Dancing With the Stars: Juniors premieres in October, and fans will be able to see several of their ballroom favorites on the series as judges and mentors. Unfortunately for fans, one pro that won’t be stopping by the junior edition is Sharna Burgess, who told Entertainment Tonight that she had a simple reason for skipping the series.
“I decided not to do the junior season because I wanted to really concentrate on building on this part of my life,” Burgess said. “This was the first time I’ve had time to do that. Between seasons and tours and everything else, it’s been difficult to dedicate [time to anything else].”
Videos by PopCulture.com
“And also, I took some me time,” she added. “I went on a retreat, I went on a vacation. All these incredible things to feed the soul that I’ve needed for so long, so it was like a reset. It’s been seven really busy years and I just needed a little me time and do a little something for myself so I can get straight back into it.”
Despite her absence, Burgess called the upcoming series “honestly the cutest thing I’ve ever seen.”
The pro added that she will be back for the next season of DWTS.
“This next season, I just hope to really be creative and refreshed. I’ve had some amazing time off and I really can’t wait to come back,” she shared. “I’m not ready to leave my family or ready to talk about what the future holds for me with them and where else I can grow within that family with them because I am not ready to leave that.”
Dancing With the Stars: Juniors will see pint-sized pros team up with mini-celebrities to capture their very own trophy, and they’ll get some help from mentors including DWTS pros Witney Carson, Sasha Farber, Gleb Savchenko, Lindsay Arnold, Cheryl Burke and more.
The show will be hosted by Frankie Muniz and Jordan Fisher, who have both competed on the grownup version of DWTS on Season 25, during which Fisher took home the Mirror Ball Trophy.
Judges include DWTS‘ athletes season winner Adam Rippon, choreographer Mandy Moore and Val Chmerkovskiy, who has earned two Mirror Ball trophies during his time on the show.
While the contestants haven’t been confirmed, Alana “Honey Boo Boo” Thompson of Here Comes Honey Boo Boo fame and Black-ish star Miles Brown have been rumored to be joining the show along with Sophia Pippen, daughter of Scottie and Larsa Pippen.
Dancing With the Stars: Juniors premieres Oct. 7 on ABC.
Photo Credit: Getty / Bruce Glikas
More Reality
-
Photo by Fred Hayes/Disney via Getty Images -
Photo by Getty Images -
Photo by Ser Baffo/Disney via Getty Images) -
Photo by Paula Lobo/American Broadcasting Companies, Inc. via Getty Images -
Mel B at the "America's Got Talent" Season 21 Red Carpet held at Pasadena Civic Auditorium on March 24, 2026 in Pasadena, California. (Photo by Jesse Grant/Variety via Getty Images) -
“Reverse the Curse” – Back from tribal, tensions rise following the exit of a particularly historic player. The final five immunity challenge ends in a showdown and features one of the closest finishes the show has ever seen. Jeff reveals the outcomes of the remaining in-game fan votes and how they impact the final stage of the competition. Then, one castaway will be crowned Sole Survivor and awarded the $2 million prize, during the three-hour live season finale, on SURVIVOR 50, Wednesday, May 20 (8:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network, and streaming on Paramount+ (live and on-demand for Paramount+ Premium plan subscribers, or on-demand for Paramount+ Essential subscribers the day after the episode airs)*. Jeff Probst serves as host and executive producer. Pictured: Aubry Bracco Photo: Robert Voets/CBS ©2025 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
