Tom Bergeron Receives Surprise Honorary Mirrorball 5 Years After DWTS Firing
Tom Bergeron, who hosted Dancing With the Stars for the first 28 seasons, printed he was as soon as greatly surprised along with his private Mirrorball Trophy, quipping, “And I handiest needed to bounce as soon as in 2006.”
Tom Bergeron has, in one plan, waltzed away with Dancing With the Stars’ prime prize.
The frail host of the dancing competition, who was as soon as emcee for 15 years sooner than his abrupt departure in 2020, printed he was as soon as given an honorary Mirrorball Trophy by production kind designer James Yarnell.
“Five months within the past, I had an out of this world time returning for the Twentieth anniversary of @dancingwiththestars,” Bergeron wrote within the caption of his Instagram video on April 2. “This day at lunch, the display’s Production Designer, my Emmy-award a hit friend @j.r.yarnell, had a sweet, intellectual surprise for me.”
In a video recounting the sweet trade, the TV persona, who detailed his a protracted time long friendship with Yarnell relationship befriend to Hollywood Squares within the slack ‘90s, confirmed off a huge dusky field emblazoned with the DWTS attach.
“He shows up with this field,” he detailed. “How ‘bout that, huh? That’s fair. And he goes, ‘What create you suspect is in it?’”
The frail host admitted he did not inquire anything as huge because the display’s coveted prize, figuring that Yarnell had gotten him an vague memento from the space. “The first component that came to mind was as soon as Bruno Tonioli’s portable bronzer,” he shared, “or Carrie Ann Inaba’s smelling salts.”
“Here’s what it was as soon as,” Bergeron continued, pulling out a personalised golden Mirrorball Trophy along with his name engraved on the depraved. “And I handiest needed to bounce as soon as in 2006.”
The gift perceived to be a corpulent circle 2d for Bergeron, who hosted the display for the first 28 seasons but had a strained relationship to the production after he was as soon as fired in 2020. Genuinely, he told Cheryl Burke in a 2023 episode of her podcast Intercourse, Lies, and Spray Tans that he’d by no plan return “resulting from it’s not the same display.”
Indirectly, he did return to the ballroom for remaining November’s Twentieth anniversary episode. And sooner than that 2d, he shared insight into his tumultuous exit, revealing to The Hollywood Reporter, that he “did not delight in the showrunner” in rate all the plan in which thru his closing season. “He knew that,” Bergeron continued. “I didn't delight in being lied to, and he did that.”
Alternatively, it wasn’t except Dancing With the Stars’ normal showrunner Conrad Green contented him to come befriend that his healing rush with the display began.
Bergeron printed to Steady Morning The USA on the time that Green “indubitably form of prolonged the olive branch and got me reminiscing in regards to the total fond recollections.”
Read on to be taught more secrets and suggestions from the appreciated dance competition…
How A lot Assemble the Celebrities Bring collectively Paid to Be on Dancing With the Stars?
Citing more than one sources, Diversity reported in 2019 that Dancing With the Stars contestants create $125,000 for the rehearsal length and first two weeks of the display. If they progress beyond that point, the outlet continued, they rep additional cash every week. At the time, sources told the e-newsletter stars would possibly presumably perhaps rep a maximum of $295,000.
Alternatively, Bobby Bones said he made better than this when he gained season 27 with Sharna Burgess in 2018.
“That display pays OK,” the radio persona said on a Sept. 2025 episode of Jason Tartick's podcast Shopping and selling Secrets. “Relish, first episode, no money. 2nd episode, $10,000. I believe it's delight in, $10,000, $10,000, $20,000, $20,000. It ends up being $50,000 an episode whereas you occur to remaining.”
Additionally receiving a depraved salary of round $110,000, Bones continued, “I ended up making shut to $400,000 from that display.”
ABC has not publicly confirmed any of these figures.
What Assemble the Pros Bring collectively Paid on Dancing With the Stars?
Equally, diminutive has been shared publicly about how noteworthy the consultants receives a rate. But as with the contestants, it seems delight in the longer they're on the display, the additional cash they would possibly be able to create.
But even though a pro is eradicated within the first round, they're not leaving the ballroom empty-handed.
“You're assured except a certain quantity of weeks,” Jenna Johnson said on a June 2025 episode of Kelly Stafford and Hank Winchester's podcast The Morning After. “I believe there's assorted contracts though. I can't be in contact for all americans.”
Assemble Pros Bring collectively Paid Extra If They Rep Dancing With the Stars?
It sounds as if not.
