Dazzling smiles and lashings of sequins might not be enough to hide the growing tensions and backstage chaos as Dancing with the Stars returns to screens.
Bosses have reportedly been fighting to quell the drama which has seen some professionals bemoaning their ‘lazy’ celebrity partners, while one drop out has left producers scrambling to find a last minute replacement.
Jordan Chiles, Hilaria Baldwin, Danielle Fishel, Robert Irwin, Elaine Hendrix, Corey Feldman and Alix Earle are among those set to take to the ballroom on Tuesday night as the beloved ABC show returns – but after 33 seasons, is the glitzy veneer finally cracking?
‘This season is a s**t show,’ an insider told the Daily Mail. ‘They chose a few stars – and I use that term loosely – who just don’t want to put in the work. Some just don’t seem as committed as others have in the past.
‘Yes, Corey [Feldman] is one of them. It takes work to win Dancing with the Stars. Rehearsals, practice, really immersing yourself, and a few people don’t seem to want to do that.’
Feldman, 54, raised alarm bells earlier this month when he appeared to go missing for five days.
Jordan Chiles, Hilaria Baldwin (pictured), Danielle Fishel, Robert Irwin, Elaine Hendrix, Corey Feldman and Alix Earle are among those set to take to the ballroom on Tuesday night as the beloved ABC show returns
24-year-old Earle is one of the most popular influencers on social media, boasting a dizzying 12 million followers across both Instagram and TikTok
Alix (pictured with her dance partner Val Chmerkovskiy) will also dance alongside Scott Hoying, Jen Affleck, Andy Richter, Baron Davis and Whitney Leavitt
Dancing with the Stars bosses have reportedly been fighting to quell backstage drama which has seen some professionals bemoaning their lazy celebrity partners
His pro partner Jenna Johnson revealed he had been absent from rehearsals ever since the cast – who also includes Scott Hoying, Jen Affleck, Andy Richter, Baron Davis and Whitney Leavitt – was revealed on September 3.
‘So many people have been like, “Where are your TikToks with Corey? What’s happening?” To be completely honest, I actually haven’t seen him since Good Morning America,’ she wrote on Instagram in response to a fan.
Days later she shared photos and a video of her and Feldman finally reuniting and officially kicking off rehearsals.
Another insider suggested Feldman could be distracted by the positive response to Charlie Sheen’s new memoir and Netflix documentary. Feldman has previously accused Sheen of raping his friend Corey Haim on the set of the 1986 movie Lucas, when Haim was 13 years old. Sheen has always denied the claim.
‘The only drama that Corey is feeling right now is dealing with all the Charlie Sheen news,’ the said insider said. ‘This new outlook that people are seeing of Charlie really has been upsetting for Corey.’
But Feldman isn’t the only contestant who doesn’t seem to be giving it his all, with some pro dancers feeling ‘demoralized’ at their pairings.
Corey Feldman, who is partnered with 2024 winner Jenna Johnson, raised alarm bells earlier this month when he appeared to go missing for five days
‘This season is a s**t show,’ an insider told the Daily Mail. ‘Some just don’t seem as committed as others have in the past. Yes, Corey is one of them’
‘Dancing with the Stars is a workplace,’ said a third insider. ‘People don’t realize that, but this is just like an office job. There are favorites and bosses and office politics. And sometimes you don’t agree with your boss’ choices.’
The insider harked back to Anna Delvey as an example. The fake heiress, who famously defrauded individuals out of $275,000, was arrested in 2017 and found guilty of grand larceny, larceny in the second degree, and theft of services.
But after being released from prison in 2022 to house arrest, ABC bosses signed her up for last year’s season where her ankle monitor took center stage. She was paired with Ezra Sosa, 24, and they were the first to be eliminated.
‘It wasn’t fair to Ezra to be paired with her,’ the insider continued, claiming that Sosa has ‘clearly’ been paired with Chiles, also 24, this season as ‘producers felt bad for him and gave him a gymnast as their peace offering.’
The insider also described this season as ‘meh’ and said Fishel, 44, and Hendrix, 54, are really the only ‘standouts.’
‘It’s fun to watch a train wreck, but it sucks for the pro who is paired with them,’ the insider continued. ‘It’s demoralizing to be given someone who isn’t going to try, or has no chance. You feel like you’re being set up to fail. And you have to go out there and smile really big and hope that a miracle happens, and then just hope that the next season will be better. It’s not always fun.’
The pressure is on for ABC bosses after the season 33 finale drew in 6.36 million people, the highest Live+Same Day total since the Season 29 finale back in 2021, according to Nielsen. This rose to 7.95 million after seven days of viewing on ABC, Disney+, Hulu and other digital platforms.
Casting came down to the wire with one contestant failing to make it to rehearsals after dropping out at the eleventh hour.
The Daily Mail can reveal Jordon Hudson, the 24-year-old pageant queen girlfriend of football coach Bill Belichick, 73, was set to star, but negotiations broke down and bosses were left scrambling to find a replacement.
Hendrix, who is partnered with Alan Bersten (pictured), is said to be throwing herself into rehearsals
Fifth Harmony’s Lauren Jauregui was signed just two days before the full cast was announced.
Recalling the mayhem, another insider said: ‘Jordon was meant to be on the show and they were pushing for it for some time. The producers knew they struck gold getting her but they couldn’t get on the same page.
‘Jordon mentioned she wasn’t interested in doing certain interviews and she wanted to control loads, including picking her dance partner and when to practice, so she could attend games with Bill. She also didn’t like the direction that Dancing wanted to take her story because it seemed to be all about controversy and she wasn’t interested in making it all about her and Bill.’
The last minute change may have been a blessing in disguise according to show judge Derek Hough, who claimed Hudson’s involvement would have proved ‘messy’.
Although he couldn’t reveal the star’s name at the time, he previously told the Daily Mail: ‘I do know [who backed out]. But I can’t share that. I can’t share that.’
When pressed for any additional information he could share, he added: ‘It would’ve been a little messy, I’ll tell you that.’
The Daily Mail reported in May that Hudson had been approached to join after making headlines for dating Belichick, the head coach for the North Carolina Tar Heels who is 49 years her senior.
‘She likely will decline as it will be in the fall, the same time Bill will be coaching and she wants to be there for him at UNC,’ said our source at the time.
The Daily Mail can reveal Jordon Hudson, the pageant queen younger girlfriend of Bill Belichick was set to star, but negotiations broke down and bosses were left scrambling to find a replacement
Fifth Harmony’s Lauren Jauregui was signed as Hudson’s replacement just two days before the full cast was announced on GMA on September 3
Hudson has made a name for herself in the pageant world. She competed in the Miss Maine pageant this spring where she finished third overall – one place lower than her 2024 effort.
She has been seen supporting Belichick at UNC games. On September 7 game, she was pictured on the sidelines carrying a clear bag with a ripped up document that appeared to be some sort of contract for a television series.
Jauregui, 29, is excited to star and has the full support of her band mates Camila Cabello, Normani, Dinah Jane and Ally Brooke.
Her biggest competitor, in her opinion, is Olympic bronze medalist Chiles.
‘That girl is whipping out splits,’ she told the Daily Mail recently. ‘I’m like I can’t flip one split. That’s who I’m eyeing.’
Season 34 of Dancing with the Stars premieres live on September 16, on ABC and Disney+, and Is Available Next Day on Hulu.
Representatives for ABC, Jordon Hudson and Corey Feldman did not respond to requests for comment.
