ABC A DWTS pro appears to be coming back for season 31.
“Dancing With the Stars” is bringing on a huge social media star for season 31 in the form of Charli D’Amelio, owner of the second-highest followed TikTok account.
D’Amelio and her mother, Heidi, are both set to join the cast for the upcoming season, according to TMZ. Sources told the outlet that Heidi and Charli will be competing against one another on the upcoming season of the show.
The stars not only have large social media followings, but they also star in the reality show “The D’Amelio Show,” which premiered in 2021 on Hulu.
Some fans are confused by the casting decision, however.
Fans Are Split About the Casting Decision
After the announcement was made, fans took to Reddit to talk about the casting decisions made by “Dancing With the Stars.” Most of the confusion centers around Heidi’s involvement with the series.
“Charli has 49M IG followers Jesus Christ.. She might have one of the biggest followings that any contestant this show has ever had,” one reply to the post reads.
Another person wrote, “That’s… unexpected. Charli at least I understand, she did that dance special with Derek and Julianne so I’m not surprised she was in Deena Katz’s radar. But her MOM too? Like, is she even famous enough?”
Some people replied and referenced the reality show the D’Amelios had on Hulu, and others speculated that Charli would only agree to be on the show if her mother was also cast.
“I’m genuinely perplexed by this casting, like others in this thread I never would’ve thought Charli, maybe Dixie, but not Charli. As far as her mom is concerned I have a sneaking suspicion she’s doing it, so she can get some airtime. I’m hesitant to think Charli would’ve done it if her mother wasn’t approached,” one reply to the thread reads.
Others pointed out that Charli has been a dancer for her whole life, while others pointed out that she has danced with “Dancing With the Stars” judge Derek Hough previously.
Another person wrote, “i get charli, but her mom kinda confuses me. charli’s mom will probably be in the first half of eliminations but charli is almost guaranteed to make the top 4.”
Some people said that they weren’t sure tehy’d be watching the upcoming season.
“I hope we find out some of the other Stars soon. I’ve already been feeling iffy about the move to D+ and these two are not a draw for me,” a Reddit user wrote.
The Season 31 Troupe Has Been Announced
Casting announcements for “Dancing With the Stars” season 31 have been made throughout the end of August 2022 in advance of the September 2022 premiere of the season.
The leaks include the four members of the troupe for season 31 of the show.
Members of the troupe are professional dancers who did not get paired with a celebrity partner but are still members of the cast. They fill in if anything happens with another professional dancer, they act as backup dancers, and they participate in opening numbers as well as any other professional dance numbers throughout the season.
Though not officially made by Disney+, the announcement was posted by insider Kristyn Burtt, who has reliable sources and often makes announcements on Instagram and TikTok.
The cast members set for the troupe are returning troupe member Ezra Sosa, long-time pro Sasha Farber, “So You Think You Can Dance” season 17 winner Alexis Warr, and new addition to the “Dancing With the Stars” family, Kateryna Klishyna.
“Dancing With the Stars” season 31 is set to premiere on Disney+ on Monday, September 19, 2022. Derek Hough, Len Goodman, Bruno Tonioli, and Carrie Ann Inaba will all return along with Tyra Banks and new co-host Alfonso Ribeiro. Professional dancers who are returning include Daniella Karagach, Artem Chigvintsev, Brandon Armstrong, Pasha Pashkov, Cheryl Burke, and Witney Carson.
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