Sharna Burgess Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images
While Sharna Burgess has a lot of love for her Dancing With the Stars family, she confessed her relationship with the show hasn’t been stable over the years.
“My last five years on the show have been … rocky,” Burgess, 38, said on the Monday, September 11, episode of the “Oldish” podcast which she hosts with partner Brian Austin Green and Randy Spelling. “Not because of the show, I love the show deeply, but we had a new executive producer come in, I think five years ago now. I had just won with Bobby Bones and he decided to not bring me back.”
In November 2019, Burgess took home her first mirrorball with Bones, 43, for season 27 of the competition series. The pair’s controversial win made headlines due to Bones and Burgess having the lowest combined scores compared to the other finalists.
“My win with Bobby was I think the most explosive and controversial of Dancing With the Stars history and I got caught up in this whirlwind of hate for that win which was really yucky,” she explained on Monday. “I went into this space of self-blame when I wasn’t asked back.”
Burgess worked through her struggles and returned to the show the following year for season 29. However, her journey back wasn’t easy.
“They had me back the following season and I had a partner that was really difficult — and not say too much because I don’t want to — I wasn’t able to be in the room alone with him after the first couple of weeks because of things that happened,” she revealed. “That was rocky and we were eliminated very quickly.”
While Burgess didn’t reveal which former partner she was referencing, she was paired up with Jesse Metcalfe for her first season back. The duo were 4th to be eliminated. The following season, Burgess and her real-life partner, Green, 50, competed together as a couple until his elimination in the third week.
Since dancing with Green on season 30, Burgess has not returned to the ballroom. After she and Green welcomed their 15-month-old son, Zane, she decided she wasn’t ready to return for season 31 — especially as a first time mom. She did, however, express a desire to come back next year.
“It was always, ‘I want to come back next year,’ and ‘Of course, we love you, we’ll always have you,’” she recalled on Monday. “I did drop in and let them know, it goes without saying, ‘I would love to be back next season or this season.’”
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However, Burgess revealed she was not asked back for the upcoming season 32 of Dancing With the Stars. The show has yet to officially reveal the names of the entire cast but has introduced a couple of contestants including Ariana Madix and Jamie Lynn Spears.
“I know when [the dancers] get their phone calls we’re all talking … and I realized when those spots were all filled I was like, ‘Oh my god, I didn’t get the call,’” she claimed. “I didn’t get any phone call at this point … and that was really hard.”