‘DANCING WITH THE STARS’ CELEBRATES TWO DECADES OF MIRRORBALL MOMENTS WITH A SPECIAL ‘20TH BIRTHDAY PARTY’ AIRING NOV. 11

 Download Assets Here

“20th Birthday Party” — It’s time to party! “Dancing with the Stars” is celebrating 20 incredible years of dazzling moves, unforgettable moments and show-stopping performances. As announced this morning on “Good Morning America,” joining the ultimate birthday celebration is former host Tom Bergeron who makes a return to the ballroom as guest judge. “20th Birthday Party” premieres TUESDAY, NOV. 11 (8:00-10:01 p.m. EST/PST, 7:00-9:01 p.m. CST), simulcast LIVE across both ABC and Disney+ in local time zones and next day on Hulu. The show is produced in front of a live audience by BBC Studios.

Get ready for a party-packed opening number. Choreographed by Derek Hough and set to a reimagined live version of the “Dancing with the Stars Theme” by Ray Chew, the number brings together our current pros and troupe, plus six original pros from Season 1: Alec Mazo, Ashly DelGrosso, Louis van Amstel, Jonathan Roberts, Charlotte Jorgensen and Edyta Śliwińska. Then, the show honors the beloved “DWTS” performers we’ve lost over the years with a moving performance to “Always Remember Us This Way” by Lady Gaga, choreographed and performed by Ezra Sosa and Rylee Arnold.

In the first round, each couple will showcase a new style to a song inspired by an iconic freestyle performance from past seasons. Later in the evening, the Relay Dance competition returns. In this challenge, one couple performs the first half of a song, followed by a second couple who completes the second half. The judges then decide the winner of each relay, with the victorious couples of each relay earning two bonus points apiece.

The relay round adds an exciting twist: For the first time ever, celebrities will dance without their professional partners, instead joining forces with a returning Mirrorball champion to perform a Quickstep, Viennese Waltz or Jive. As a result of their top scores in the individual dance round from the previous week (and their cumulative judges’ totals all season), Whitney Leavitt and Mark Ballas have received immunity and will not have to participate in the relay dances. They will automatically receive two bonus points as part of their immunity.

Fans will be able to vote during the live simulcast of the show in the ET/CT time zones. During this time, online voting will be available to fans in any time zone in the U.S., its territories and Canada via dwtsvote.abc.com, and fans on participating U.S. wireless carriers can also vote via SMS/text (fans in Canada cannot vote via SMS/text). Live viewer votes from the night will be combined with the judges’ scores and bonus points to determine which couples will escape elimination and dance in next week’s “Prince Night” semi-finals.

The couples (along with their dance styles and songs) are the following:

• Social media personality Alix Earle and partner Val Chmerkovskiy will perform a Foxtrot to “Singin’ in the Rain” by Matthew Morrison.
• Wildlife conservationist Robert Irwin and partner Witney Carson will perform a Foxtrot to “Footprints in the Sand” by Leona Lewis.
• From “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” Whitney Leavitt and partner Mark Ballas will perform an Argentine Tango to “Cell Block Tango” from “Chicago The Musical.”
• Reality TV star and content creator Dylan Efron and partner Daniella Karagach will perform an Argentine Tango to “Ain’t No Sunshine” by Bill Withers.
• Comedian Andy Richter and partner Emma Slater will perform a Quickstep to “Puttin’ on the Ritz” by Robbie Williams.
• Film and TV actress Elaine Hendrix and partner Alan Bersten will perform a Salsa to “It Takes Two” by Rob Base & DJ EZ Rock.
• Olympic gold medalist Jordan Chiles and partner Ezra Sosa will perform a Cha Cha to “Get Up” by Ciara featuring Chamillionaire.

After each episode, go behind the curtain with the “‘Dancing with the Stars’ Official Podcast.” Hosted by Season 33 Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy champion Joey Graziadei, the show brings exclusive cast interviews, special guests, behind-the-scenes insights and expert breakdowns of the performances people can’t stop discussing. Tune in Thursdays on Disney+ and Hulu.

“Dancing with the Stars” is the hit series cohosted by Alfonso Ribeiro and Julianne Hough in which celebrities are paired with trained ballroom dancers to compete in themed choreographed dance routines that are judged by a panel of renowned ballroom experts, including Carrie Ann Inaba, Bruno Tonioli and Derek Hough.

Follow ABC Publicity on Instagram.

Follow “Dancing with the Stars” (#DWTS) on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok.

Media Contacts

You must be logged in to view this content. Please log in or create an account.