Spoilers ahead for the Season 32 premiere of Dancing with the Stars.
Dancing with the Stars returned to ABC in the 2023 TV schedule after spending Season 31 exclusively streaming for fans with Disney+ subscriptions, with some big changes beyond coming back to network TV. This is the first season of DWTS to release following the death of beloved longtime judge Len Goodman. There could be no doubt that co-hosts Alfonso Ribeiro and Julianne Hough would acknowledge the loss in some way or other, but the reveal of the historic tribute to Len Goodman was a beautiful way to start the season and made me so happy that the show is back on ABC.
After introducing Carrie Ann Inaba, Derek Hough, and Bruno Tonioli as the Season 32 judges, Alfonso Ribeiro noted that they were missing a member of the family. Julianne Hough, who was a pro dancer on DWTS before also serving as guest judge, judge, and now co-host, picked up where Ribeiro left off about Len Goodman, saying that they “wanted to keep his spirit alive” as an “irreplaceable” part of the judges panel for nearly all of the previous 31 seasons. Then, Ribeiro broke the big news:
And that’s why, as a tribute to him, we redesigned and renamed our ultimate prize. Let’s get our first look at the Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy.
While it’s still sad that Len Goodman passed away and won’t be part of Season 32, seeing the show acknowledge the loss and pay such a lovely and lasting tribute to him was a great way to start the premiere. In case you missed it, take a look at the redesigned trophy:
The trophy being renamed for him really does guarantee that he won’t be forgotten, even after Derek Hough previously opened up about wanting to honor Goodman and Bruno Tonioli shared how hard his friend’s death hit him. Given that it was only days ago that Dancing with the Stars‘ return could have been pushed back due to the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, fans have a lot to be thankful for after seeing how (and when) Season 32 began.
And of course, Season 32 was Dancing with the Stars‘ return to ABC after spending Season 31 streaming exclusively on Disney+. The show is still streaming live on the Disney platform (including ads during ABC’s commercial breaks), so any fans who preferred watching that way still have the option. Personally, though, I love that DWTS had the ABC platform as well as Disney+ to broadcast the Len Goodman tribute to as many people as possible. Plus, almost all of Goodman’s seasons of DWTS were on ABC, so it just fits that the first season without him is back on broadcast TV.
Season 32 kicked off with supermodel Tyson Beckford teamed with pro dancer Jenna Johnson, Marvel star Xochitl Gomez with pro Val Chmerkovskiy, actress Alyson Hannigan with pro Sasha Farber, reality TV star Harry Jowsey with pro Rylee Arnold, former Bachelorette Charity Lawson with pro Artem Chigvintsev, Vanderpump Rules‘ Ariana Madix with pro Pasha Pashkov, singer Jason Mraz with pro Daniella Karagach, NFL All-Star Adrian Peterson with pro Britt Stewart, social media star Lele Pons with pro Brandon Armstrong, actress Mira Sorvino with pro Gleb Savchenko, actress Jamie Lynn Spears with pro Alan Bersten, TV star Mauricio Umansky with pro Emma Slater, and actor Barry Williams with pro Peta Murgatroyd.
That list of celebs will only get shorter as the weeks pass, so be sure to keep tuning in to ABC or Disney+ on Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET for new episodes of Dancing with the Stars… and see who will be the first to claim the Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy.