'Dancing With the Stars' 2014 Cast: Tom Bergeron Talks 'Internet Trollers' Criticizing Erin Andrews [VIDEO]
Dancing With the Stars host Tom Bergeron recently discussed the varied criticism against his new co-host Erin Andrews and his thoughts on the winning couple.
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Andrews has received a lot of criticism since stepping into the role of co-host for Season 18. The sports reporter replaced longtime co-host Brooke Burke-Charvet after the latter was fired outright. However, Bergeron told Zap2It recently that he enjoys having her as a co-host.
"She's a hoot!" he said. "She breaks me up. I told her early on to just trust her gut. There are always the Internet trollers who are cranky about everything initially, but I watched people fall in love with her as the weeks went on. I just think she's done a wonderful job, and she keeps me on my toes. And that's a healthy thing."
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Burke-Charvet recently commented on her replacement, saying that Andrews may not have been the right choice. The former co-host refused to elaborate.
As for the winners of Season 18, Meryl Davis and her pro partner Maks Chmerkovskiy, Bergeron suggested that he would have been pleased with either them or runners-up Amy Purdy and Derek Hough winning.
"I was looking at Amy [Purdy] and Derek [Hough] on one side, and Meryl and Maks on the other side, knowing it could really go either way," he said. "I was really pleased with the result, and it takes nothing away from the incredible performances and the inspirational element of Amy and Derek's season."
However, he noted that he was "personally pleased" that Chmerkovskiy was finally able to win the Mirrorball Trophy after 13 seasons. Chmerkovskiy did not participate in Season 16 or Season 17 but came back for Season 18 this year, which proved to be a good thing for him.
Dancing With the Stars Season 19 premieres this fall on ABC, though the network has not determined a premiere date yet. It will be returning to its regular Mondays at 8 p.m. timeslot.
