Why is Sharna Burgess not returning to Dancing with the Stars?

Dancing with the Stars season 32 will see the return of some of our favorite pro dancers back in the ballroom on Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2023 on ABC! But one of those is not Sharna Burgess. Why isn’t the DWTS troupe member coming back this year?

The Australian ballroom dancer started out on the competition series in 2013, with season 16 marking her first year with the show. She’s also been a judge of the Australian version of the series since 2019. But here in the U.S., she hasn’t gotten that chance. And, she’s going to be out of the picture this season. Why is that the case? We’ve got the answer for you below.

Why is Sharna Burgess not returning to Dancing with the Stars?

Sharna Burgess is not returning to Dancing with the Stars because the show itself did not ask her to return for season 32. She revealed this reasoning on the premiere episode of her new podcast, Oldish, which she co-hosts with life partner Brian Austin Green. The dancer explained that she was supposed to return in season 31 last year, but didn’t feel ready as she’d just given birth to her son two months before the season premiere.

Though, Burgess said she told producers she did want to come back for season 32. But she never got the call, and the dancer realized she wasn’t going to be invited back when her fellow pro dancers started to receive their calls to return.

"I realized when those spots were all filled. And I was like, ‘oh my God, I didn’t get the call.’ I didn’t get any phone call at this point. I didn’t get confirmed whether on or off. I just knew from other people. And that was really hard."

The 38-year-old went on to say that overall, the last five years on the show “have been rocky.”

"Not because of the show. I love the show deeply. We had a new executive producer come in five years ago, and I had just won with Bobby Bones, and he decided to not bring me back. There’s a lot of speculation as to why. My win with Bobby was the most explosive end, controversial win of Dancing With the Stars history. So I got caught up in this whirlwind of hate for that win, which was really yucky."

Entertainment Weekly shares that representatives of the show declined to provide a comment to the outlet.  And according to EW, Burgess is not sure whether she would or wouldn’t go back to the series if asked to return next year.

Every Sharna Burgess dance partner on Dancing with the Stars

During her 14-season run on the dance competition, Burgess has had some great wins! However, there’s also been some challenges for the pro as well. On the podcast episode, she also revealed that in season 29, she had a difficult relationship with her celebrity partner. Though she didn’t say who it was, she was paired with Desperate Housewives actor Jesse Metcalfe that season.

Then in the 30th season, her life partner, Green, came on the show and the two were partnered up. The actor is most known for his role as David Silver on Beverly Hills, 90210. While it was cute to have the real-life couple paired up together, unfortunatley it wasn’t a good experience for them, according to Burgess on the podcast. The two were frustrated that producers wanted to only focus on their relationship instead of the other aspects of their stories.

Below we’ve shared all of Sharna Burgess’ dance partners on Dancing with the Stars:

• Season 16, Andy Dick – finished in 7th place
• Season 17, Keyshawn Johnson – finished in 12th place
• Season 18, Charlie White – finished in 5th place
• Season 19, Tavis Smiley – finished in 12th place
• Season 20, Noah Galloway – finished in 3rd place
• Season 21, Nick Carter – finished in 2nd place
• Season 22, Antonio Brown – finished in 4th place
• Season 23, James Hinchcliffe – finished in 2nd place
• Season 24, Bonner Bolton – finished in 5th place
• Season 25, Derek Fisher – finished in 11th place
• Season 26, Josh Norman – finished in 2nd place
• Season 27, Bobby Bones – won 1st place
• Season 29, Jesse Metcalfe – finished 12th place
• Season 30, Brian Austin Green – finished 13th place

Dancing with the Stars season 32 premieres Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2023 at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.