Getty Chris Harrison attends ABC's Winter TCA 2020 Press Tour in Pasadena, California, on January 8, 2020.
Chris Harrison could be ready to trade roses for rumbas.
Weeks after the former “Bachelor” host announced his exit from the ABC dating franchise amid controversy over his defense of Rachael Kirkconnell’s past attendance at an Old South party, a new report claims that 49-year-old TV veteran is in serious talks to join “Dancing with the Stars.”
Harrison has two decades of hosting and executive producer experience under his belt, but on DWTS he would be on the other side of production — as a contestant.
An insider told Radar Online that “at first Chris thought he was being approached to join the show as a host” but instead found he was being asked to compete for the mirror ball trophy. The insider said discussion are going “well.”
“He was a little upset when he realized Tyra [Banks] wanted him as a contestant, but after he got over his bruised ego, Chris didn’t say ‘no,’” the source told the outlet.
The insider noted that if Harrison does DWTS, he could change the negative narrative that is currently surrounding him.
“Chris would make headlines returning to ABC,” the insider dished. “And with ‘The Bachelorette‘ ratings hitting an all-time low without him, he could win back fans to the network that left.”
Harrison Has Said He Would Never Join DWTS
ABC/John FleenorChris Harrison.
Given his long history with ABC, it’s no surprise that Harrison has been asked about joining “Dancing With the Stars” in the past. In 2019, he told Entertainment Tonight he wouldn’t be interested in competing in the celebrity ballroom competition.
“Why would I?” Harrison said at the time, before adding that he already had dancing “skills.”
In the same interview, Harrison toasted former “Bachelor” star Colton Underwood by saying the ex NFL player “has no rhythm at all.” Harrison then suggested that fan-favorite Tyler Cameron could successfully show off his moves on DWTS.
Many Bachelor Nation Stars Have Competed on DWTS & Several of Them Have Won the Mirror Ball Trophy
ABC/Eric McCandless Kaitlyn Bristowe, dancing with her partner Artem Chigvintsev, was a contestant on season 29 of “Dancing With The Stars.”
If Harrison were to join “Dancing With the Stars,” he would join a long list of Bachelor Nation alumni who have competed on the show. Original “Bachelorette” Trista Sutter competed on the first season of DWTS in 2005. She was followed by fellow franchise stars Melissa Rycroft, Jake Pavelka, Sean Lowe, Chris Soules, Nick Viall, “Grocery Store” Joe Amabile, Hannah Brown and Kaitlyn Bristowe, per Gold Derby.
Brown and Bristowe even won back-to-back mirror ball trophies. And it was Harrison who invited Bristowe to join “Dancing With the Stars” during an interview on a “Bachelor: Greatest Seasons Ever” special, according to Entertainment Weekly.
Following her DWTS win in November 2020, Bristowe admitted to Variety that coming on the show on the heels of Brown’s win made her feel that she had no chance of scoring the trophy.
“I honestly was like, ‘Are they really going to let two Bachelorettes win?’” she told the outlet. She added that her win was proof that “Bachelor” fans are loyal and supportive.
If Harrison were to join this fall’s season of “Dancing With the Stars,” it would be the third season in a row for a Bachelor Nation alum to compete, and he would likely have plenty of support from fans who are boycotting “The Bachelor” over his exit.
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