Xochitl Gomez Named Winner of Season 32 of ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars”

Posted on December 6, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Xochitl Gomez is dancing on the ceiling…

The 17-year-old Mexican American actress and Marvel star and her professional dancing partner Val Chmerkovskiy have become the first pair to win Dancing With the Stars’ Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy.

The DWTS grand prize was renamed to honor Goodman in September. Goodman, who died at age 78 in April, served as a judge on the reality competition series from 2005 to 2022.

Gomez and Chmerkovsky claimed the trophy during the Tuesday, December 5, season 32 finale of the long-running ABC celebrity ballroom dancing competition, making her the fourth Hispanic celebrity to win Dancing with the Stars and the first celebrity of Mexican descent to claim the trophy.

“I don’t want this show to end, and I think it’s gonna be really good for me to keep coming back,” she joked after her big win during the finale.

After redeeming their foxtrot and bringing it home with a fiery freestyle, Gomez and Chmerkovskiy received two back-to-back perfect scores from the judges. With their scores from the semifinals also included in their judges’ totals Tuesday night, they were the only couple to earn a perfect score of 120 across all four dances.

“Gosh, I didn’t think that [we did that]. I forgot until there had been like a little thing that said, this is your score something out of something, and it was the score. I was like, ‘What? We did that?’ Yeah, we did that. I’m proud of that,” Gomez said.

Ahead of Tuesday night’s performances, judge Bruno Tonioli visited Gomez and Chmerkovskiy in the studio to reassign them the foxtrot and give Gomez some pointers on how to improve in the dance style. Tonioli said during rehearsals that he was hoping to see more “refined sophistication” than the couple’s first attempt at the foxtrot in week three.

Gomez was the last to grace the stage for the redemption round, but certainly not the least. She made her latest foxtrot look effortless, earning praise from all three judges, including Tonioli, who told her she is a “delight” to watch.

Gomez told Deadline the judge’s advice in rehearsals was invaluable to be able to perfect her foxtrot, especially when it came to lengthening her arms.

“That was one of the things that I tried to do, but I was never that successful. And I tried a lot, but it was hard. So for someone else to have a different voice and tell me, ‘This is something that is one of your weakest points. So fix it.’ And also for him to show me how to do it. I thought that was really nice and definitely helped me out for the foxtrot,” she said.

Chmerkovskiy expressed pride for his partner, beaming as he explained he was most impressed with “how much dance she’s learned.”

“I mean, we put in the work at the studio. But usually we like do a lot more warming up and practicing during the show leading up to the performance. Today, we just trusted ourselves and came out and just danced,” he said.

In the final moments of the Season 32 finale, Gomez and Chmerkovskiy stood on stage next to Jason Mraz and his partner Daniella Karagach, anxiously awaiting the news on who’d eked out the victory. Just as host Alfonso Ribeiro was about to announce the victors, he instead cut to a final commercial — prompting a loud groan from the audience.

“The whole night was special. I keep saying it feels bittersweet because, for us, every week that we had a great performance felt like exactly like this feeling. Truly, every time we got called safe, we felt like we were winning. So tonight, it felt like that times 100.”

Here’s the list of the DWTS winners of Hispanic descent:

Season 5: Hélio Castroneves (Brazilian) and Julianne Hough
Season 13: J.R. Martinez (Salvadoran American) and Karina Smirnoff
Season 23: Laurie Hernandez (Puerto Rican) and Val Chmerkovskiy
Season 32: Xochitl Gomez (Mexican American) and Val Chmerkovskiy

ABC to Premiere New Season of Dancing with the Stars, Featuring Xochitl Gomez, As Scheduled

Posted on September 26, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Xochitl Gomez is headed to the ballroom as originally scheduled…

ABC will proceed as planned with the September 26 season premiere of Dancing with the Stars, featuring the 17-year-old Mexican American actress, in light of the Writers Guild of America (WGA) and the studios reaching a tentative agreement on Sunday night.

The reality competition will kick off its 32nd season with its full celebrity cast, including Gomez.

The network last Thursday put in place plans to postpone DWTS‘ return after actors in its celebrity cast, particularly Walsh, Alyson Hannigan and Mira Sorvino, came under pressure from striking WGA members.

Last week, WGA picketers targeted multiple rehearsals for DWTS, which is a WGA signatory that typically employs one writer to pen talking points for the host.

Picketing on the show continued through yesterday. Just hours before the WGA-AMPTP deal was announced, a group of around 35 writers went out to picket Dancing with the Stars at TV City where producers were doing prep ahead of the Tuesday live season opener.

Following the tentative deal with the studios, all WGA picketing was suspended Sunday night.

