Heavy/ABC Mauricio Umansky poses with Emma Slater.
When Mauricio Umansky was announced as a cast member on the 32nd season of “Dancing With the Stars,” he made history as the first-ever husband to join the cast of the ABC ballroom show while also appearing on the “Real Housewives” franchise.
But in an interview with “Access Hollywood,” Umansky said he was not ABC’s only pick from “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills’ cast for the upcoming season. Instead, he said his wife Kyle Richards was also approached by DWTS producers, but she turned the offer down.
And in an unusual twist, Richards’ friend, country singer Morgan Wade, was also reportedly approached with an offer to compete on the show. According to TMZ, Umansky, Richards, and Wade were all offered spots on DWTS at the same time, but Richards and Wade said no to the opportunity.
In July 2023, People reported that Richards and Umansky had separated after 27 years of marriage, but they still live together. There have been rumors that Richards had an affair with Wade, but both women have stated they are just good friends. Richards and Wade were traveling together in Paris when Umansky was announced as a DWTS contestant in September 2023.
Had Wade and Richards agreed to do DWTS along with Umansky, it would have been the first time such a controversial threesome competed against each other on the celebrity dancing show.
Here’s what you need to know:
Mauricio Umansky Said Kyle Richards Doesn’t Think She Can Dance
Over the years, RHOBH fans have seen Kyle Richards get down on the dance floor with her friends, and she’s been known to bust out a split on command. But while speaking with Access in September 2023, Umansky revealed Richards doesn’t think she has what it takes for the ballroom.
“Kyle, you know, was asked to do it but she just doesn’t think that she can dance,” he said. The Agency founder also noted that his wife is in “amazing shape” after a year of healthy eating and working out.
As for what made him want to do DWTS, Umansky said he’s “always” wanted to learn how to dance.
“I’m a Latin guy” he said. “I have that, you know, dancing blood in my body but I’ve never learned how to dance properly. I just listen to music and I start dancing… but I’ve never learned how to dance properly and now this is so exciting outside my comfort zone, something I’ve never ever done and I’m really excited to be doing this. I literally have a smile from ear to ear every single day right now.”
Umansky did admit that prepping for DWTS has already been harder than dealing with a Real Housewives dinner party fight. “It’s physically hard and it’s mentally hard,” he said of his rehearsals with pro dancer Emma Slater.
Slater also chimed in to give an early analysis of Umansky’s technique.
“I feel like Mauricio has the feeling of dancing, like he said it’s in his blood,” Slater said. “He’s really joyful when he dances and you can’t teach that. So that to me is a really positive, amazing thing and so now I’m just really putting technique on someone who already can move his body,”
On September 14, Umansky told TMZ “can’t wait” for Richards to watch him from the sidelines in the ballroom.
Kyle Richards Previously Said She is Too ‘Overloaded’ to Join ‘Dancing With the Stars’
“Dancing With the Stars” takes a big commitment, and it’s something Richards wasn’t interested in as far back as six years ago. According to Reality Tea, Richards once told Heather McDonald’s “Juicy Scoop” podcast that DWTS was not her cup of tea.
“I think it’s great when other people do it, but it’s not for me,” Richards said in 2017. “I feel really overloaded right now. The hours and taking that away from your family, I could not do it.”
“I can dance great at a party or at a club …but doing it with someone and having to follow moves, I’m very ADD and I would be very stressed and overwhelmed thinking I would have to do this live and on camera with people watching.” the RHOBH OG added.
While Richards downplayed her dance ability, her co-star Erika Jayne does think she has what it takes. Erika competed on DWTS season 24 in 2017. At the time, she told “Good Morning America” that out of all of her co-stars, Richards would be a good fit for the show. “Kyle, Kyle would be good,” she said.
In addition to Erika, other RHOBH stars who’ve competed on “Dancing With the Stars” include Lisa Vanderpump, Lisa Rinna and her husband Harry Hamlin, both competed in the celebrity ballroom competition before she joined The Real Housewives franchise.
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