10 Things Dancing with the Stars Pros Have Revealed About Working on the Show

MsMojo

Backstage with the stars. Welcome to MsMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the times the “Dancing with the Stars” professional dancers spilled the behind-the-scenes tea.

Transcript

00:00and like we thought it was a joke. Welcome to Ms. Mojo and today we're counting down our

00:05picks for the times the Dancing with the Stars professional dancers spilled the behind-the-scenes

00:09tea. Do you get to suggest celebrities to try and get on the show? How is each pro selected

00:14for the celebrity? Number 10. Maxim Shmirkovsky could have been a judge. Max was never shy about

00:20sharing his feelings, often with a healthy dose of sass. So can you imagine him as a judge

00:26delivering his signature candid honesty? With all due respect, this is my show. You know,

00:30I helped make it what it is. I love every aspect of it. I love every professional that's ever been

00:35here and I love every celebrity that puts effort into every week. Well, that almost happened.

00:41After a brief break from the show, Max revealed he was offered a spot on the judging panel.

00:45Though he kept details scarce, he did say that he ultimately decided he wasn't ready to hang

00:50up his dancing shoes quite yet. Timing turned out to be everything as he just happened to be

00:55paired with Ice Dancer Meryl Davis that year. And well, we all know how that turned out.

01:04With electrifying performances and undeniable chemistry, they became one of the show's most

01:09unforgettable pairings.

01:189. Do the Pros Get a Say in Costumes?

01:22The costume team works wonders, designing outfits that are both stunning and perfectly

01:27tailored for each performance. Seriously, who wouldn't want these in their closet?

01:31These pros know their craft and it shows.

01:42While dancers may help explain the concept or story of a routine,

01:46that's usually where their input ends. Daniela Karagos said that while costumes are picked for

01:51them, the team typically knows what will fit just right and look flawless on stage.

02:07Tony Dovolani mentioned that performers often don't try on their costumes until dress rehearsals,

02:12with last-minute tweaks happening right up until showtime. If you're a celeb eyeing the

02:17dance floor, good news, apparently you can buy your costumes after the season.

02:318. Pros Might Not Know Their Celeb Partners Until Rehearsals Begin

02:36We mentioned earlier how Max was lured back to the dance floor by his exciting partner reveal,

02:41but producers like to keep things unpredictable, even for the pros.

02:54Pasha Pashkov revealed that in season 28, the pros were kept in the dark about their celebrity

02:59partners and had to wait until the first day of rehearsals to see who'd be waiting for them in

03:03that studio. They knew the celeb lineup, so it's not like the pool of possibilities was endless,

03:08but the suspense was real. Pasha, a self-professed huge fan of The Office,

03:22admitted he was thrilled and quote, totally starstruck when he met his partner.

03:32Unfortunately, not every pairing turns out to be so harmonious, but more on that later.

03:387. Showmances With all the close contact and countless

03:42hours spent together, it's no surprise that things can heat up off the dance floor.

03:55Showmances, real or rumored, make headlines nearly every season.

04:00But according to Mark Ballas, many of these stories are just that, rumors.

04:08That doesn't mean things never get hot and heavy. Heck, we've even listed the romance that began on

04:17the show. Cheryl Burke, who was often at the heart of these rumors, confessed that while the

04:21speculations are sometimes exaggerated, she has had a few showmances. Still, she recognizes that

04:27typically, although not always, they're not love but just two people getting swept up in the heat

04:32of the moment. 6. Who picks the songs

04:47If we made a playlist of practically every song featured in the series,

04:50we'd say we'd have one banging party on our hands.

04:53But have you ever wondered who's involved in choosing the music?

05:03Back in 2014, former pro Kim Johnson revealed during a Q&A, led by Season 19 winner Alfonso

05:09Ribeiro, that while the pros can make song requests, it's ultimately the producers who

05:13call the shots. She explained that they simply have a better grasp of the show's overall arc

05:27and might steer dancers away from songs that have been used too recently. This can lead to some

05:32creative challenges for the dancers, who have to whip up routines to tracks that might not fit

05:36their dance style for the week. 5. Not every partnership

05:48is a match made in ballroom heaven. Sometimes a dancer and a celeb will meet, hit it off,

05:53and their chemistry will carry them straight to the finals. Other times,

05:57the sparks between partners could light up the dance floor.

