Sharna Burgess Addresses Dancing With the Stars’ Alleged Toxicity

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Sharna Burgess thinks there’s only one way to address the rumors that ‘Dancing With the Stars‘ has a negative environment.

The former professional dancer says the atmosphere on and off camera feels positive, but there’s one part of Dancing with the Stars that could be seen as negative.

Okay, so someone asked me on Instagram what I think when people say “toxic” about Dancing with the Stars, and honestly? It’s the fans. Not all of them, of course, but a certain part of the fandom is just…intense. The amount of negativity and hate online lately is seriously next level. It’s really getting to me, you know? I just wish everyone could be a little kinder!

The question came up following rumors that the show was creating a negative atmosphere for both the professional dancers and celebrity contestants. However, Sharna denied these claims, stating they are false.

It’s definitely not the program or the cast,” she said. “I really dislike even thinking about those two things together.

Sharna, who finished on Dancing with the Stars in 2022, believes the rise in online negativity is simply a result of the show becoming more popular lately.

She continued, “Whenever something becomes really popular, you’ll always find people who dislike it. And now that it’s popular again, everyone seems to want to share their strong opinions online to get attention.”

But with increased negativity also comes increased “online love and adoration.”

“It’s the ying and yang,” she shared. “The balance I guess.”

Professional dancers Alan Bersten and Emma Slater recently described the atmosphere on set as positive and friendly, saying it’s all “wholesome.”

Emma recently discussed a news article that described the atmosphere on Dancing With the Stars as ‘toxic.’ Speaking on the December 2nd episode of the House of Maher podcast alongside Alan, she strongly disagreed with that assessment, saying it was completely untrue.

She continued, “Everybody on the show has such a collaborative, supportive atmosphere.”

Professional dancers Alan Bersten and Emma Slater recently expressed a similar feeling, describing the atmosphere on set as positive and friendly.

Emma explained on the December 2nd episode of the House of Maher podcast, during an interview with Alan, that a recent article claiming there was ‘toxic energy’ on Dancing With the Stars was completely untrue. She didn’t want to focus on it for too long, but felt it was important to clarify the situation.

She continued, “Everybody on the show has such a collaborative, supportive atmosphere.”

Actor Corey Feldman, who was voted off during the second week of the latest season, revealed in a November radio interview on Gurvey’s Law that there was a lot of conflict and tension happening off-camera.

He quickly clarified that he was also talking about hatred coming from outside sources, not anyone involved with the production.

He told People magazine on November 22nd that everyone connected with the show – including his co-stars, the professional dancers, and the entire crew and production team – has been incredibly kind, supportive, and respectful. He clarified that any problems he mentioned weren’t related to the show itself, but rather to outside gossip, rumors, and people who used to be involved but are still stirring up drama.

 

Okay, so I’ve been following everything about the show, and honestly, the rumors about a ‘toxic’ environment? They started gaining traction after Corey Feldman – ugh, I was SO bummed he got voted off so early! – spilled some tea on a radio show. He was on Gurvey’s Law back in November and said there was just a TON of drama happening behind the scenes. It totally makes sense now, thinking about it… it all adds up!

He quickly explained that he was also talking about external negativity, and not anyone involved in the production.

He told People magazine on November 22nd that everyone connected with the show – including his co-stars, the professional dancers, and the entire crew and production team – has been incredibly kind, supportive, and respectful. He clarified that any problems he mentioned weren’t about the show itself, but rather about outside opinions, rumors, and people who used to be involved with Dancing with the Stars but continue to cause unnecessary drama.

We’re not waltzing around any more DWTS secrets—read on for more.

As a lifestyle expert, I often get asked about what celebrities earn for participating in shows like Dancing With the Stars. Back in 2019, Variety reported that contestants typically start with around $125,000 just for the rehearsals and the first couple of weeks. But here’s the interesting part: if they stick around and keep dancing, they earn even more each week! Sources said the top stars could potentially make up to $295,000 for the entire season.

