Dancing With the Stars host Tyra Banks has revealed the goof that led to the wrong couples being announced as the bottom two during Monday night’s live episode. When reading the names of the teams in jeopardy, Banks first read Monica Aldama and Val Chmerkovskiy — who she had previously announced as safe. Aldama and Chmerkovskiy were announced as the bottom two next to Anne Heche and Keo Motsepe, who ended up being eliminated after the judges chose to save Aldama.
Explaining the situation on Twitter after the show, Banks stated that the “wrong name” was written on the cards she was given. She added that while the moment was “challenging,” she’s learned to “power through.” Banks was made the new host of Dancing With The Stars following the firings of longtime host Tom Bergeron and co-host Erin Andrews. In her first statement after taking over, Banks said, “I’ve been a fan of DWTS since its beginning.
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Wowzers. Live TV. Wrong name on cards. So challenging to deal with moments like these. But we power through.
— Tyra Banks (@tyrabanks) October 6, 2020
She went on to say, “The fun mixed with raw emotion, seeing celebrities push past their comfort zones, the sizzling dance performances… it’s always transported me to my days of turning it up 10 notches on the catwalk. Tom has set a powerful stage, and I’m excited to continue the legacy and put on my executive producer and hosting hats.” She has had to defend herself from viewers who’ve been critical of her performance as host, saying in a previous TikTok clip,”Tonight I hosted the second episode of Dancing with the Stars … and yeah, it wasn’t perfect. […] Yeah, I had a lot of fun but I messed up, I said the wrong words, but I kept, kept going.”
In September, Banks spoke to PEOPLE about coming into the new role and assured fans that she was taking it seriously. “Dancing with the Stars is one of the biggest shows on TV, with a huge audience, and I really respect that,” Banks said. “I can’t come in with a battering ram and try to change everything. That would be a bad business decision and dumb leadership. So I’m not doing that.”
She continued: “I listened to research, I listened to the fans, I killed half of my ideas and then I doubled down on some of them. We want to implement those ideas but still respect the show — and add a little pixie dust!” Banks also spoke about Bergeron, and admitted that she knows she has “serious shoes to fill” by taking over the show.