DWTS’ Emma Slater Addresses Speculation She’s Leaving the Show

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Emma Slater will still be dancing when the music stops. 

Following her 17th season on Dancing With the Stars, the professional dancer addressed the rumors about her possible retirement.

She admitted it’s challenging, telling Andy Richter on his podcast, The Three Questions with Andy Richter, that she hopes to continue for as long as possible.

Although professional dancers like Val Chmerkovskiy, 40, and Gleb Savchenko, 42, have been on the show much longer, the 37-year-old isn’t shocked that people think her time competing might be over.

Honestly, it’s totally understandable why people are talking! I mean, I get it – a lot of folks probably think of me as, like, the ‘older’ one now. It doesn’t bother me, though! I just see it as a testament to how long I’ve been amazing, you know? It’s kinda sweet, actually, that they’re still talking about me!

Emma, who has been with Alan Bersten since 2025 and was previously married to Sasha Farber, spoke out against age-based discrimination among female dancers. However, she also admitted that being older sometimes makes her feel out of step with the younger dancers on Dancing with the Stars.

“This is to be super blunt because I’m kind of insecure about it,” she continued. “I’d love to be like, ‘Yeah no, I’m still hot and young and my body doesn’t ache and I can hang with all these new ones.’”

Emma’s resistance to constantly following new social media trends extends to her overall approach to social life, going beyond just formal events like dances.

She explained that humor is a key part of what she does, and she also enjoys being vulnerable and sharing her thoughts freely. However, she doesn’t feel drawn to participate in popular dance trends, as they just don’t feel natural to her.

Still, Emma isn’t ready to step out of her dancing shoes just yet. 

I’m fully committed to being on season 35, that’s my plan right now! I’m prepared for anything, though. If the producers decide I’m no longer needed, I’ll deal with that situation when – and if – it comes up. I’m just staying positive and hoping for the best, but I won’t be caught off guard if things change.

However, she doesn’t want to leave if the timing isn’t right. She wants to be the one to decide when it’s best to go, as she explained.

For more on the inside workings of Dancing With the Stars, keep reading… 

In 2019, Variety reported that celebrities appearing on Dancing With the Stars initially earn $125,000 for rehearsals and the first two weeks of the show. According to sources, contestants who advance further receive additional payments each week, potentially bringing their total earnings to $295,000.

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

The radio host shared on Jason Tartick’s podcast, Trading Secrets, in September 2025 that the show’s pay structure is unusual. They explained they weren’t paid for the first episode, earned $10,000 for the second, and then the pay increased to around $10,000, $10,000, $20,000, and $20,000 per episode. Ultimately, they said that if you stay with the show, you could earn about $50,000 per 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.

I’ve been following the show for ages, and honestly, details about the pro dancers’ salaries are pretty scarce! But from what I’ve gathered, it seems like the further they go in the competition – the longer they stay on the show – the more they earn. It’s a nice incentive, I think!

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 set number of weeks. However, she added that contracts vary, and she couldn’t comment on the specifics of everyone’s agreement.

Apparently not.

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

She explained on The Morning After that reaching the finale means you get paid for the entire season, plus a bonus. However, winning isn’t about a large cash prize; it’s just a shared trophy with your teammate.

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 half after 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 said it’s often simply, ‘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 aims to surprise contestants with their partners. They intentionally don’t reveal the cast to the hosts, wanting to capture genuine reactions when people meet for the first time. Despite leaks sometimes happening, the show prioritizes keeping the pairings a secret until the big reveal.

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

According to former showrunner Rob Wade, the show’s pairings were based on physical attributes, body type, and how well people’s personalities meshed. They deliberately avoided matching people who they thought wouldn’t connect, as the experience was already very demanding. Unlike shows like The Bachelor, they couldn’t risk creating a truly unpleasant situation for the celebrities, the production team, or the audience. Viewers don’t want to watch people who dislike each other, and the show had learned from past mistakes where incompatible pairings hadn’t worked out well.

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 are four hours long, typically 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, works on choreography, or studies dance videos. Rylee says her life is completely dedicated to the show, but she loves it and that makes her happy. It’s a demanding job with rehearsals happening six days a week: Tuesday is show day, followed by rehearsals Wednesday through Sunday, camera blocking on Monday, and then another show day on Tuesday.

Emma Slater and Britt Stewart shared in a September 2025 Instagram video that they are mostly on board, but it’s a project they’re working on with the show’s producers.

Oh my goodness, you think the quickstep is fast? You have NO idea until you hear about the costume department! It’s absolutely insane. Daniela Gschwendtner told me once they basically create a whole story for each couple’s outfit! Then they have, like, FIVE DAYS, max, to make everything! Half a day per costume, and that’s before even getting to the rhinestones! They have a huge team – about 20 people just in their department, plus a separate tailor shop! Can you believe it? Steven Norman Lee said the dancers sometimes don’t even try on their costumes until just hours before they perform! They might reuse pants for the guys occasionally, but everything is pretty much custom-made every week. Daniela also explained they’ll reuse things for group numbers or photoshoots, but NEVER for the actual competition. They want everything to be fresh and new each week to keep things exciting, and honestly, it’s breathtaking! It’s just…a whirlwind of creativity and speed!

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2026-03-24 19:17