Carrie Anne Inaba misses the season 34 premiere of “Dance with the Stars” due to illness.
The series often invites one dance expert to sit on the panel as a special fourth judge, but there are no substitute judges at night. The source tells Variety that opening performances will be scored out of 20 points rather than the typical 30-point scale.
Inaba announced her absence in an Instagram post. “I wanted to share that I won’t be attending the show tonight. “I’m resting and can’t wait to come back healthy next week. In the meantime, all the contestants wish you good luck. I’ll cheer you from home. Have a great show!”
The cast for Season 34 includes Hilaria Baldwin, Daniel Fischel, Alix Earl, Andy Richter, Elaine Hendrix, Jordan Chili, Baron Davis, Dylan Efron, Corey Feldman, Scott Whiting, Robert Irwin, Laurent Jauregui, Jen Affleck and Whitney Leebitt.
Included in Affleck and Leebit season 34 shows a major Disney crossover. This is because the two are also cast members of Hulu’s “The Secret Life of a Mormon Wife.” Disney recently placed another “Mormon Wife” star in another of its major script franchises. Taylor Frankie Paul leads season 22 of “The Bachelorette.”
Disney is currently pushing for expanding the series’ reach with its podcasts. “Dancing with the Stars” recently unveiled an audio companion show hosted by former “single” lead Joey Graziadei, who won season 34 of “Dancing with the Stars” alongside Jenna Johnson.
