What’s Going On With The Older Pros And New Producers Of Dancing With The Stars?

What’s going on with the older pros and the new producers of Dancing With The Stars? Some of you have been commenting on this in comments. In some new interviews with Access Hollywood and an ESPY interview in Glamour, Cheryl Burke has mentioned that she wasn’t sure if she was coming back to the show.

Earlier in the day on Access Hollywood Live, Cheryl Burke revealed to Billy Bush and Kit Hoover that she wasn’t quite sure if she’d be returning to Dancing With the Stars this season. When I caught up with the stylish star (seriously, has she ever looked better?), she admitted that indeed, she may not be returning. “I have spent a decade on the show, and it may be time for me to move on. I don’t know. I’ll decide in a month from now. I love my Dancing family, and I will always be a part of it. Would I still love to do it? Absolutely. But is it time [to move on]? Who knows.”

Also, George Pennacchio posted a tweet yesterday saying this about Cheryl.

Look who’s joined the reporter world! @CherylBurke is working for #ABC, interviewing stars of the fall season.

It sure makes one wonder if Cheryl has other things in the works like reporting on the show for ABC instead of dancing?

And what about Maks Chmerkovksiy? In a new Ballroom With Twist interview (see in a previous post), Maks said he “didn’t know” he was coming back to Dancing With Stars and couldn’t say yet as “life gets in the way” sometimes.

Also, Life & Style (thanks Lori, you are just in time), are reporting Maks is itching to take Len Goodman’s place at the judging table. He’s just waiting to see what Len decides.

Life & Style has exclusively learned that reigning champ Maksim Chmerkovskiy is itching to take his place. “Maks really, really wants to be a judge,” a DWTS insider dishes to Life & Style. “He’s just waiting to see what Len decides before he makes his announcement.”

In light of this news, Maks’ recent confession to Life & Style about his future with the dancing competition series makes a lot more sense: “Len and I will get together and think about [whether I will return],” Maks recently told the mag. “When the season’s over, I’m depleted. I have nothing left.” Sounds like he’s ready to take a seat at the judges’ table!

Derek Hough is a big question mark as well. Though at the Denver “Move Live On Show” (and this I witnessed for myself.), he said (when asked if he was coming back for the new season) he will always be a part of Dancing With The Stars, but, he didn’t know in what role yet.

“Role”? What did he mean by role exactly? Dancing, producing, choreographing for Macy’s …or something else?

I just hope the show isn’t going to rid of old pros too much if that’s what happening? I love Cheryl and Derek as pros and I don’t want them to leave (not to mention that these are my Dad’s two favorites and I’m not sure he’ll watch the show without them). Then again, if they are still staying on the show in another way, I’m open to seeing what they are doing to before deciding.

As for Maks, I really would rather not see him be a pro if his heart isn’t into it. I wouldn’t care if he was a judge as long as it was just a one time thing.

Also, what about Tony? No word on him …yet. I’d like to see him retire from Dancing With The Stars and concentrate more on reporting. He’s excellent for Extra…especially when Leah Remini is around.

Let’s see what Heidi and Courtney think?

Courtney: Well, I think we’ve been predicting this for a few seasons now – that some of the “old guard” would finally hang up their dancing shoes and move on. Cheryl & I are pretty close in age, and if she’s anything like me, the big 3-0 tends to bring with it a shift in priorities – you start to think more about what you really want to do with your life, and how to make it happen. She’s had a great run on the show (particularly the past two seasons), she looks fantastic, and she’s got a lot of opportunities opening up for her – now may be the perfect time to bow out and pursue other endeavors. And we’ve been bittersweetly hoping that Derek moves onto bigger and better things for the better part of 2 years now – and I think he’d probably already be gone if the show didn’t keep finding new ways to challenge him. But he’s done it all now – is there really anything that could top the thrill of helping a double amputee make it all the way to 2nd place? I get the feeling that’s a memory that he might not want to even try to top. And as always, he’s got 15 bajillion other irons in the fire – a book, a national tour, tv shows, movies, etc. I could see him returning to the show in some other capacity (more choreographing, guest judging, etc.), but I think he’s probably gotten all he’s going to get out of being a pro. As for Maks – in the 3-ring circus of ridiculous publicity that has become his post-season 18 legacy, I just find myself rolling my eyes and going “Yeah, whatever” to basically everything he says/that’s said about him. Part of me thinks he doesn’t want another stab at being a pro, because he likely will never win again (unless they set him up with the same primo situation they did this season); but part of me thinks he wants the attention badly enough that he’d begrudgingly accept a pro spot again if they don’t give him the judging job he apparently wants. And the worst part? I think TPTB just might be dumb enough to give it to him, if Len really is passing the judging torch. Since they’ve apparently decided that Maks is the lifeblood of this show (not the case – the show is bigger than any single pro), I could see them figuring that his season 18 win is the perfect lead-in for his segue into judging. Nevermind the fact that he’d be judging not only his own brother, his best bud, and two of his ex-girlfriends, he’d also being lecturing some far more experienced and successful pros on how to win. No thank you…

