Has Len Goodman Landed a $3.3 Million Deal To Judge Dancing With The Stars Season 23?
Not sure how true this is, but, the Daily Mail is reporting Len Goodman has landed a $3.3million deal to return to Dancing With The Stars in the US. I like Len, but, I wonder what this means for Julianne Hough (if true)? I really wanted to see her return to the Judges table. I also have a hard time believing they’d pay him $3.3 Million. Read on and let us know what you think (if true).
Len Goodman has reportedly signed a £3.3M deal to return to Dancing With The Stars.
The 72-year-old judge will return to his position as head judge on the panel, with a brand new pay deal.
According to reports US executives enticed the star back to the show with an offer that was too good to turn down.
A friend told The Sun: ‘Len genuinely wanted to take a step back and enjoy a bit more free time. But he still has the energy of a man half his age so he thought why not. And the money is a bonus.’
MailOnline has contacted a spokesperson for Len Goodman for comment.
The Kent-born dancing pro has starred on Strictly Come Dancing’s American adaptation since it started on ABC in 2005, taking a quick break for season 21.
At the end of 2014 Len, who split his time between LA and London, told Digital Spy: ‘Next year, I’m not going to do the flying backwards and forwards.’
To read the full article, see Daily Mail.
Sounds suspicious but if it is true, it is worth every penny to keep M.C from the judging table.
It’s a shame that there is such a short supply & demand for qualified non-partial Pro dancers/teachers who are up in their years to sign-on for DWTS’s judges table. Wow, $3.3 million deal for this show who’s ratings were not that high this previous Spring Season 22.
But, I agree with molly, anything to keep the “fam” off the judges tables.
So, I wonder, does this mean Julianne has other fish to fry???
Julianne has said that she has other fish to fry. I think that is obvious. Especially after Grease Live.
I have no doubt they made some sort of deal though that salaary figure sounds rather high to me.
Article is a little vague. I don’t think they mention specifically that the deal is just for next season. More likely it’s for the next few seasons considering the amount of money involved. Wonder if they’ll be an agreement for him to do what he did for season 19 and take a mid season break as I can’t see him making the weekly commute every week once Strictly starts. Good news for anyone worried about the future of the show. They wouldn’t be throwing millions of dollars at a judge if they weren’t fully invested in the show’s future. Plus paying Len is probably cheaper than getting a guest judge every week for the whole of nex season. Julianne’s obviously gone for good.
I hope Julianne can fit in a season or two more of judging. I really enjoy her positivity and knowledgeable critiques. Have to admit I was quite disappointed in the chemistry of the judges S22.
I have to laugh. Google turns up very different figures for what the DWTS personalities earn. But I do remember reading something maybe within the last year that showed high but believable salaries for Len, Bruno and Carrie Ann. There pay ranked in that order too.
To put it in some kind of perspective, the regular contestant (who didn’t get a special offer) earns about ~350,000 if they make it into the final week. That’s over a third of a million. Contestants and pros come and go so I’d say Tom and the 3 original judges are considered irreplaceable by now. They are the real “stars” of this show. So if you consider this against not only 10 weeks but what lead actors earn per episode on TV shows, it’s cheap by network standards.
Since I’m having a dismal time finding a job in my field right now, in large part because of my age, I’m jealous. But as a fan of DWTS, I’d rather Len stay than be replaced because I think they would either have rotating guest judges or give the spot to Maks. And I hated his last outing as a judge!
I. Hope that Julliane returns as a dance pro or a judge. And that Derek returns as a dance pro for season 23 dwts
I agree with you, Tom and the three original judges are who the execs rank as the most important along with a tiny pocket of former pros/judges (Derek, Mark, Maks, Val and Julianne). Obviously Derek, Julianne and Maks have moved on but if they ever wanted back in I’m certain execs would welcome any of them with open arms and a big cheque.
I’ve never been 100% on the salaries of everyone within the show (is anyone lol) all I know is that the judges earn a lot more than the pros. To use the UK for example, the judges are considered a lot more important than the pros and earn a six figure fee whereas the pros earn £42,500 for their five months they are required for the show. Obviously all the pros in the US earn a lot more than that (and probably the troupe as well), plus bonuses depending on how far they get in the competition. As for the celebs, that differs depending on the celebrity, again not including bonus for how far they get in the competition. But what is obvious is the really big bucks are saved for Tom and three judges. I can’t see Erin earning as much as Tom because she’s easily replaceable.
Who knows if that figure is true, but I can see them giving him a big paycheck. Len is “their boy” and he pushes the Producers agenda each season. His judging has been terrible – nitpicking some and not seeing glaring errors on others. Although, if it keeps Maks off the table, then I’m all for it.
