Although Dancing With the Stars made history with Season 31 after its Disney+ debut, the series has dealt with more shakeups than just switching from ABC to streaming, with the exits of some pros and even a judge. However, with the way new rumors are going around, Tyra Banks may be the latest change on top of some replacements.
The Sun is reporting that a source close to DWTS executive producers says that the series is looking to completely change the show with a new host, new contestants, and even bigger names on the roster. It appears that they are more worried about pulling in viewers and are hoping that a “facelift” will help, including replacing Tyra Banks.
Tyra Banks joined DWTS as its new host beginning in Season 29, replacing longtime co-hosts Tom Bergeron and Erin Andrews. While there was initially improvement for the Season 29 ratings compared to Season 28, the numbers may not be as promising after the change to Disney+ from ABC. It likely doesn't help that Banks has been called a diva on set.
Fresh Prince alum (and former DWTS winner) Alfonso Ribeiro was cast for Season 31 as Tyra Banks’ co-host. While it did bring back a duo-dynamic of hosts, it evidently wasn’t enough to completely replace Bergeron and Andrews, even with Banks eating a boob chicken live.
A possible new host isn’t the only change that producers at DWTS are rumored to be looking at, although it would technically be a change back if the show returned to ABC. After 30 seasons on ABC, the dancing competition made the shocking move to Disney+, becoming the first live show on the platform. While the source says that the show was a success at its new home, there were still a great deal of viewers who didn’t switch from ABC to Disney+.
The rumors come not long after longtime judge Len Goodman announced his departure and retirement. As of now, it’s not known who could replace him, but if DWTS is going to go through other changes, it should be interesting to see what they do for this. The show has certainly survived big changes before, even when they affected what fans had been used to for a long time.
As of now, nothing has been publicly confirmed, and it's possible that nothing is yet set in stone behind the scenes for what changes may or may not come to Dancing With the Stars aside from what has already been announced. Hopefully, more concrete news will be announced soon, and we will get confirmation on whether the rumors are true or not. In the meantime, check out CinemaBlend’s 2023 TV schedule to see what is coming out in the new year.
