Back to Bel-Air! Alfonso Ribeiro is finally giving the people what they want — a Fresh Prince-inspired routine on Dancing With the Stars. As long promised, the actor, 43, is set to tear up the floor with his iconic dance, “The Carlton,” on the ABC competition’s Monday, Oct. 6, episode, the theme of which is “The Most Memorable Year of Your Life.”
“On Monday’s show, you can expect an amazing jazz routine that will set the stage for an explosive Carlton dance,” he tells Us Weekly, adding that his Fresh Prince costar Tatyana Ali (who played his sister, Ashley) will be in the audience. “[I want] to get it out of the way so I get back to focusing on all the wonderful dances I came here to learn!”
Which is not to say he’s not enjoying the little blast from the past. “Rehearsal this week has been really fun,” Ribeiro told Access Hollywood on Sunday, Oct. 5, adding that he and partner Witney Carson would be performing to Tom Jones‘ “It’s Not Unusual,” which was his Fresh Prince character’s trademark tune. “We are bringing it in its full glory this week. So it’s been fun to relive that for a little bit.”
The ’90s star added that he expects high scores from both the judges and the viewers, who will be casting votes during the show in head judge Len Goodman‘s absence. “I don’t know how anybody can give me anything other than 10 on the Carlton dance,” he quipped. “Nobody’s gonna do it better. You gotta give me a 10 on that!”
Asked to explain the significance of the dance to the week’s “most memorable year” theme, Ribeiro admitted that his real most memorable year was actually 1984 — for unspecified reasons — but that he chose 1992 because it’s special to his fans.
“To the world, to the people who watched me through my career, the most significant time in my life would be the years on Fresh Prince,” he told Access Hollywood. “So this was my gift to America.”
Not surprisingly, the Fresh Prince alum isn’t the only one catering to fans this week. Mean Girls hunk Jonathan Bennett is paying homage to his most famous role, too, as Lindsay Lohan‘s love interest in Tina Fey‘s now-classic 2004 flick.
“You come on the show and they say, ‘We want you to do Mean Girls stuff,’ and I said, ‘Of course,'” Bennett told Entertainment Weekly. “I want to do it for the fans cause the fans love it. Of course I want to do Mean Girls things, why not? I think it’s great.”
The actor, 33 — who’s paired up with new pro Allison Holker, of So You Think You Can Dance fame — is due to perform a Mean Girls-themed samba on Monday night. According to EW, the choreography will incorporate various memorable moments from the movie, including the Plastics’ “Jingle Bell Rock” routine, set to Kelis‘ “Milkshake.” (In the film, Regina George’s little sister is seen dancing to the song when Cady and the rest of the Plastics head over to her house after school.)
“Allie Holker did the amazing thing of incorporating the iconic parts of Mean Girls and turning them into dance moves,” Bennett told EW. “There are moments in the movies that are acted out that we now dance out.” He added: “To do a crazy cool interpretation of Mean Girls on the 10th anniversary on DWTS. It’s like triple jackpot on the slot machine.”
Also doing a fan-friendly number? Duck Dynasty‘s Sadie Robertson. The 17-year-old reality star has invited her family — including Uncle Si, Willie, Jase, and Jep — to participate in her routine by passing out pink duck whistles to people in the audience.
Tune in to see all the action on Monday, Oct. 6, at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC!
