ABC
Tyra Banks will be returning to host ABC’s “Dancing With the Stars” for the 30th season in 2021, and the executive producer has given fans some tidbits on what to expect for the upcoming season.
Banks will be joining the judging panel in returning for the season. The panel will feature four judges this time around. Derek Hough, Carrie Ann Inaba, Bruno Tonioli and Len Goodman will all be sitting at the judging panel.
Other than that, casting is still up in the air at the time of writing, as producers are likely still working on getting celebrities and professional dancers paired up. The cast list will likely be released in late August or early September 2021.
Read on to learn everything Tyra Banks has said about the upcoming season.
Banks Teased ‘Twists and Turns’
During an interview with Extra, Banks was asked if there are going to be any “twists and turns” in the upcoming season of “Dancing With the Stars,” and she confirmed that there will be, saying that she hopes that those will “bring the youth to watching that show even more with their families.”
She also told Extra that she thinks the twists will add a modern twist to the 30-season show.
“There was a lot of twists and turns I wanted to do the first time,” Banks shared. “But we didn’t have enough time to do my twists and my turns. So, there are gonna be some things that are modern to bring the youth into watching that show even more.”
There May Not Be a Live Audience
In a segment on Entertainment Tonight on Thursday, July 1, 2021, host and executive producer Tyra Banks revealed that the show likely will not have a live audience for the upcoming season due to coronavirus safety concerns. Banks was guest co-hosting the segment.
Season 29 of the show went forward without a live audience, and while there were still live shows, some fans may have missed the atmosphere that comes with having an audience in studio.
In an interview with Heavy, six-time Mirrorball champion and current judge on the show Derek Hough said that he was hoping there would be a live audience for season 30 of the show.
“There’s definitely some really fun projects in the works, but there’s definitely one been confirmed that will be starting in the fall,” Hough told Heavy. “One thing I can say is that ‘Dancing With the Stars’ will be back in September and it’s gonna be an amazing huge season that I can’t wait for people to see. It’s gonna be good. I just can’t wait to see if we have an audience!”
Banks Plans on a Few Changes
In her first season as a host on the show, Banks touted record-breaking ratings for the show amid plenty of drama and criticism coming her way.
“We broke a lot of records when it comes to the ratings for this show,” Banks told ET. “And yes, there was change, but the change meant a hell of a lot of big ratings. In the end, this is a business, and that’s what matters, making sure that people are coming and that new people are coming.”
One change that Banks wants to make is to add more outfits to her repertoire.
“Toward the end [of the season], we realized we had to write down [the steps of the outfit changes],” Banks told ET. “It’s written down, so they’re yelling it to me as we go. There were a couple of instances where I was holding my clothes up and hosting live TV and not everybody necessarily knew that.”
Next season, she hopes she will “get up to 30” outfits.
“Another thing is more comfy shoes,” she told the outlet. “I had my second and third toe go numb on me for five days after [one] outfit because those shoes were not comfy.”
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