DWTS Insider Says ‘Things Are Happening’

Disney Plus

“Dancing With the Stars” insider Kristyn Burtt has given fans a huge update on season 31 in her latest TikTok video.

Here’s what you need to know:

Burtt Confirmed the Return of 2 Fan-Favorite Features

Burtt’s Tiktok is captioned “things are happening” in regards to “Dancing With the Stars” and she starts off by saying, “Let’s get right to it when it comes to ‘Dancing With the Stars’ season 31 scoop.”

She went on to talk about the Us Weekly article that confirmed the return of the six professional dancers who were featured in a season 31 promo, which makes sense because why would they be in the promo if they aren’t part of the season?

Those six pros are Brandon Armstrong, Cheryl Burke, Witney Carson, Artem Chigvintsev, Daniella Karagach, and Pasha Pashkov. They are also featured on the season 31 poster.

Of the article, Burtt said that after that article hit the web, her phone was ringing off the hook with dancers giving her the scoop about casting — and in the process, confirming both the return of the troupe and of an opening dance number.

Burtt said:

About an hour after this article was published, guess what? Phone calls started to come in from people who had auditioned as well as veteran pros that hadn’t been confirmed yet, so just about everybody knows right now whether they’re a pro, whether they’re in troupe — yes, there is some configuration of a troupe this season, which makes sense since it’s a two-hour show without commercials — and you should see some action happening this week because there is an opening number!

So opening numbers will be back this season, which is so amazing and there are some rehearsals starting with some of the dancers. Don’t panic if you don’t see everyone in rehearsal just yet because of course usually the opening numbers are big splashy affairs, especially for a very big move to Disney Plus.

This is good news indeed for longtime fans because both the troupe and opening numbers have been sorely missed the past few years.

“I’ve really missed opening numbers and pro dance numbers where we can all marvel at the dance skillzzzz of the pros,” wrote one fan on Twitter.

Another wrote, “More opening numbers and less Tyra walking #DWTS for reals — let the pros do their thing!”

“Totally forgot how much I LOVE opening numbers! I missed them so much,” wrote a third fan.

Burtt Did Clarify That ‘Veteran Pros’ Does Not Necessarily Mean ‘Old-School’ Pros

On Twitter, one user zeroed in on the fact that she mentioned “veteran pros” and wrote that they hope Anna Trebunskaya is returning. To this Burtt clarified that she “would have said something more like ‘old-school’ pros if they were bringing back the OGs.”

So, that may mean that all this chatter about Maksim Chmerkovskiy returning to the show is just that — chatter — even though he has said he would absolutely return.

Furthermore, fans have been wondering if Kym Johnson Herjavec being part of the Disney Plus day special “Dancing with the Stars: The Pros’ Most Memorable Dances” alongside pros Burke and Armstrong plus pro-turned-judge Derek Hough means that she is returning to the ballroom for the first time since spring 2017, but it sounds like if she were, Burtt again would have used “old school pros,” not veteran pros.

Either way, it sounds like leaks should start springing any day now as the dancers start rehearsing. The official cast announcement day is September 8, which is also when Disney Plus will premiere the “Dancing with the Stars: The Pros’ Most Memorable Dances” special.

The description for the special is as follows:

“Dancing with the Stars: The Pros’ Most Memorable Dances” is a look back on the 20 most memorable dances of thirty seasons of Dancing with the Stars’ chosen by the Pro-Dancers. Hosted by Derek Hough, Kym Johnson, Cheryl Burke, and Brandon Armstrong, we’ll see them countdown to their most unforgettable performance – highlighting everything from the best Mirrorball-winning performances over the years, to iconic opening numbers, Emmy-winning dances, and unforgettable celebrity mishaps. It all leads up to season 31 premiering live only on Disney Plus.

“Dancing With the Stars” returns for its 31st season on Monday, September 19, on Disney Plus.

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