ABC/Eric McCandless
ABC’s hit ballroom dancing competition show, “Dancing With the Stars,” was officially renewed for season 30. While we don’t yet know who exactly will be on the upcoming season, we do know quite a bit about the monumental season.
It was never really on the table for “Dancing With the Stars” to be canceled in 2021. According to TVSeriesFinale, the season 29 premiere pulled in over 8 million viewers, and the season finale pulled in nearly 6.5 million.
Read on to learn about everything we know about season 30 of “Dancing With the Stars.”
When Is the Season 30 Premiere Date?
“Dancing with the Stars” will return to TVs on Monday, September 20, 2021. The show will air on Monday nights at 8 p.m. ET/PT throughout the entire season.
“Bring on the ballroom” the official announcement read. “#DWTS returns to ABC September 20 at 8|7c!”
Professional dancers Artem Chigvintsev, Sasha Farber, Britt Stewart, Brandon Armstrong, Cheryl Burke, Alan Bersten, Daniella Karagach, Pasha Pashkov, Keo Motsepe, Peta Murgatroyd, Sharna Burgess, and Emma Slater all commented with their reactions to the news, including many exclamation points and heart emojis.
Who Are the Season 30 Judges?
The judging panel is growing once again for season 30. Instead of sticking with three judges, as is sometimes the case, producers have decided to expand the panel to four judges.
For season 30, the judges returning are Carrie Ann Inaba, Bruno Tonioli, Derek Hough, and “Grumpy” Len Goodman.
In an interview with Entertainment Tonight, Hough opened up about what it will be like to work next to Goodman, and he said that he’s excited.
“I’m looking forward to Len being back because I think that he just adds so much. I think that just having that Brit. You just need that Brit, man. You need him in the room. He’s the man!” Hough told the outlet. “It’ll be interesting to see that dynamic. I feel like him and I are quite different. We’re very different, I should say. So it’ll be interesting to see how we feel and if we disagree on a lot of things. And I’m sure we will.”
Is Tyra Banks Returning as Host?
Banks will be returning as the host of the show for season 30.
Banks hinted that the season may be an all-star season, and some professional dancers have also hinted that could happen. Banks is an executive producer of the show, so she does have some say in what could happen.
During an interview with TV Insider, host Tyra Banks said she thinks season 30 should be treated in a special way since it’s a special season.
“There is something beautiful about doing a retrospective when you hit a milestone year. At the same time, there are so many new viewers this season, and a retrospective may not resonate with them. So, if we do one, it would have to be for those diehard fans that have been here forever, but not make it so ‘inside baseball’ where the new people don’t know what the heck is going on,” explained Banks.
Which Pros Are Set to Return?
Lindsay Arnold hopes to return for season 30 after giving birth to her daughter, Sage.
Witney Carson has also expressed interest in returning to the ballroom, as has pro dancer Gleb Savchenko. Unfortunately for some fans, Maks Chmerkovskiy will not be returning once again.
Pro dancer Cheryl Burke has also said she isn’t sure if she’ll be returning to her role in an upcoming season.
Which Celebrities Will be in the Ballroom?
There have been no official announcements, but there have been hints here and there about who might join the cast.
According to Showbiz CheatSheet, pro dancer Cheryl Burke called for producers to take a pause on casting members of Bachelor Nation after the back-to-back wins. That doesn’t mean the cast is out, however. Tayshia Adams expressed her interest in being on the show, according to Extra.
Another celebrity who has expressed interest in joining the cast is actor Alec Baldwin’s wife Hilaria Baldwin, who has been accused of faking her Spanish heritage, according to OK! magazine.
In February 2021, UFC fighter Kamaru Usman told TMZ Sports that he would love a chance to compete for the Mirrorball Trophy and thinks he would have a good chance of bringing it home.
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