Variety shows like DWTS are covered under the SAG-AFTRA National Code of Fair Practice for Network Television Broadcasting, better known as Network Code. It is separate to the film and TV collective bargaining agreement that SAG-AFTRA and the AMPTP negotiated unsuccessfully in the spring and early summer, leading to the current actors strike.

Because of that, ABC is allowed to put on DWTS, and SAG-AFTRA members are allowed to participate. In fact, SAG-AFTRA last week backed actors who are appearing on the show, noting that they are not in violation of strike rules and are required to go to work. It is the show’s WGA affiliation via the employment of one writer out of 500 crew members that made it a struck production.

Season 32 marks the return of DWTS to ABC. The show aired last season on Disney+. The new season will simulcast live on Disney+ and be available next day on Hulu.

Xochitl Gomez to Compete on Season 32 of ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars”

Posted on September 15, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Xochitl Gomez is heading to the ballroom…

The 17-year-old Mexican American actress and Marvel star will compete on season 32 of Dancing with the Stars.

But Gomez won’t be the only Latinx competitor.

Venezuelan YouTuber, actress and singer Lele Pons, 27, and Mexican real estate mogul and television star Mauricio Umansky, 53, will also compete this season.

Other competitors include Mira Sorvino, Ariana Madix, Charity Lawson, Jamie Lynn Spears, Alyson Hannigan and NFL star Adrian Peterson.

“There’s something for everyone in this cast,” says executive producer Conrad Green. “What’s interesting with a lot of our contestants this year is this real drive and excitement about doing it. There’s a real passion for it. It’s been a tough number of years, one way or another with the strikes going on and all these things. So what I’m hoping we can bring to people is bringing Dancing back and giving audiences a blast of sunshine early in the week.”

After Tyra Banks‘ exit, Alfonso Ribeiro will return as a host, stepping onto the main stage, while former Dancing pro Julianne Hough joins to take over Ribeiro’s former cohost slot in the Sky Box.

The show is also back in its original home, airing live on ABC, after being solely available on Disney+ last season (where it will now stream concurrently).

Here’s the full cast for season 32 of Dancing with the Stars:

Supermodel Tyson Beckford with partner Jenna Johnson
Marvel star Xochitl Gomez with partner Val Chmerkovskiy
How I Met Your Motherstar Alyson Hannigan with partner Sasha Farber
Social media and reality TV star Harry Jowsey with partner Rylee Arnold
Bachelorette Charity Lawson with partner Artem Chigvintsev
Vanderpump Rules‘ Ariana Madix with partner Pasha Pashkov
Grammy-winning singer Jason Mraz with partner Daniella Karagach
NFL All-Star Adrian Peterson with partner Britt Stewart
Singer and social media star Lele Pons with partner Brandon Armstrong
Oscar-winning actress Mira Sorvino with partner Gleb Savchenko
Actress Jamie Lynn Spears with partner Alan Bersten
Real estate mogul and TV star Mauricio Umansky with partner Emma Slater
Comedian and actor Matt Walsh with partner Koko Iwasaki
The Brady Bunch star Barry Williams with partner Peta Murgatroyd

Dancing With the Stars premieres on Tuesday, September 26, at 8:00 pm ET/PT on ABC.

Joseph Baena to Compete on New Season “Dancing with the Stars”

Posted on August 26, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Joseph Baena is preparing for a different competition…

The 24-year-old half-Guatemalan American bodybuilder and realtor, the son of Arnold Schwarzenegger, is expected to compete on the 31st season of Dancing with the Stars on Disney+.

TMZ posted pictures of Baena attending rehearsal, wearing the same outfit he posed in for his Instagram account.

Like his pop, Baena is an Olympic lifter. He also works as a real estate agent and would like to act, apparently.

Earlier this year, he told Men’s Health that he and his famous dad found common ground over fitness, and that Schwarzenegger gave him The Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding (which he coauthored) to help with his training.

“Even though I could call him anytime, I was too proud,” Baena told the magazine. His mom is Schwarzenegger’s former housekeeper, Mildred Baena. “My dad is old school, he doesn’t believe in handouts. He believes hard work pays off, and so do I. I love the word honor, and I’m very prideful in the sense that if I use my dad’s contacts or ask him for favors, I wonder what honor is that gonna bring me?”

An ABC spokesperson declined comment.

DWTS will stream on Disney+ beginning September 19.

Hayley Orrantia to Star in Jimmie Allen’s “Be Alright” Music Video

Posted on August 20, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Hayley Orrantia is gonna be alright…

The 28-year-old part-Mexican American actress/singer and The Goldbergs starwill star in Jimmie Allen’s upcoming music video “Be Alright.”

The video is set in New York City in the 1960s with Orrantia playing a down-on-her-luck character called Eve. Things start looking up when she encounters an “old friend with a new mantra” played by Allen.

