Dancing with the Stars season 27 winner Bobby Bones is totally fine with ABC casting celebrity contestants who have dance backgrounds. But he thinks it’s “insulting” for them to claim they’re on equal footing with others competing for the Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy.
In the days since ABC unveiled its season 35 cast, many fans have complained that some of the celebrity contestants, including former Janet Jackson backup dancer Jenna Dewan and Glee alum Harry Shum Jr., will have a clear advantage on the show given their backgrounds in dance.
Both stars replied by insisting that although they’ve had dance training, learning ballroom dance is still very challenging for them. That’s a point that Bones took issue with in a video filmed in the studio of his Netflix show, The BobbyCast, and posted to social media on Saturday, September 5.
Bones began by saying, “What’s interesting to me is I keep hearing people with years of dance training go on the show, not just this season but every season, and say, ‘Well, I’ve never done ballroom, so this is completely new for me. It’s going to be really hard.’ It’s not.”
View this post on Instagram“Like, it’s an obvious advantage,” he continued, “and I have no problem with people going on the show with dance experience. That’s the nature of that show, especially when it comes to just general performers in Hollywood. If you’re an actor, if you’re a singer, you’ve probably taken some kind of dance (lessons). But to watch some of the contestants this season go on and say, ‘No, it’s just not the same. It’s going to be hard for me too.’ It’s not.”
Recalling how he felt like he had two left feet when he starting training for DWTS, Bones said, “It’s just a little insulting when people that have danced their whole life go, ‘Ah, it’s not really the same because I’ve never danced a ballroom.’ Because they know where their arms and feet are without constantly having to look at them.”
He further explained, “They understand rhythm. They can hear the beat and know where a movement should land. They already have balance, flexibility, posture, body control, and even spatial awareness. They know how to point their feet. They know how to extend to their fingertips and make a movement look complete. Things that, again, if you’ve never danced, you have no idea what’s happening.”
Bobby Bones and Sharna Burgess won season 18 of ‘Dancing with the Stars’ on November 19, 2018.Eric McCandless/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images
Bones gave the analogy of a major league baseball player being recruited for a slow pitch softball team and wondered how people would react if the player said he was flummoxed by the bigger ball, different field, and slower pitch.
“I mean, all that’s true, but brother, you’re still a professional baseball player,” Bones reasoned. “You already know how to swing a bat and track a ball. You have hand-eye coordination. You understand timing and balance and how to generate power through your body.”
Bobby Bones Wants Celebs to Be Honest About Whatever ‘Advantage’ They Bring to DWTS
Bones insisted that he wasn’t calling for celebs with dance backgrounds to be banned from the show, only that he wants them to be honest about those skills potentially helping them on the show. He said that “everybody has a different advantage,” including some who are “great on television” or who perform “excellent routines.”
The Bobby Bones Show radio host concluded, “I just don’t love pretending that ‘I’ve never done ballroom’ means ‘I have no dance advantage,’ because that, my friends, is a total load of bullcrap.”
View this post on InstagramBones had no dance experience when he won the show in 2018 with former pro dancer Sharna Burgess. Despite getting fairly low scores from the judges, their popularity with fans voting from home led to their win.
When former DWTS host Tom Bergeron later said publicly that the duo’s win was “the most shocking” moment of all his years on the show, Bones returned his Mirrorball Trophy to ABC in 2025, feeling like he didn’t deserve to win.
However, after smoothing things over with Bergeron in early 2026, Bones was happy to report on August 6 that his trophy had arrived in the mail, returned to him by ABC.
DWTS season 35 premieres with back-to-back nights on Tuesday, September 15 and Wednesday, September 16 at 8 p.m. ET both nights, live on ABC and Disney+.
Hence then, the article about dwts winner issues bold statement on jenna dewan harry shum jr s dance skills was published today ( ) and is available on Parade ( Saudi Arabia ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( ‘DWTS’ Winner Issues Bold Statement on Jenna Dewan & Harry Shum Jr.’s Dance Skills )
Also on site :
- FBI launches investigation into theft of millions of Americans’ and Canadians’ stolen driver’s licenses
- Drew Barrymore’s $10 Stoneware Pie Dish Is a ‘Beautifully Simple’ Way to Bake ‘Extra Joy’ Into Your Desserts
- Bad Bunny Makes Historic Hops With Seven Emmy Wins for Super Bowl Halftime Show; Other Musicians Hit High Notes (And Some Misses)