DWTS: The One Celebrity Who Isn't Returning For The Finale
The Season 29 finale of Dancing with the Stars, which is slated to air on Nov. 23, 2020, is going to be filled with surprises. Not only is Nelly — one of the finale four contestants — performing "a medley of his greatest hits on top of his dance routines with Daniella Karagach,"(via Entertainment Tonight) but judge Derek Hough is taking the ballroom to perform another killer dance routine. In addition to those highly-anticipated performances, Entertainment Tonight also reports "a number of celebrities from the Season 29 cast will be back in the ballroom ... to cheer on" the remaining celeb competitors and their professional dance partners.
However, one former celebrity contestant won't be in attendance to witness the crowning of the season's Mirrorball Trophy. And no, it's not Jeannie Mai, who had to drop out of the competition just ahead of Week 8 due to a health emergency. In fact, she made a full recovery and is scheduled to pop up on the Season 29 finale. So, which celeb isn't going to be in attendance? Keep reading to find out.
Due to Covid-19 safety restrictions, Carole Baskin won't be at the 'DWTS' finale
Tiger King's (or should we say Queen) Carole Baskin – who got the boot after her head-turning Lion King-inspired performance — isn't able to make the Dancing with the Stars Season 29 finale. Entertainment Tonight reported that Baskin was "back to work with her Big Cats Rescue animal sanctuary in Florida," adding that she would "not be traveling due to Covid-19 restrictions." As of this writing, she is the only former contestant from Season 29 who won't be making the trip to Los Angeles.
That being said, just because she won't be physically present during the finale doesn't mean Dancing with the Stars won't try to have her tune in virtually. Throughout the show's 29th season, producers were able to get quite a few people to video call in, including longtime judge Len Goodman (who Derek Hough filled in for), The Backstreet Boys, Bachelor alums and more. Here's hoping that ABC can find some unique way to get Baskin to join the must-watch finale.