The video was shot on the Warner Bros. lot earlier this month and is choreographed by award-winning Dancing with the Stars choreographer Tessandra Chavez. Dakota Diel was on board as director of photography.

Orrantia is best known for playing Erica Goldberg on ten seasons of The Goldbergs and has also starred in Christmas Is Canceled and Schooled.

Allen is a chart-topping country star who last year won the Country Music Association’s new artist of the year award. He has appeared on American Idol as both a contestant and, more recently, a guest mentor, and last year placed seventh on Dancing With the Stars alongside his partner Emma Slater. He can currently be seen in “Cardi Tries” alongside Cardi B.

Juan Pablo Di Pace to Make Feature Directorial Debut with LGBTQ+ Romantic Drama “For Another Time”

Posted on January 29, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Juan Pablo Di Pace is heading behind the lens…

The 42-year-old Argentine actor and singer will make his feature directorial debut with For Another Time, an LGBTQ+ romantic drama inspired by true events in his life.

De Pace’s film will be executive produced by television icon Norman Lear and his Act III Productions partner Brent Miller.

For Another Time is a coming-of-age story that follows Matías, a queer filmmaker who gets an unexpected invitation to revisit the family that forever influenced his past, forcing him to question the present while potentially changing his future.

Production on the film, set in Duino, Italy and Buenos Aires, Argentina, will kick off on February 26.

Di Pace will play the present-day version of Matías, with another as-yet-undisclosed actor to play a younger version.

Casting for additional roles is underway. Andres Pepe Estrada will co-direct and serve as the film’s editor.

Di Pace is producing under his Momento Films banner with Kristen Carroll, founder and CEO of SpoPro/Spotlight Productions and Immaterial Media.

“There’s a sacred tenderness in falling in love for the first time, often an all-encompassing event we can never reprise once it ends,” said Di Pace. “I wanted to explore the idea of memory and how we romanticize it, sometimes blinding our path to love in the present.”

“There’s no better backdrop for a love story—of any kind—than one that takes place in Italy,” said Lear and Miller in a joint statement. “We’re thrilled to support Juan Pablo’s vision of bringing a multicultural connection, regardless of age, gender or race, to the big screen. And we couldn’t be prouder to support independent film and those who are making it.”

“The buying power of the LGBTQ+ population—two thirds of them in the targeted 18-34 age range—is $1 trillion, second only to the 50+ demographic for disposable income, and they are clamoring for stories and quality productions that reflect their experiences and lifestyles,” added Carroll, whose production company SpoPro specializes in LGBTQ+ and diversity-forward programming. “We are excited to bring this inventive and nuanced story of love and self-discovery to a global audience.”

Di Pace, who competed on Dancing with the Stars, most recently starred as Kimmy Gibbler’s estranged husband, Fernando, on Fuller House, a spin–off series of Full House.

Ally Brooke Releases First-Ever All-Spanish Solo Single “Mi Musica”

Posted on October 23, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Ally Brooke is sharing her musica with the world…

For her first solo, all-Spanish single, the 28-year-old Mexican American singer and former Fifth Harmony band member taps into the reggaeton realm with “Mi Musica,” marking a new direction for the former Dancing with the Stars competitor.

“This song is purely from my heart, and it is as ‘me’ as it gets,” Ally Brooke said in a statement. “I am proud to say I helped to write this song that means so much to me. The message of ‘Mi Musica’ is that I am nothing without my family, dear friends and fans. I have everything because I have them, and to them, I dedicate this song.”

Co-written by Brooke, Yofred, Azzi and King Mora, Brooke’s first Spanish single is a preview of her upcoming first-ever Spanish-language album, which will also be her debut album as a solo artist.

Ally Brooke Recording First-Ever Spanish-Language Album

Posted on August 16, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Ally Brooke is switching tongues…

The 28-year-old Mexican American singer and former Fifth Harmony member is currently recording her first Spanish-language album.

Ally Brooke, who appeared on Dancing With the Stars and launched a 2020 U.S. tour, has signed a joint record deal with indie labels Duars Entertainment, founded by Eric Duars, and with AMSI, launched by entertainment attorney Simran A. Singh, becoming the first female artist signed to either company.

Brooke is working with producers Luny Tunes, Dimelo Flow and Mr. NaisGai, among others on the album, which will feature collaborations with Latin and mainstream artists.

The San Antonio native met Singh –who also reps Daddy Yankee, Ozuna and Anuel AA, among others—through mutual friend Suzette Quintanilla, Selena’s sister.

Singh, who initially came onboard as her attorney, was impressed with both Ally Brooke’s personality and her voice.

