Former “Dancing With the Stars” pro Cheryl Burke claims that one of the pros who was on season 32 almost wasn’t. The pro wasn’t going to be asked to be part of the cast, but was added in after a casting decision was made.
During a recent episode of her podcast, Burke talked about how casting works. She mentioned how the pros don’t know if they will be on an upcoming season or not until just before the premiere. Much of that decision has to do with the celebrity cast and the workable pairings.
As it turns out, there was a pro who almost didn’t make the season 32 cut.
“I just know that they have not only the actual, their wish list of casts, but they also have backup plans just in case. And that’s actually really scary for the pro dancers,” Burke said on the July 12 episode of the “Sex, Lies, and Spray Tans” podcast.
“I’m not gonna mention any names, but I know last season, one of the pro dancers, they weren’t even gonna be asked back to join until one celebrity dropped out last minute and they replaced the celebrity,” she added.
Burke didn’t provide any additional details. The pros on season 32 were Jenna Johnson, Gleb Savchenko, Emma Slater, Brandon Armstrong, Peta Murgatroyd, Rylee Arnold, Sasha Farber, Artem Chigvintsev, Pasha Pashkov, Daniella Karagach, and Val Chmerkovskiy.
Cheryl Burke Recalled Similar Instances in Which She Wasn’t Sure if She’d Be on the Show
Burke said that she knows exactly what it feels like to not know whether or not you’ll be a part of the cast until the last minute.
“I had no partner before. Like up until a week or five days prior to the premiere because they were waiting for him to sign the contract,” she said, believing that was William Levy’s season.
Burke also admitted that she “wasn’t supposed to dance with Sam Champion” on season 31. She originally had a different partner, but she doesn’t know who it was.
The ballroom pro, who announced her retirement in 2022, finished her last season in 13th place.
“This has been one of the absolute hardest decisions of my life & I am also confident that it is the right one. This has truly been the experience of a lifetime. I’m looking forward to this next chapter of my career, but man will this one be hard to beat! Until next time,” she captioned an Instagram post, in part.
Cheryl Burke Previously Called the ‘Dancing With the Stars’ Casting Process ‘Unfair’
Burke has touched on the DWTS casting process on previous episodes of her podcast.
“I have always thought that is incredibly unfair because a lot of the fall jobs have already been taken. A lot of castings have already happened. You’re just kind of hanging by a thread,” DWTS insider Kristyn Burtt said on the April 5 episode of the “Sex, Lies, and Spray Tans” podcast.
“Of course it’s unfair. It is,” Burke added. “It gives you no time to plan, and you’re right, especially in this industry. Everyone’s already made decisions as far as other cast members for other shows and other networks. It’s a whole thing,” she continued.
Then, on a February episode of “Sex, Lies, and Spray Tans,” former DWTS pro Edyta Śliwińska discussed the topic. She admitted that the casting process led to her quitting “Dancing With the Stars.”
“One of the reasons that me and my husband left really early — and it’s not a criticism of the show, it’s just the nature of the business — there are so many things in [the] entertainment business that are out of your control. Starting from the casting process. You have no say whether you’re going to be picked up or not,” she said.
The pro lineup for season 33 has yet to be announced. The show premieres on September 17, 2024.
