'Dancing with the Stars' pro dancers and celebrities unhappy about new partner-swapping twist

Dancing with the Stars' upcoming eighteenth season is shaking things up with a new co-host, a couple of new professional dance partners and a new band. But that's not all.


ABC has announced the next season of Dancing with the Stars will feature a new twist dubbed "The Switch Up," which will allow America to vote on how they'd like to change up the celebrity and professional partner pairings at some point in the season.

Home viewers will vote to pair up the show's pro partners with different celebrities than they started out the season with. Never in the show's history have the pairings been split up during the course of the competition.  

Pro partner Derek Hough, who will be partnered with Amy Purdy this time around, apparently came up with the idea awhile ago.

"What's funny is that I suggested that, The Switch Up thing, years ago, and they were like, 'Oh, I don't know if it would work out.' But it's going to be interesting to watch!" Hough told E! News.


While ABC isn't disclosing when exactly the twist will occur during Season 18, while giving her opinion of the change, pro partner Cheryl Burke presented it as a done deal the twist will be happening in Week 3.

"I think it's good that it's happening Week 3 because you've already build that foundation and it'll be interesting to see if your celebrity improves or if he just stays the same," Burke, who's paired with Drew Carey, explained.

Pro partner Peta Murgatroyd, who will begin working with James Maslow, echoed Burke's sentiment.

"It sucks. We all get so close during the season, but I believe it might happen in Week 3," Murgatroyd said.

Fellow Dancing with the Stars pros Karina Smirnoff, Mark Ballas, Val Chmerkovskiy, and Emma Slater all admitted to E! News they're not happy about the twist.


"The first several weeks are so important," Smirnoff noted. "You invest so much into building a team and learning how to work together, that you'll do all this work together and then you'll possibly not even be picked or placed with someone else. I don't know. I don't think I like it!"

"I don't like it. I don't like it!" Ballas agreed.

"I mean, it's great television, I understand, and it also gives the fans a really fun interaction, something different for the first time, but it's going to be a challenge. You spend every day together. You get used to the way someone learns. You know what frustrates them, you know their weaknesses, their strengths, and then all of a sudden, you're with someone new and you have to figure that out like really fast."

Chmerkovskiy simply said, "It's horrible. It's so cruel, so cruel."

"When we heard about it, I was like, 'What?!'" Slater explained. "I actually don't know much about it at all. I don't even know what week it is. But I said to [partner Billy Dee Williams], 'I really like our partnership and I will be very sad if we have to switch even for one week.'"


Smirnoff will be paired with Sean Avery next season, Ballas will be partnered with Candace Cameron Bure and Chmerkovskiy will begin working with Danica McKellar.

As for how some of the season's contestants feel about "The Switch Up" twist, they're apparently not thrilled about it either.

"I'm just starting to get to know this guy," said NeNe Leakes, who's paired with Tony Dovolani. "We're getting used to each other and now you want to switch me to another man? I can usually only have one man at a time. So to have two, it's going to be a lot."

Added Maslow, "So far it's only been three days but I feel like we're already becoming a team. That's the whole point of this. I mean, it's literally partner dancing. Neither one of us can do it without the other person, and I sure can't do it without [Peta]."

New Dancing with the Stars co-host Erin Andrews feels differently, however, explaining that the change is "great," "really cool" and fresh.


The show knows it's time to "spice things up a little bit and that's what they're looking to do it," Andrews told E! News. "[It will] "get people interested and excited and wanting more out of the show, and I applaud producers for actually taking a step and doing it."

Late last month, ABC also announced Ray Chew, a music director and composer who previously served as American Idol's music director, will lead a new line-up of live musicians and singers for the upcoming edition. Chew and his new band will replace longtime band director Harold Wheeler and his 28-member orchestra.






About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski