Dancing With the Stars Guest Judge: Tom Bergeron

‘Dancing With the Stars’ Reveals Guest Judge for 20th Anniversary Episode

Dancing With the Stars is waltzing into 20 years.

In honor of the competition show’s 20th anniversary, DWTS is bringing in a special guest judge for the Nov. 11 episode: Tom Bergeron, who hosted the series from 2005 to 2019.

The news was announced on the Nov. 5 episode of Good Morning America, with much fanfare and excitement. 

“It feels really good,” Tom told the GMA hosts of returning to the ballroom. “I’m really looking forward to it.”

And on DWTS celebrating 20 years, he said, “I think 20 years of any primetime show is amazing, but for a show that’s 20 years old that’s also having a ratings resurgence—you’re more likely to see a zebra playing the piano.”

He credits the team behind Dancing With the Stars for getting the show “back to its essence.”

It’s fitting to have Tom join fellow judges Carrie Ann Inaba, Bruno Tonioli and Derek Hough, as Dancing With the Stars celebrates two decades on air with its 34th season. The show—based on the British show Strictly Come Dancing—first began airing on ABC in June 2005. 

The broadcast did look slightly different then, since Tom and Lisa Canning were on hosting duties, and Carrie Ann and Bruno were joined at the judges’ table by Len Goodman. Goodman officially retired from the show after season 31 and died of prostate cancer in 2023, with the Mirrorball Trophy being renamed the Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy in his honor.

Eric McCandless via Getty Images

And while many aspects of the show have changed over 20 years, there has been one constant since General Hospital star Kelly Monaco and her partner Alec Mazo took home the first Mirrorball Trophy: the judges never holding back their thoughts. 

And being very candid with her opinions has even seen judge Carrie Ann face some backlash in recent weeks.

“It’s okay to disagree about what we see,” the 57-year-old replied to an Instagram user who questioned her scoring. “That’s what makes our show great. You have a say in the matter.”

Disney/Eric McCandless

Carrie Ann added, “We want you to vote for what you love and believe in. I appreciate your comment and the way you expressed your feelings. Thank you for your passion and your opinion.”

Even those in the competition realize what a difficult time the judges have, with dancing pro Pasha Pashkov acknowledging that they have “the hardest job.”

“It’s one thing to give your opinion in a comment online or just in passing,” he told E! News following the series’ Oct. 21 episode, “but to then actually make that decision and pick up that number in front of millions of people watching, knowing that you might get a backlash on it is not easy.”

For a look at all the celebs ready to hear what the judges have to say on this season of Dancing With the Stars, keep reading. 

Disney

Baron Davis

Partnered with Britt Stewart

Disney

Jennifer Affleck 

Partnered with Jan Ravnik

Disney

Alix Earle 

Partnered with Valentin Chmerkovski

Disney

Dylan Efron

Partnered with Daniella Karagach 

Disney

Corey Feldman

Partnered with Jenna Johnson

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Elaine Hendrix 

Partnered with Alan Bersten

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Robert Irwin 

Partnered with Witney Carson

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Jordan Chiles 

Partnered with Ezra Sosa

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Scott Hoying 

Partnered with Rylee Arnold

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Whitney Leavitt

Partnered with Mark Ballas

Disney

Hilaria Baldwin

Partnered with Gleb Savchenko 

Disney

Andy Richter

Partnered with Emma Slater

Disney

Danielle Fishel

Partnered with Pasha Pashkov 

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