Dancing With the Stars judge Carrie Ann Inaba is weighing in on the cast of season 34 after her absence from the official announcement on Good Morning America.
Inaba, 57, did not appear on the Wednesday, September 3, episode of GMA as her fellow judges Bruno Tonioli and Derek Hough — as well as hosts Alfonso Ribeiro and Julianne Hough — helped unveil the new crop of stars to take to the ballroom floor next season.
However, the veteran dancer and choreographer did share her enthusiasm in an Instagram Story, reposting a news article about the new cast. “Here we goooooo!!!!” she wrote over the post, going on to repost several pictures of the new celebrities posing with their pro dance partners.
This year’s contestants include Robert Irwin, the son of the late Steve Irwin, influencer Alix Earle, The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives’ Jennifer Affleck and Whitney Leavitt, The Traitors alum Dylan Efron, Olympic gymnast Jordan Chiles, NBA legend Baron Davis, Boy Meets World star Danielle Fishel, The Parent Trap’s Elaine Hendrix, Pentatonix singer Scott Hoying, Fifth Harmony star Lauren Jauregui, comedian Andy Richter, former child star Corey Feldman and reality star Hilaria Baldwin.
Returning dancers include Mark Ballas, Alan Bersten, Brandon Armstrong, Britt Stewart, Daniella Karagach, Emma Slater, Ezra Sosa, Gleb Savchenko, Pasha Pashkov, Rylee Arnold, Val Chmerkovskiy and Witney Carson. Jan Ravnik, a dancer on Taylor Swift’s record-breaking Eras Tour, is also set to join the cast as a pro this season.
Ahead of the premiere of season 34, Inaba recently reflected on Dancing With the Stars’ modest beginnings by sharing a season 1 cast photo of her and fellow judges Tonioli, 69, and the late Len Goodman via her Instagram on Friday, August 29.
“Look what I found. 👀 Len Goodman, @brunotonioliofficial and I, in our very first press photos for @dancingwiththestars. We were just babies. ( And I still love a good v neck and a hoop earring.) lol,” she wrote alongside the photo. “It’s incredible to think that 20 years have gone by. Thank you so much to ALL OF YOU – our #DWTSFAMILY. We love you. And we are grateful for you. And I hope we make you smile this season and give you joy and inspire you this Season 34.”
She added, “So much has changed over the years, but the heart of this show has stayed the same. Children have grown up watching us, and we’ve lost friends and family members along the way. But we are still going strong. And that’s because we are one big dancing family. ❤️Happy Friday everyone! #dwts #DWTS34 #memorylane #Dancing #Judges #20thanniversary”
Dancing With the Stars season 34 premieres on ABC and Disney+ Tuesday, September 16, at 8 p.m. ET. Episodes will be available to stream the next day on Hulu.
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