Heavy/Disney+ DWTS judges.
Lisa Vanderpump paid tribute to Len Goodman following his sudden death.
The veteran “Dancing With the Stars” judge died on April 22, 2023 in Kent, England following a brief illness, Variety reported. Goodman was 78 years old and had bone cancer.
Following his death, Vanderpump reposted a clip of a rare moment with the ballroom legend that took place when she was a contestant in the ABC celebrity ballroom competition in 2013.
Here’s what you need to know:
Lisa Vanderpump Danced With Len Goodman on “Dancing With the Stars”
Goodman was the head judge “Dancing With the Stars” from 2005 until announcing his retirement in November 2022, During his reign, he crossed paths with several Real Housewives stars, including Vanderpump.
In 2013, he shared a sweet moment with Vanderpump during the DWTS season 16 finale when he hopped out of his judges’ chair and cut in on her dance with her partner Gleb Savchenko. Vanderpump playfully kissed Goodman on the cheek as they danced amid a Beverly Hills Hotel backdrop before Savchenko took his partner back to complete their routine.
Following Goodman’s death, Vanderpump reshared a video of the special dance on Twitter with the caption, “Oh what a gentleman…#rip.”
Goodman’s dance with Vanderpump marked one of the rare times that he showed off his dance moves on the celebrity dancing show.
According to People, two years after dancing with Vanderpump, Goodman finished off a Viennese waltz with Derek Hough’s partner, Nastia Liukin.
Len Goodman Told Lisa Vanderpump She Gave DWTS Her “Best Shot”
ABCDancing With the Stars judges Carrie Ann Inaba, Len Goodman and Bruno Tonioli.
In addition to Vanderpump, other Real Housewives who’ve competed on DWTS include Lisa Rinna, Erika Jayne, Nene Leakes, Kim Zolciak-Biermann, and Teresa Giudice, who was a contestant on Goodman’s final season on the show in 2022.
When Giudice and her partner, Pasha Pashkov, became the second couple eliminated from the competition in 2022, “The Real Housewives of New Jersey” star said she had a feeling Goodman would not use his Judges’ Save power on her when she landed in the final two against Sam Champion and pro dancer Cheryl Burke.
“I don’t think Len liked me really so much,” Giudice joked to reporters after her elimination, per Page Six. “I don’t think he liked me. I knew Len was not going to pick me. I knew he was going to pick Cheryl over me. I knew already … I had a feeling.”
But Goodman did seem to have a soft spot for Vanderpump a decade earlier. While she was also the second contestant eliminated during her season, Goodman let her down easy. After the RHOBH star famously fell ill and fainted during her rehearsal with Savchenko, Goodman acknowledged that her dance had been under-rehearsed due to her ailments.
“You’ve been poorly, you’ve come out, and you’ve given it your best shot,” he said of her cha cha with Savchenko. “For what you’ve been through, I think you’ve done a good job.”
When Vanderpump was ultimately eliminated that night, she said the “Dancing With the Stars” cast made her time on the show “so much fun,” per Parade.
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