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‘Dancing with the Stars’ Changes To Show Amid COVID-19 Pandemic; Derek Hough Joins Judges’ Table

Photos: ABC and JPI

Just how will Dancing with the Stars look and feel when it returns for its 29th season next Monday night on ABC?  Well, some answers finally surfaced from Rob Mills, head of Alternative Programming at the network, and DWTS showrunner, Andrew Linares.

Those changes include that all the celebrity contestants have relocated to Los Angeles, if they did not currently reside there, for the run of the show, so there will be no additional travel to keep safety protocols during the coronavirus pandemic.

According to Deadline, “The judges’ desk will be widened to maintain eight feet between each judge and dancers will be asked to stand at a distance of at least eight feet from the judges during the judging process.”  In addition, Derek Hough will be replacing Len Goodman at the table as one of the season’s judges.  Goodman lives in England and cannot make it to the US during the pandemic … but do expect to see Goodman remotely at certain times of the season.

There will be no live studio audience, however the show will tape live as it has in past seasons.  There will also will be no live band and the producers have redesigned the ballroom with extra screens and a new look to help with it appearing sparse of human beings in attendance.  In addition, large set pieces and extra dancers will no longer be part of the scaled-down version of the series.

The Sky Lounge will not be a place where the celebs and their dance partners can conjugate with their cast mates as in past seasons.  While the competitors can still watch each other perform live, they will be safely distanced somewhere in the ballroom.

For the celebrities and their dance partners safety – there will be no camera crews in the rehearsal studios, they will be replaced by remote cameras. The duos will be Covid-19 tested five times a week.

Linares shared, “They as a couple on the show will stay as a pod – they won’t come in to contact with the other couples to the point that we’ve got three set of married pro dancers and they will be living separately for as long as they’re in the competition.”

Tyra Banks will serve as DWTS new host and executive producer.

So, how will the pandemic effect DWTS for you, the viewer? Do you think the show can remain safe for all involved during the competition? And remember this year, we have three stars formerly from the soaps vying for the Mirror Ball Trophy: Chrishell Stause, Jesse Metcalfe and Anne Heche! Comment below.

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Completely not thrilled with the mirrorball lip gloss. It looks like Tyra is making the show about her. It’s about the dancing.

Yep. It’s all about Tyra.

Sounds like fun. Not.

Dancing with the Stars

‘Dancing with the Stars’ Derek Hough Reveals Wife Hayley Erbert Undergoing Skull Surgery

Dancing with the Stars judge Derek Hough has revealed that today on December 20th, his wife Hayley Erbert will be undergoing skull surgery.

Previously this month, Erbert had to have an emergency craniectomy after being diagnosed with a cranial hematoma. The surgery on Wednesday is to replace “a large portion of her skull”, Hough shared, that was removed during the first procedure.

In the early hours on Wednesday, Hough took to his Instagram story and expressed: “I strongly believe all the prayers that have been sent with the intention and love of Hayley’s recovery has helped so much. I can’t thank you all enough.”

Photo: JPI

Derek also added to, “Please keep her in your prayers as I believe the collective energy helped her through these past few weeks. We love you we thank you.”

Last week on Friday, Hough revealed that Erbert, 29, would need a skull implant in the coming weeks.  He offered up that, “the recovery process has been nothing short of a miracle,” and added that although, “Hayley is doing well,” she “still has a ways to go.”

As the holiday season is upon, Derek offered, “While this isn’t the holiday season either of us envisioned, it’s one that we’re incredibly grateful to have. We look forward to cherishing these moments with a deeper appreciation for life and the people in it.”

Send your well-wishes and prayers to Hayley and Derek as they go through this trying time via the comment section below.

 

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Dancing with the Stars

‘Dancing with the Stars’ Derek Hough Gives Update Following Wife Hayley Erbert’s Emergency Craniotomy

Over the last 48 hours, Dancing with the Stars judge and performer, Derek Hough shared on social media what happened to his wife, dancer Hayley Erbert when she underwent an emergency craniotomy after experiencing symptoms while on a dance tour with her husband.

