Carrie Ann Inaba is officially back at the judges’ table on Dancing With the Stars after missing the season 34 premiere.
Inaba, 57, was welcomed back with a jive from Alix Earle and Val Chmerkovskiy during the Tuesday, September 23, episode to kick off One-Hit Wonders Night. The pair ultimately earned 21 points for their dance to Lou Bega‘s “Mambo No. 5.”
“Thank you for making that my first dance, because that was incredible!” Inaba gushed on Tuesday. “You blew me away … You are such a great performer, you’re fun and there’s a freshness to you. And I can tell it’s all new, but it makes it so much fun.”
One week prior, Inaba announced just hours before the September 16 premiere that she would not be in the ballroom due to her health. “I wanted to share that I will not be at the show tonight as I am feeling quite under the weather. I’m resting up and can’t wait to be back next week in good health,” she wrote via Instagram. “In the meantime, I wish all the contestants the very best of luck. I’ll be cheering you on from home. 🤍🙏 Have a great show everyone! 🪩💃🏻🕺🏻⭐️.”
Fans and fellow DWTS stars sent their well-wishes in the comments section, including cohost Julianne Hough, who wrote, “Get better soon sis ❤️‍🩹.”
Inaba’s absence was felt as the season 34 cast hit the ballroom floor for the first time. Before the fun began, Julianne, 37, and Alfonso Ribeiro sent a heartfelt shout-out to Inaba.
“It’s great to have all of you at home joining us in the ballroom and wonderful to see our judges. Well, two of them,” Ribeiro, 54, teased. “Carrie Ann is under the weather and hopes to be back with us next week.”
Judges Derek Hough and Bruno Tonioli were left to hand out scores on a scale of 20 points, as opposed to the usual 30.
“The scoring tonight, just be mindful, it might be a little lower than you’re expecting because there’s a long way to go. This is a marathon. We want to give you guys room to grow,” Derek, 40, explained after the first routine of the night.
As her colleagues took to the ballroom, Inaba gave a glimpse via her Instagram Story of how she watched the episode from home. One day later, she celebrated the cast’s impressive debut.
“Bravo to the whole cast and crew of @dancingwiththestars,” Inaba captioned an Instagram Story on Wednesday, September 17. “That was an incredible premiere episode! And thank YOU all for the well wishes. I’m touched at all the messages of support I [received] and for the respectful way the show handled a very human situation. And BRAVO to everyone for those incredible performances!”
Inaba has been a judge on DWTS since its premiere in 2005, as has Tonioli, 69. Following his years spent as a pro dancer, Derek made his first appearance as a judge during season 29 in 2020.
Dancing With the Stars airs on ABC and Disney+ Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET.