‘Dancing With the Stars': Tyra Banks Says She Isn’t Changing Show – Just Bringing Some ‘Spice’
“It’s a pretty thick manual of a lot of precautions that the team is taking into effect,” Banks says
Reid Nakamura | September 4, 2020 @ 6:00 AM
Last Updated: September 4, 2020 @ 6:31 AM
Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images
When “Dancing With the Stars” returns with a new season later this month, it’ll have a new host at the helm, but Tyra Banks says she isn’t looking to reboot the show entirely.
“‘Dancing with the Stars,’ this is an American icon of a show,” Banks said in a conference call with reporters ahead of the new season. “So it’s not like I’m coming in and saying, ‘Oh, everything has to change.'”
Banks, a veteran host of “America’s Next Top Model” and “America’s Got Talent,” was brought in for the Season 29 to take over for longtime host Tom Bergeron and Erin Andrews. Banks was also named executive producer alongside showrunner Andrew Llinares, with ABC touting a “new creative direction” for the series inspired by Banks’ involvement.
“It’s just about some rejuvenation, some things that we’re adding to kind of spice it up,” she said. “But by no means am I coming in with a sledgehammer.”
Banks said she hopes to find ways to “bring the young audience” to “Dancing With the Stars” when the show premieres Monday, Sept. 14.
“It is my job to endear America to not just me, but to this show,” she said. “Because it is the same show. It is a different ringmaster, but it is still the show that they know and love.”
But that show fans “know and love” will return with a slew of new COVID-19 safety protocols, perhaps making for a slightly different setup than they’re used to on the ballroom floor.
“It’s a pretty thick manual of a lot of precautions that the team is taking into effect,” Banks said.
The new season of the dancing competition will be shot in-person on the show’s usual soundstage, but couples will be isolated from each other and outside guests will not be allowed on-set, including the show’s usual studio audience.
Among the show’s roster of professional dancers for the season there are three couples, all of whom will be split up for the duration of the season in order to protect their partners. The judging table will similarly face some reconfiguration to comply with social distancing.
“The lighting team is doing a fantastic job of making sure that the room looks effervescent, energetic, but without the audience,” Banks said, promising that the show won’t look or feel too different from past seasons from a viewer’s perspective.
One thing that might change, though, is the involvement of head judge Len Goodman, who has been with the show since its inception. “We’re really trying to figure out how to incorporate Len in the season,” Banks said, noting that international travel restrictions complicate the U.K.-based Goodman’s involvement. “There are challenges, but we’re trying to figure that out.”
“And then of course there’s the masks and the fumigations and the shields. The list is long,” Banks said. “A lot that people are familiar with and a lot that they’re not.”
'Dancing With the Stars' Career Bump: 12 Contestants Who Got Biggest Boost (Photos)
From Kim Kardashian to Alfonso Ribeiro, TheWrap takes a look at the celebrities who have gone on to bigger and better things.
When Kim Kardashian was on Season 7 of "Dancing With the Stars," "Keeping up With the Kardashians" was just a year old, but it went on to become one of the most successful franchises in reality TV history.
ABC
Mark Cuban
After his stint on Season 5 of "Dancing With the Stars," Cuban went from regular billionaire to famous billionaire when he became one of the investors on ABC's hit "Shark Tank."
"Dancing With the Stars'" most successful alums weren't even stars before they were on the show. Brother-sister duo Derek and Julianne Hough entered the show as professional dancers, but have since branched out into their own acting careers. Julianne also took on the role of judge on the show beginning with Season 19.
ABC
Brooke Burke-Charvet
Brooke Burke-Charvet won the seventh season of ABC's reality competition series in 2008 then parlayed that success into a nine-season run as co-host of the show.
ABC
Erin Andrews
Like Burke-Chavert before her, Andrews went from "DWTS" alum to co-host when she assumed the role for Season 18. Andrews also assumed several new roles as a sportscaster for Fox Sports.
ABC
Lisa Rinna
Daytime soap vet Lisa Rinna competed in the second season of "DWTS," finishing in fourth place. Since then, she's gone on to a fruitful reality TV career, including her role as one of the regulars on "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills."
ABC
Jennie Garth
"Beverly Hills, 90210" star Jennie Garth finished in fourth place on Season 5 of "DWTS," then went on to star in the CW's "90210" revival the following year.
ABC
Candace Cameron Bure
"Full House" star took home the bronze in Season 18, then wrote a book about the experience, called "Dancing Through Life." She also serves as a host on the ABC daytime talk show "The View" and will star in the Netflix sequel series "Fuller House."
In 2009, Melissa Joan Hart competed on Season 9 of "Dancing With the Stars," and in 2010 she made her return to TV in ABC Family's "Melissa and Joey" alongside Joey Lawrence (who also competed in Season 3).
ABC
Kellie Pickler
"American Idol" vet Kellie Pickler put her reality TV experience to use on Season 16, this time walking away a winner. In 2015, Pickler and her husband Kyle Jacobs scored a CMT reality series called "I Love Kellie Pickler."
ABC
Alfonso Ribeiro
"The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" alum Alfonso Ribeiro won Season 19 of "Dancing With the Stars," then went on to take over for Tom Bergeron as host of "America's Funniest Home Videos" in 2015.
ABC
Bobby Bones
The country-music radio host won Season 27 in fall 2018 despite landing the second lowest scores in the final 4 with partner Sharna Burgess -- and then parlayed that appearance into a full-time mentor role on ABC's "American Idol" reboot. He even subbed in as host in April 2019 when Ryan Seacrest was too sick to tape the live show.
ABC
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From Kim Kardashian to Alfonso Ribeiro, TheWrap takes a look at the celebrities who have gone on to bigger and better things
From Kim Kardashian to Alfonso Ribeiro, TheWrap takes a look at the celebrities who have gone on to bigger and better things.