Heidi: In terms of Maks, we should also look at this Glamour article I posted the other day that says that Len says he’s coming back. So if Maks wants a spot it’s as judge number 4. It’s also pretty stupid of Maks to claim that he and Len will discuss it; it’s not up to EITHER of them as to whether Maks is a judge or not. The only reason he could plausibly make such a claim is if the producers told him he could have Len’s spot if Len decided to leave. Well, in the article I linked, the producers said that all three judges would be back. All that said, I have to agree with Courtney that it seems like a natural segue to the producers. And considering the fact that the BWAT show on Saturday is less than half sold, I think he should probably jump at it.  This may also explain the 3-ring circus around him. And really, if you want people to stop speculating about your private life, STOP TALKING ABOUT IT.   Cheryl? I can see people saying, “Oh, she always says that at this time of year because they don’t know if they have partners.” No, listen to what she says in the second video on this earlier post by Vogue. She explicitly says SHE hasn’t decided yet. Not that she hasn’t heard. She goes on to say that she’s been on the show for 10 years, which is a really long time. None of the usual claptrap about “oh, I have to wait to see if I get a partner.”  Very telling, IMO. They might lure her back…but they might not.  Maybe Billy and the other AH chick are right and she’s negotiating her contract. I’ve thought that Derek has been going season to season for a while, I imagine Cheryl (and others) are too. As for Derek….well, I may have to fly to LA and slap him if he signs up for a partner after such a great, DWTS-career defining one as Amy. Dude, please. But besides that, if he actually gets a partner he will have been dancing nearly every day 8 months, assuming he yet again makes a trip to the finals. This on top of all the other stuff he has going on.  When I saw him in June, it certainly sounded like he wouldn’t have a partner if he was on again. I’m thinking Macy’s. Interestingly, Julianne was asked the question too and didn’t say an outright “no” which also makes you wonder.  Perhaps Maks has some competition in the judge department? 😉

Courtney: Ooh! About Tony – some of you probably saw me talk about it on Twitter, but the bf actually had dinner with Tony last Friday when he was in town doing a meet-and-greet at a dance wear store in Indy (they go back to Tony’s competition days – they hated each other back then, but get along well now). Tony didn’t say anything SPECIFICALLY, but the bf said that Tony “spoke as if he were planning on coming back”. The bf is of the opinion that Tony can probably stay on the show as long as he wants, as he played a “pretty pivotal role” in getting a lot of the pros to do the show back in the early days, and gave the producers a lot of suggestions about the format itself. For that reason, a lot of the pro ballroom world kind of looks at him as the “godfather of DWTS”. That probably has a lot to do with his longevity on the show – and if Cheryl does opt not to return this season, Tony will become the longest-tenured pro on the show. But anywho – random fun fact: Tony is apparently a big cigar enthusiast, and convinced the bf to go to a cigar bar after dinner. Take note, fangirls looking to woo him 😛

Heidi: Ugh.  The man needs to retire. But Courtney…which fangirls are you talking about? Tony’s or your bf’s? 😀

Courtney: Tony’s. My bf’s already got too many fan girls (his students) and his newfound fondness for cigars is a habit I’d rather not encourage. 🙂