ABC "Dancing With the Stars"
“Dancing With the Stars” professional dancers become a fixture on the show over their years in the competition, and some retired pros, like Cheryl Burke and Maks Chmerkovskiy, have expressed interest in hosting or becoming a new judge on the ballroom dance competition show.
With head judge Len Goodman announcing his retirement during the season 31 semi-finals, there’s possibly an empty seat at the judging table to be filled, but professional dancer Cheryl Burke, who was outspoken about wanting the role, has been turned down for a specific reason.
The U.S. Sun reports that the denial could be due to Burke’s attitude.
According to the outlet, a source claimed Burke’s “lack of filter” may have lost her the role. Burke first revealed was passed over for the role, she revealed during the January 4, 2023 episode of her former partner Chris Jericho’s podcast, “Talk Is Jericho.”
“However, they don’t see a place for me,” Burke shared. “Whether that’s at the judge’s table or as a possible co-host, and that’s okay. I’m grateful, thank you for this experience, but I’m going to move forward.”
Read on to learn about more pros who would want to move into a different role on the competition show.
Sharna Burgess Would ‘Love’ to be a Judge on ‘Dancing With the Stars’
During an April 2022 interview with Us Weekly, Burgess shared that she would be open to being a judge on the competition series. The professional dancer did not appear on season 31 of “Dancing With the Stars” because she’d just welcomed her son, Zane, in July 2022. She wanted to be able to spend as much time as possible with her son and her family after giving birth.
She told Us Weekly that if she does not come back as a professional dancer who dances every single week, she’d be open to choreographing group numbers or being a judge on the show.
“I would love to be a judge. I judged the Australian ‘Dancing With the Stars,’ and it was such an amazing experience,” she said. “It felt right. It felt exactly where I want to be. I’d love to do it here.”
In a now-expired January 26, 2023, Instagram Story, Burgess shared that she does hope to come back to “Dancing With the Stars” for season 32.
Maks Chmerkovskiy Would Be Open to Hosting
Maks Chmerkovskiy has been off the show for quite some time, but he has also said in interviews that he would be open to returning in a different capacity than dancing.
“I’d love to host,” Chmerkovskiy told Us Weekly in 2021. “I’d fill any shoes on that show. I wish that I would’ve had that understanding when I first got to the show, we had a different process because I honestly had no examples of anything like this in front of me to be like, ‘Oh, that’s what it’s like.’”
The dancer added, “I personally would love an opportunity to step into any shoes on the production side or in front of the camera. I don’t really necessarily have the passion of leading someone through this incredibly grueling process of three months of getting to the end. I may not have that, but I do have the passion of contributing to dancing, being on television and sticking around.”
Chmerkovskiy is currently expecting his second child with his wife, professional dancer Peta Murgatroyd. She’s due in June 2023.
Tyra Banks has been hosting the show since season 29 began, but a December 2022 report by The U.S. Sun that stated the ballroom dance competition show may be looking to replace the former model.
No information about the upcoming season of “Dancing With the Stars” has been officially released by Disney+, though it is set to begin in the fall of 2023. Judges Carrie Ann Inaba, Bruno Tonoili, and Derek Hough are likely to return alongside hosts Tyra Banks and Alfonso Ribeiro.