DWTS2013 Tom Bergeron Talks With E Online About New Format, Casting Rumors, And More

Awww, this is a must read! E Online chatted with Tom Bergeron about the new season of Dancing With The Stars coming up. Tom gives his views on the new format, Maks Chmerkovskiy returning, casting rumors (some of them are true and some are not true), and more. Here are some fun takes. Note the mention on Lindsay Lohan (who I’d love to see dance at some point) and some other celebs….

“Some of the casting rumors are true,” Bergeron tells E! News, “and some of them are not true at all. Some of them might reflect contract negotiations that are going in one direction or another. But nothing is final yet.”

While sources confirm to E! News that Paula Deen and Geraldo Rivera both have been approached and have passed on the opportunity, we are also told that producers are looking for a “younger and sexier cast” to appeal to a younger demo. And that cast will most likely include the return of controversial pro dancer Maksim Chmerkovsiy, the 33-year-old Ukrainian heartthrob who did not return for season 15.

As previously reported, producers approached Lindsay Lohan for season 16, and we’re told there has been some discussion of approaching her again for season 17, now that she has completed her rehab stint. However, according to show insiders, producers believe it’s in Lindsay’s and the show’s best interest to wait some time before approaching her again.

And for any confused fans, Bergeron has this to say about how the new format will work: “Couples will be eliminated at the end of the episode. But the judges votes from that night will still count. So the viewer votes from the previous week carry over and are coupled with the judges votes from that night. So they’re still dancing for their lives there.”

Be sure to read the full article at E Online.

UPDATE: You can listen to a new interview with Tom Bergeron at this link. Nothing knew is said that what we haven’t already reported except that he reports that most of the new cast has been selected, but, not all of them yet. He also mentioned how the season will run 11 weeks. MORE at the link.