The twenty-fifth and current season of “Dancing With The Stars” on ABC started last month on September 18. Since its premiere, two of the starting thirteen contestants – “Shark Tank” panelist/businesswoman Barbara Corcoran and 80s singer-songwriter Debbie Gibson – along with their professional dance partners have been eliminated during episodes 2 (September 25) and 3 (26) on week 2.
The third week of competition (and episode 4) this Monday may have been more of the same but for the tragic events in Las Vegas the day before. With their October 2 episode starting five minutes late due to a special coverage of the incident, the show paused for a brief moment of silence for the victims.
In the course of the dance numbers, it was decided that no elimination will take place.
‘The show must go on’
At first blush, it would have seemed rather incongruous to try airing a lively reality show dance competition like “Dancing with the Stars” so soon after the mass shooting incident at the Las Vegas strip on Sunday night. Still, host Tom Bergeron was able to carry on, past his own emotions (the start of the show had to wait for an ABC news report about the tragedy to finish), to kick things off.
WATCH: @DancingABC and @Tom_Bergeron send thoughts and prayers to the victims of the Las Vegas shooting at the top of tonight's show. #DWTS pic.twitter.com/vbiUjGG164
— Good Morning America (@GMA) October 3, 2017
“There is an old saying that the show must go on, and it will,” Began Bergeron, his voice unsteady.
“But first all of us on ‘Dancing with the Stars’ want to send our love, thoughts, and prayers to everyone touched by this senseless violence in Las Vegas.” He then dedicated the night’s performances to the victims and their families.
As of the latest reports, no less than 60 people have been killed after a Nevada local fired several modified semi-automatic rifles at an ongoing music festival along Route 91, from a vantage point at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, before shooting himself.
Over 500 others were injured.
‘Guilty pleasures’
Following host Tom Bergeron’s dedication, a moment of silence for Las Vegas, and an assurance that no contestants will be eliminated that evening, week 3 of “Dancing with the Stars” was underway. The theme for this episode is the rather notable “Guilty Pleasures Night.”
Here, the dancers get a chance to perform a dance they are learning for the first time, to a song that evokes their private indulgences.
The results made for some weird visuals, such as ESPN host Victoria Arlen and her partner doing the quickstep to Chumbawamba’s “Tubthumping,” or former NBA player Derek Fisher’s pairing dancing the cha-cha to – of all things – the “Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” theme, it being his favorite rerun watching.
The contestants can consider week 3 of “Dancing with the Stars” to be a breather, in preparation for week 4 where a double-elimination is all but guaranteed. That will be on October 9, only on ABC.
