Heavy/Getty Bruno Tonioli will return for season 33.
Longtime “Dancing With the Stars” judge Bruno Tonioli attended the Disney upfronts with Carrie Ann Inaba and Julianne Hough. In an Instagram post, Tonioli teased his return to the dance competition show, which will return for its 33rd season in the fall.
“Having a wonderful time at the #upfronts @disney with my @dancingwiththestars family @juleshough @carrieanninaba @therealalfonsoribeiro See you all soon,” Tonioli captioned his post.
On May 10, 2024, Variety confirmed that ABC had renewed “Dancing With the Stars” and that the three judges, Tonioli, Inaba, and Derek Hough, would all be returning to the show. In addition, both hosts, Julianne Hough and Alfonso Ribeiro, will be back in the ballroom.
Here’s what you need to know:
Bruno Tonioli Previously Teased His Return to ‘Dancing With the Stars’
In an interview with the U.S. Sun in April, Tonioli revealed his plans to return to “Dancing With the Stars.” At the time, he had been judging “Britain’s Got Talent” in the UK.
“I’m still doing the American one, and I’m very passionate about it, but sometimes you have to try something new. It is good doing something different,” he explained. “In a way the role I played in ‘Strictly’ is different from what I do here. I’m so grateful to BGT for allowing me to show more of myself. I’m Bruno unleashed now, darling! I can use all my range, it’s exciting,” he added.
At the time of Tonioli’s interview with the U.S. Sun, ABC hadn’t officially confirmed that he would be back as a judge. It was safe to assume he would be, however, since he’s been on the show for all of its 32 seasons prior.
Up until the latest confirmation from Variety, the only person who was confirmed for season 33 was Julianne Hough. None of the ballroom pros have been confirmed for the new season just yet. Many have shown an interest in returning to the show, however, including Valentin Chmerkovskiy, Jenna Johnson, Gleb Savchenko, and Emma Slater. Other likely pros include Artem Chigvintsev, Rylee Arnold, and Britt Stewart.
‘Dancing With the Stars’ Will Air on Tuesday Nights
Since ABC inked a deal with the NFL to host Monday Night Football, “Dancing With the Stars” has shifted to Tuesday nights. The same will be the case for season 33.
“‘Dancing With the Stars’ Season 33 will air on Tuesdays, where it will lead into Kaitlin Olson crime drama ‘High Potential.’ Will Trent and ‘The Rookie’ will then return and air uninterrupted at midseason, with 18 episodes each,” TV Line reports.
The eliminations will be held on the same night. The contestants for season 33 won’t be announced until the late summer. Generally speaking, ABC announces the official cast as well as pro pairings on “Good Morning America” about a week or two prior to the season premiere.
Season 33 of “Dancing With the Stars” will air live on ABC, be available for streaming on Disney+ and will stream on Hulu the day after it airs.
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