Are Three Dance Pros Leaving Dancing With The Stars: Derek Hough, Cheryl Burke, Maksim Chmerkovskiy?

It’s too soon to guess what might happen on the next season of Dancing With The Stars, but, so far, three pros have hinted or made comments in interviews, blogs, or at twitter that they might not be returning for Dancing With The Stars Season 16 or even there after?

First, we have this tweet by Cheryl Burke. It makes one wonder if The Bachelorette is truly in her future among other things?

Maks has also been hinting of a “break” next season. Note however (and correct me on this if I’m wrong Maks fans?) that his contract with Dancing With The Stars is not up for two seasons. Below are his exact words in his recent TV Guide blog.

I have not made a decision about next season yet. To be honest, I have many offers and I might need a break.

He also titled his blog with:

Dancing’s Maks: I Don’t Know If I’ll Be Back Next Season

One thing is for sure, Maks has signed to make a “Latin dancing movie” in May (if the scheduling works out).

As for Derek Hough, I’m going to let our Miss Heidi tell us what she knows on him. As you know Derek welled up with tears last night talking about Dancing With The Stars making one believe he is exiting the show. He talked with reporters afterwards about it. Read this from EW….

“I was shocked at how I reacted,” Hough told reporters afterwards. ”I was sort of overwhelmed and could barely speak, to be quite honest, because of all the memories of the show and how amazing it is. It was overwhelming. I couldn’t even describe the feeling and I always want to be part of the show in some way. Who knows but …”

But what? Is the three-time Mirror Ball winner finally ready to hang up his dancing shoes? “There’s so much I want to do,” Hough said. ”It’s just about the next chapter. It’s been ten seasons of this and I’ve won three times and the seasons I haven’t won, I’ve been more than proud of and it’s been extraordinary. I feel like it’s conquered and on to the next, you know?”

Heidi, what do you think?

Heidi: I think Derek is gone – I think he has several irons in the fire and is just waiting for them to start up. I think the only reason he isn’t confirming it is because it would take away from Melissa and Tony’s win and would be in all the media. Too late, it already is. I could certainly be wrong and he could find himself free in the spring and decide to do one more – but a man doesn’t burst into tears if he’s uncertain that he’s coming back. That said to me he’s certain. From what I heard, there was a lot more to that interview on DWTS where he talks about how much the show means to him and so on that makes it even more obvious. Show insiders were very surprised, as was Derek, by how emotional he got. You don’t get that emotional if you are coming back.  But what I thought was hilarious (and true) was this statement from Inside TV:

This isn’t the first time a popular pro has hinted about bolting. Almost every year, Maksim Chermkovskiy generates headlines by suggesting he won’t return to the ballroom. Maybe that’s why, for now, Hough will only say this: ”We’ll see.  I can’t say right now.”

LOL – they’re on to you, Maks. You DO make a big production every season before the show…”Will Maks be back??” I think he’ll be back for his two seasons he has left on his contract. He’s the boy who cried wolf too many times – how can we take his comments seriously?  It’s the same thing he says all the time. If he DOES take a break?? Good – I think he needs one. He seems tired of it.

As for Cheryl?? Well, good for her. I hope she does take a season (or two) off because I do think she’s burned out. Very glad she got Emmitt and not Gilles, even though Gilles turned into a d-bag, big time, with Peta. I think Emmitt grounded her more and made her work a bit harder and didn’t allow her to rely on the sex appeal of her partner. A nice change of pace. I do think she will be back – for the direction she has taken in her career so far (dance studios, endorsements), she needs the show MUCH more than Derek does. Ordinarily, Maks would too, but he has Val to be the face of “Dance with Me”, along with Tony. So he can take a break.