Dancing With The Stars is returning to the ballroom for season 33 with familiar faces!
As yet-to-be-revealed celebrities prepare to dance off against one another with their respective partners, they can expect to be welcomed back by co-hosts Julianne Hough, a former pro dancer, and Alfonso Ribeiro, the season 19 Mirrorball Trophy winner.
This is not their first time hosting together. The 52-year-old actor has been hosting the show since 2022, originally alongside Tyra Banks. In season 32, his co-host changed to the 36-year-old professional dancer. Their chemistry goes way back, as Julianne was a judge on the season Alfonso won.
In a 2023 interview with Entertainment Tonight, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air actor shared, “Our chemistry, I think, is going to be fantastic. We’ve known each other for so long. She was a judge on my season.” He added, “We’ve known each other through the years, and our energy just feels so right. We sat and had lunch, and two-and-a-half hours later, we’re going, ‘I guess we should go home and do stuff.’ And I think that kind of chemistry and friendship is going to come through on the show to the audience.”
While Alfonso and Julianne will be encouraging the dancers, the ones putting them to the test will be returning judges Carrie Ann Inaba, Bruno Tonioli, and Derek Hough — a six-time mirrorball champion, Julianne’s brother, and former pro dancer.
This trio has been judging together since 2020, doing the show during the pandemic. They were last accompanied by the late longtime judge and dance critic Len Goodman, after whom the show’s trophy has been named.
The ballroom legend passed away at 78 years old in 2023, leaving a significant impact on many of the dancers who participated on the show, many of whom he had been judging since they were young.
As the dance competition is set to premiere on September 17 at 8 PM Eastern Time on ABC and Disney+, fans can expect the reveal of the celebrity dancers as the show date approaches. The winner of this season will be awarded ‘The Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy.’