Sharna Burgess Returns To 'DWTS', Dancer Had Personal Reasons To Leave The Show Five Years Ago
Sharna Burgess has participated in the latest 35th season of 'Dancing with the Stars.' Notably, the dancer and choreographer left the reality show in 2021.
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Add BollywoodShaadis on GoogleDancing with the Stars kicked off Season 35 with a two-night premiere starting September 15, 2026, on ABC and Disney+. The new season features 16 celebrity-pro pairs. Among the returning pros is Sharna Burgess, back after a five-year hiatus since Season 30 in 2021. The Season 27 Mirrorball champion is partnered this season with TV personality Tyler Cameron.
Sharna Burgess is one of the standout comebacks of the season alongside Witney Carson, with her involvement marking a fresh chapter after stepping away from the ballroom. Amid her latest participation on the show, people have been eager to know more about why she left the reality series.
Sharna Burgess’s exit from Dancing with the Stars was her personal decision
The road back to the ballroom has not been smooth for Sharna Burgess. Her first involuntary break came in 2019 for DWTS Season 28, which was particularly jarring because it followed her championship run with Bobby Bones in Season 27.
She later explained to Entertainment Tonight that pros are always left guessing about their future until the official pickup letter arrives, and there had been zero warning. A return did happen for Season 29 with Jesse Metcalfe, ending in a 12th-place finish. But after Season 30, the departure was her own decision, as she wanted to focus on motherhood with her partner, Brian Austin Green.
According to what Sharna Burgess shared on her Oldish podcast in September 2023, the plan was to sit out Season 31 since her child was just eight weeks old, with an eye on a comeback the next year. The team, she said, had reassured her she would always have a place. That comeback never materialized for Season 32. Burgess described being stunned as she watched fellow pros get contacted while she heard nothing.
Sharna Burgess connected the instability of her last five years on the show to the arrival of a new executive producer around five years prior, right after her polarizing win. That victory, which saw her and Bones triumph over Milo Manheim and Evanna Lynch thanks to fan votes, sparked intense criticism and even led Carrie Ann Inaba to suggest a scoring overhaul.
She also opened up on the same podcast about a challenging dynamic with her Season 29 celebrity partner and frustration over Season 30 turning her romance with Green into the central storyline. She said she had reached out to production to make clear that approach was not what they had signed up for, adding that they would rather be sent home than continue that way, and they were eliminated shortly after.
Sharna Burgess feels grateful about her return to Dancing with the Stars
After five years away from DWTS, Sharna Burgess is embracing her return to the floor. Speaking to Entertainment Weekly in September 2026, she described being back as feeling like she had never left, saying the show has always felt like home and a part of who she is.
Sharna shared that she had missed it immensely and felt deeply grateful to be included again, calling the current cast incredible and her pairing with Tyler a dream-like, pinch-me moment. Cameron, for his part, called Sharna an ideal partner and credited her for helping him get a handle on ballroom dancing.
Burgess told EW that her teaching approach has always been intense, comparing herself to a drill sergeant and a football coach. She felt that Cameron's athletic mindset made them a perfect match. She has one Mirrorball to her name, from Season 27 in 2018 with Bobby Bones, a victory that drew controversy at the time as it appeared to be driven largely by fan votes.
Former host Tom Bergeron even remarked in 2025 that it was the most shocking win from his time on the show, though he later apologized after Bones returned his trophy to ABC.
In a November 2025 Instagram post, Bergeron clarified that he had not meant to hurt Bones' feelings, explaining that his reaction had been about his honest concern over the balance between judges' scores and viewer votes. He added that he felt bad about what Bones and Burgess had to endure following the win and regretted reopening that old wound.
What are your thoughts about Sharna Burgess’s return to Dancing with the Stars? Let us know.
PC: Real Sharna Burgess/Facebook
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