logo
Dancing with the Stars judges' riders REVEALED: Dressing room 'special demands' include some surprising items

Dancing with the Stars judges' riders REVEALED: Dressing room 'special demands' include some surprising items

Daily Mail​24-06-2025
They are the high profile cast of one of the most popular shows on Australian TV.
And the judges of Dancing with the Stars - Craig Revel Horwood, Helen Richey, Sharna Burgess, and Mark Wilson - turn on the glamour under the lights.
But according to a new interview, they like to keep things simple behind the scenes, making few demands on the producers for their 'dressing room' hospitality.
All four of the DWTS judges sat down with this week's New Idea to reveal their 'riders' - showbiz slang for 'special demands' - and their 'confessions' were surprising.
For former ballroom dazzler, and long-term Dancing with the Stars guru Helen Richey, 78, told the publication that she only needs, 'Fresh fruit and a comfortable chair'.
From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the DailyMail's new showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop.
Judge Sharna Burgess confessed that her tastes for dressing room treats backstage have changed since her first stint on DWTS in 2009.
'Eight years ago you'd see tequila, beer, coffee and a veggie plate,' she told the publication.
'These days its all about electrolytes, fruit and water. Oh, and Red Bull, which I never drink unless I'm judging.
'This mama's bedtime is 8.30pm so the caffeine hit has to be extra large.'
Mark Wilson told New Idea that while he tried to keep his backstage beverage to 'sparkling' water and 'healthy snacks.
His co-star and judge Craig Revel Horwood can 'show up [in his dressing room] with French wine'.
'And suddenly its party central,' he joked, adding, 'One minute I'm judging the cha-cha and the next I'm yelling ''Craig where's my hair?'
'It all starts with sparkling water and healthy snacks, but then Craig shows up with his French wine and suddenly its party central in the dressing room.'
Craig, meanwhile, admitted only to having a taste for 'savoury Shapes with French onion dip' as his favourite dressing room fare.
It comes as the 2025 season of Dancing With The Stars Australia is already causing a stir - and it's not because of the cha-cha.
A bombshell report reveals the jaw-dropping salaries being pocketed by this year's celebrity cast.
At the top of the earnings ladder are three powerhouse TV names, actress Rebecca Gibney, long-time Bachelor and Masked Singer host Osher Günsberg, and comedy icon Shaun Micallef.
All three are reportedly cashing in with a hefty $100,000 payday for their appearances on the hit Channel Seven series, according to Woman's Day.
'Those names bring legacy, credibility and built-in fan bases,' one well-placed production insider told Daily Mail Australia.
'Producers know they're worth the investment.'
Meanwhile, Olympic swimming legend Susie O'Neill, AFL premiership hero Trent Cotchin, and 7News anchor Michael Usher are said to be sitting in the middle tier, each earning $47,000.
A slew of younger and emerging stars - including radio host Brittany Hockley, influencer Mia Fevola, Olympic boxer Harry Garside, comedian Felicity Ward, Home and Away star Kyle Shilling and newsreader Karina Carvalho - will all reportedly take home just $27,000 each.
'Some of them were surprised by how little they were offered,' claimed another insider.
'But for newer names or those looking to raise their profile, the exposure is worth more than the pay packet.'
Industry insiders say the vast salary divide comes down to a mix of legacy status, network loyalty, and public appeal.
'Big-name veterans like Rebecca and Osher command the highest fees because viewers know and love them,' the source said.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Sam Pang brutally roasts Married At First Sight in take-no-prisoners monologue at the Logies - and one joke that wipes the smile off John Aiken's face
Sam Pang brutally roasts Married At First Sight in take-no-prisoners monologue at the Logies - and one joke that wipes the smile off John Aiken's face

Daily Mail​

time8 minutes ago

  • Daily Mail​

Sam Pang brutally roasts Married At First Sight in take-no-prisoners monologue at the Logies - and one joke that wipes the smile off John Aiken's face

