You’re Out! The Dancing With the Stars Pro Cast Reveals Exactly *Who* Wasn’t Asked Back
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Back on their feet! The Dancing With the Stars Season 33 pros includes a long-awaited return — but who else will make it back on the dance floor for the new season?
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Over the past two decades, more than 50 professional ballroom dancers have competed as pros on Dancing With the Stars, including current host Julianne Hough and judge Derek Hough. Some of the longest-running pros include Tony Dovolani, who competed for 20 seasons; Cheryl Burke, who competed for 24 seasons; and Mark Ballas, who competed for 18 seasons.
More: Where your favorite Dancing With the Stars pros are now
Who are the Dancing With the Stars Season 33 pros?
Many pros have come and gone throughout the past 32 seasons of Dancing With the Stars, but fans still hold out hope each season that their favorite will return for another go-around. Season 33 is no different. So who’s coming back to the dance floor and who had their last dance? Read on for which pros are confirmed to return — and not return — to Dancing With the Stars for Season 33.
More: Dancing With the Stars pros ranked from the least to most Mirrorball Trophy wins
Witney Carson
Partner: NFL player Danny Amendola
After months of rumors, Witney confirmed she was returning as a pro to Dancing With the Stars in a video for Good Morning America on August 29, 2024. “Hi, guys, it’s Witney Carson. I am so excited to announce that I am coming back to ‘Dancing with the Stars’ for season 33,” she said. “Just you wait until you hear who my partner is. He will sweep you off your feet. We are so ready to get that Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy.” Witney was previously a pro from Season 18 to 31. She took a two-year hiatus from the show—skipping Season 32—before returning for Season 33. She’s won once in Season 19 with Fresh Prince of Bel-Air star (and current Dancing With the Stars host) Alfonso Ribeiro. For Season 33, she’s partnered with former NFL player Danny Amendola, who is best known as a wide receiver for the New England Patriots.
More: Who Dancing With the Stars pros are dating or married to in real life
Rylee Arnold
Partner: Olympic gymnast Stephen Nedoroscik
Before official confirmation she was returning for Dancing With the Stars Season 33, Rylee hinted she was coming back in a TikTok video in August 2024 where she revealed she was moving back to Los Angeles after staying at her home in Utah since her Dancing With the Stars Season 32—her first season—finished filming. “Run some errands with me in Utah before I head back to LA for the fall!” Rylee captioned the video. Given that Dancing With the Stars films at Television City Studios in Los Angeles, fans took Rylee’s video as a major clue she was one of the show’s Season 33 pros. For Season 33, Rylee is partnered with Olympic gymnast Stephen Nedoroscik, who is best known for winning two Olympic bronze medals at the 2024 Summer Paris Olympics and his skill in the pommel horse.
Brandon Armstrong
Partner: Actor Chandler Kinney
Prior to the official confirmation of his return, Dancing with the Stars fans speculated that Brandon was coming back based on a social media video his wife Brylee Armstrong posted of them at The Grove in Los Angeles in August 2024. Given that Brandon and Brylee live in Utah, the video served as a sign for fans that the two were back in Los Angeles—where Dancing With the Stars films—for Season 33. Brandon was also featured in a promotional video for Dancing With the Stars Season 33, also seemingly spoiling his return Brandon joined Dancing With the Stars as a pro in Season 27. For Season 33, he’s partnered with actor Chandler Kinney, who is best known for starring in the Max Pretty Little Liars spinoff, Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin.
Britt Stewart
Partner: Actor Eric Roberts
Prior to the official announcement of her return, Dancing With the Stars fans speculated that Britt was cut from the Season 33 pro lineup because of her lack of social media posts in the lead-up to the new season. Other fans also believed Britt was leaving Dancing With the Stars by choice to focus on wedding planning with her fiance and her Dancing With the Stars Season 31 partner, actor Daniel Durant. “I wonder if Britt is planning her wedding / getting married sometime soon and it would be too much for her to do both. In which case, would be her decision and can fully be understood!” a Reddit user wrote. Britt joined Dancing With the Stars as a pro in Season 29. She’s partnered with actor Eric Roberts, who is best known for movies like The King of Gypsies and Runaway Train. He’s also the brother of Julia Roberts and father of Emma Roberts.
