'Dancing With The Stars' Includes a New Twist That Gives the Judges the Final Say
After a brief hiatus that had some Dancing With the Stars fans worried, the long-running show is set to be making its return for season 28 this fall. Ahead of the 2019 premiere, the notoriously tight-lipped ABC has teased a few upcoming changes to the program and some high-profile casting that they hope will boost the quality of the competitive ballroom dance show.
Here's everything we know so far about season 28:
Who will the cast be?
Before the cast was announced, several possible names had been floating around as to who was going to star on this season of the show. One of the biggest names was former Bachelorette Hannah Brown, who was confirmed earlier today on Good Morning America, along with the rest of the cast. The Dancing With the Stars stage is no stranger to Bachelor and Bachelorette alums, and the former Miss Alabama previously trained as a dancer, so the competition wouldn’t be totally out of her element.
Originally, the season 28 cast was set to include model Christie Brinkley. Unfortunately, while rehearsing for the premiere, the 65-year-old suffered injuries that requires surgery. With little time to spare, ABC decided to replace Brinkley with her daughter, Sailor Brinkley-Cook.
The rest of the cast featured some notable names, and, as per usual, a few left-fielders — most notably former White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer, whose casting caused some outrage among fans and even host Tom Bergeron.
Check out the full cast lineup here:
Karamo Brown, Queer Eye star
Kate Flannery, The Office star
Hannah Brown, The Bachelorette
Lauren Alaina, Country singer
James Van Der Beek, Actor and '90s heartthrob
Ray Lewis, Former NFL linebacker
Ally Brooke, Singer
Lamar Odom, Former NBA player
Kel Mitchell, Actor and comedian
Sean Spicer, Former White House press secretary
Sailor Brinkley-Cook, Supermodel
Mary Wilson, Member of the Supremes
In an interview with Deadline, ABC Entertainment President Karey Burke said previously said that this season will feature some of the biggest names yet.
“I’m quite excited about the casting they’ve put together,” Burke said. “It’s not done, but the names that I have heard [are impressive]. I think it’s going to be a big season.”
When will season 28 air?
Dancing with the Stars has aired on Mondays since season 4 of the show, and the upcoming season will be no different. It is set to kick off on Monday, Sept. 16, at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.
What changes are coming?
The most noticeable change to the show’s format is the fact that it will now only air one season per year — as opposed to the typical two. And in the aftermath of complaints that the show has become a popularity contest rather than a dance contest (ahem, DJ Bobby Bones’ win last season despite consistently low scores from the judges), the producers promised a few creative tweaks, but gave no concrete details prior to the season premiere.
Bergeron announced one of the twists during the second episode of the season. As in past seasons, the viewers' votes would be combined with the judges' scores to determine the bottom two couples. This season, however, the judges would "have the power to one of the bottom two couples," ultimately letting them decide who goes home each week. Needless to say, the judges' twist was met with mixed reviews.
Burke also hinted at the fact that other changes will mimic versions of the show that air in other countries, stating, “the producers were just in last week talking about the casting and the creative evolution. It’s all very exciting. It won’t be major format changes, just tweaking and tinkering… the show’s been on so long and it’s been so successful elsewhere, I think they’ve done quite an impressive job of looking at what works.”
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