Tom Bergeron made a dramatic return to the Dancing with the Stars ballroom on Tuesday, using his platform as guest judge to directly appeal to ABC executives to restore the show's former two-episode format.
The 70-year-old, who was fired from the show in 2020 due to creative differences, appeared for the first time since his departure as part of the programme's 20th anniversary celebrations. Co-host Julianne Hough was visibly emotional as she introduced him.
Instead of critiquing the relay dance, Bergeron turned to the camera and said: 'This show is setting ratings records again, so next season, bring back the results show. Let the whole country vote. Let everybody vote.' His plea was met with cheers from the live audience.
Bergeron has long advocated for the return of the results show, which was scrapped in 2013 in favour of a single two-hour episode. The former format allowed a two-night voting window, enabling viewers across all time zones to participate. He previously told The Hollywood Reporter: 'I always mourned the loss of that Tuesday show. I thought it made the voting more fair across the country.'
DWTS has seen record-high viewership this season, its highest since Bergeron's departure. At the end of Tuesday's two-hour voting window, comedian Andy Richter and his partner Emma Slater were eliminated ahead of the semi-finals.
