Getty Allison Holker and Stephen "tWitch" Boss
A new report says that “Dancing With the Stars” executives are looking to replace Tyra Banks as host amid the falling ratings, according to The Sun. Fans have replacement ideas all ready to go and they include several former professional dancers and alumni from the show.
Here are the top choices from a couple of different Reddit threads and how we think they stack up.
Allison Holker & Stephen ‘tWitch’ Boss
This one has gotten a lot of attention on Reddit. The married couple with three children met on “So You Think You Can Dance” and Allison went on to be a pro partner on “Dancing With the Stars” for four seasons (19-21 and 23). Plus, Allison has hosting experience HGTV’s “Design Star Next Gen” and “Disney’s Fairy Tale Weddings.” And tWitch is no slouch in that department — he has been the on-stage DJ for “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” for over 500 episodes where he also eventually became an executive producer on the show. He also hosts “Clash of the Cover Bands” for E! and has been tapped to host “The Real Dirty Dancing” on FOX, so they definitely have the TV cred and the dancing cred covered. We think they’d be great.
Fans on Reddit love this suggestion. One wrote, “Wait I love them both and never even thought of them hosting but that would be so perfect.”
Another wrote, “When they’ve been together on ‘Ellen’ and when he guested on ‘Design Star’ they bounce off each other very naturally. And they both are dancers so they can talk and walk the talk. Great, great, great suggestion!!!!”
“Love this. They have such good, chill energy and I think would be able to connect with the dancers while not making it all about them,” wrote a third fan.
Mario Lopez & Jeannie Mai
Another popular suggestion was TV personalities Mario Lopez and Jeannie Mai. Mario has been a host at “Access Hollywood” since 2019 and before that was at “Entertainment Tonight” for 15 years. Jeannie has been a co-host on “The Real” since its inception in 2013 and has also hosted for “Entertainment Tonight” and “Holey Moley.”
Plus, they are both “Dancing With the Stars” alums. Mario competed on season three of the show with Karina Smirnoff, finishing in second place. Jeannie competed on season 29 with Brandon Armstrong before having to withdraw because of a medical emergency. They could be really good, they definitely have a lot of hosting experience.
Kym Johnson Herjavec & Anna Trebunskaya Also Got Some Votes
Two former pro dancers who also received shout-outs are Kym Johnson Herjavec and Anna Trebunskaya. Kym was a pro on “Dancing With the Stars” on and off from season three until season 24; she is now married to her partner from season 20, Robert Herjavec. Kym also guest-hosted “Dancing With the Stars” when Erin Andrews took a brief absence after her now-husband’s nephew died and briefly hosted a “Dancing With the Stars” podcast in 2019.
Anna Trebunskaya was a pro on and off from season two through season 21. Fans like that she knows the show and they think she would “bounce off a co-host well.” We really enjoyed Anna’s live critiques of “Dancing With the Stars” season 30, so she might be a great choice.
Other pros mentioned include Karina Smirnoff and Lacey Schwimmer.
Alfonso Ribeiro Is A Divisive Choice
“Dancing With the Stars” winner Alfonso Ribeiro (he won season 19 with pro partner Witney Carson) has been mentioned several times. A lot of fans think he would be great and he does have hosting experience — funnily enough, he took over for former “Dancing With the Stars” host Tom Bergeron when Tom left “America’s Funniest Videos.”
But some fans think he’s too much — one fan even likened him to Tyra Banks, writing, “Alfonso is truly the most annoying human being to grace these screens, second time Tyra lol if he became host I don’t know how I would cope.”
Another wrote, “I’d stay away from former contestants solely based on them probably trying to make things about themselves and their experiences cough Alfonso cough.”
Other past contestants mentioned include Leah Remini, Joey Fatone, and Danica McKellar.
What About the Houghs?
Fans are split about if they’d want Derek or Julianne Hough to host. Some fans are calling for them to be the hosts together, but one fan wrote of that idea, “I like them as separate entities, them together maybe too much of… Hough energy for me lol.”
And another fan doesn’t want to lose Derek as a judge, writing, “I’m torn because you’re absolutely right [about Derek], but I also think he’s such a good judge,” to which another commenter replied, “He brings a great balance of constructive criticism and support to the panel. But a great host could play off the judges and support the dancers on the floor too!”
One user thinks Derek is better as a judge and actually long-time judge Carrie Ann Inaba would be better as a host. But the Houghs do have hosting experience — they have hosted holiday specials for ABC and NBC for several years.
“Dancing With the Stars” has not yet been renewed for season 31. If it is renewed, it will return in September 2022.