Tyra Banks reportedly doesn’t want Bravo stars in her ballroom. The newly hired Dancing with the Stars host and executive producer is allegedly not interesting in signing any Real Housewives stars in upcoming seasons of the ABC celebrity ballroom competition because she doesn’t think they’re newsworthy, a source told OK! magazine.
The insider said Tyra is “the new boss” and has made it clear that she doesn’t want to see stars from the Bravo franchise competing in the ABC dance-off, despite the fact that “several ladies” have expressed an interest in vying for the mirrorball trophy.
“She thinks the show needs to aim higher,” the source said.
“Tyra has never been a fan of the Housewives , but the real reason she doesn’t want them on her show is that Bethenny Frankel, NeNe Leakes, and Teresa Guidice do not make headlines anymore. Tyra wants reality stars like Carole Baskin from Tiger King — not a decade-old franchise that no one talks about anymore.”
Tyra’s first season on DWTS did include the Tiger King star, but the controversial big cat activist was sent home in Week 2. Fellow Netflix personalities Monica Aldama ( Cheer ) and Chrishell Stause ( Selling Sunset ) have fared better this season and are still in the competition.
Several Real Housewives have already competed on Dancing with the Stars , including Lisa Vanderpump ( RHOBH ), NeNe Leakes ( RHOA ), Kim Zolciak-Biermann ( RHOA ), and Erika Jayne ( RHOBH ). Lisa Rinna competed in the ABC dance-off before she was a cast member on RHOBH.
The OK! source added that the newly installed DWTS host and EP is focused on high ratings and would only consider signing a Housewives star if all the other invited celebs turned down offers to compete on the series. Tyra has been vocal about the higher ratings the series has garnered ever since she replaced Tom Bergeron last month.
The story about Tyra’s alleged issues with the relevance of OG reality stars comes after DWTS executive producer Deena Katz confirmed the show wants buzzy names on its roster.
“It’s really important that this cast has people that everyone’s talking about right now as if the season is just a slice of what’s going on right now,” Katz told the Los Angeles Times last month.
The EP noted that back in Dancing with the Stars’ earlier days, social media influencers, YouTube, and Netflix weren’t as prominent as they are now, so producers reached out to reality TV personalities on traditional cable networks.