I. Hope that. Julliane hough returns as a judge and that. Derek returns as a dance pro. For season 23 dwts and. Make sure that. Derek gets someone like Brittany spears or Angelia Jolie talyor swift. Nina from the vampire daries have Goldie hawn as the. Old lady. And hope that Tony or. Keo gets her or Derek and that Derek is. Paired with. Kate Hudson and I hope that Val gets terserse gudince. The real house wife star
That’s not a dollar sign in the article. Isn’t that the symbol for the British Pound? Would have to figure the conversion rate to know how much he’s getting paid in US dollars.
Yes you are right Karen the article does state the salary as 3.3 million British pounds which as of today converts to roughly 4.4 million U.S. dollars Still sounds very high unless like someone said it is for the term of the contract rather than just one season.
If he ever wants to leave again I will be shocked. That is quite a lovely salary there.
I don’t think Erin is easily replaceable. Her job is HARD, just going by how badly Brooke did at it compared to her. Erin is also in pretty high demand, so I bet she makes a good chunk of change.
I also think that Derek was probably treated quite well his last couple seasons. Two Emmys, a bunch of nominations, in addition to 6 wins add up to a very popular and extremely talented man.
I would NOT just assume the article is correct.
Narice, you did the math backwards – 3.3 million pounds converts downward to 2.4 million – US currency is presently worth about 75 cents for each pound. Still, a pretty good payday for Mr Goodman if true…
Erin’s job is hard of course, but that doesn’t mean she isn’t easily replaceable no matter how much better or worse her successor would be. Fans of the show wouldn’t kick up a huge fuss and the show wouldn’t lose ratings due to her absence. Tom on the other hand is exactly the opposite. The show would be broken potentially beyond repair if he wasn’t there. He’s irreplaceable in my opinion.
For what it’s worth I like Erin, she understands and obviously loves the show, she knows what to do when people are struggling on air (see Mischa last season). She may be horrifically awkward at times (see Alan last season) but she always means well.
Thanks for posting the conversion rate, Narice. I was trying to find it on Google, but was using my phone & not having much luck, so I gave up.
Sorry guys, but the British pound is still worth more than the US dollar. As of this morning it’s at $1.3377, so every pound of Len’s contract (for, most likely, several seasons) is worth $1.3377, or 3.3 multiplied by 1.3377. That is, indeed, $4.41441 million dollars. Last week it would have been more, and it’s anyone’s guess where the pound will settle after Brexit…
I actually like Len. Even with his flaws. Probably because he’s the only judge, other than Julianne, with a ballroom background. I would either like him or Jules on the judging panel simply for that reason.
However, the last few seasons, especially season 2, Len really seemed to be just going through the motions, like a tired, bored old man. If you ever see an interview with him, he’s quite lively and fun.
That’s season 22, not 2.
If the figures are off blame the web converters or Brexit because that’s where I got my information.
A dollar is only 75 British cents, Narice, making a pound worth $1.34…
Sorry, Narice – you have it right and Deven has it backwards… 3.3 million pounds is 4.4 million dollars.
I don’t think saying the pound is “worth more” is really technically accurate. It’s worth more if you’re a Brit coming to the US to visit. If you’re a Brit living in England, it’s worth substantially less than it was before Brexit. And that is GOOD for Americans wanting to visit the UK – it’s not quite as onerous as it was a few days ago. Not so good for the Brits no matter how you slice it. I mean, part of Brexit was to keep people out, right? Well, from what I’m reading, that was a bit of a pipe dream either way.
PH – I don’t mean to belabor the point, but the post was not about what a pound buys in UK as opposed to what it used to buy. Rather, the pound is still ‘worth more’ than the dollar. Just like the peso is worth less than a dollar. So, when converting currencies – pounds to dollars still gives, numerically, more dollars than pounds (just not as many more since Brexit), and pesos to dollars, numerically, gives fewer dollars than one had pesos. Really has nothing to do with prices going up or down, although the value of a currency is influenced by that, and many other things. Like how confident people feel about their world. (Less so after Brexit!) Since the pound has gone down, we, with dollars, can visit the UK and spend less money (in converted-to-pounds dollars) than we would have last week, until the shopkeepers have to get in new inventory paid for with pounds that are worth less than they were and thus need to raise the prices to reflect that. But the pound is still worth more than the dollar. I say that because I’ve watched it go down for over 40 years – visiting periodically and changing money… Used to be a pound was worth $2.60. But that doesn’t mean that the goods in the UK were more expensive than here (although they were/are) – it means the pound is just a bigger chunk of money than a dollar is.
Gee Laurie, good job at not belaboring the point. :::rolls eyes::: Ask them if they care about that right now. Cost of living is still quite high there, not to mention that they are taxed at a much higher rate – which is off set by their health care and university systems, luckily.
My point was – it’s all relative, yet not quite so simple as you make it out to be. I’m sure few Brits are going “Oh, well, everything is okay, our pound is still worth more than the dollar.”
By the way, I’m quite sure you’re far from the only person traveling to the UK and changing money. I don’t think a lecture is necessary. Those who travel get it, those who don’t travel likely don’t care.