Celebrity Judges
What makes a good competition even better? The judges! The success of Dancing with the Stars television show is due in large part to the judges. Their striking personalities, witty remarks, and on-point fashion give an element of entertainment and excitement to the weekly event that keeps America tuning in season after season. Knowing this, Dancing Stars of Greenwich has once again assembled an incredible panel of star-studded celebrity judges for our attendees' and dancers' delight.
Our past celebrity judges have included award-winning actor Brendan Fraser, International Fitness guru and Broadway actor Billy Blanks Jr., Sports-Illustrated swimsuit model and former Cover Girl Paulina Porizkova, co-anchor for Good Morning America, Lara Spencer, actress and producer Ali Wentworth, and Tony Dovolani, Fred Astaire's national co-dance director, who has also captured the hearts of millions as a professional dancer performing on the ABC's Dancing with the Stars show.
The Dancing Stars of Greenwich judges and Fred Astaire professional dancers are not only celebrities and media personalities, but they are also visionaries who are invested in the cause and committed to building the next generation of dancers. Our goal is to make every competition one you will always remember and most of all enjoy.
Brendan Fraser
Award-winning actor Brendan Fraser joins the Dancing Stars of Greenwich judging panel for his sixth year. Fraser is a Canadian-American actor best known for playing Rick O'Connell in The Mummy movie trilogy, as well as for leading roles in comedy and fantasy films including Encino Man, George of the Jungle, Bedazzled, Looney Tunes: Back in Action, and Journey to the Center of the Earth. Fraser branched into dramatic cinema with roles in Gods and Monsters, The Quiet American, and Crash.
He branched into television with roles in the Showtime drama The Affair, the FX series Trust, and the HBO Max series Doom Patrol. Fraser returned to the big screen with parts in Steven Soderbergh's No Sudden Move and Darren Aronofsky's The Whale. His starring role as an obese gay man in the latter earned him critical acclaim, including the Academy Award for Best Actor, becoming the first Canadian to win this category. We are grateful for his support of Abilis and our 6th Annual Dancing Stars of Greenwich gala.
Ali Wentworth - Emcee
Ali Wentworth is a comedian, actress, book author, and producer.. She is known for her roles in 'In Living Color', 'Starz', 'Seinfeld', 'Head Case', 'The Oprah Winfrey Show', for which she was a correspondent. "Harball" and Nightcap, a TV series she created, wrote and starred in. She also hosted the show "The Daily Shot with Ali Wentworth" on Yahoo.
In an unprecedented move to develop a recurring role around a performer, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno featured Ali on a road trip across the country in a $7 car in the program's sweeps comedy piece. Her TV credits also include the memorable role as Jerry Seinfeld's girlfriend, Schmoopie, in the series' classic "Soup Nazi" episode. Ali appeared in It's Complicated, directed by Nancy Meyers and starring Meryl Streep and Alec Baldwin. She has also appeared in movies such as Twentieth Century Fox feature Office Space, and The Wonderful World of Disney's remake of the classic film, The Love Bug. She returns to us as emcee for the evening and we couldn't be more excited to have her back for the evening.
Billy Blanks, Jr.
Billy brings 20-plus years of on-camera television work, video editing, and producing and directing to hte judge's panel this year. He is gearing up for Season 2 of his hit talk show on the Lifetime Network called "Dance It Out". His Lifestyle YouTube channel gets an average of 1.5 million views each month, for which he is the director, producer, and editor. Billy's dance fitness program rivals Zumba and has over 1500 instructors throughout the U.S., Japan, Germany, Mexico and Belgium. Billy is no stranger to hard work.
Before all of this, Billy built up four Los Angeles 5-star restaurants as the general manager. As an artistic director, he helped build up and bring The Wall Street Theater in Norwalk, Connecticut, out of bankruptcy by creating such programs as "Connecticut's Got Talent," "Dancing with The Stars of Connecticut", and his own Broadway teen program "BTOC". He is also a beloved supporter of Abilis, hosting the last several online spring Gala's for the organization as well as leading the 2024 Spring for Abilis Gala as the emcee for the evening. He rounds out his partnership with Abilis as the standard-bearer emcee for the annual Walk/Run for Abilis fall event. We are grateful to have him with us this evening and thank him for his support of Abilis.
Tayler Shoji
Tayler comes to our judge's panel as a seasoned professional dancer hailing from the lively city of Los Angeles, California. Her journey in the professional dance industry began at the tender age of 8, when she started working professionally for renowned production companies such as Disney and Nickelodeon. These early experiences not only honed her skills but also ignited in her a passion for dance that has been burning brightly ever since.
In 2012, Tayler realized her lifelong dream by opening her own boutique dance studio in Sherman Oaks, California. The studio became a cherished space for budding dancers to learn, grow, and express themselves through the language of dance.
Over the past two decades, she has channeled this passion into choreography. Tayler has had the privilege of choreographing a wide range of pieces, from solo performances for artists to large-scale productions for theaters. Tayler appeared in the 2018 movie "Slay" and Nickelodeon's "Zoey 101" further adding to her performance repertoire. Her work has also graced music videos and competition stages, always leaving a memorable impression. She adds the technical eye to our panel and will surely be impressed by our dancers' dedication and hard work in support of Abilis!