Dancing with the Stars
DANCING WITH THE STARS: Anne Heche. Jesse Metcalfe & Chrishell Stause Make Their Ballroom Debuts; While Tyra Banks Bows As New Host
Season 29 of Dancing with the Stars got underway last night, and with the pandemic the changes were noticeable.
Judges seemed more than six feet apart at the table, gone was the Sky Box interviews, gone was the live band, but we did get canned crowd applause and noise which was too over the top without any audience members truly in the ballroom.
Photo: ABC
Tyra Banks made her debut as the new host replacing Tom Bergeron and Erin Andrews, while Derek Hough took over Len Goodman’s spot at the judges table. With all of that; soap fans were intrigued to see how three of the contestants would do in the scoring with their first dance of the competition.
Anne Heche and dance partner Keo Motsepe (Cha-Cha): Here we go – for pizazz and going for it … and doing well, we got to give it to Anne Heche (Ex- Vicky/Marly Another World) although at times her foot work was off, she really sold this dance with her enthusiasm and spunk. Judge Carrie Ann had high praise for Anne as a potential star on the dance floor, and the duo danced to Dua Lipa’s Don’t Start Now, which we love. Judges’ Score: 18 out of 30
Photo: ABC
Jesse Metcalfe and dance partner Sharna Burgess (Quickstep): Metcalfe (Ex-Dallas, Passions, and Desperate Housewives) looked intense on the dance floor and got some critique for his posture and foot work, but the quickstep is such a hard dance to pull off in the first place. The duo danced to Stevie Wonder’s Part Time Lover. And of note: Sharna fangirled out meting Metcalfe whom she loved as Miquel on Passions! Judges’ Score: 18 out of 30
Photo: ABC
Chrishell Stause and dance partner Gleb Savchenko (Tango): With mistakes that were noticeably caught by the judges, which they shared were about timing, footwork, and frame work, Chrishell (Ex-AMC, DAYS and Y&R) held it together and got through the dance in spite of it all. She danced to Pink’s Raise Your Glass. In a play on Stause’s Selling Sunset real estate gig and reality series, judge Bruno said Stause was “far from closing the deal” with that dance. Judges’ Score: 13 out of 30.
At the top of the leaderboard after night one of the competition were: 18-year-old Skai Jackson with 21 points, as well as Justina Machado, then former ‘Bachlorette’ Kaitlyn Bristowe with 20, along with Catfish creator and host Nev Shulman. At the bottom of the score board was Tiger King’s Carole Baskin with 11 points.
Watch Anne, Jesse and Chrishell’s performances below. Then let us know, what did you think of their first dance? Who impressed you from the entire cast? What did you think of Tyra as Dancing with the Stars new host? Share your thoughts in the comment section.
Lose Tyra, if Derek wasn’t judging, I wouldn’t watch. Hoping to see some Derek choreography at some point.
WOW… NICE, ^^^”…if Derek wasn’t judging, I wouldn’t watch”
my thoughts ! PLUS, i will always root this lady. Ms. Anne Heche
Tyra standing their; argh! aing ! still counts on gussying up
come on Tyra !!!! you REACHED… truly you met… you’re just no match for ALL this flair
you rarely interacted with anything of note with the pairs standing their. relying on your panel. even with your panel… you had no repartee
you took modeling to fierce ends, are YOU going to at least dance. ACT
Apparently on another blog or entertainment news a lot of fans are very upset with Tyra Banks as new host.Except for the horrible colored outfit, I saw nothing wrong with her hosting. First of all I watch to see the stars dance, not to criticize the host or hosts. My biggest complaint was the overly loud, canned applause making up for no audience. Also I do not think their music matches the dance. I felt kind of sorry for Chrishell doing the Tango to the crazy rock & roll music. I did not like all the nit picking made by the judges, while shining a bad light on the dance instructors also.
It must be pretty hard whipping the stars into shape, especially the first outing.
When a Black woman replaces a white man on TV or anywhere, white people can’t handle it. They say it’s about a million things other than her race but it’s not true. Happens every time. Read other threads here where the same thing happened if you don’t believe me!
I thought they all did well. Anne seemed a bit loopy. Tyra is not a good fit, and that’s being kind. I fast forwarded through a lot of her.
Momo…oh I totally agree…Tyra Banks is NOT a good fit for DWTS…PERIOD!!!!! Oh…as for myself, whenever Tyra opened up her mouth to talk, I pressed the MUTE button on my remote control…lol.
FYI the headline should say is “debuts,” not “bows,” which means the opposite. It’s been in a couple of your headlines lately that you might want to edit because you’re saying the opposite of what you mean.
Francine
It’s just simantics. Don’t sweat it!
Francine, you’re partially right. There is an expression in which “bow” can mean “debut” but the idiom requires saying “make her/his bow” so this headline is *almost* right. It probably should have read “While Tyra Banks makes her bow as host” to be strictly correct. Sorry but Len would have pointed that out, lol. Sort of confusingly, if you change one letter of the phrase — to “take one’s bow,” it means the opposite: to finish something. And there ends my English lecture!
UPDATED: ‘Bachelor Nation’ favorite Tyler Cameron is one of two new additions to the cast of Dancing with the Stars upcoming season 35. Cameron will hit the ballroom dance floor and so too will dancer/actress Jenna Dewan.
Cameron is best known as the runner-up in Hannah Brown’s season of The Bachelorette, the winner of Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test and starred in his own Amazon Prime home renovation series, Going Home with Tyler Cameron.
Tyler’s casting comes five years after his best friend and former ‘Bachelor’ lead Matt James competed for the Mirror Ball Trophy with pro Lindsay Arnold on season 30. US broke the casting news.
Photo: JPI
FULL DANCING WITH THE STARS SEASON 35 CAST REVEAL ON GMA
Dewan is best known for starring as Nora Clark in the 2006 dance film Step Up and for her television roles in Supergirl!, The Rookie, and The Witches of Eastwick to name but a few. Jenna began her career as a back-up dancer for Janet Jackson, Pink, Missy Elliott, and Christina Aguilera before moving into acting.
The full cast of Dancing with the Stars is set to be revealed including pros and celebrity contestants on the September 2 episode of Good Morning America. However, already confirmed are: “Summer House” star Ciara Miller, “Love Island UK” alum Maura Higgins, ‘Jimmy Kimmel’ sidekick and comedian Guillermo Rodriguez and Savannah Bananas player Jackson Olson.
Thursday evening August 20, TMZ is now reporting that actresses Julia Stiles and Tatyana Ali have also joined the cast. Ali is remembered in the recurring role of Roxanne on The Young and the Restless from 2007 to 2013.
Last season’s Mirror Ball Trophy went to Robert Irwin, the wildlife conservationist and son of the iconic Steve Irwin, and his pro partner Witney Carson. Dancing with the Stars hopes to repeat the success of season 24 which had stellar ratings in 2025.
Dancing With the Stars season 35 kicks off with a back-to-back premiered on ABC and Disney+ starting Tuesday, September 15, and Wednesday, September 16, at 8 p.m. ET.
So, who else would you like to see join the celebrity cast of Dancing with the Stars? Share your picks via the comment section below.
Breaking News
2026 Primetime Emmy Nominations: ‘Last Week Tonight with John Oliver’, ‘Dancing with the Stars’ Score Among Early Categories
Wednesday Morning on the Today Show, the 78th Primetime Emmy Nominations kicked off with the announcement of two categories: Outstanding Variety Series and Outstanding Reality Competition Program. The remainder of the nominations will be announced beginning at 8:30am PT from the Television Academy.
However, General Hospital’s guest star, John Oliver (also soon to be seen on Days of Our Lives) received a nomination for his HBO talk show, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver in the Outstanding Variety Series category.
Oliver who just wrapped his on-screen run as the head of the WSB named Z, will compete for the gold statuette with The Daily Show, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, The Late Show With Stephen Colbert and Saturday Night Live.