06:08Then there are moments where you could cut the frosty tension with a knife.

06:11We've heard plenty of backstage drama, but it's rare for the dancers to address

06:15these stories directly. However, Max didn't hold back about his Season 13 partner Hope Solo,

06:26describing her with some not-so-friendly language. Meanwhile, Tony Dovolani made his

06:31feelings about Kate Gosselin crystal clear. You can't throw two strangers together and always

06:42get magic. Maybe they need pro-celeb speed dating to see who clicks best.

06:474. The choreographing process Now that we know costumes and music

06:51are mostly out of the pros' hands, you might be curious, what about choreography? That's all on

06:57them. Emma Slater revealed that pros get little notice of their next routine if they make it

07:10through to the next week, so don't be surprised if you catch one choreographing in their kitchen

07:14well after midnight following a long day of camera blocking. Karagosh said she begins

07:19mentally choreographing, and her husband Pasha helps bring her vision to life.

07:29While there's some friendly competition, the pros often help each other,

07:33like when Ballas asked Eric Hough to help with his Charleston with Alexa Pennevega.

07:37Choreography is constantly evolving, with pros devising backup moves from A to Z, just in case.

07:503. What actually happened during the Ryan Lochte stage invasion?

07:56In one of the show's most dramatic moments, protesters stormed the stage while Ryan Lochte

08:01and Cheryl Burke were receiving feedback from the judges. On her YouTube channel,

08:05Burke recounted the ordeal, revealing how shaken she was by the incident,

08:09having gotten to know Lochte beyond the headlines.

08:12Though they were seemingly aware of some protesters in the audience,

08:20they performed their foxtrot anyway. Burke described the shock and tears that unfolded

08:25off-camera after the stage invasion, noting how rattled everyone was.

08:34Even host Tom Bergeron apparently got caught up in the crossfire.

08:38The whole incident left a lasting impression on Burke, who admitted it was one of the most

08:42unsettling moments of her Dancing with the Stars career.

08:552. Backstage drama

08:57We're not just talking about any behind-the-scenes drama. This is what allegedly went down backstage

09:02when Bristol Palin competed. On Cheryl Burke's podcast, Sex, Lies, and Spray Tans, Palin talked

09:19about the chaos that erupted when she made it to the finals despite her, on average, lower scores.

09:24The most explosive reaction apparently came from singer Brandi's mom,

09:28who was fuming after her daughter got booted in the semifinals.

09:32Burke described the scene as quote,

09:38like Jerry Springer in there, with Brandi's mom allegedly quote,

09:41up on her feet, foaming at the mouth. Palin confessed that the tension was so thick that

09:46she almost felt like she owed her an apology. Before we continue, be sure to subscribe to

09:57our channel and ring the bell to get notified about our latest videos. You have the option

10:03to be notified for occasional videos or all of them. If you're on your phone, make sure you

10:08go into your settings and switch on notifications. 1. The pros can't choose their pairings

10:15According to Alan Burstyn, the producers are open to hearing which celebs the pros would love to

10:19partner with, but that's about as far as their influence goes.

10:27One of the biggest factors is height. Matching partners with similar stature probably makes

10:37routines easier to coordinate, though the opposite seems to be true for how they cast Daniela's

10:43partners. Another consideration is personality compatibility,

10:57though as we've seen, they don't always get it right. Ballas said they also try to pair

11:02celebs with pros whose teaching styles they think will suit them best. In a fan Q&A,

11:06Alan joked that producers like to choose pairings that'll stir up drama and grab headlines.

11:11And while they say all publicity is good publicity, we're pretty sure he's just kidding.

11:22Have you come across any other behind-the-scenes tidbits shared by past or present pros?

11:26Share them in the comments.

11:36Do you agree with our picks? Check out this other recent clip from Ms. Mojo.

11:40And be sure to subscribe and ring the bell to be notified about our latest videos.

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