Sam Pang pulled no punches as he delivered a savage takedown of Married At First Sight during his opening monologue at the 2025 Logie Awards on Sunday night. The Logies host wasted no time skewering the controversial reality show. 'Of course, my favourite, Married at First Sight, in its 12th season,' Pang began. 'And the big story this year was when Paul punched a hole in a wall after finding out his TV wife slept with a rapper. A story as old as time.' With his trademark deadpan delivery, Pang added, 'By the way, a hole in the wall is something most of the contestants would be very familiar with.' The audience erupted with laughter as Pang kept going, taking aim at the show's often-criticised casting process. 'This season MAFS was criticised for breaching ethical standards — producers strongly defended themselves, saying every contestant had to undergo a mental health evaluation, an STI test and an IQ test… and if they failed all of those, they were on the show.' And in a final cheeky swipe, Pang referenced one of Australia's most infamous recent news stories, joking: 'We all know MAFS is famous for its debaucherous dinner parties — never miss a Sunday night. And I've actually got an idea for next season — I think they should cast the mushroom lady as the caterer.' The cutting remarks were met with roars from the crowd, but cameras caught MAFS relationship expert John Aiken looking less than impressed at one point, his trademark smile slipping during the roast. It comes after Aiken told Daily Mail this week that he was bracing himself to be in Pang's firing line. 'Yeah, look I love that. As I said, people love us, but people hate us,' Aiken said ahead of the awards. 'People make fun of us, whatever. It just doesn't matter. To me, it just means that we are topical and we're doing something right and people want to target us. 'That's fine. When you're in this industry, you gotta have a thick skin and you also gotta be able to laugh at yourself. So I suspect that when I'm sitting there on Sunday night I'm going to cop it. I'll get a little serve from all sorts of people - and that's just a part of it and it's a lot of fun.' The MAFS jokes were just one part of Pang's take-no-prisoners opening, which also saw him skewer the Home and Away cast, poke fun at Nine Network executives, and roast several of the night's Gold Logie contenders. This year, like in the past, many MAFS cast members have been left off the official Logies guest list, something Aiken says is out of everyone's hands. 'It's a privilege to be invited, but it's completely out of my hands and out of the hands of the talent. Every year people are going to miss out, but you have no control over it,' he explained. And even if the show did win a Logie, Aiken joked it would be risky to let some of the brides or grooms accept the award. 'You'd have no idea what they're going to say,' he said with a laugh. 'They're very brave people who put themselves out there and I'm grateful to them for doing the show, but you never know what they'll do once filming wraps.' Aiken says that while the Logies may elude them, the show's reach is undeniable. 'It's now in its 13th season and it just keeps growing. It's sold into over 120 countries and it's consistently high in the ratings here. We keep putting out a high-quality product that people respond to,' John said. Aiken admitted that despite dominating the ratings every year, the reality series has never been recognised with a win on Australian TV's night of nights. 'We have never won anything at the Logies,' Aiken admitted. 'But we're pretty happy with the ratings that we have. At the end of the day it all comes down to who's prepared to vote. 'The shows that win usually have people who get online and vote. With MAFS, while we have a lot of committed viewers, they don't seem to vote.' Aiken said the team does not measure success by trophies. 'We don't do it to get a Logie, we do it because it's fun, it's exciting and a lot of people watch it. The real prize is the huge audience engagement we get every year,' he said.

Jimmy Barnes slammed by Logies viewers as the rocker opens the show with iconic anthem: 'Needs to retire'
Jimmy Barnes slammed by Logies viewers as the rocker opens the show with iconic anthem: 'Needs to retire'

Daily Mail​

time8 minutes ago

  • Daily Mail​

Jimmy Barnes slammed by Logies viewers as the rocker opens the show with iconic anthem: 'Needs to retire'

Jimmy Barnes opened the 2025 Logies with a bang. The iconic rocker took the stage at The Star in Sydney and belted out his lauded anthem, Working Class Man. But viewers tuning into the ceremony at home were less than enthused by the 69-year-old's performance. Several shared their thoughts on X, offering some less-than-flattering reviews. 'Jimmy Barnes. Poor bastard is incoherent, can't understand a thing he's singing,' commented one fan. '1988 called. It'd like its entertainment back,' said another, one more adding, 'One for the boomers on the boomers' medium.' 'Unpopular opinion - Jimmy needs to sit down, chill out and retire. He has earned it,' yet another said. 'He's doing himself no favours singing everything in a screaming rasp, there's no light and dark anymore and he's butchered that classic,' they added. 'Maybe choose an opening act that would play a casino in real life rather than an RSL,' someone else commented. 'Barnesy is a legend but that was a rough watch,' another viewer chimed in, with another saying, 'Jesus Christ make it stop.' Others enjoyed the performance, with one fan writing, 'The bloody Logies has peaked too early, how can they top this!' Another agreed: 'Jimmy Barnes rocks the #Logies2025!' while someone else called him a 'legend.' One more fan said: 'Leading with Barnsey means it will be downhill from here.' After a difficult year in which he faced several health challenges, Barnes this week announced a tour to celebrate the 40th anniversary of his classic single Working Class Man. Others enjoyed the performance, with one fan writing, 'The bloody Logies has peaked too early, how can they top this!' First released in November 1985, the song was a top five hit Down Under and became the singer's personal anthem. For the upcoming concert series, which kicks off in November, Jimmy will be joined by '80s hitmaker Iva Davies and his band Icehouse, and fan favourite Kate Ceberano. As a special treat for fans, the Scottish-born Oz rock hero will be playing every track from his For the Working Class Man album, which went to number one in Australia soon after its release in 1985. Jimmy's six-date tour begins on November 22 in Victoria at the Mount Duneed Estate in Geelong. A show at Queensland's Sirromet Winery on November 29 follows, before Jimmy heads to NSW for a gig at Bimbadgen Wines in the Hunter Valley on December 6. After taking a break over Christmas, Jimmy will resume the tour for a concert in the new year at the Regatta Grounds in Hobart on January 17, 2026, before travelling to South Australia's Barossa Valley for a show at Peter Lehmann Wines on January 31. The Working Class Man 40th Anniversary Tour will finish off on February 7 in Western Australia at Sandalford Wines in the Swan Valley.

