Tonight (Tuesday, September 16), Season 34 of Dancing With The Stars will traipse onto television, introducing viewers to the dance stylings of some unlikely celebrities.
Among them are Robert Irwin, the son of the late Steve Irwin, who is keeping his father’s wildlife preservation goals alive at Australia Zoo; actor and comedian Andy Richter; musician and former child actor Corey Feldman; and many more.
However, there are few casting selections as ambitious as one that was made in Season 3 of the beloved reality competition.
In 2006, the show saw political commentator Tucker Carlson, who was 37 at the time, pivot from life behind a desk on TV to attempting to do the cha-cha-cha.
About Tucker Carlson
Since Tucker’s firing from Fox News in 2023, it’s often been forgotten that the host of the network’s then No. 1 show was not always on Fox News.
From 2001 to 2005, Tucker co-hosted the CNN show Crossfire, gaining a reputation as someone who could debate the issues with individuals on either side of the aisle. This show also led to the infamous discussion with comedian Jon Stewart, of Comedy Central’s The Daily Show, who mocked Tucker’s affinity for bowties.
While he was on CNN, Tucker was also hosting his own show on PBS, called Tucker Carlson: Unfiltered.
Both his stint as co-host of Crossfire and his show on PBS were canceled in 2005, with Tucker swiftly gaining the role of host on a new show, titled Tucker, on MSNBC. His time with MSNBC ended in 2008, with Tucker then going on to co-found the publication The Daily Caller.
From 2009 to 2016, Tucker was a Fox News contributor, and his first broadcast of Tucker Carlson Tonight was the week after President Donald Trump’s victory in the 2016 election.
Since being fired from Fox News in 2023, he has been hosting The Tucker Carlson Show through his own network, the Tucker Carlson Network.
How Did Tucker Do?
But what about his time on Dancing With The Stars?
On the surface, the competition was stiff, but not unwieldy. Stars included in the 2006 season included Jerry Springer, country star Sara Evans, actor Mario Lopez, and more.
However, it turns out that Tucker was not a natural on the dance floor, being the first celebrity eliminated from Season 3.
“When I first got the call about doing this, I though, ‘Oh, they must have the wrong guy,'” Tucker quipped on the show. “My dance experience consists of drinking too much at a couple rehearsal dinners.”
He added, “It’s all about the wedding performance, baby!”
Paired with Elena Grinenko, who was making her debut as a professional dancer on the show, Tucker had help and guidance… but for someone who is known for his right-of-center politics, he proved to have two left feet.
“The key, I’ve decided, to this whole enterprise is: don’t think,” Tucker said. “I think of myself as a cha-cha master.”
Watch Tucker’s brief, yet memorably humorous, appearance on Dancing With The Stars, doing the cha-cha-cha to the tune of “Dancing In The Street,” here:
The judges had a fun time evaluating Tucker’s attempt at dancing, with Len Goodman stating, “The best part was the start. All of the problems started as soon as you stood up.”
Carrie Ann Inaba praised Tucker for having fun, giving him a 5; Goodman gave a 4; and Bruno Tonioli said Tucker was “an awful mess,” giving him a 3.
Responding to the scores, Tucker quipped, “This has rattled me more than Hezbollah.”
Season 34 of Dancing With The Stars premieres at 8 p.m. (EST) on Tuesday, September 16, on ABC.
Dancing With The Stars wasn’t the last time Tucker danced on TV though…
Watch Tucker Carlson jokingly dance in 2008 as his show on MSNBC aired for the final time, here:
