Dancing With the Stars pulled out all of the stops to honor late decide Len Goodman throughout its Tuesday, October 24, episode.
Former execs Maks Chmerkovskiy, Karina Smirnoff, Mark Ballas, Kym Johnson-Herjavec, Tony Dovolani, Anna Trebunskaya, Louis van Amstel and Edyta Sliwinska returned for the routine, which additionally featured all the skilled dancers from season 32. Present solid members Val Chmerkovskiy and Jenna Johnson choreographed the quantity set to Henry Mancini’s “Moon River.”
Cohost Alfonso Ribeiro launched the tribute, noting that the Dancing With the Stars household was “shocked and saddened” by the information of Goodman’s demise at age 78 in April. “Since Len will at all times be on the coronary heart of this present, our execs created a particular efficiency in his honor,” Ribeiro, 52, stated.
Forward of the transferring group waltz, for which the ladies wore white robes and the boys wore crisp tuxedos, the performers shared their recollections of Goodman through a pre-recorded video.
“One of many issues I’m most grateful for [about] having the ability to decide alongside Len, is I used to be in a position to spend a bit of bit extra further time with him,” stated decide Derek Hough, tearing up.
Each Derek, 38, and his sister Julianne Hough — who’s a cohost this season alongside Ribeiro — first met Goodman as youngsters.
“I knew Len from once I was 10 years outdated, so this present felt like, ‘That is dwelling, that is household,’” Julianne, 35, stated in the course of the tribute.
Different DWTS execs regarded again fondly on Goodman’s capacity to offer powerful criticism with love.
“You had been gonna get the reality from Len Goodman, however he’d do it together with his little twinkle,” stated Johnson-Herjavec, 47. “Should you weren’t doing it [right], he’d allow you to now,” Ballas, 37, chimed in.
After the waltz honoring the late DWTS decide tribute — which concluded with an audio clip of Goodman himself saying “All good issues should come to and finish” — a number of performers, together with Derek and present DWTS execs Daniella Karagach and Emma Slater, had been in tears. A sobbing Bruno Tonioli stood up from his seat on the judges desk to embrace his fellow decide Carrie Ann Inaba.
Goodman had served as a decide on Dancing With the Stars since its 2005 premiere. He introduced his retirement from the ABC actuality competitors collection in November 2022. The next April, he died after battling prostate most cancers.
Previous to the premiere of season 32, the present renamed its prize in reminiscence of Goodman. “The Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy will now be lifted on Dancing With the Stars just like the Vince Lombardi trophy is lifted on the Tremendous Bowl,” govt producer Conrad Inexperienced instructed USA As we speak in September. “We needed to make Len a everlasting a part of this present, to at all times remind individuals the significance he’s needed to Dancing With the Stars and the way a lot he meant to all of us.”
Inexperienced famous that the premiere was additionally devoted to Goodman. “Len loves this present and can at all times be there, wanting down on us,” he stated.
Cohosts Ribeiro and Julianne briefly touched upon Goodman’s impression in the course of the September premiere. “Although he’s definitely irreplaceable, … we needed to maintain his spirit alive,” Julianne stated on the time as Ribeiro pointed to the mirrorball trophy. “It’s so unbelievable that Len will at all times be going ahead with us.”
Earlier this month, Julianne elaborated on her expertise internet hosting the present whereas remembering Goodman. “This season is certain to be nostalgic and memorable, particularly as we honor and provides tribute to the good Len Goodman,” she solely instructed Us Weekly on October 11. “He was such a pricey buddy, and I’m so glad to have the ability to honor him and preserve his spirit alive within the ballroom.”
She added: “He was such an inspiration and can at all times be the guts of this present.”
For season 32, Derek, Inaba, 55, and Tonioli, 67, have served because the judging panel, with Inexperienced revealing in September that the present by no means had plans to switch Goodman following his retirement.
“I’ve at all times felt Len is irreplaceable,” Inexperienced instructed Leisure Weekly. “He’s such an vital a part of the historical past of the present and such an vital a part of the explanation the present is profitable [with] his honesty, his specialist ballroom information and him coming genuinely from that world. His legacy of what he’s delivered to the present is wonderful. He’s at all times been that man who’s protected ballroom dancing on the present. He will probably be missed terribly.”
Dancing With the Stars airs on ABC and Disney+ Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET.