Connect with us

Dancing with the Stars

1

‘Dancing with the Stars’ Might Delay Its Premiere, ‘Veep’ Star Matt Walsh to ‘Pause’ His Involvement as Celebrity Contestant Due to Strikes

By Michael Fairman

Published

on

Photo: ABC

More pushback for ABC and Disney+’s, upcoming season premiere of Dancing with the Stars.  Now comes word that ABC may delay its scheduled season 32 debut episode.

After the show was picketed by WGA and SAG-AFTRA members. one of the show’s celebrity contestants is ‘pausing’ his involvement with competing on the show, and that would be Veep star Matt Walsh.

In a statement, Walsh revealed, “I was excited to join the show and did so under the impression that it was not a WGA show and fell under a different agreement.  This morning when I was informed by my union, the WGA, that it is considered struck work I walked out of my rehearsal. I have been and will always stand with my union members of the WGA, SAG and DGA.”

Walsh added, “Beyond our union artists, I am sensitive to the many people impacted by the strike and I hope for a speedy and fair resolution, and to one day work again with all the wonderful people I met at DWTS who tolerated my dancing.”

As previously reported, DWTS falls under SAG-AFTRA’s Network Code contract, which covers talk, variety shows and soap operas and is at play through June 2024. Thus, celebrities taking part in the show, are not in violation of SAG-AFTRA strike rules.

Meanwhile, though an unscripted reality series, Dancing With the Stars is a signatory to the Writers Guild’s minimum basic agreement. DWTS in the the past has employed a WGA writer among its staff of reportedly, 500.  However, given the harsh blowback of participants crossing WGA lines, ABC is now strongly considering delaying its September 26th season premiere of the ballroom dancing/competition series.

So, what do you think of Matt Walsh’s suspending involvement on DWTS? Should the show also pause its premiere till resolution of the WGA strike, at least? The WGA and AMPTP are set to continue talks today on Thursday to hopefully move towards an agreement to end the strike.

1 Comment

1 Comment
oldest
newest

The only reason DWTS was put back on ABC was because of its perceived immunity to the strikes. If the writers settle, it still makes sense to keep it in the network as it will be weeks before any scripted programs return

Dancing with the Stars

DANCING WITH THE STARS: Britt Stewart Visibly Upset After Shocking Elimination with Taylor Hanson

Published

on

By

Taylor Hanson and Britt Stewart

The September 29 episode of Dancing With the Stars showcased the continued strengths of some couples, but showed the cracks in others, as the 13 remaining duos hit the ballroom dance floor to yacht rock songs in week 3 of the competition.

At the end of the night, the couple with the lowest combined judges’s scores and viewer votes was sent home, and this proved to be a sticking point issue with the voting.

During the results portion at the end of the show, the first five couples who were named safe were: Jenna Dewan and Val Chmerkovskiy, Tyler Cameron and Sharna Burgess, Maura Higgins and Mark Ballas, Ciara Miller and Brandon Armstrong, and Julia Stiles and Ezra Sosa.

They were followed by: Tatyana Ali and Jan Ravnik, Ezra Frech and Daniella Karagach, Amber Glenn and Pasha Pashkov, Harry Shum Jr. and Jenna Johnson, and Connor Wood and Rylee Arnold.

Taylor Hanson, Britt Stewart

Photo: ABC

AN UNEXPECTED TWIST

The remaining three couples awaiting their fate were: Guillermo Rodriguez and Witney Carson, Jackson Olson and Emma Slater, and Taylor Hanson and Britt Stewart. The couple sent home was Taylor and Britt.

Taylor and Britt performed a foxtrot to the the Doobie Brothers, “What a Fool Believes” during the night of competition and scored an 18 out of 30 from the judged. While it wasn’t the stand out routine on Yacht Rock night, it certainly wasn’t the worst.

With many expecting Guillermo and Witney to be sent home, when Britt and Taylor’s name was called, Stewart was visibly emotional and upset. After the shocking elimination, several of her pro partners spoke out and rallied around her and Hanson.

DANCING WITH THE STARS PROS SPEAK UP

Pro dancer, Sharna Burgess is hoping that next season, Stewart will make it to the finals. ]It should be noted that Britt is the first Black woman to be in the Dancing with the Stars pro company having joined in season 29 back in 2020, and she has never made it to the finale. Her highest placement was when she came in fifth in season 31 with her now husband, CODA star Daniel Durant.

“Knowing Britt and loving Britt, I just want to see her do a freestyle. I just want to see Britt, next season, get what our fans call a ringer, and we see her get to the end so we can have a Britt freestyle, expressed Burgess to EW.com.

Ciara Miller and Brandon Armstrong spoke out as being the couple who has spent the most time with Britt and Taylor during competition weeks. “I think Britt is an elite dancer, and an elite pro,” Armstrong continues, explaining that he and Miller were “gutted” when they heard the news. “It’s horrible,” said Armstrong. Miller shared she has chills” over it, and is “processing this elimination.”

Perhaps, Dancing with the Stars pro Jan Ravnik said it best, exclaiming everything is “going to be f—ed from now on” with them gone and more eliminations weekly. “I did love this partnership. I think they were incredible. I love Britt so much. I think she is one of the best dancers that I ever worked with.”

Now below, check out the dance routines from last night of Guillermo and Witney, Jackson and Emma and Taylor and Britt, and let us know if you think the right couple was sent packing via the comment section below.

Continue Reading

Dancing with the Stars

DANCING WITH THE STARS Viral Hits Night: Who Was the Fiercest Couple of Them All?

Published

on

By

Dancing with the Stars Viral Hits Night

In week 2 of ballroom dance floor action on Dancing With the Stars season 35, it was “viral hits night,” which had all the celebrity contestants and their pro partners going head -to-head with each other, unlike last week’s two-night season premiere where the men were solely on night one and the women on night two.

Now, the 14 remaining couples strutted their stuff and their routines on the September 22 episode, where it was clear that paralympian, Ezra Frech and olympian, Amber Glenn showed how balance and athleticism came into play. BUT, there was no one more than Frech, who with one prosthetic leg, just could get down on the dance floor better than the rest of us, anytime anywhere!

When the smoke cleared, three couples had the highest scores from the panel of judges, Carrie Ann, Derek and Bruno. Each received a 21/30 score and were a top the leaderboard ahead of the night’s final results.

Dancing with the Stars Cast

Photo: ABC

The top scores belonged to: Jenna Dewan and Val Chmerkovskiy who danced a Jive to “Animal” by Katseye, Ezra Frech and Daniella Karagach who performed a cha-cha to “Low” by Flo Rida, and Amber Glenn and Pasha Pashkov who took to the floor performing a tango
to “All the Things She Said” by Harrison, who was in the ballroom DJing the song!

WHO WAS SENT HOME?

At the end of the night, the results were revealed. The first six couples who were announced as safe were: Tatyana Ali and Jan Ravnik, Jackson Olson and Emma Slater, Ezra Frech and Daniella Karagach, Ciara Miller and Brandon Armstrong, Taylor Hanson and Britt Stewart, and Amber Glenn and Pasha Pashkov.

Also safe were: Maura Higgins and Mark Ballas, Jenna Dewan and Val Chmerkovskiy, Harry Shum Jr. and Jenna Johnson, Connor Wood and Rylee Arnold, and Julia Stiles and Ezra Sosa.

The bottom three were revealed as: Tyler Cameron and Sharna Burgess, Giada De Laurentiis and Alan Bersten, and Guillermo Rodriguez and Witney Carson. In the end, Giada and Alan who were sent home.

Dancing With the Stars, Season 35, airs Tuesdays, 8pm ET/7pm CT on ABC and Disney+

Take a look at the top three highest scored dances from last night’s Viral Hits Night’s competition below. Then let us know, who you thought was the fiercest couple of them all, via the comment section.