“We began working and I said, ‘What do you think about doing a Spanish album?'” says Singh. “She said she’d love to and we instantly clicked.”

Singh reached out to Duars, another longtime client and friend, and they decided to jointly sign Ally Brooke to an unusual joint label deal instead of shopping her to another label.

“Eric and I know this business very well and we have the capital. So rather than knock on doors, we’re going to build it up ourselves,” Singh told Billboard.

Ally Brooke is the latest mainstream female artist to record in Spanish in the past year. Selena Gomez released her first Spanish-language EP earlier this year and Camila Cabello has forayed into Spanish in singles as well.

Fans will get a first listen to Ally Brooke’s new music during a showcase hosted by Duars Entertainment and slated to take place during Billboard Latin Music Week in Miami the week of September 20 with a line-up that will also includes Rauw Alejandro. Singh says he plans to release a first single immediately after.

No stranger to the charts, Ally Brooke has scored previous hits alongside collaborators like Tyga and Afrojack.

Laurie Hernandez to Appear in Peacock’s Women’s Gymnastics-Themed Docuseries “Golden”

Posted on April 19, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Laurie Hernandez is golden…

The 20-year-old Puerto Rican Olympic gold medal gymnast and Dancing with the Stars champion will appear on Golden, a docuseries about women’s gymnasts vying for a spot on the U.S. team heading to the Tokyo Olympics.

The six-episode series, which hails from Peacock and LeBron James and Maverick Carter’s Uninterrupted will track five hopefuls competing for four spots on the U.S. Olympic team.

A premiere date hasn’t yet been confirmed for the show, which is part of a broad array of live and on-demand Tokyo programming heading to NBCUniversal platforms.

In addition to Hernandez, the series also features Morgan Hurd, Sunisa Lee, Konnor McClain, and MyKayla Skinner.

A major theme will be the coronavirus pandemic, which forced the postponement of the Games from 2020 to 2021 and also dramatically altered athletes’ preparations and training.

Each hour-long episode of Golden will center on one of the individual gymnasts, with storylines of the other competitors woven into the narrative.

Hernandez is known to Olympic viewers for winning a gold medal as a member of the “Final Five” team and an individual silver on beam at the 2016 Rio Olympics.

The series will cover a five-month span and milestones like national team training camps, the U.S. Gymnastics Championships, and the U.S. Olympic Team Trials, which start June 24.

Three-time Olympian Dominique Dawes is executive producing, along with James, Carter and Uninterrupted’s Jamal Henderson and Philip Byron.

“When I look back, I remember the tremendous sacrifice it took me to achieve my own Olympic pursuits,” Dawes said. “Similarly, these gymnasts have and will continue to endure physical, emotional and mental hurdles that most cannot fathom. The millions of viewers who watch the Summer Games are accustomed to witnessing the short-lived glory of the podium without truly understanding the demands these young female athletes face.”

Justina Machado to Compete on ABC’s Upcoming Season of “Dancing With The Stars”

Posted on September 2, 2020 by Tom Castaneda

Justina Machado’s ready to paso doble her way into your hearts…

The 47-year-old Puerto Rican actress, who currently stars on PopTV’s One Day at a Time, will compete on ABC’s Dancing With The Stars this season.

Machado will compete against Tiger King’s Carole Baskin, rapper Nelly, Selling Sunset’s Chrishell Stause and NBA legend Charles Oakley among others for the coveted DTWS mirrorball trophy.

The ABC celebrity ballroom dancing competition series, based on the BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing, will premiere on September 14 with new host Tyra Banks.

This season’s other competirors include Monica Aldama, star of Netflix’s Cheer, Disney Channel actress Skai Jackson, The Real’s Jeannie Mai, Catfish’s Nev Schulman, Olympic figure skater Johnny Weir, Super Bowl champion Vernon Davis, Anne Heche, Backstreet Boys member AJ McLean, and The Bachelor’s Kaitlyn Bristowe.

This season’s professional dancers include Brandon Armstrong, Alan Bersten, Sharna Burgess, Cheryl Burke, Artem Chigvintsev, Val Chmerkovskiy, Sasha Farber, Jenna Johnson, Daniella Karagach, Keo Motsepe, Peta Murgatroyd, Pasha Pashkov, Gleb Savchenko, Emma Slater and Britt Stewart.

In addition to hosting, Banks will also serve as an executive producer this season. She replaces Tom Bergeron and Erin Andrews as the show’s host in season 29.

One of the challenges for this season is to ensure that the production adheres to COVID-19 protocols, a trickier move for a dance competition format than many other productions. Details of the health and safety protocols and other format refreshes are expected imminently.

Hispanically Yours

Celebrating the Latino Influence

Tag Archives: Dancing With The Stars