The moment I knew: moving so far and so fast wasn't in my character but it just felt right
The moment I knew: moving so far and so fast wasn't in my character but it just felt right

The Guardian

time19 minutes ago

  • The Guardian

The moment I knew: moving so far and so fast wasn't in my character but it just felt right

In December 2024 I arrived in Sydney ready for an adventure. A friend was getting married in Australia and I had originally booked the trip with my ex, but when he dropped out after our breakup I decided to go ahead. I was considering quitting my job and moving back to the Netherlands so, even though I didn't know what my future would look like, I was ready for a holiday. I planned a week with friends in Sydney and Newcastle, a week with a friend travelling up the east coast and a final week on my own. On New Year's Eve I'd been at an all-day boat party on Sydney Harbour when a friend said she was off to meet an old flame of hers at a fireworks event in Bondi. I remember her telling me he had a nice single brother called Ben and showing me a photo: he had a moustache, was wearing a tank top and didn't look like my type at all. I told her I wasn't interested. I just wanted to stay with friends. When my friend's taxi arrived she pulled me in with her – and thank goodness she did because, when I met Ben in person, he looked completely different to the guy in the photos – tall and handsome with a big smile. He immediately made me laugh. We kissed within 10 minutes of saying hello, which was about half an hour before midnight. Ben had been ill with food poisoning and hadn't been in particularly high spirits until we arrived but said he immediately forgot about all of that. There was just this instant connection and we both felt as though we had nothing to lose. We lived too far apart to ever see each other again. The following day Ben and his brother invited my friend and me to a music festival. We worried it would be awkward at first but Ben and I picked up where we'd left off. We were like little kids running between stages. The next morning I had to leave for the wedding in Newcastle. I remember kissing Ben goodbye at the ferry terminal in Manly, wondering if I'd ever see this man again but knowing I definitely wanted to. We started texting straight away and I was so distracted I ended up missing my connecting train. Later in the trip I got an ear infection just before a five-day scuba diving expedition on the Great Barrier Reef. I cancelled – and something inside me was happy to, knowing that it would give me five days without a plan. Ben was competing in a triathlon in Nelson Bay and he asked if I wanted to come watch him drown, which felt like a fun way to hang out. It turned out to be an indirect invitation to stay with his aunt and uncle for the weekend. I booked a flight immediately. At this point I saw the whole thing as a bit of fun – a holiday romance, nothing serious. Being so far from home gave me a kind of 'why not' mentality. We both knew long-distance between London and Sydney would never work so we just decided to enjoy each other's company for as long as we had it. Over the next couple of days we spent time with his aunt and uncle, slept in a tent on the beach and competed in a mini-triathlon together. I remember travelling back to Sydney with Ben holding my hand the whole way back. He didn't want to let me go and I felt the same way. He booked flights to Melbourne with me for the Australian Open that week, and I ended up delaying my return flight so we could have an extra day together. Leaving each other at Melbourne airport was when we decided to see if maybe we could make long-distance work after all. We agreed to meet in Scotland six weeks later, calling each other every day in the meantime. I met all of Ben's family and friends on that trip to Scotland and, after four days, he asked me to be his girlfriend. This time when we went our separate ways it wasn't just goodbye until the next trip; it was goodbye until we moved in together. It wasn't in my character to do things like this but it just felt right and my friends and family could see that. They told me to take a leap of faith and see what happened. Ben and I reunited eight weeks later at Sydney airport and this time I was holding more than just a holiday bag. It turns out that my first impressions of Ben were right; we talked non-stop that New Year's Eve and, to be honest, we've never really stopped. He is still that fun and charismatic guy who makes me feel comfortable. For now Australia is our home but we plan to move back to Europe together in the longer term. Whether that's England, Scotland or the Netherlands remains to be seen – that's for figuring out later down the line. All I know is that we will find our home together. Do you have a romantic realisation you'd like to share? From quiet domestic scenes to dramatic revelations, Guardian Australia wants to hear about the moment you knew you were in love. Your contact details are helpful so we can contact you for more information. They will only be seen by the Guardian. Your contact details are helpful so we can contact you for more information. They will only be seen by the Guardian.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store