Val Chmerkovskiy
Partner: Reality TV star Phaedra Parks
Val’s Dancing With the Stars Season 33 partner is Real Housewives of Atlanta and The Traitors alum Phaedra Parks. Phaedra, who was a Traitor, also competed on The Traitors Season 2 with Val’s brother, Maks Chmerkovskiy, who was eliminated early on in the show. Val has won Dancing With the Stars three times: Season 20 with actor Rumer Willis; Season 23 with Olympic gymnast Laurie Hernandez; and most recently, Season 32 with actor Xochitl Gomez. Val is married to fellow pro Jenna Johnson.
Pasha Pashkov
Partner: Tori Spelling
Pasha is partnered with actor Tori Spelling, who is best known for starring on Beverly Hills, 90210. Pasha, who is married to fellow professional dancer Daniella Karagach, has never won Dancing With the Stars. The closest he came was in the most recent season—Season 32—with Vanderpump Rules star and Love Island USA host Ariana Madix, who came in third place.
Jenna Johnson
Partner: Reality TV star Joey Graziadei
Jenna is paired with reality TV star Joey Graziadei, who was the lead of The Bachelor Season 28 and the runner-up on The Bachelorette Season 20. Joey will compete with his ex, Jenn Tran, who was a finalist on his Bachelor season. Jenna, who is married to fellow pro Val Chmerkovskiy, won Dancing With the Stars once in Season 26 with Olympic figure skater Adam Rippon.
Gleb Savchenko
Partner: Model Brooks Nader
Gleb is partnered with model Brooks Nader, who is best known for her work with Sports Illustrated for the magazine’s annual Swimsuit Issue. Gleb has never won Dancing With the Stars. The closest he came was in Season 28 with American Idol runner-up Lauren Alaina and Season 31 with RuPaul’s Drag Race alum Shangela, where he came in fourth places both times.
Ezra Sosa
Partner: Anna Delvey
Ezra is the only new pro for Dancing With the Stars Season 33. Ezra, who was previously a troupe member on the show, announced the news in an Instagram post on September 3, 2024. “got a recent PROmotion at work?????♀??? @glaad @dancingwiththestars THIS IS NOT A DREAM ??” he wrote. “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I’m officially a pro on Season 33 of Dancing With The Stars! The emotions are overwhelming-this journey has been full of challenges, setbacks, and moments of doubt. But every step, every fall, has led me here.” Ezra recently replaced former pro Artem Chigvintsev in a routine with his partner, Season 20 Bachelorette Charity Lawson, during a week in Season 32 when Artem was out for COVID-19. Ezra is partnered with socialite and convicted criminal Anna Delvey, who was the subject of the Netflix show, Inventing Anna.
Emma Slater
Partner: Actor Reginald VelJohnson
Emma is partnered with actor Reginald VelJohnson, who is best known for starring on the TV show Family Matters. Emma has won Dancing With the Stars once in Season 24 with NFL player Rashad Jennings. She was also married to fellow pro Sasha Farber from 2018 to 2024.
Daniella Karagach
Partner: NBA player Dwight Howard
Daniella is partnered with NBA player Dwight Howard, who has played for teams like the Orlando Magic and the Los Angeles Lakers. Daniella—who is also married to fellow pro Pasha Pashkov—won Dancing With the Stars once in Season 30 with NBA player Iman Shumpert. She was also the runner-up on the most recent season—Season 32—with singer Jason Mraz.
Alan Bersten
Partner: Olympic rugby player Ilona Maher
Alan is partnered with Olympic ruby player Ilona Maher, who won a bronze medal at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris and went viral for her TikToks. Alan has won Dancing With the Stars once in Season 28 with Season 15 Bachelorette Hannah Brown.
Sasha Farber
Partner: Reality TV star Jenn Tran
Sasha is partnered with reality TV star Jenn Tran, who is best known as the lead of The Bachelorette Season 21 and as a finalist on The Bachelor Season 28 with Joey Graziadei, who is also a contestant on Dancing With the Stars Season 33. Sasha has never won Dancing With the Stars. The closest he came was in Season 26 with professional figure skater Tonya Harding and Season 28 with former Fifth Harmony member Ally Brooke. He came in third place on both seasons. Sasha and Jenn were last-minute additions to the Dancing With the Strs Season 33 cast and were announced the day after Jenn’s breakup with her Bachelorette winner, Devin Strader, in The Bachelorette Season 21 finale.
Which pros aren’t coming back for Dancing With the Stars Season 33?
