DWTS’ Rylee Arnold Addresses Rumors She Won’t Return for Season 35

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Rylee Arnold doesn’t have plans to waltz away just yet.

The professional dancer from Dancing With the Stars responded to criticism she received from viewers about her performance during the show’s 34th season.

Rylee recently discussed rumors that she might not return next season, and that some people question her teaching abilities. She shared this with Julianne Hough on the November 19th episode of The Morning After show, explaining that she’s heard people saying she won’t be asked back or that she doesn’t know how to teach.

The 20-year-old explained she’s been trying to ignore online negativity, calling it simply “noise,” as she considers whether to participate in the next season.

She said they won’t find out if they’ll be on the show until summer. She’d definitely be interested in returning for another season, or even several more, if the show wants her back.

Rylee first appeared on Dancing With the Stars as a junior contestant in 2018. In 2023, she returned as a professional dancer for season 32. After partnering with Harry Jowsey and Stephen Nedoroscik, she and Scott Hoying were eliminated during the October 21st episode, which had a Wicked theme. Some viewers speculated that their elimination was because Rylee was relatively new to the professional competition.

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In 2019, Variety reported that contestants on Dancing With the Stars initially earn $125,000 for rehearsals and the first two weeks of the show, with payouts increasing each week they continue. Sources at the time said the maximum potential earnings were around $295,000.

However, Bobby Bones, who won season 27 with Sharna Burgess in 2018, claimed he earned significantly more.

On Jason Tartick’s Trading Secrets podcast in September 2025, Bones said there’s no pay for the first episode, then $10,000 for the second, with subsequent episodes paying $10,000, $10,000, $20,000, and $20,000. He stated that if a contestant lasts, they could earn $50,000 per episode. Adding a base salary of around $110,000, Bones said he ultimately made nearly $400,000 from the show.

ABC has not officially confirmed these earnings figures.

As a longtime fan, I’ve always been curious about how much the professional dancers actually earn! It’s not something the show really shares, but it seems like the further they go in the competition, the more they make – just like the celebrities. Even if a pro gets eliminated early, they still get paid, thankfully. Jenna Johnson actually talked about it on the The Morning After podcast with Kelly Stafford and Hank Winchester in June 2025. She said they’re guaranteed payment for a certain number of weeks, but contracts can vary, so she couldn’t speak for everyone.

It seems professional dancers on Dancing with the Stars don’t earn extra money for winning the show, despite taking home the Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy. However, there’s still a financial benefit to reaching the finale. According to pro dancer Cheryl Johnson, who has won with both Olympic figure skater Adam Rippon and The Bachelor‘s Joey Graziadei, dancers are paid for the entire season if they make it to the end, and they also receive a bonus. Winning isn’t about a large cash prize – it’s more about the trophy and the experience.

That doesn’t seem to be true. Dancer Lindsay Arnold shared on the 2022 podcast Trading Secrets that her pay was reduced by more than half when she moved from a main professional dancer to a troupe member.

Professional dancers have very little say in who they’re paired with on Dancing With the Stars. According to Lindsay, the show simply tells them, “Here’s your partner, make it work.” Jenna explained that the pairings are kept secret until the last minute to capture a genuine reaction. The dancers don’t even know who their partner is until they meet them, despite what people might think. According to former showrunner Rob Wade, the show focuses on matching partners based on physical attributes like height and build, as well as personality compatibility. They avoid pairing people who are likely to clash, as the experience is too intense for everyone involved. Wade admitted they’ve made that mistake in the past, resulting in a miserable experience for the celebrity, the show, and viewers. They don’t want to create a situation where two people clearly don’t get along.

Dancing with the Stars requires a huge time commitment. Rylee Arnold, who danced with Stephen Nedoroscik in season 33, explained on the Lightweights Podcast With Joe Vulpis that rehearsals typically last four hours, either from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., or 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. But the work doesn’t end there – she often has meetings with producers or the creative team, practices choreography, or reviews dance videos.

Arnold says her life revolves around the show, but she loves it and that makes her happy. It’s a demanding job with no days off. They perform on Tuesdays, then rehearse Wednesday through Sunday. Mondays are for camera blocking before another show on Tuesday.

Emma Slater and Britt Stewart shared in an Instagram video in September 2025 that they were mostly in agreement, but it involved working with the show’s producers.

If you think the quickstep dance is fast-paced, you should see how quickly the costume department works! Costume designer Daniela Gschwendtner explained to TV Insider that they collaborate with set, lighting, and dance teams to create a story for each dancer’s outfit. Then, they have only five days – just half a day per costume, before even adding rhinestones – to create everything. A team of around 20 people, plus a separate tailor shop, makes it all happen.

Steven Norman Lee, another costume designer, revealed that dancers often don’t try on their costumes until just hours before the show. While they might reuse pants for the male dancers, most costumes are custom-made each week.

As Gschwendtner added, they do reuse items for group performances or promotional shoots, but never for the competition itself. The goal is to keep everything fresh and new each week to maintain visual interest for the audience.

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2025-11-22 05:17