Tom Bergeron Returns to the Dance World, Sort of, to Host All-New Series Dancing with Sharks

The former Dancing with the Stars host, 70, will return to his roots and host a Shark Week 2024 special, titled Dancing with Sharks, which will see expert divers and their real-life shark partners perform underwater dances.

Per the special's official logline, "Blending skill, grace and the daring pursuit of the ultimate underwater thrill, five divers — all trained by a world-class underwater choreographer — will compete to show off their skills during epic underwater dances."

“Each diver will attempt to outperform their competitors, with moves including the Hammerhead Hoedown and Tiger Trot, and redefine dancing with danger," it continues. "They will have one shot to wow the judges and be crowned the first-ever champion of Dancing With Sharks.” 

Bergeron's latest gig comes after he announced he would be leaving Dancing with the Stars after 15 years of hosting the competitive dance show in a tweet shared to X in July 2020. ABC later confirmed the news and revealed that the network decided to part ways with Bergeron as the show heads in a "new creative direction."

During an appearance on the late Bob Saget's Here for You podcast in October 2021, Bergeron admitted he "wasn't surprised" to be "fired" from DWTS.

"In all candor, the show that I left was not the show that I loved," he said. "So at the end of the season, that turned out to be my last season, I kind of knew. I took everything out of my dressing room that I really wanted. ... It was kind of obvious that we were kind of butting heads [behind the scenes]. It wasn't a pleasant [experience]."

He added, "I wasn't surprised that that was my last season, so there was no blue period. Actually, I think Erin [Andrews] and I had more fun being fired than virtually anybody."

Two years later, Bergeron provided more context about his departure and revealed that he knew his time on DWTS was up when producers cast ex-White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer for season 28 — despite agreeing to his request to refrain from casting politicians amid a contentious election year.

When a showrunner revealed they had plans to cast Spicer anyway, Bergeron offered to compromise and suggested he "take the season off," to which producers offered to “let you out of your contract if you want.”