‘DWTS’ announces a new guest judge ahead of its first Super Bowl Night
The 'Dancing With the Stars' ballroom is trading Mariah Carey hits for a Super Bowl soundtrack. Season 35's first Super Bowl Night will bring songs associated with past halftime performances into the competition on October 13. Eleven couples remain in the race for the Mirrorball Trophy. They will also perform in front of an additional judge joining the panel for the football-themed episode.
ESPN's 'Monday Night Football' announcer Joe Buck will take that seat alongside Carrie Ann Inaba, Derek Hough and Bruno Tonioli. 'Good Morning America' announced his guest appearance. Buck's role brings a football broadcasting connection to the judges' table. His appearance follows the show's announcement of the Super Bowl theme. Buck began calling NFL games for FOX Sports during the 1994-95 season. He was inducted into the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame in 2022.
The episode will “honor the music, spectacle and unforgettable moments of the big game,” according to the official release. The theme also connects to ABC and ESPN's upcoming Super Bowl LXI broadcast. That game is scheduled for February 14, 2027, at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles. In the ballroom, the couples will tackle salsa, samba, tango, jazz and paso doble routines.
Among the announced performances, Jenna Dewan and Val Chmerkovskiy will dance a paso doble to Lady Gaga's 'Bad Romance.' Maura Higgins and Mark Ballas have a tango set to Rihanna's 'Only Girl (In the World).' Connor Wood and Rylee Arnold will perform a samba to Shakira's 'Hips Don't Lie,' featuring Wyclef Jean. Harry Shum Jr. and Jenna Johnson will also dance a samba, using Usher's 'Yeah!,' featuring Lil Jon and Ludacris.
Julia Stiles and Ezra Sosa will perform jazz to Jennifer Lopez's 'Jenny from the Block' [Track Masters Remix], featuring Jadakiss and Styles P. Tatyana Ali and Jan Ravnik have a salsa to Kendrick Lamar's 'squabble up.' Jackson Olson and Emma Slater will dance salsa to Mark Ronson's 'Uptown Funk,' featuring Bruno Mars. Tyler Cameron and Sharna Burgess will perform jazz to the Black Eyed Peas' 'The Time (Dirty Bit).'
The episode follows October 6's Mariah Carey Night, which ended with Ciara Miller and Brandon Armstrong's elimination. Higgins and Ballas earned the season's first nine during that show. The remaining couples now move into week five with another themed routine to prepare. Super Bowl Night airs October 13 at 8 pm ET on ABC and Disney+, with the episode available the following day on Hulu.
