‘DWTS’ Producer Defends Replacing Tom Bergeron And Erin Andrews

Published on October 1, 2020.

When it was announced that Tom Bergeron and Erin Andrews would no longer be hosting Dancing with the Stars, many longtime fans and even employees of the show were shocked by the news.

Andrew Llinares, a producer from the long-running dance reality competition, recently spoke out to defend the decision noting that it was a necessary change. “It’s all about evolution,” he told reporters Wednesday during Day 2 of ABC’s virtual fall press day.

“Any show like this that has been on for many, many seasons needs to continue to evolve. So I think changing that host is all about evolution. It was all about making the show feel fresh, making it feel new and make it reach out to a new audience — as well as the audience that’s been there for years.”

Some viewers have expressed their discontent with Tyra as a solo host of the series, but Llinares believes switching from a two-host format to one has been “working brilliantly.”

“I think it’s really refreshed the pace of the show. It’s taken it to a new place, in terms of moving fast and feeling different. I think that there’s a real danger when a show has been on for a long time that the audience almost gets bored of the rhythm of it. It doesn’t mean that there’s anything wrong with it, just that it gets a little boring,” he said.

“I think it’s changed the rhythm of the show in a really exciting way. I think Tyra is doing an amazing, amazing job. It’s been wonderful having her energy in the ballroom and her expertise as a host in the ballroom. She’s brought a new life to everything.”

He continued by emphasizing their need to keep the show relevant. “When a show’s been on for this many seasons, it’s very easy to stay in a place where it doesn’t feel like there’s anything wrong but does the show feel fresh, exciting and new? It’s really tough… We’ve always been successful on all those shows where we continue to evolve and continue to move things on. That’s something we’ve been doing right across the board with this show,” Llinares explained.

“The host is part of it, bringing Derek in is part of it, but also throughout the fabric of everything on the show — the set has been updated, it feels more current and the way we’re filming the packages… all of those things take the show into a place where it feels more current. We wanted to make the show feel relevant, but still hold on to the heart of the show.”

Dancing With the Stars airs Mondays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC.