Heavy A DWTS alum talks about her shocking elimination.
Season 24 “Dancing With the Stars” competitor Heather Morris sat down with former ballroom pro Cheryl Burke for an episode of Burke’s new “Sex, Lies, & Spray Tans” podcast.
In the second half of the pod, Burke asked Morris about her time on the show (she danced with pro Maksim Chmerkovskiy and they finished in 8th place), and asked the “Glee” star why she thinks she got eliminated.
Admitting she’s a bit of a “conspiracy theorist,” Morris says that she ultimately thinks that she was sent home for “ratings.”
“I think it was for ratings. It was a shocking elimination at the time,” Morris said on the September 18, 2023, episode of the podcast. “It felt like it was for ratings and they wanted more people to vote,” she added.
“They said, ‘get out of here. You’re not giving us enough,'” Morris theorized, adding that she didn’t feel like she was “competitive enough.”
Here’s what you need to know:
Cheryl Burke Alluded to Eliminations Being Made for Ratings
Burke said that she believes that the “conspiracy theory” is probably something that “goes through people’s minds” when they are competing on “Dancing With the Stars.”
“Especially when you are also in the same boat. Like, of course there are moments that I think the same thing, like what you just said. ‘It’s time for some mid-season, shocking eliminations. Here we go. Goodbye,'” Burke said.
“It’s a TV show,” Burke continued.
Morris and Burke aren’t the only two people associated with the show who have suggested that there may be some producer influence when it comes to who goes home each week.
On the September 15, 2023, episode of the “Brotherly Love” podcast, season 3 competitor Joey Lawrence said that he believes the show is rigged.
“I feel that there was always a lot of debate as to how much finagling was going on behind the scenes,” Lawrence said. “You know, whether the audience vote and the judges’ votes, then the producers. I mean, there was certainly a scenario there that played out,” he continued
Cheryl Burke Retired From ‘Dancing With the Stars’ After Season 31
After 26 seasons on “Dancing With the Stars,” Burke announced her decision to retire from the show in 2022.
“I am sitting here full of so many conflicting emotions about the words I am about to write,” she captioned an Instagram post on November 20, 2022.
“Tomorrow night will officially be my final dance as a pro dancer on @dancingwiththestars. This has been one of the absolute hardest decisions of my life & I am also confident that it is the right one,” she continued.
“This show has been my 2nd family since I was 21 years old. The cast, crew & fans have seen me through my highest highs & some of my lowest lows, & I honestly don’t know who I would be today without them. I also know that it is time for me to begin the next phase of my career, although dance will always be a part of me,” she added.
Burke won the Mirror Ball Trophy on season 2 with Drew Lachey and on season 3 with Emmitt Smith.