There’s already at least one Wisconsin connection to “Dancing with the Stars” this season. But, on this week’s show on Tuesday, Nov. 11, there will be another.
And it won’t be just any episode. It’ll be the show’s “20th Birthday Party,” which is being celebrated with familiar faces from over the years, the return of the “Relay Dance” round and more, according to an ABC news release.
What’s this relay round? One couple performs the first half of a song and a second couple completes the second half. But, for the first time, the remaining celebrities — minus one who received relay immunity — have each been paired up with a former Mirrorball champion instead of their professional partners.
Mega-influencer and current “DWTS” contestant Alix Earle is swapping her pro partner, Val Chmerkovskiy, for Season 33 champ and former “Bachelor” Joey Graziadei, who hosts the “Dancing with the Stars Official Podcast.”
Though, by the looks of the Instagram Reel that Earle posted with Graziadei on Nov. 9, she was laughing through injury, holding an ice pack on her nose with one hand and possibly a bloody tissue in the other.
“DWTS” isn’t the only thing Earle and Graziadei have in common. Both of their mom’s sides are from Wisconsin. Earle regularly visits relatives in the Milwaukee area — she even spent a summer there — and had “the best Thanksgiving ever” in Green Bay last year. And Graziadei? A big-time Packers fan.
The judges will pick the winner of each relay, “with the victorious couples of each relay earning two bonus points apiece,” the release said.
But, before the relays get underway, the celebs and their usual pro partners will perform a new style to a song inspired by an iconic freestyle performance from a past season. Earle and Chmerkovskiy will be performing a foxtrot to Matthew Morrison’s version of “Singin’ in the Rain.”
The pairs that avoid elimination this week will move on to the show’s semifinals.
The “20th Birthday Party” special, produced in front of a live audience, premieres at 7 p.m. CT Nov. 11 on ABC and Disney+.
Here’s a look at the planned festivities, who the remaining seven celebrities and their partners are, and more:
What will the ‘Dancing with the Stars’ ’20th Birthday Party’ entail?
The episode’s “party-packed” opening number will feature the show’s current pros and troupe, along with these six original pros from Season 1: Alec Mazo, Ashly DelGrosso, Louis van Amstel, Jonathan Roberts, Charlotte Jorgensen and Edyta Śliwińska, the release said. It’s choreographed by judge Derek Hough and set to a reimagined live version of the “DWTS” theme by Ray Chew.
Former longtime “DWTS” host Tom Bergeron will return to the ballroom for the party as a guest judge.
The show will honor “DWTS” performers who died over the years with a performance to “Always Remember Us This Way” by Lady Gaga, choreographed and performed by pros Ezra Sosa and Rylee Arnold.
Who’s left on ‘Dancing with the Stars’ Season 34
In addition to the duo of Earle and Chmerkovskiy, the celebs still in the competition and their pro partners are:
Wildlife conservationist Robert Irwin and partner Witney Carson
“The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” celebrity Whitney Leavitt and partner Mark Ballas
Reality TV star and content creator Dylan Efron and partner Daniella Karagach
Comedian Andy Richter and partner Emma Slater
Film and TV actress Elaine Hendrix and partner Alan Bersten
Olympic gold medalist gymnast Jordan Chiles and partner Ezra Sosa
The celebrities/pro partners’ dance styles and songs for the ‘Dancing with the Stars’ ’20th Birthday Party’ episode
Irwin and Carson: A foxtrot to “Footprints in the Sand” by Leona Lewis
Leavitt and Ballas: An Argentine tango to “Cell Block Tango” from “Chicago The Musical”
Efron and Karagach: An Argentine tango to “Ain’t No Sunshine” by Bill Withers
Richter and Slater: A quickstep to “Puttin’ on the Ritz” by Robbie Williams
Hendrix and Bersten: A salsa to “It Takes Two” by Rob Base & DJ EZ Rock
Chiles and Sosa: A cha cha to “Get Up” by Ciara featuring Chamillionaire
More on the ‘Relay Dance’ round. Who doesn’t have to compete in it?
Six celebs and their Mirrorball champ partners will perform a Quickstep, Viennese Waltz or Jive.
Leavitt and Ballas have received immunity from the relay round, plus two bonus points, for having the top scores in the individual dance round last week and for their cumulative judges’ totals all season.
The rest of the ‘Relay Dance’ round pairings
“DWTS” has been sharing the “Relay Dance” round pairings on Instagram. They are as follows:
What Alix Earle has been posting on social media about teaming up with Joey Graziadei for the ‘Relay Dance’ round
How to vote for your favorite ‘Dancing with the Stars’ duo
According to ABC, people can vote during the live simulcast of the show in the ET/CT time zones.
During that time, online voting is available to people in any time zone in the U.S., its territories and Canada at dwtsvote.abc.com. People using participating U.S. wireless carriers can also vote via SMS/text (not available in Canada).
Live viewer votes will be combined with judges’ scores and bonus points to determine which couples will be safe from elimination and make it to next week’s “Prince Night” semifinals.
How to watch ‘Dancing with the Stars’ Season 34
“DWTS” airs at 7 p.m. CT Tuesdays on ABC and Disney+, and streams on Hulu the next day.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Dancing with the Stars 20th birthday: Alix Earle, Joey Graziadei team
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.yahoo.com ’
