Dancing With the Stars is set to hit a major milestone this season, but fans will have to wait another week before the 500th episode celebration.
The ABC ballroom competition will not air a new episode on Tuesday, November 5, due to coverage of the 2024 presidential election. The pause gives the remaining couples — Joey Graziadei and Jenna Johnson, Danny Amendola and Witney Carson, Stephen Nedoroscik and Rylee Arnold, Chandler Kinney and Brandon Armstrong, Ilona Maher and Alan Bersten, and Dwight Howard and Daniella Karagach — a brief break in their battle for the mirrorball trophy.
While fans won’t be able to vote for their favorite dancing celebs, eligible viewers in the U.S. can use their voice in another way in Tuesday’s election. ABC’s coverage begins at 7 p.m. ET.
Season 33 of DWTS will continue on November 12 with a special twist honoring the show’s longevity. According to a press release, the contestants will perform fresh takes on memorable dances from past seasons. Elsewhere in the episode, the pairs will participate in an “Instant Dance Challenge,” with the style of dance and music being revealed just moments before they hit the ballroom floor.
Some familiar faces are expected to return for the celebration, but Carrie Ann Inaba played coy when asked whether she and her fellow judges will put on their dancing shoes.
“[That’s] the big question,” Inaba teased during a recent appearance on Good Morning America. “You’ll have to tune in to see that.”
Inaba, 56, and Bruno Tonioli have been featured on DWTS since its 2005 premiere. Former pro Derek Hough replaced the late Len Goodman on the judges’ panel following his retirement in 2022. (Derek’s sister Julianne Hough cohosts alongside Alfonso Ribeiro.)
The November 12 episode will open with a routine to “Crazy in Love” by Beyoncé and Jay-Z — the same song that kicked off the very first episode of the dance competition. Karagach, 31, and her husband, Pasha Pashkov, were tapped to choreograph the tribute number.
The competition will be undoubtedly fierce when the final six couples return to the ballroom next week.. Nearly every pair received a 10 from at least one judge during the Halloween Nightmares episode, which aired on October 29. Olympic rugby star Maher, 28, and pro Bersten, 30, had the lowest overall score of the night but were saved by viewers’ votes. Bachelorette alum Jenn Tran and her partner, Sasha Farber, were ultimately eliminated.
