Getty Dancer Louis van Amstel
“Dancing With the Stars” professional dancer Louis van Amstel is returning for season 31 after quite a long hiatus and fans are excited. But some of them are not happy about his partner, Cheryl Ladd.
Here’s what they’re saying and why they are calling her a “disappointing” partner for him.
Fans Think Louis Always Gets ‘Stuck’ With an Older Partner
Louis van Amstel is returning to “Dancing With the Stars” after quite a few years away. He last competed regularly on the show for seasons nine through 12, then was brought back briefly for seasons 15 and 21. He has never won the Mirrorball trophy; the closest he came was a third-place finish with Kelly Osbourne in season nine.
Fans are very excited that he’s back, but some of them are disappointed that he was brought back just to be paired with someone they think is going to go home early.
In fact, fans were already anticipating he would be paired with an older person before the partnerships were even announced on September 8.
“I really hope Louis has someone good with potential and they didn’t bring him back after so long to put him with someone who will go home first or second,” wrote one fan on Twitter.
Another fan posited that they brought van Amstel back “for an icon,” like when Patti LaBelle or Chaka Khan was on the show.
After it was revealed that van Amstel is partnering TV legend Cheryl Ladd, who starred as Kris on “Charlie’s Angels” from 1977 to 1981, some fans were disappointed that he was paired with someone in their 70s.
“I hope Cheryl is at least a fair dancer It annoys they always bring Louis back to give him an oldie,” wrote one fan on Twitter.
“She will be one of the first to go, older dancers cannot keep up. I would not want to be Louis,” wrote another fan on Facebook.
Another fan wrote, “The older contestants are like a train wreck, you can’t look away. Why do these senior stars do it?”
One fan started a whole Reddit thread about it, titling the post, “I am bitter about bringing Louis for this partner.”
In that thread, a longtime fan said they’ve “always loved” van Amstel, but they think he’ll go home early because fans don’t know him anymore.
“I’ve always loved him. I’m more annoyed because a lot of newer fans don’t know him and now he’s paired with someone who doesn’t have a huge fan base. Just worried he’s gonna be pushed out before his [choreography] has a chance to shine,” wrote a Reddit fan.
“With this cast I sadly think she might be one of the first to go,” wrote another fan on Reddit. “Might depend on who’s watching and voting if she managed to make it further. I’ll be sad for Louis if he came back after all this time just to have an early exit.”
Some Fans are Mad van Amstel Didn’t Get a ‘Ringer’ For a Partner
Some fans on Reddit are annoyned that returning old-school pro Mark Ballas got a “ringer” — i.e., someone with dancing experience — in the form of TikTok star Charli D’Amelio and van Amstel did not.
“I agree with your frustration. It’s so disappointing. Would’ve been cool to see him with Charli,” wrote one fan.
Another added, “I love Mark with everything I have so I’m glad he got a ringer, but seeing Mark and Louis battle it out if they both had ringers would have been sooooo perfect.”
“No, I’m kinda annoyed he didn’t get a ringer,” wrote a third fan.
Still, Some Fans Are Super Excited About van Amstel & Ladd
Some of the “Dancing With the Stars” fans are calling van Amstel and Ladd an “incredible” pair, with one even going so far as to say they were going to stop watching the show, but they now may have to tune in for this partnership.
“I just said I am done, but I may have to watch after all,” wrote a fan on Instagram.
“So excited about this pairing!!!! Come onnnnnn,” wrote another fan.
“I’m excited for @cherylladdoficial Cheryl! Plus partnering with the absolute pro Louis! What an outstanding pairing! @louisvanamstel,” wrote a third fan.
“INCREDIBLE!!!! This team already stole my heart!!!! Love you two!!! ❤️💃🏼❤️🕺🏻❤️❤️,” wrote a fourth fan.
A fifth fan added, “What a great partner! She’s amazing and it’s so great to see you back on the dance floor, Louis!”
Van Amstel’s partner is not the only casting choice that has viewers up in arms. A lot of fans were mad that fan-favorite pro Val Chmerkovskiy got paired with a “Bachelor” nation contestant, the current “Bachelorette” Gabby Windey.
“Dancing With the Stars” returns for its 31st season on Monday, September 19, on Disney Plus.
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