In his first post on Thursday, Hough revealed that his wife of only three months “became disoriented and was taken to the hospital” while on their Symphony of Dance tour in Washington, D.C.  Ebert was later diagnosed with a “cranial hematoma from a burst blood vessel and required an emergency craniotomy.”

In an update on the situation on Friday, Derek revealed: “Hayley has always inspired me with her will, her strength, and her resilience and no more so than in the last 48 hrs.  She is now on the long road to recovery Words cannot express how grateful and thankful we are for the support and love that you have given us.  The kindness that we’ve been shown in this incredibly unfathomable and life-changing time is immeasurable. The offers of assistance that have poured in have been so humbling and appreciated. Our hope is that as a family, we can somehow and someway pay it forward.”

Photo: JPI

Hough and Erbert first met during the So You Think You Can Dance tour in 2013. They then began began dating in 2015 while both were appearing on Dancing with the Stars and were married in August 2023.

On Hough’s most recent Instagram post, celebrities from the world of soaps, motion picture and films and fellow cast members from DWTS all commented on Derek’s update sending love and prayers Hayley’s way including: GH’s Finola Hughes, Selling Sunset and former soap star, Chrishell Stause, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Matthew Morrison, Nina Dobrev, Emma Slater, Mira Sorvino, and Alfonso Ribiero.

Send you prayers, and well-wishes to Hayley and Derek while they go through this most challenging and difficult of times via the comment section below.

 

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Dancing with the Stars

DANCING WITH THE STARS: Crowns Xochitl Gomez and Val Chmerkovskiy Winners of Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy

On the three-hour season 32 finale of Dancing with the Stars, it all came down to who would take home the Len Goodman Mirrorball trophy. This would mark the first time the winners would receive the coveted award named after the beloved head judge who passed away in 2022.

With a perfect score for each of their four last dances (from last week’s competitions and the finale), it was clear that the team to beat was Xochitl Gomez and her pro partner, Val Chmerkovskiy. But would America feel the same?

After a stunning night of freestyle routines to close out the final round of competition, and a redemption dance performed earlier in the night, as deemed by one of the judges for the couples to improve upon from a previous performance, the five remaining couples put their best foot forward.

Photo: ABC

Here’s how it shook out when hosts Alfonso Ribeiro and Julianne Hough revealed the results:

In fifth place: Alyson Hannigan and Sasha Farber.  Next, in fourth place were former ‘Bachelorette’ star Charity Lawson and Artem Chigvintsev. Third place belonged to Vanderpump Rules star, Ariana Madix and her pro partner, Pasha Pashkov.

Then it all came down to two, Xochitl and Val, or Grammy Award-winning singer/songwriter Jason Mraz and pro partner Daniella Karagach. Mraz had actually performed his latest single, “I Feel Like Dancing” shortly before the results portion of the show.

Photo: ABC

The Season 31-winning celebrity contestant, Charli D’Amelio, returned to the ballroom floor to present the Mirrorball trophy to the winners. D’Amelio had performed earlier in the finale with her former pro partner, Mark Ballas, for a special routine.

Photo: ABC

Jason and Daniella were announced in first place, as Xochitl and Val were announced the Len Goodman Mirror Ball Trophy winners. For Val, this marks his third victory in his Dancing with the Stars career. He previously won the Mirrorball trophy with Rumor Willis in 2015 and Olympic gymnast Laurie Hernandez in 2016.

Photo: ABC

In the finale, Gomez and Chmerkovskiy performed a redemption foxtrot to Katy Perry’s “Unconditionally”, and finished with a freestyle dance to ‘Que Calor” by District 78.

Happy that Xochitl and Val won the season 32 Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy? Who did you think of the final results? Comment below.

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