“Dancing with the Stars” is back!
Celebrities and pro dancers will be sashaying back to the dance floor for the upcoming season of the hit ABC ballroom show on September 14th.
Tyra Banks will host the upcoming 29th season with returning professional dancers Sharna Burgess, Peta Murgatroyd, Val Chmerkovskiy, Cheryl Burke, Keo Motsepe, Jenna Johnson, Alan Bernsten, Brandon Armstrong, Sasha Farber, Pasha Pashkov, Emma Slater and Gleb Savchenko.
Britt Stewart and Daniella Karagach are joining the professional dancers for the first-time this season.
During the announcement on “Good Morning America” host Michael Strahan shared that due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the professional dancers will be living separately, even for the three pro-dancer couples who will be competing this season.
Pro-dancer couple Sasha Farber and Emma Slater opened up about the change in an interview with “Good Morning America” following the announcement.
“It’s going to be bliss, I mean, it’s going to be terrible, it’s going to be really bad,” Emma joked. Adding, “It’s going to be so different because we can’t interact or even prep with each other which is going to be so different but we’re doing everything we can to stay safe, I know it’s going to be fun. There is going to be a lot of FaceTiming.”
DANCING. IS. BACK!
We tell you which pros are waltzing into the ballroom this season on @DancingABC!
Meet the season 29 pro cast here: https://t.co/SVakCGByqS #DancingOnGMA pic.twitter.com/1Eia5Nvzlt— Good Morning America (@GMA) August 18, 2020
No word yet on which celebrities will be joining the competition but the pro-dancer pairings are expected to be revealed during the two-hour premiere next month.
ABC announced in July that longtime hosts Erin Andrews and Tom Bergeron wouldn’t be returning for the upcoming season, in a statement writing, “Tom Bergeron will forever be part of the Dancing with the Stars family. As we embark on a new creative direction, he departs the show with our sincerest thanks and gratitude for his trademark wit and charm that helped make this show a success.”
“Erin will also not be returning, and we appreciate all that she brought to the ballroom,” the statement read. “Fans have been rooting for her since she originally competed as a contestant back in 2010, and her signature sense of humor has become a hallmark of the show.”
Following the announcement, Tyra Banks was announced as the new host and executive producer of the competition dance show.
I’ve been a fan of ‘DWTS’ since its beginning…. The fun mixed with raw emotion, seeing celebrities push past their comfort zones, the sizzling dance performances…it’s always transported me to my days of turning it up 10 notches on the catwalk. Tom has set a powerful stage, and I’m excited to continue the legacy and put on my executive producer and hosting hats,” Tyra said in a statement.
The 46-year-old also joined “Good Morning America” via video chat, where she told host Amy Robach that she is thrilled to be breaking down barriers as the both show’s first-ever black host and first-ever solo host.
“You know what, I’m used to the model ones but today is the first time I’m hearing this first with “Dancing with the stars” black woman. I never even thought of that and so I like breaking those doors down so that we don’t have any more firsts but it’s nice to be first, right, so that you can open the door and let so many other people in after you so I’m excited, yeah,” Tyra said.
