Tom Bergeron returned to the Dancing with the Stars ballroom with a clear message for ABC network executives after he was fired from the show.
The former host of the reality competition show appeared on Tuesday’s show as the episode’s special guest judge for DWTS’s 20th anniversary celebration, marking his first time on the show since his shocking departure due to creative differences with the producers in 2020.
Bergeron’s grand return was full of nostalgic moments, starting with co-host Julianne Hough fighting back tears as she introduced the TV legend. But the episode turned serious when Bergeron, 70, declined to critique the relay dance and instead used his last moments on camera to urge ABC to make a major change to the show’s format.
“You guys were great,” he told the contestants. “But in my last comments as a judge, I want to talk directly to the network.”
He then spoke directly to the camera: “This show is setting ratings records again, so next season, bring back the results show. Let the whole country vote. Let everybody vote.” His message was met with cheers from the live audience.
Bergeron is referring to the former two-episode format of DWTS. In the past, the performances would be held on one night, with viewers invited to vote for their favorites. The next night, a results episode would reveal the couple eliminated by having the lowest score and the fewest votes.
The results episode allowed for a bigger voting window, allowing fans across the country to have a say in the competition. Plus, the live second episode of the week usually featured guest performances and behind-the-scenes content.
DWTS put an end to the results show in 2013 and changed the format to a single, two-hour episode each week. Now, the eliminations are included at the end of the weekly show.
Despite not hosting the show anymore, Bergeron has openly petitioned the show to go back to its old ways.
“I always mourned the loss of that Tuesday show. I thought it made the voting more fair across the country, because the West Coast can’t vote now unless they’re watching on wherever the hell you’d watch it streamed live,” Bergeron recently told The Hollywood Reporter.
“The results show was great. It was like a variety show with an elimination at the end. I think the ratings now would really speak to it being time to bring that back.”
DWTS has had a record-high viewership this season, achieving its highest ratings since Bergeron’s departure.
At the end of last night’s two-hour voting window, comedian Andy Richter and his partner Emma Slater were axed from the competition ahead of season 34’s semi-finals.