While Johnson—who gained season 26 with Olympic resolve skater Adam Rippon, as effectively as season 33 with The Bachelor's Joey Graziadei—says the consultants don't ranking the next paycheck within the event that they rob house what is now referred to as the Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy, she authorized there's still an incentive to create it to the finale (besides bragging rights, needless to claim).
“If you create it the total manner to the tip, you're getting paid the total season, which is amazing, and you ranking a bonus on prime of that for making it to the finale,” she explained on The Morning After. “If you ranking, it's not corresponding to you ranking a $1 million and split it along with your accomplice. You're correct getting a adorable trophy collectively.”
Assemble the Troupe Participants Bring collectively Paid as A lot because the Pros on Dancing With the Stars?
That doesn't seem to be the case.
On a 2022 episode of Shopping and selling Secrets, Lindsay Arnold recalled how her salary was as soon as minimize “better than in half of” when she was as soon as demoted from pro to troupe member.
How Are Pros and Celebrities Paired Together on Dancing With the Stars?
The consultants ranking diminutive input in phrases of being matched with a celeb.
“You ranking no instruct,” Lindsay said on a Could well well 2025 episode of Maggie Sellers' Sizzling Perfect Filthy rich podcast. “It's very noteworthy correct, 'Here's your accomplice. Form it work.'”
Genuinely, Jenna said the pairing is frequently a secret except the leisure minute.
“They indubitably are seeking to care for it a secret except you meet them are residing,” Jenna said on The Morning After. “They want that accurate response. So I believe of us constantly think everyone is aware of who we comprise got and we're keeping it a secret. Utterly not. They devise not stutter us. They indubitably don't even want us to grab the solid. It gets leaked loads, but they wish it very hush-hush except you stroll in and meet your accomplice.”
As for what the Dancing With the Stars team looks for when making these fits?
“It's in step with prime, create and persona and compatibility,” frail showrunner Rob Wade told E! Recordsdata in 2015. “We don't pair of us that aren't going to ranking on. It's too intense. It's not delight in The Bachelor or something, we couldn't create that. That can presumably perhaps correct be miserable ride for the celeb, for us and the viewer. You don't are seeking to inquire two of us that don't delight in every assorted and, quite frankly, we comprise got made that mistake pairing of us up who didn't ranking on so effectively.”
How Typically Assemble the Pros and Celebrities Apply on Dancing With the Stars?
Keep apart merely, loads.
“Day by day we comprise got four-hour rehearsals,” Rylee Arnold, who was as soon as partnered with Olympic gymnast Stephen Nedoroscik on season 33, shared on a September 2024 episode of the Lightweights Podcast With Joe Vulpis. “It’s either 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. or 5:00 p.m to 9:00 p.m.”
However the work doesn't demolish as soon as the rehearsal wraps. Rylee authorized she would possibly presumably perhaps then meet with producers or the artistic team, work on choreography or gape dance videos.
“Actually my total life is devoted to it,” she continued, “on the opposite hand it's my ardour and it's what I esteem. So, it makes me so ecstatic.”
Indeed, it's a no-days-off form of gig.
“We have our display day on Tuesday and then it's Wednesday to Sunday, straight rehearsals,” Rylee added. “After which Monday we comprise got digicam blocking off and then Tuesday's display day yet all all over again.”
Assemble the Pros Bring collectively to Make a choice the Songs Each and each Week for Their Dance With Their Principal particular person Accomplice?
“Largely certain,” Emma Slater and Britt Stewart printed in a September 2025 Instagram video, “though it's a collaboration with producers.”
What's the Project Relish for Making the Costumes for Dancing With the Stars?
If you belief the quickstep was as soon as fleet, correct wait except you hear in regards to the tempo of the costume division.
“We meet with the space and lighting fixtures designers, dancers and skill and create a epic [for each pair],” costume kind designer Daniela Gschwendtner told TV Insider befriend in 2017. “Then we sketch out options. We have five days, max, to create the total outfits. That’s half of a day per costume, not including the total rhinestones. The suitable and trimming we create later. We have about 20 of us in our division and then we comprise got a separate tailor store. It’s a huge enterprise.”
Genuinely, costume kind designer Steven Norman Lee said pairs normally strive on their costumes for the first time correct hours sooner than showtime. And whereas the division “would possibly presumably perhaps use a pair of pants yet all all over again for the boys,” he continued, the total lot is frequently made personalized every week.
As Gschwendtner added, “We create reuse issues for community numbers or promo shoots, but not for the competition. We don’t reuse issues except there’s a specific reason to create so. We strive to care for all americans unusual and recent in something assorted every week, so it stays attention-grabbing.”
Source credit : eonline.com