However, Bobby Bones said he made more than this when he won season 27 with Sharna Burgess in 2018.

The radio personality shared on Jason Tartick’s podcast, Trading Secrets, in September 2025 that the show’s pay structure was unusual. They explained that they earned no money for the first episode, then $10,000 for the second. After that, the pay increased, eventually reaching $10,000, $10,000, $20,000, and then $20,000 per episode. They said that if you stayed on the show long enough, you could eventually make around $50,000 an episode.

In addition to a salary of about $110,000, Bones revealed he earned nearly $400,000 from the show.

ABC has not publicly confirmed any of these figures.

Details about professional dancers’ earnings haven’t been widely released either. However, like the contestants, it appears they earn more the further they advance on the show.

But even if a pro is eliminated in the first round, they’re not leaving the ballroom empty-handed.

Jenna Johnson explained on the June 2025 episode of the The Morning After podcast, hosted by Kelly Stafford and Hank Winchester, that dancers are typically guaranteed work for a specific number of weeks. However, she added that contracts vary and she couldn’t comment on everyone’s situation.

Apparently not.

Professional dancers on Dancing with the Stars, like Jenna Johnson, don’t earn extra money for winning the Mirrorball Trophy – now named after the late Len Goodman. However, Johnson, who has won seasons 26 (with Adam Rippon) and 33 (with Joey Graziadei from The Bachelor), says reaching the finale is still rewarding, beyond just the prestige.

She explained on The Morning After that reaching the finale means you receive full-season pay plus a bonus. However, winning doesn’t come with a large cash prize; instead, winners receive a trophy to share with their partner.

That doesn’t appear to be the case.

In a 2022 appearance on Trading Secrets, Lindsay Arnold shared that her pay was reduced by more than 50% when she moved from being a professional dancer to a troupe member.

The pros get little input when it comes to being matched with a celebrity.

On the May 2025 episode of Maggie Sellers’ podcast, Hot Smart Rich, Lindsay explained that people in these situations have no input. She described it as simply being told, ‘Here’s your partner, now you need to make the relationship work.’

In fact, Jenna said the pairing is often a secret until the last minute.

Jenna explained on The Morning After that the show’s producers intentionally keep the cast a secret to capture authentic reactions when the couples first meet. Contrary to popular belief, the show’s hosts don’t know who’s participating either. The producers prefer it that way, wanting to maintain complete surprise until the reveal happens live on set. They work hard to prevent leaks, as the surprise is a key part of the experience.

As for what the Dancing With the Stars team looks for when making these matches?

According to former showrunner Rob Wade, matching contestants involved considering their height, physique, personality, and how well they’d get along. They deliberately avoided pairing people who seemed incompatible, as the show’s intense format wouldn’t work if contestants disliked each other. Unlike shows like The Bachelor, forcing a bad match would create a negative experience for everyone involved – the celebrity, the production team, and the viewers. They’d previously made the mistake of pairing up people who didn’t connect well, and wanted to avoid repeating that.

Dancing With the Stars requires a huge time commitment. Rylee Arnold, who partnered 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 spends additional time meeting with producers, working on choreography, or reviewing dance footage. Rylee says it consumes her entire life, but she’s passionate about it and loves what she does. It’s a demanding schedule with rehearsals happening almost every day. They perform on Tuesdays, then rehearse Wednesday through Sunday, followed by camera blocking on Monday before another show on Tuesday.

Emma Slater and Britt Stewart shared in an Instagram video in September 2025 that they are mostly on board, but it’s a project they’re working on together 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 unique story for each dancer’s outfit. Then, they have just five days – sometimes only half a day per costume – to create everything, not even counting the time it takes to add rhinestones. A team of around 20 people, plus an outside tailor shop, work tirelessly to make it happen.

Steven Norman Lee, another costume designer, shared that dancers often don’t try on their costumes until just hours before the show. While they might occasionally reuse pants for 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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2025-12-06 03:18