Sharna Burgess
Sharna Burgess

Sharna Burgess is returning to the "Dancing with the Stars" ballroom for the first time in five years, joining Season 35 as the professional partner of "Bachelorette" alum Tyler Cameron after an absence that traced back to a mix of personal choices, behind-the-scenes tension and a professional shake-up that once left her blindsided.

Burgess first appeared on the ABC dance competition during Season 13 in 2011 as a member of the show's dance troupe before being promoted to a full pro partner in Season 16 in 2013, finishing in seventh place that season alongside celebrity partner Andy Dick. She went on to compete through Season 27, partnering with a range of celebrities including Backstreet Boys member Nick Carter and Olympic gold medalist ice dancer Charlie White.

Her first real absence from the show came ahead of Season 28 in 2019, when producers did not bring her back despite her having just won the previous season alongside radio personality Bobby Bones. Burgess said at the time that the decision came without warning. "There was no hint that this would be the case," she told Entertainment Tonight in September 2019. "There never is, and, by the way, we all go through the same thing every season. We don't know if we are back until we get that pick-up letter."

Burgess returned the following year for Season 29, competing with actor Jesse Metcalfe and finishing in 12th place, before coming back again for Season 30 in 2021. That season made history when Burgess and her celebrity partner, actor Brian Austin Green, whom she was dating at the time, became the first real-life couple to compete together on the show, ultimately finishing in 13th place. The couple went on to welcome a son, Zane, in 2022, and announced their engagement the following year.

After Season 30, Burgess chose to step away from the show by her own decision to focus on starting a family with Green. She has since said she expected to return for Season 32, but the offer never came. "Last season, I was supposed to come back, but Zane was only eight weeks old," Burgess said on a September 2023 episode of her podcast, "Oldish," referring to Season 31. "It just felt like I needed to sit in motherhood with Zane. It was always, 'I want to come back next year,' and 'Of course, we love you, we'll always have you.'"

When her fellow professional dancers began receiving their offers for Season 32, Burgess said she was caught off guard when her own phone stayed silent. "It was such a shock, because I wasn't expecting it, it was tough," she said on the same podcast episode. She went on to describe a difficult stretch behind the scenes that she believed was connected to the fallout from her earlier win with Bones. "My last five years on the show have been rocky — not because of the show. I love the show deeply, but we had a new executive producer come in, I think five years ago now. I had just won with Bobby Bones, and he decided to not bring me back. There's a lot of speculation as to why. My win with Bobby was the most explosive end, controversial win of Dancing With the Stars history. So I got caught up in this whirlwind of hate for that win, which was really yucky."

That controversy stemmed from Burgess and Bones' Season 27 victory, in which the pair beat out fan favorites Milo Manheim, paired with Witney Carson, and Evanna Lynch, paired with Keo Motsepe, largely on the strength of fan voting. The result prompted judge Carrie Ann Inaba to say afterward that changes had been made to the show's scoring system to help prevent similarly contentious outcomes in future seasons.

In that same 2023 podcast episode, Burgess also opened up about tension during her later seasons on the show. She described having a "difficult" partner during Season 29 without naming Metcalfe directly at the time, and said she was unhappy with how heavily her Season 30 storyline leaned into her real-life relationship with Green. "I did text someone at that time and was like, 'Hey, this isn't what we signed up for. If this is what you want for us, you just have to eliminate us because we can't do this,'" she recalled. "And we were quickly eliminated after that."

Burgess' return for Season 35 was announced on "Good Morning America" in August 2026, where she expressed excitement about coming back to the ballroom after five years away. "I can't wait to be back in the ballroom with my dancing family, and mostly, it feels so good to be coming home," Burgess said. "I'll see you all soon."

Speaking to Entertainment Weekly this month, Burgess described the experience of returning as seamless despite the lengthy gap. "It's been everything to be back," she said. "It's like I never left. It's always home. It's always a part of me, but I've missed it so much. I'm so grateful I get to be a part of it. This cast is incredible, and to have a partner like Tyler, it's a dream. It's even, for me, a pinch-me moment that I get to do this again." She also described her coaching approach with Cameron in the same interview, comparing her style to that of a demanding coach. "That's my style," she said. "I'm a drill sergeant, a football coach, that's what my style always is. And he is an athlete that has that mentality, so it's honestly a perfect match."

The controversy surrounding Burgess and Bones' Season 27 win resurfaced again last year when former "DWTS" host Tom Bergeron said in 2025 that their victory was the result during his tenure that shocked him most, before Bones sent his Mirrorball trophy back to ABC in response. Bergeron later apologized for the remarks in a November 2025 Instagram post. "Bobby, it wasn't my intention to hurt your feelings. My 'ouch' was based on my honest feeling that your win spoke to a need to address the balance between judge and viewer voting," Bergeron wrote. "I always felt bad that you & Sharna had to deal with the aftermath of that win & I certainly regret pouring any salt into that old wound."

Burgess has won "Dancing with the Stars" only once in her career, taking home the Mirrorball trophy alongside Bones during Season 27 in 2018. With Season 35 now underway, she returns to the ballroom with Cameron as her partner, marking her first appearance on the show since the 2021 season she shared with Green.