DWTS Reveals Guest Judge for 20th Anniversary Episode

Dancing With the Stars is waltzing into 20 years.

To celebrate its 20th season, Dancing with the Stars (DWTS) is welcoming back a familiar face as a guest judge on November 11th: Tom Bergeron, who was the show’s host from 2005 to 2019.

The announcement was made on the November 5th episode of Good Morning America with a lot of excitement.

Tom shared with the hosts of GMA how happy he was to be back in the ballroom and excited for what’s to come.

Speaking about the 20th anniversary of Dancing with the Stars, he remarked that it’s incredible for any show to last that long, especially one that’s also gaining popularity again – he joked it’s like seeing a zebra play the piano!

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

Tom will be joining judges Carrie Ann Inaba, Bruno Tonioli, and Derek Hough for the 34th season of Dancing With the Stars, which is celebrating 20 years on television. The show, originally based on the British program Strictly Come Dancing, first premiered on ABC in June 2005.

The show looked a little different back then, with Tom and Lisa Canning hosting, and Len Goodman joining Carrie Ann and Bruno as a judge. Goodman retired after season 31 and sadly passed away from prostate cancer in 2023. As a tribute, the Mirrorball Trophy was renamed the Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy.

Okay, so General Hospital has definitely evolved over the last twenty years, but honestly, the one thing that’s always been the same since Kelly Monaco and Alec Mazo won that first Mirrorball Trophy? The judges! They’ve never been shy about what they think, and I live for it! It’s like, the show changes, but their honesty? That’s a constant, and it’s amazing.

Judge Carrie Ann has recently received some criticism for being very open and honest with her opinions.

The judge, 57, responded to a viewer on Instagram who questioned her scores by saying it’s perfectly fine for people to have different opinions. She explained that these disagreements are actually what make the show enjoyable, as the audience gets to share their own thoughts.

Carrie Ann encouraged viewers to vote for their favorite performers and what they truly believed in. She also thanked them for sharing their honest opinions and expressed her appreciation for their passion.

Even the competitors understand how tough it is for the judges. Dancing professional Pasha Pashkov admitted they have “the hardest job.”

He explained to TopMob News after the show’s October 21st episode that sharing an opinion casually is different from making a public decision with potential consequences. Choosing a number on live television, knowing it could draw criticism from millions of viewers, is a much more difficult situation.

Want to see which celebrities are hoping to impress the judges on this season of Dancing With the Stars? Read on to find out!