ABC7 Chicago’s ‘The Dance’ 2025: How Cheryl Scott & Terrell Brown Turned New Year’s Eve into a Windy City Ritual
ABC7 Chicago’s New Year’s Eve special “The Dance” returned for its eighth year on December 31, 2025, with Cheryl Scott and Terrell Brown once again leading viewers into 2026 through a mix of choreographed spectacle, local pride, and live-TV charm that has quietly become a modern Chicago holiday tradition.
ABC7 Chicago New Year’s Eve 2025: ‘The Dance’ Rings in 2026 with Local Flair
While national audiences flipped between the big network countdowns in Times Square and Vegas, Chicago had its own must-watch moment: “The Dance” on ABC7 Chicago. What started as a clever local segment has evolved into a full-on Windy City ritual, with viewers tuning in specifically to see whether Scott and Brown can top last year’s moves.
In an era of ultra-produced New Year’s Eve programming, “The Dance” stands out for leaning into something almost old-fashioned: live, local television with personality. It’s part countdown, part variety segment, part inside joke shared between the anchors and their audience.
How ‘The Dance’ Became a Chicago New Year’s Eve Tradition
The 2025 broadcast marked the eighth year of “The Dance,” which has slowly grown from a quirky in-house bit into one of ABC7 Chicago’s signature holiday segments. In a local-news landscape often dominated by weather alerts and morning traffic, this segment plays like a yearly exhale—a chance to celebrate the city instead of simply reporting on it.
While national countdowns lean on celebrity guests and multi-city remotes, “The Dance” doubles down on Chicago identity: familiar anchors, a recognizable studio, and a tone that feels more like an inside celebration than a broadcast beamed in from somewhere else.
The real appeal here is continuity. In an industry where anchors and formats can change abruptly, watching Cheryl Scott and Terrell Brown return year after year to dance into midnight gives viewers something simple and reliable to look forward to.
Cheryl Scott & Terrell Brown: Why These Anchors Work as New Year’s Hosts
ABC7 didn’t just plug any two anchors into this segment. The chemistry between Cheryl Scott and Terrell Brown is a big part of why “The Dance” plays more like a party and less like a stunt.
- Cheryl Scott brings the high-energy, on-your-feet vibe of a meteorologist used to live breaking coverage and giant weather maps.
- Terrell Brown balances that with anchor polish and an easy, good-humored presence that keeps the bit from tipping into cringe.
“It started as something fun for our viewers, and it’s turned into this yearly promise that we’ll show up, dance, and welcome the new year with them.”
When local TV works, it’s because the people on-screen feel like part of the community rather than distant personalities. Scott and Brown know that the point isn’t to deliver a flawless routine; it’s to dance with the city, on air, in real time.
Inside the 2025 Broadcast: Style, Choreography, and Production Choices
The 2025 edition of “The Dance” leaned into the now-familiar formula: upbeat tracks, tight camera work, and choreography that looks rehearsed enough to be impressive but loose enough to feel spontaneous on live TV.
From a TV-production standpoint, the segment is deceptively simple:
- Music & pacing – The beat has to work both for dancing and for live timing around the countdown clock.
- Camera choreography – The crew treats the studio almost like a small stage show, moving with the anchors instead of locking off the frame.
- Energy management – The anchors need to hype the moment without stepping on the actual midnight countdown or station IDs.
Compared with the giant outdoor productions in New York or Los Angeles, “The Dance” feels delightfully compact—more like a pop-up performance inside a familiar news set than an expensive variety special. That modest scale is part of its appeal.
Cultural Impact: A Local Ritual in a National Media Landscape
In the broader universe of New Year’s Eve TV, “The Dance” occupies a specific niche: it’s not trying to compete with the spectacle of Times Square or live performances from A-list pop stars. Instead, it leans into something distinctly Midwestern—warm, unpretentious, slightly goofy, and deeply communal.
It’s also a smart brand move for ABC7 Chicago. In a streaming-heavy media ecosystem, local stations need signature events that people choose to watch in real time. “The Dance” has become one of those: a tune-in moment that feels anchored in Chicago’s own rhythm rather than borrowed from a coastal feed.
Over eight years, the segment has shifted from novelty to ritual. For many Chicagoans, it’s now part of the checklist: food, friends, fireworks, national countdowns—and a quick stop at ABC7 to see what Cheryl and Terrell do this time.
Review: What Works—and What Doesn’t—About ‘The Dance’ 2025
Judged as a piece of entertainment TV, the 2025 edition delivered exactly what it promised: a short, high-energy, locally flavored burst of celebration. But like any recurring bit, it walks a line between comfortingly familiar and a little predictable.
Strengths
- Authenticity: The segment feels genuinely fun, not overly branded or forced.
- Local pride: It reinforces ABC7’s identity as Chicago’s hometown station.
- Anchor chemistry: Scott and Brown continue to be the right pairing for this tone.
Weaknesses
- Limited novelty: After eight years, viewers who’ve followed along might crave a bigger twist—guest dancers, location changes, or new formats.
- Short shelf life: Like most New Year’s Eve content, it’s highly time-bound; if you miss it live or within a day or two, it mostly becomes a nostalgia clip.
Still, those critiques are more about format evolution than execution. In its 2025–2026 form, “The Dance” sticks the landing for what it aims to be: brief, spirited, and unmistakably Chicago.
Where to Watch and How It Compares to Other NYE Specials
ABC7 typically promotes “The Dance” as part of its broader New Year’s Eve coverage, with segments airing on the broadcast and often reappearing on the station’s digital platforms and social feeds. For viewers who missed the live broadcast, the best bet is usually:
- Checking the official ABC7 Chicago website for recap clips.
- Looking at ABC7 Chicago’s verified social accounts for highlight reels and behind-the-scenes snippets.
For comparison, you can also look up:
- “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve” on IMDb, to see how long-running national NYE franchises structure their shows.
- Past local specials and countdowns on other stations to gauge how rare it is to have a recurring dance segment anchored by news personalities.
Looking Ahead: How ‘The Dance’ Could Evolve in 2026 and Beyond
After eight years on air, “The Dance” feels secure in its spot as a Chicago New Year’s Eve staple. The question now isn’t whether it returns, but how it might evolve without losing the charm that made it a hit.
Possible directions ABC7 could explore:
- Inviting local dancers or community groups to join the anchors on air.
- Taking “The Dance” to iconic Chicago landmarks for outdoor segments in milder years.
- Adding interactive elements, like viewer-submitted dance clips featured during the broadcast or online.
For now, the 2025–2026 edition did exactly what it needed to do: give Chicagoans a joyful, slightly irreverent way to step into the new year with two familiar faces leading the count—and the choreography.
Quick Take: Review Summary of ABC7’s ‘The Dance’ 2025
Overall Rating: 4/5
“The Dance” 2025 is a lively, good-spirited slice of local television that understands its own scale. It won’t replace the big national countdowns, but it isn’t trying to; instead, it gives Chicago a small but meaningful ritual anchored by Cheryl Scott and Terrell Brown’s easy rapport. A bit more experimentation wouldn’t hurt in year nine, but as it stands, it remains one of the more charming regional ways to ring in the new year.
Staff Critic