DANCING WITH THE STARS FIRST NOMINATION IN A DECADE
In addition, ABC’s Dancing with the Stars received its first nomination in the Outstanding Reality Competition Program category in ten years on the strength of its massively popular season 34 which featured: Dylan Efron, Jordan Chiles, Alix Earle, The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives’ Jen Affleck and Whitney Leavitt and the Mirrorball Trophy winner Robert Irwin.
Dancing with the Stars faces off with RuPaul’s Drag Race, Survivor, Top Chef and The Traitors for the reality competition prize.
Photo: ABC
Winners of the 2026 Emmy Awards will be announced on Monday, September 14 in ceremonies on NBC at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles.
Longtime Law & Order SVU favorite: Mariska Hargitay has been named the host, and the first female to do so in over 15 years.
So, happy to hear John Oliver’s Last Week Tonight and Dancing with the Stars nabbed early nominations for this year’s Primetime Emmy Awards? Let us know via the comment section below.
Dancing with the Stars
ABC/Disney Upfronts: ‘Dancing with the Stars’ Season 35 Adds ‘Savannah Bananas’ Jackson Olson, ‘The Bachelor’ Franchise Spin-Offs Not on Fall Schedule
On Tuesday, May 12 at the ABC/Disney Upfronts, there were several headlines coming out of it for the upcoming 2026-2027 television and streaming season.
First, Savannah Bananas second baseman Jackson Olson will be taking some swings on the ballroom dance floor when he joins other celebrities already locked in for Dancing with the Stars season 34.
Olson will join already confirmed reality stars: Maura Higgins (The Traitors and Love Island) and Ciara Miller (Summer House). The full cast list and their pro partners will be announced on September 2nd.
Photo: SavannahBananasIG
SAVANNAH BANANAS COME TO DISNEY+
The news of Olson who has also become a social media influencer, comes out of the Disney upfront that also revealed that Disney+ will become the exclusive home of the Banana Bowl streaming live this October, hence the tie-in.
The Banana Bowl will feature the top teams in the Banana Ball league facing off for the season championship. Known for blending athleticism with entertainment, the game will include one of the biggest performances the league has ever seen, bringing together all six teams, along with its signature on-field showmanship.
NO BACHELOR FRANCHISE THIS FALL
Meanwhile, ABC revealed that a new season for the troubled The Bachelor franchise offshoots is not on the fall schedule where they usual place: The Bachelorette, The Golden Bachelor or Golden Bachelortte are no where to be found. This is the first time since the Covid-19 pandemic that there will be no Bachelor-branded series on ABC’s fall schedule.
Photo: ABC
The Bachelor will return as usual in the midseason in 2027, Grant Ellis was the lead as the man looking for love and vying for a woman’s heart in 2025.
All this, amid the turmoil surrounding Taylor Frankie Paul’s season of The Bachelorette being pulled and currently never seeing the light of day after the domestic violence surfaced with her throwing a chair towards the direction of her child, while she got into a melee with ex-boyfriend Dakota Mortensen.
Ari Goldman, SVP, Content Strategy and Scheduling said of removing The Bachelor from the new season ABC lineup, “We’ve had to take a look at just managing the franchise properly. These shows have enormous fan bases, and we were so thrilled the year that we were able to launch Golden Bachelor and have it stand out in that fall season the way that it did. But I think that the usual cadence that we like to find ourselves in is really the flagship series in midseason and then having some summer edition, which we have already locked in on Bachelor of Paradise for next season. So this is more of a return to a steady state on the franchise.”
So, what do you think about Jackson Olson from the Savannah Bananas joining the new season of Dancing with the Stars? Do you like how the show is making efforts to cast social media influencers and talents with a mass number of followers to draw eyeballs to the reality-competition series? Meanwhile, are you for or against even The Bachelor coming back in 2027, or do you think its time to rest the entire concept all of its spin-offs for good? Share your thoughts in the comment section.
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