Why Dancing with the Stars season 33 is not on tonight, October 1

Judges and cast of Dancing with the Stars season 33
(Image credit: Disney/Eric McCandless)

If you're used to tuning in on Tuesdays for all the ballroom drama on Dancing with the Stars season 33, you might be surprised to learn the show isn't on this week. But there's a very good reason why Dancing with the Stars season 33 is not on tonight, October 1. 

Due to the 2024 Vice-Presidential Debate between Senator JD Vance and Minnesota governor Tim Walz, Dancing with the Stars will not air on October 1. The debate is scheduled to begin at 9 pm ET/6 pm PT, and while CBS is hosting the event live from New York City, it will be carried live by all broadcast networks, including ABC. This is the only vice-presidential debate planned prior to the November election and is presently the final debate of the election season. 

To make up for the schedule change, there will be two episodes of Dancing with the Stars next week. In addition to the usual Tuesday night show, there will also be a new episode on Monday, October 7 at 8 pm ET/PT. A couple will be eliminated from each show as usual. 

Dancing with the Stars is known for its drama on and off the dance floor, and season 33 has been no exception. The season premiere saw all of the couples move on to dance another day, but that meant a double elimination in Week 2 as 90210's Tori Spelling and socialite-turned-convicted-felon Anna Delvey were both eliminated. When Delvey was asked what she would take away from the experience, her abrupt response, "nothing," caused a lot of buzz. Delvey, whose story came to life in the Netflix series Inventing Anna, attracted a lot of attention when she joined the cast with her bedazzled ankle bracelet, a condition of her probation. The October 7 episode will be the first competition since Delvey's departure. 

Looking ahead, we expect that Dancing with the Stars will not on air on Election Day on Tuesday, November 5. As of this writing we don't know if the show will have a bonus episode the following week or skip the week entirely; we'll have more information as details become available. 

Dancing with the Stars season 33 airs live on Tuesdays at 8 pm ET on ABC and Disney Plus (and taped for the West Coast), with new episodes available to stream on Hulu. 

Sarabeth Pollock
Editorial Content Producer

 

Sarabeth joined the What to Watch team in May 2022. An avid TV and movie fan, her perennial favorites are The Walking Dead, American Horror Story, true crime documentaries on Netflix and anything from Passionflix. You’ve Got Mail, Ocean's Eleven and Signs are movies that she can watch all day long. She's also a huge baseball fan, and hockey is a new favorite.  

When she's not working, Sarabeth hosts the My Nights Are Booked Podcast and a blog dedicated to books and interviews with authors and actors. She also published her first novel, Once Upon an Interview, in 2022.