PureDWTS Season 26: DWTS Junior Isn’t Happening, Abbreviated 4-Week Spinoff Instead

Just when I was beginning to get suspicious that we hadn’t heard anything definitive about DWTSJ yet, Tom dropped this tweet:

My thoughts? Given that nobody had heard a peep about DWTSJ since the initial announcement (including most of the crew, whose only indicator that things would be different was a memo sent out at the end of last season stating that they would be needed in the fall of 2017 for season 25, and the fall of 2018 for season 26), I’m guessing they just couldn’t pull together a whole new cast of celebs, pros, hosts, and judges quick enough for the spring season – or, somebody actually raised their hand and said “Guys, this idea’s a bit of a turd.” A 4-week, abbreviated season of DWTS sounds good to me – not sure people will bond with the cast quite as much as they do in a regular 10-week season, but I certainly welcome the break, as spring is when things kick up over at Pure World of Dance.

Part of me also wonders if the budget for American Idol has grown to such gargantuan proportions that they’re having to cut corners elsewhere – hence, a shortened, regular season of DWTS, where they can keep the same pros, hosts, and judges and probably mitigate costs better than undertaking a whole new revamp like DWTSJ.

Update: According to Tom, spring season isn’t regular DWTS – it’s a spinoff of sorts.  All I can think of when I think “DWTS Spin-off” was that gadawful Dance Wars show that Bruno & Carrie Ann put on during the writers’ strike back in 2008…

Thoughts?