 

Continue Reading

Dancing with the Stars

DANCING WITH THE STARS : ‘Viral Hits Night’ Preview; What Song and Dance Did the 14 Remaining Couples Choose?

Published

on

By

Dancing with the Stars

After last week’s two-part season 35 premiere, Dancing with the Stars continues with the 14 remaining couples return to the ballroom for “Viral Hits Night.” For this next step towards the Len Goodman Mirror Ball Trophy, the celebrity contestants and their professional partners will hit the ballroom dance floor and perform routines to some of the biggest musical hits and unforgettable moments that have taken social media by storm.

“Viral Hits Night” airs on Tuesday, September 22 (8:00-10:00 p.m. EDT/PDT, 7:00-9:00 p.m. CDT), while being simulcast live cross both ABC and Disney+ in local time zones and next day on Hulu.

Previously, Conner Leavitt and pro partner Adele Zaikman were sent home as were the same-sex dancing duo of Sarah Jane Nader and pro partner Hailey Bills. Now below, check out the couples still in the mix along with their dance styles and songs for Tuesday night’s edition of Dancing with the Stars.

Photo: ABC

CELEBRITY AND PRO PARTNERS PLANNED ROUTINES

Amber Glenn and partner Pasha Pashkov will perform a Tango to “All the Things She Said” by Harrison
Taylor Hanson and partner Britt Stewart will perform a Cha Cha to “Cake By the Ocean” by DNCE
Harry Shum Jr. and partner Jenna Johnson will perform a Viennese Waltz to “Iris” by Goo Goo Dolls

Guillermo Rodriguez and partner Witney Carson will perform a Paso Doble to “Where Have You Been” by Rihanna
Jackson Olson and partner Emma Slater will perform a Foxtrot to “That’s So True” by Gracie Abrams
Tatyana Ali and partner Jan Ravnik will perform a Foxtrot to “What Was I Made For?” by Billie Eilish

Ezra Frech and partner Daniella Karagach will perform a Cha Cha to “Low” by Flo Rida
Tyler Cameron and partner Sharna Burgess will perform a Salsa to “Girls” by The Kid LAROI
Connor Wood and partner Rylee Arnold will perform a Tango to “12 to 12” by sombr

Photo: ABC

Maura Higgins and partner Mark Ballas will perform a Cha Cha to “September” by Earth, Wind & Fire
Ciara Miller and partner Brandon Armstrong will perform a Tango to “No Broke Boys” by Disco Lines & Tinashe
Julia Stiles and partner Ezra Sosa will perform a Tango to “The Door” by Teddy Swims

Jenna Dewan and partner Val Chmerkovskiy will perform a Jive to “Animal” by KATSEYE
Giada De Laurentiis and partner Alan Bersten will perform a Salsa to “Bella Ciao” by Becky G

HOW TO CAST YOUR VOTE FOR YOUR FAVORITES

Fans will be able to vote during the live simulcast of the show in the ET/CT time zones. During this time, online voting will be available to fans in any time zone in the U.S., its territories and Canada via dwtsvote.abc.com, and fans on participating U.S. wireless carriers can also vote via SMS/text (fans in Canada cannot vote via SMS/text). Live viewer votes from the night will be combined with the judges’ scores to determine who may be in jeopardy of elimination.

Dancing with the Stars is co-hosted by Alfonso Ribeiro and Julianne Hough in which celebrities are paired with trained ballroom dancers to compete in themed choreographed dance routines that are judged by a panel of renowned ballroom experts, including Carrie Ann Inaba, Bruno Tonioli and Derek Hough.

So, looking at the 14 remaining couples selected dance routines and song choice, combined with what you saw last week, who do you think remains a strong frontrunner as the team to beat? Let us know your picks 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

1
0
Would love your thoughts, please comment.x
()
x