Fans were stunned back in July when host Tom Bergeron was abruptly fired from “Dancing With The Stars,” which he had hosted since it premiered back in 2005, and replaced by supermodel Tyra Banks. Despite the fact that the show was hit with heavy backlash for this move from fans, executive producer Andrew Llinares is speaking out this week to defend the firings of Bergeron and his cohost Erin Andrews.

“It’s all about evolution,” he said, according to Entertainment Tonight. “Any show like this that has been on for many, many seasons needs to continue to evolve. So I think changing that host is all about evolution. It was all about making the show feel fresh, making it feel new and make it reach out to a new audience — as well as the audience that’s been there for years.”

Though we’ve reported that fans have been saying that Banks has been a failure as a host compared to Bergeron, Llinares claimed that things have been “working brilliantly.”

“I think it’s really refreshed the pace of the show. It’s taken it to a new place, in terms of moving fast and feeling different. I think that there’s a real danger when a show has been on for a long time that the audience almost gets bored of the rhythm of it. It doesn’t mean that there’s anything wrong with it, just that it gets a little boring,” he said. “I think it’s changed the rhythm of the show in a really exciting way. I think Tyra is doing an amazing, amazing job. It’s been wonderful having her energy in the ballroom and her expertise as a host in the ballroom. She’s brought a new life to everything.”

The executive producer proceeded to double down on his claim that firing Bergeron and Andrews was the right decision, saying that it’s all about keeping the show. “relevant.”

“When a show’s been on for this many seasons, it’s very easy to stay in a place where it doesn’t feel like there’s anything wrong but does the show feel fresh, exciting and new? It’s really tough…,” Llinares explained. “We’ve always been successful on all those shows where we continue to evolve and continue to move things on. That’s something we’ve been doing right across the board with this show.”

“The host is part of it, bringing Derek in is part of it, but also throughout the fabric of everything on the show — the set has been updated, it feels more current and the way we’re filming the packages… all of those things take the show into a place where it feels more current,” he added. “We wanted to make the show feel relevant, but still hold on to the heart of the show.”

Fans were shocked when Bergeron announced his firing on Twitter back in July.

“Just informed @DancingABC will be continuing without me,” Bergeron wrote at the time. “It’s been an incredible 15 year run and the most unexpected gift of my career. I’m grateful for that and for the lifelong friendships made. That said, now what am I supposed to do with all of these glitter masks?”

This piece originally appeared in UpliftingToday.com and is used by permission.

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