Dancing With the Stars is getting a refresh. Former contestant Alfonso Ribeiro is joining current host Tyra Banks in the ballroom for Season 31. Alfonso partnered with Witney Carson in 2014, and their fancy footwork won them the mirror ball.
Former DWTS host Tom Bergeron was let go when Season 28 wrapped up. Tom was thrilled for Alfonso and shared his support on Instagram. Tom captioned two photos with Alfonso, “Now, getting Conrad Green back as DWTS showrunner is only ONE of their smartest decisions.” He added, “Here’s the other one. Congratulations, buddy!”
Overall, the reaction to Alfonso’s new hosting gig has been positive. Married dance pros Jenna Johnson and Val Chmerkovskiy, who are expecting their first child in January of 2023, were happy about the decision. “I think Alfonso’s the perfect host, the perfect candidate,” Val stated. “He won the show, so he’s got a lot of experience.”
Another change concerns how viewers can watch the show. DWTS will air on Disney+ instead of ABC, beginning this fall.
US Weekly reported that during Season 25, Witney danced with actor Frankie Muniz. The duo came in third place.
According to E! News, Frankie discussed his health issues and how it played out on DWTS on the podcast, Pardon My Take. Frankie explained, “For the ‘Most Memorable Year’ episode, they told me my most memorable year was 2001. And I go, ‘I don’t know what to say,’ and they’re like, ‘Why?’”
Frankie, who starred in the sitcom Malcolm in the Middle, said that he didn’t have a lot of memories from that period. When the producers edited the piece for DWTS, they made it seem like Frankie had “zero memory of anything.” Frankie felt that the show exaggerated his condition.
He said, “I remember I was Malcolm. But I did a lot of stuff, and I don’t remember everything,” Frankie added. Frankie was also suffering from mini strokes, which caused him to lose his vision and have speech difficulties. Some people attributed his memory loss to amnesia.
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The actor later learned that severe migraines caused his medical symptoms. “I like to now talk about it because I have a better understanding of what it is. People come up to me all the time and they’re like, ‘Do you know who you are? Your name is Frankie Muniz,’” he stated.
E! News reported that Frankie originally talked about his memory issues during an interview with Jackass star Steve-O on the Wild Ride! podcast. Fun fact: Steve-O competed on DWTS in 2009.
Frankie, who starred in the Agent Cody Banks movies, worried that another medical problem could be contributing to his memory loss. “I just think it’s the fact that I did so f–king much in that time frame that, of course, I can’t remember all of it,” Frankie stated.
E! News reached out to Dancing With the Stars and ABC for comment but did not hear back.
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