June 24 episode of General Hospital, Steve Burton’s (Jason Morgan) upcoming return on July 13, which also serves as the ABC daytime drama’s 16,000 episode, things are about to fire on all cylinders in the story, as noted today by series star, Maurice Benard (Sonny Corinthos).
On Father’s Day, the three-time Daytime Emmy-winning actor and mental health activist took to his Instagram and expressed in a video that he has some unbelievable upcoming senes with the aforementioned Burton and Hughes. Add to that Nazneen Contractor (Justine Turner) and Rick Hearst (Ric Lansing), where Benard gave credit where credit is due to the GH writing team, which is led by co-head writers, Elizabeth Korte and Chris Van Etten..
In this video, Benard said, “I just want to get on here and say that I did some work with Steve Burton, Finola Hughes, Rick Hearst, Nazneen Contractor, and they’re all just fantastic. Truly fantastic. But, I want to say the writing was just exceptional. It truly was. It was exceptional. So, thankful for that kind of writing. I know writers don’t get the credit a lot, but I just want to say to the General Hospital writing team, keep rolling!”
GENERAL HOSPITAL PREVIEW
So now the question becomes, with a major tease like that, what is about to go down between Sonny, Anna, Jason, Justine and Ric? Will we finally get to the end of the line for Sidwell (Carlo Rota), as previously teased by the GH co-head writers? Will we learn what happened to Jason and Anna, fully? Will Justine and Sonny becomes closer or stop their liaisons? And what of Ric? Will he be true blue to his brother or double-cross him? There is a lot at stake as we move further into the summer and one that looks like it could be one of the more exciting ones in years!
FINOLA HUGHES CONFIRMED AMAZING SCENES WITH MAURICE BENARD
As a punctuation point to his video, Benard also shared this written message in the post: “I just did some wonderful scenes with Steve Burton, Rick Hearst, Finola Hughes and Nazneen Contractor and and unbelievable writing, freaking amazing scenes that you will see in the near future on General Hospital.” In fact, Finola Hughes jumped in the post comment thread and responded, “I loved our scenes so much xxx”
Fans will most likely see all the scenes Benard referred to later in July, since GH tapes approximately six weeks ahead of air.
So, are you excited to see what Maurice is talking about? Are you hyped for what’s to come on GH? Any clue on what you think will go down between the main characters on the soap with the returns of Anna Devane and Jason Morgan to the mix? Weigh-in via the comment section below.
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General Hospital
‘General Hospital’ Alum Chad Duell Announces Upcoming Release of His First Single, ‘If You Need Me’

In a surprise move, Daytime Emmy winner, Chad Duell (ex-Michael Corinthos, GH) is getting ready to unveil a new chapter of his career in music.
The former GH star, where he played the son of Sonny Corinthos (Maurice Benard) and Carly Spencer (Laura Wright) for 15 years, has announced his new single, “If You Need Me” will drop on Friday, June 26. The single is now available for pre-order on Spotify and major music streaming platforms and is distributed by DistroKid.
Taking to his Instagram story over the weekend, to announce the pre-save of his new single, Chad expressed, “I’ll make a full post about what I’ve been up to and my music once it goes live next week, but you can pre-save my first single so it goes straight to your Spotify once it drops next week.”

Photo: CDuellIG
SINCE LEAVING GENERAL HOSPITAL
Previously, since his departure from the ABC soap opera. Chad starred alongside Zach Mendez in the world premiere of of Yum Yum at Annapolis, a new play written by Bruce Reisman. Duell last appeared on General Hospital on the January 21, 2025 episode.
The part was recast with Rory Gibson who debuted as the new Michael in May of 2025 during the Nurses’ Ball episodes and who has remained in the role since that time.
In an interview earlier this year on The Able Show, Duell said on his decision to exit the soap opera, “I was blessed to be part of that (show) for as long as I have, but what happens sometimes is if you’re doing the same thing, especially in a creative field for such a long time, you can get a little burnt out in a way. It can make you a little depressed, so that’s kind of what happened. On top of that, I had other things going on in my life at the time. My father passed away recently and I just needed a reset. So, I stepped away. A lot of times you have to go through some stuff to really step into that next level. I needed to kind of feel uncomfortable.”
So, what type of musical genre will Chad’s new song be? Country? Pop? Rock? Dance/Club? Something else? Let us know your thoughts via the comment section below, and if you are eager to hear the new single next week via the comment section below.
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