Glamour Talks to New DWTS Executive Producer Rob Wade

I love Jessica, but she’s all about the ship at times. Dancing? Not so much. 🙂 Anyway, she interviews Rob and the other producers at TCA last night and then hit the jackpot when Tom Bergeron showed up to give his thoughts. We can always count on The Berge. 🙂 From Glamour.com:

Glamour: Where are you in terms of casting for the new season?
Joe Sungkur: At the moment, we’re in our early days, but there’s a lot of people we’re talking to…
Ashley Edens-Shaffer: But obviously we can’t say!
Glamour: When will the new cast be announced?
Ashley: That hasn’t been announced.
Glamour: I know, that’s why I’m asking. [Laughs] 
Ashley: We’re not allowed to say yet.
[Ed. Note: Because DWTS premieres a week earlier than usual this year, expect a cast announcement sometime in mid-late August.]

Glamour: Which of the cast members from last season most surprised you?

Joe: That’s an obvious one: Amy Purdy.
Ashley: Yes, Amy Purdy.
Rob: Amy Purdy.

Glamour: In the finale last season, Len Goodman hinted that he may not be returning, but then when I saw him backstage, he said, “Oh, no, I’ll be back!” So, will Len be back, as well as Carrie Ann Inaba and Bruno Tonioli?
Rob: Absolutely. We want all of the judges back.
Glamour: But it’s not a done deal at the moment?
Rob: We’re talking at the moment because we’re in the off-season, but I’m very confident that they’ll be back. As well as the host! Oh hi, Tom Bergeron!
Tom Bergeron: What a surprise!

Glamour: You’ve gone on the record saying that you thought Maks and Meryl had more of a brother/sister relationship. Fans do not like to hear that!
Tom: I’ve been ridiculed on social media for it! I’ve seen some great tweets saying, “That’s not like any family reunion I’ve been to!” But I never saw it as a romantic affection. I saw it as a very real affection, and I thought it brought out a side of Maks that I had seen backstage, but he had never allowed himself to be vulnerable on the air before. I thought that was charming, and it couldn’t have ended better. On a year when you watched a woman who had no legs absolutely mesmerize you, and Derek working with her—he’s like our Gene Kelly or Fred Astaire—but when you have that, and then Maks and Meryl… Wow.