Two longtime Dancing With The Stars professional dancers, Sharna Burgess and Lindsay Arnold, revealed that they are sitting out of the new season. DWTS returns for season 31 on Monday, September 19, streaming exclusively on Disney+. DWTS aired for 30 seasons on ABC, but the network announced in April that the show would be moving to Disney+. Sharna and Lindsay competed on DWTS season 30, with Sharna paired with her boyfriend Brian Austin Green, and Lindsay was with Bachelor star Matt James. Both were eliminated in the fourth week of the competition.
SCREENRANT VIDEO OF THE DAY
Sharna has been a pro on DWTS since season 16. She won the mirrorball trophy with radio personality and former American Idol mentor Bobby Bones in season 27. Sharna was mysteriously cut from the pro lineup the following season but returned to DWTS in 2020. Sharna’s previous partners include Nick Carter, Antonio Brown, James Hinchcliffe, Jesse Metcalfe, and Andy Dick. Sharna and Brian gave birth to their son, Zane, in June. Lindsay made her DWTS debut in season 16 when she competed with boxer Victor Ortiz. After season 16, she was demoted to the DWTS troupe but was promoted to pro again in season 21. She won the mirrorball trophy with actor Jordan Fisher in season 25. Lindsay gave birth to her daughter in 2020 and missed season 29 of DWTS.
Related: Why Bachelorettes Gabby & Rachel Want To Do Dancing With The Stars
Sharna and Lindsay each took to social media to share their reasons for departing DWTS for season 31, according to Deadline. Sharna posted a video on her Instagram story, explaining that she was initially on the list of professional dancers for DWTS season 31 but decided to bow out. “I am at 100% capacity with my body, I feel fit, I feel strong, I’m so ready to dance. I’m about to go to the gym right now,” she explained, but also said that she “was not ready to spend a minimum of 10 hours a day away from Zane.” Sharna decided to sit out as a DWTS pro this season to spend time with her son, but teased that she may return to the show “in some capacity.”
Lindsay also revealed her DWTS news on Instagram. Lindsay revealed that the logistics didn’t work out for her or her family to be able to compete, saying that her husband lives and works in Utah, so moving her daughter out to LA for the season wasn’t feasible. She said that the sacrifice “just did not feel right for us this time around.” Lindsay did say, however, that she will be cheering for everyone when DWTS returns.
Sharna and Lindsay have been staples of the DWTS pros lineup over the years, and it will be sad not to see the dancers compete on season 31, but their reasons for sitting out are more than valid. Hopefully, the pros will be able to return to the ballroom for DWTS season 32. There is a lot more DWTS information that should be coming out soon, as the full cast reveal is on September 8 on Good Morning America. Despite Sharna and Lindsay’s absences, DWTS season 31 will still be one to remember.
Dancing With the Stars premieres Monday, Sept. 19 on Disney+.
Source: Deadline, Lindsay Arnold Cusick/Instagram