Heavy/Getty "Dancing With the Stars" season 32 contestant.
Alfonso Ribeiro is not tuned in when it comes to reality TV.
In a July 2023 interview, the “Dancing with the Stars” co-host admitted he had to ask a producer who newly announced celebrity contestant Ariana Madix is.
The “Vanderpump Rules” star is the first contestant who has been revealed for the upcoming 32nd season of ABC’s celebrity ballroom competition. And while Madix’s ex-boyfriend Tom Sandoval’s shocking “Scandoval” cheating scandal gave the Bravo reality show record ratings – and two Emmy nominations – Ribeiro remained out of the loop.
Alfonso Ribeiro Called the Head of Casting to Find Out Who Ariana Madix Is
ABCAlfonso Ribeiro
Ribeiro is a former DWTS mirrorball trophy winner and guest judge who signed as a co-host on DWTS for season 31. While he has a long history on the show, he’s not always in the know.
“I literally had to call up Deena Katz, who is our executive producer and [head of] casting, and say, ‘Um, so, who is this? ‘Cause I have no idea,’” Ribeiro told Entertainment Tonight after Madix’s DWTS cast announcement was made. “I just, I don’t pay attention, right? Unless it’s a show that I watch, you know? So I was like, ‘Oh, Vanderpump Rules? OK, yeah, got it. Never seen her, but cool.’”
Ribeiro explained that he isn’t “so involved” in watching television anymore now that he has a family to focus on. Ribeiro and his wife, Angela, have three young children together, AJ, Anders, and Ava Sue. The TV host also shares a grown daughter, Sienna, with his ex Robin Stapler.
Alfonso Ribeiro Isn’t the Only One Who Wasn’t Sure About Ariana Madix
Madix’s cast announcement was a long time coming. Rumors about her joining DWTS surfaced back in April not long after the “Vanderpump Rules” cheating scandal broke. At the time, a source told Page Six that Madix was in late-stage conversations with ABC to be a contestant on “Dancing With the Stars” and that she had “already received all of the approvals and sign-offs” from Bravo’s parent company, NBC Universal.
Madix’s official casting announcement was made by Derek Hough during an episode of “Good Morning America” in July 2023. The pro dancer turned judge made a cameo at Madix’s West Hollywood sandwich shop, Something About Her, to announce the news. But just two months earlier, he claimed not to know who Madix was.
In May 2023, Hough was questioned about Madix’s DWTS casting rumors by TMZ but he claimed he wasn’t familiar with her. “I don’t know who you’re talking about,” Hough replied when asked if Madix fits the “formula” for a DWTS contestant. Hough said he “vaguely” knew about Scandoval but added, “I haven’t been following it though, I have to be honest with you. I’m sorry.”
In the past, other DWTS pro dancers have been in the dark regarding some contestants’ identities. In a 2016 interview on the “Allegedly With Theo Von & Matt Cole” podcast, DWTS veteran Cheryl Burke admitted she had to look up most of the partners she was paired with.
“I also don’t know anybody, so I would have to Google almost every single partner of mine – other than Ian Ziering because I used to watch ‘[Beverly Hills] 90210’,” Burke said, per People.
And in 2017, pro dancer Witney Carson admitted she had never heard of the man she was partnered with for season 24.
“I didn’t know who he was, so there’s something for ya,” Carson told ET at the time, adding, “It’s a different partner than I’ve ever had before… He’s very, very sweet, very nice and hilarious.”
Carson’s celeb partner turned out to be former “Saturday Night Live” alum Chris Kattan. The duo became the first couple eliminated that season.
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