Tom Bergeron says Dancing with the Stars should bring back this fan-favorite tradition

Former longtime host Tom Bergeron says that Dancing with the Stars should revive its long-gone results show format.

During his recent guest-judge appearance for the show’s 20th anniversary, Bergeron told viewers and producers alike that reinstating the separate results episode — which aired the day after performances — would restore fairness, enhance audience participation and rekindle a beloved tradition.

Dancing with the Stars: Tom Bergeron’s push for a return to the original format

In an interview with Parade following his return to the ballroom, Bergeron said: 

“I do miss the results show.”

He explained how, when the series shifted in 2013 away from a two-night format to a single night of performances and results, a key opportunity for viewer engagement was lost. 

"The results show was great. It was like a variety show with an elimination at the end,” he added.

Bergeron pointed directly at the logistics of voting, saying,

“I thought [the results show] made the voting more fair across the country, because the West Coast can’t vote now unless they’re watching on wherever the hell you’d watch it streamed live.”

He urged the network,

“Based on the ratings success that they are having now, [I hope] that ABC brings back the results show and enables the voting to carry over to the next day.”

Having jumped into season 34 of Dancing with the Stars and celebrating two decades on air, Bergeron praised the show's current iteration. He said,

“I think that the show is doing exactly what it should do at 20 years old … I think they’ve got the right team and it feels young and it feels refreshed, and I think you can see that in the total audience numbers.”

He added recognition of the fresh lineup,

“Derek [Hough] is there, sort of filling Len’s central judge role, and you’ve got Alfonso [Ribeiro] and Julianne … It’s a younger-feeling show. They’re casting it with influencers … but are obviously charismatic and [make] very good television.”

Yet, despite his support and enthusiasm, Bergeron reserved his primary change request for the format.

The old format — performances one night, results the next — also allowed the show to produce extra content: musical guests, fan voting breakdowns, behind-the-scenes segments, and more time for pros and troupe numbers.

Bergeron argued that returning to that tradition would enrich Dancing with the Stars for both fans and participants alike.

Viewers on forums and social media echoed the sentiment.

In the r/dancingwiththestars subreddit, one user wrote: 

“I miss the results show and would love to have it back! … I think the show needs to bring back the result show!”

Others emphasized how the two-night format allowed more time for pro dances, deeper storytelling, and more equitable voting windows.

In the current structure of Dancing with the Stars, performances and results happen in one Tuesday-night episode.

Eliminations are typically announced near the end of the same broadcast, leaving fewer hours for viewers to vote — a dynamic Bergeron and others claim disadvantages late-night and West Coast live-viewing audiences.

By reinstating a separate results show, Bergeron argues that Dancing with the Stars would restore the national voting window to as many hours as possible, offer more content for viewers, and perhaps recapture some of its earlier cultural momentum.

Given that the show is experiencing a ratings surge in its 20th season, according to Bergeron himself, the case is compelling.

For fans of Dancing with the Stars, Bergeron’s return to the ballroom and his candid call for a format change have rekindled hope for a revival of one of the franchise's most fondly remembered traditions.

Whether ABC will act on it remains to be seen — but the message has been sent.

Stay tuned for more updates.