Honestly, it felt like the end of an era and a weirdly beautiful beginning all at once. When the news dropped that Tori Spelling was finally joining the cast of Dancing with the Stars for Season 33, it wasn’t just another celebrity casting. It was a 30-year "no" turning into a "yes." For decades, the Beverly Hills, 90210 icon had been approached by producers, but the answer was always the same: a hard pass fueled by pure, unadulterated terror.
She’s been open about it. Terrified. That was the word she used on her misSPELLING podcast. Imagine being one of the most recognizable faces of the '90s and still feeling like you aren't "good enough" to do a box step in front of a live audience. But 2024 was different for Tori.
👉 See also: South Park Movie Cast: What Most People Get Wrong
Why Tori Spelling Dancing with the Stars Almost Didn’t Happen
Fear is a funny thing. It can keep you in a safe little bubble for thirty seasons. Tori had watched every single year from her couch, cheering on friends and former co-stars like Ian Ziering or Jennie Garth, while whispering to herself that she wish she was brave enough.
Then everything changed.
Her personal life has been, in her own words, "burned to the ground" over the last couple of years. We’re talking about a very public split from Dean McDermott and the heartbreaking loss of her close friend Shannen Doherty. When the Dancing with the Stars call came this time, Tori decided she couldn't keep telling her five kids they could do anything if she was too scared to walk onto a dance floor herself.
She wanted to "walk the talk."
📖 Related: Neil Perry in Dead Poets Society: Why His Story Still Hurts
The Partnership: Tori and Pasha Pashkov
Tori was paired with pro Pasha Pashkov. If you’ve followed the show, you know Pasha is the king of patience. He’s the guy who can take a complete novice and make them look like they belong under the glitter ball.
Their chemistry was sweet, almost like a protective older brother and a nervous younger sister. Pasha praised her work ethic constantly, noting that despite having five kids and a mountain of personal stress, she showed up for those four-hour rehearsals and gave it everything.
The Premiere Night
On night one, the nerves were visible. You could see it in her hands. She performed a Foxtrot to "Trustfall" by P!nk. It was symbolic. She was literally trusting the process.
The judges weren't exactly easy on her, though. Carrie Ann Inaba called her out for being "timid." It’s a critique that has followed Tori her whole career—that Donna Martin-esque shyness that she never quite shook. She ended the first night near the bottom of the leaderboard with a score of 17/30.
The Shocking Double Elimination
Week two was "Oscars Night." Tori and Pasha took on a Rumba to "This Is Me" from The Greatest Showman. This was supposed to be her breakthrough. She felt confident. She even showed off her flexibility—something she’s surprisingly proud of.
"I worked really hard to move past the 'timid Tori' that Carrie Ann had called out," she said later. And she did. She looked more present, more "there."
But the ballroom is a cruel place.
In a move that caught almost everyone off guard, the show pulled a double elimination. Tori Spelling was sent packing alongside the season’s most controversial contestant, Anna Delvey.
It felt premature. Honestly, she wasn't the worst dancer on the floor—Reginald VelJohnson and Eric Roberts actually had lower cumulative scores—but the fan vote just wasn't there to save her.
What Most People Get Wrong About Her Exit
A lot of fans thought she’d be devastated. And yeah, she was bummed. She wanted to stay. But if you listen to her interviews on The Talk or her own podcast, she sounds like a woman who just won a marathon.
She called the experience "ballroom therapy."
Think about that for a second. Thirty years of anxiety about performing, and in just a few weeks, she felt more confident than she had in decades. She even formed an "unlikely friendship" with Anna Delvey. While the rest of the world was judging Anna for her past, Tori—who knows a thing or two about being judged by the media—saw a human being who was just as nervous as she was.
Actionable Insights from Tori’s Journey
There's actually a lot to learn from how Tori handled her short-lived stint on the show. It wasn't about the trophy; it was about the shift in her internal narrative.
- Face the "Thirty-Year Fear": If there is something you’ve been saying "no" to because you’re scared of failing, Tori is proof that the "yes" is worth it even if you don't win.
- Use Joy as a Metric: She didn't get the Mirrorball, but she told her kids she was "having the time of her life." Sometimes the experience is the reward.
- The "Better Version" Rule: Tori noted that she came home from training every day as a "better version" of herself. If a project makes you a better parent or partner, it's a success regardless of the final score.
The 2024 season of Dancing with the Stars might have lost Tori Spelling early, but she left with something much more valuable than a plastic trophy. She found herself again. She’s already mentioned she wants to keep dancing, proving that once you break that seal of fear, there's no going back to the couch.
If you’ve been putting off a big challenge because you’re worried about what people will say or how you’ll look, take a page out of Tori’s book. Put on the sequins, take the stage, and let the chips fall where they may. You might just find that the "ballroom" is exactly the therapy you needed.