Here's why “Dancing With the Stars” isn't replacing Len Goodman at the judges' table
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Dancing With the Stars is back — but there will be a metaphorically empty chair at the judges' table.
At the conclusion of season 31 last fall, longtime head judge and ballroom expert Len Goodman announced that he would be retiring from his post doling out tough love and hoofing tips on DWTS. Several months later, Goodman died of bone cancer on April 28 at the age of 78.
But the producers of the long-running dance competition series had no intention of filling Goodman's post on the show, even before his death. "I've always felt Len is irreplaceable," executive producer Conrad Green tells EW. "He's such an important part of the history of the show and such an important part of the reason the show is successful [with] his honesty, his specialist ballroom knowledge, and him coming genuinely from that world. His legacy of what he's brought to the show is amazing. It was never in my mind to replace him."
Christopher Willard via Getty Images Len Goodman on 'Dancing with the Stars'
"When I first spoke to Len about doing the show, he said the reason he wanted to do it was that he wanted to make sure TV didn't screw up ballroom dancing and they did it properly," Green continues. "He figured if he was on it, he could make sure that they didn't be silly with it or introduce different things. He's always been that guy who's protected ballroom dancing on the show. He will be missed terribly."
Goodman's colleagues, Carrie Ann Inaba, Bruno Tonioli, and Derek Hough will all be holding down the fort in his absence. But that doesn't mean there might not also be some more special guests at the table. "We will be looking occasionally throughout the run to bring in special guest judges who might relate to the theme of that week or people who've got other knowledge or insights that they can bring," Green explains. "That's the best way of expanding the judging panel."
Season 32 will also seek to pay tribute to Goodman in multiple ways. For starters, the show is renaming its champion Mirrorball trophy after the judge. Henceforth, it will be named the Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy. "The Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy will now be lifted on Dancing With the Stars like the Vince Lombardi trophy is lifted at the Super Bowl," Green told USA Today. "We wanted to make Len a permanent part of this show, to always remind people the importance he's had to Dancing With the Stars and how much he meant to all of us."
The show will dedicate the new trophy in Goodman's honor during the Tuesday night live premiere.
Green says they will also plan moments to pay further tribute to Goodman throughout the season. "We are going to do a tribute to him a little bit later in the run, probably around week five of the show," he reveals to EW. "We're working on [it] at the moment, [it will be] something really heartfelt from the dancers themselves, a performance."
Even though Goodman is gone, his presence will be felt strongly throughout the show as it launches its new season.
Dancing With the Stars season 32 premieres Sept. 26 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC and Disney+.
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