During the 500th episode of Dancing With The Stars, fans saw some familiar faces in the ballroom. Former pro Lindsay Arnold cheered on her younger sister Rylee from the audience. Sharna Burgess even took part in the opening number, leaving fans wondering if she might return next season. But recently retired dancer Cheryl Burke didn’t show up.
After all the bad blood between Cheryl and the executive team, few fans felt surprised by her absence. But the dancer revealed she did receive an invitation. She simply didn’t accept it.
See what Cheryl had to say about the situation and why she opted not to come.
Cheryl Burke Cites Reasons For Not Attending The Performance
Since leaving Dancing With The Stars, Cheryl Burke has continuously butted heads with the executive team. She felt angry that they didn’t offer her Len Goodman’s seat after he retired as a judge. And on top of that, she previously stated she and her team had to “fight” to get her a proper send-off from the show.
Most DWTS fans weren’t surprised she didn’t want to appear on the 500th episode, but she cited a specific reason for rejecting the invite.
“Next week, you’re gonna see Dancing With The Stars celebrating the 500th episode, which is such a huge milestone for the show. And I couldn’t be happier for the show’s success,” Cheryl shared on a special episode of Sex, Lies, and Spray Tans.
She went on to confirm the show did invite her back to sit in the audience for the 500th episode. However, she wasn’t interested. Cheryl admitted she would have accepted if they offered her a dance role. But if they just wanted her to sit and watch, she had other things to do.
“However, when it comes to just sitting in the audience, it really just delays the podcast schedule, and I have a loyalty to you, my listeners, to make sure we roll these out because I know, especially the recap episodes, you guys can’t wait, but I’ll be there in spirit,” the dancer said.
The Former DWTS Pro Wishes Everyone Well Online
Sharna Burgess received an invite to dance in the opening number, but that may have had more to do with the fact that one of her routines was being used. Daniella Karagach and Dwight Howard paid homage to her Argentine tango from Season 23.
Even though Cheryl didn’t attend, she did wish the cast and crew luck from her Instagram page.
What do you think about Cheryl Burke’s decision to appear on the 500th episode? Did she make the right choice? Add your own thoughts and ideas to the conversation.
Catch the semifinals episode of Season 33 next Tuesday night at 8 PM Eastern time on ABC.
