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Alfonso Ribeiro and his wife, Angela Unkrich, turn their home into a Thanksgiving gathering place for the Dancing with the Stars community. The welcome matters: Ribeiro has said some dancers are far from their families, while fans responding to the tradition call it sweet, wholesome, and inclusive.
What happens at the DWTS Thanksgiving gathering?
Ribeiro and Unkrich host a Thanksgiving meal for people connected to Dancing with the Stars. In November 2023, Good Morning America reported that professional dancers and other cast members, along with some of their children, joined the gathering at the couple’s home. Dancer Emma Slater thanked the Ribeiro family for “this tradition” in a Thanksgiving caption.
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In its 2025 coverage, Parade described the cast gathering at the Ribeiros’ Southern California home two days after the season’s mirrorball finale. That year’s spread included turkey, ham, stuffing, mashed potatoes, candied yams, vegetables, salads, and fruit. The menu and guest list are details of that reported event, not a guarantee that every year is identical.
Parade reported in 2025 that the gathering had taken place for 11 consecutive years. Ribeiro won season 19 in 2014, and the report says the tradition began after he competed and won, but the exact first year is not established.
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Why does Ribeiro invite the cast?
Ribeiro has described the dancers as close friends and explained that some come from far away and do not have family nearby in California for Thanksgiving. Speaking about the invitation, he said: “The dancers are really true friends of ours now. For Thanksgiving, we actually invite all of the dancers to our house for Thanksgiving dinner, because a lot of them are from different places. They might be from Russia, or from South Africa, or Ukraine, or wherever. They don’t have family here in California. [But] this is your family.” Parade’s 2025 article quoted him from a 2022 appearance on The Jennifer Hudson Show.
A 2019 interview also reported that the Ribeiros invited dancers and crew who might otherwise have nowhere to go because they were far from home. The idea is straightforward: people who work together on the show can celebrate the holiday together, rather than spending it without a nearby support network.
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Why does the tradition resonate with fans?
It makes the show’s sense of community tangible
Viewers see dancers and cast members share the ballroom on television; the Thanksgiving gathering offers a glimpse of that relationship outside the competition. In a 2022 interview with Good Morning America, Ribeiro said that returning to the ballroom as co-host put him among friends who “feel like family,” adding that Thanksgiving at his house was “pretty much a ‘Dancing with the Stars’ all-star edition.” The gathering gives that description a warm, concrete meaning.
It welcomes people who might be far from home
Fan comments in an online discussion describe the tradition as “the cutest tradition,” “so sweet,” and “wholesome.” Some specifically appreciate seeing new faces included. Those comments are examples of audience reaction, not a poll or a measure of what all viewers think. Still, they point to why the gesture lands: it is not just a cast party, but an invitation shaped around the possibility that someone may be spending the holiday away from family.
What the tradition says about Ribeiro’s place on the show
Ribeiro first competed on DWTS and won season 19 in 2014; he returned as co-host for season 31 in 2022. His account of cast members becoming friends and the Thanksgiving invitation connects those roles: the ballroom is not only a workplace or stage, but also a community that continues beyond the season. That interpretation follows from his remarks and the fan responses, rather than from a formal survey of viewers.
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- Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Full Screen, NTSC
- Language: English
- Region: Region 1 U.S. and Canada only
- Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
- Video Run Time: 51 minutes
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