‘Dancing With the Stars’: Carole Baskin Not Returning for Finale Night

The Dancing With the Stars finale is set to air on Monday as the four remaining pairs compete for the Mirror Ball Trophy. Making the night even more special is the return of many of the eliminated contestants, though Entertainment Tonight learned that one of the most popular personalities of Season 29, Carole Baskin, will not be in attendance.

The outlet reported that Baskin would not be traveling from Florida to California due to COVID-19 travel restrictions. As fans of Baskin are well aware of, the most famous cat lady in America is the owner of Big Cat Rescue down in Tampa, Florida. Baskin’s stint on Dancing With the Stars came to an end after just two weeks and three performances on the show. For her first dance, Baskin and her partner, Pasha Pashkov, netted an 11 after dancing a Paso doble to Survivor’s “Eye of the Tiger.” She then performed to “What’s New Pussycat?” for a 16 before eventually seeing her time to come an on Disney Night, but not before a fitting dance to The Lion King’s iconic number, “Circle of Life.”

After her elimination, Baskin and her partner appeared on Good Morning America where she said she was “so thankful” to have this experience. Her popularity was a result of the Netflix documentary, Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness, that put Baskin, and the rest of its slew of eclectic characters, on the map. “I think all of the awareness that is raised from this has been wonderful for the cats,” Baskin said of her newfound fame. “That’s been my reason for being here is to try and end the cut petting and the private possession of cats.”

That same interview saw Baskin name her favorite to win the show, to which she may have a real shot of getting correctly. The 59-year-old animal activist predicted Nelly would be the one to the beat. He is among the final four celebrities heading into the finale. The “Hot In Herre” singer is joined by Kaitlyn Bristowe, Nev Schulman and Justina Machado.

The Season 29 finale of Dancing With the Stars will air at 8 p.m. ET on ABC. The conclusion of the show will feature a performance by Nelly of some of his most iconic tracks, as well as a second performance by judge Derek Hough, this time by himself. Jeannie Mae, who had to leave the show after needing emergency surgery, is also expected to return.