Artem Chigvintsev
Variety confirmed Artem wasn’t returning for Dancing With the Stars Season 33 in August 29, 2024, after he was arrested that same day on suspicion of domestic violence. Artem is married to his Season 25 partner, Nikki Garcia, also known as Nikki Bella. After his arrest, Artem was booked into Napa County Jail in California on a felony domestic violence charge. His bail was posted at $25,000. Though the Season 33 confirmation came at the same time as Artem’s arrest, Variety reported that Artem had already been let go from Dancing With the Stars prior to his legal issues. Artem joined Dancing With the Stars in Season 19 and won once in Season 29 with Season 11 Bachelorette Kaitlyn Bristowe.
Peta Murgatroyd
Peta confirmed in an Instagram Story on August 29, 2024, that she wasn’t returning for Dancing With the Stars Season 33 because it was “to soon” afer she and her husband, former former pro Maks Chmerkovskiy, welcomed their third child, son Milan. Milan was born in July 2024, just two months before Dancing With the Stars Season 33 was set to start filming. “In terms of me, Dancing With the Stars, guys, I’m sorry, it’s not this season. It’s just too soon,” she said.
Peta and Maks also share sons Shai and Rio. Prior to the confirmation, Peta was the pro most rumored not to come back for Dancing With the Stars Season 33. “As unfortunate as this sounds, I have the feeling she’s definitely out. I think it definitely could’ve been her choice just because she wants to focus on her family. Usually when pros make announcements about their fate on the show it usually means they’re not gonna be back for the season,” a Reddit user wrote.
KoKo Iwasaki
ABC confirmed that KoKo wasn’t coming back to Dancing With the Stars when the full cast was announced on September 4, 2024, and she wasn’t in it. Koko and former pro Artem Chigvintsev were the two pros confirmed to be not asked back from Season 32 to Season 33. The third pro to not return, Peta Murgatroyd, left willingly to spend more time with her family.
Prior to the confirmation, Dancing With the Stars fans speculated that KoKo was on the chopping block to not come back due to her poor performance the past two seasons she was on. KoKo, who joined in Season 31, came in seventh place that season with Jersey Shore alum Vinny Guadagnino. She was the first pro eliminated in Season 32, where she was partnered with Veep actor Matt Walsh. “I have to say, with all the speculation, I’ll be surprised if Koko ISN’T OUT, and that absolutely devastates me. She really deserved a proper chance, people were so cruel to her when she was with Vinny, and her and Matt got duped. I really hope this isn’t the end for her on the show,” a Reddit user wrote in August 2024.
Lindsay Arnold
Lindsay revealed in a TikTok video in August 2024 that she would not be returning as a pro for Dancing With the Stars Season 33. “As many of you know, I was on Dancing With the Stars for close to 10 years. I stepped away from the show two seasons ago. And when I stepped away, I wasn’t like, ‘I’m done forever.’ It was just like, ‘this is what works for my life and let’s just take it a season at a time,’” she said.
Lindsay went on to explain that the decision of whether or not she returned to Dancing With the Stars didn’t completely have to do with her, as she’d need to let producers know that she was interested to come back and then wait to see if there was a contestant who was a fit for her to partner with. She explained that the process is even tougher now that Lindsay lives in Utah with he husband, Samuel Lightner Cusick, and their kids, Sage and June.
“That question — ‘Are you going back to Dancing With the Stars?’ — is so much more complex than just, like, me deciding whether or not I wanna do it,” she said before detailing the “logistics” of casting. “I feel like some of you might know this, but some of you might not, that when it comes to the pros on Dancing With the Stars, you are never, ever guaranteed to be on the show. Ever.”
Lindsay went on to note that, “every single season,” she competed on Dancing With the Stars, she “had to wait” to hear back about whether she’d be a pro again. “Even though I was under contract, the contract doesn’t guarantee you a job every season,” she said. “But you do need to be available to do it when you’re under contract and you can’t do other shows.”
She continued, “There have been many times on the show where a very long standing pro who’s been on for a long time doesn’t get picked up … so you really, like, never know.” Lindsay ended her TikTok video by confirming that she was not coming back for Dancing With the Stars Season 33. “No conversations have really gone on,” she said. “It’s not really something that’s been in the cards for me at this time in my life.”
Still, she hinted that she wasn’t done with the show forever.“Never say never,” she said. “But I will say, it’s been so fun to be able to watch and support my sister Rylee. It feels like this is just so meant to be … I just love the way things are going.”
Dancing With the Stars is available to stream on Disney Plus.
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