‘Dancing With the Stars’ Cast Gets Slammed With Pay Cuts Amid Move to Disney +
Photo by: ABC/Eric McCandless Reading Time: 3 minutes
With the next season of Dancing With the Stars on the rise, it’s been reported that returning professional dancers should expect a “massive” pay cut. Dancing With the Stars has officially ended its run on ABC and is set to premiere this fall on Disney +, with some tentative changes.
Dancing With the Stars Reportedly Gets Slammed With Massive Budget Cuts
Your favorite professional dancers may not appear on the next season of Dancing With the Stars. Even though the cast has yet to be announced, it’s been revealed that pay cuts are massive during the show’s move to Disney +.
A source recently reported to OK! that cast members have been notified of massive pay cuts for the upcoming season. It seems like these pay cuts are currently specific to the professional dancers fans know and love.
“With the show moving from the network to streaming, the budget has been vastly reduced,” a source shared. “Sure, they would love to see as many familiar professional dancers return as possible but that isn’t likely to happen when the cast sees how big the pay cut is going to be. After all these years, the fans of the show know the dancers better than the ‘stars,’ but the new economics of the show makes it impossible to pay them what they have earned in the past.”
According to Insiders, professional dancers will make $1,600 per episode on Disney +. To compare, some dancers were receiving $5,200 payout per episode while the show was on ABC. Ahead of this announcement, several professional dancers had revealed their intent to return to the ballroom this fall.
We’re curious to see how this plays out in the long run. Will fan favorites be rehired in a smaller quantity? Or will producers find a new set of dancers willing to make $1,600 per episode? Only time will tell how these pay cuts will affect the series as a whole.
What Will DWTS‘s First Season on Disney + Look Like?
It’s hard to determine what this season of Dancing With the Stars will look like. Even though fans are hoping to see the show they know and love, it seems like a lot is changing behind the scenes. Even though pay cuts have only been revealed for professional dancers, it’s important to remember that this affects the show as a whole. Less professional dancers means less celebrities in turn. It’s possible season 31 will feature less celebrities than before, if there are less dancers.
In July, there’s still a lot up in the air in relation to the details of this show. Beloved judges Derek Hough, Carrie Ann Inaba, and Bruno Tonioli have confirmed their return to the judging panel, but Len Goodman has yet to make an announcement. In the same vein, it’s been reported that Tyra Banks may not return as the show’s host.
Throughout the confusion, judges have stayed positive about the upcoming season. They seem to be excited about DWTS’s new home and possibilities. Notably, they have mentioned that the series is excited to experiment with a longer show. Since there are no commercials on the streaming platform, the show is able to plan even more choreography.
More information on Dancing With the Stars season 31 should be revealed in the upcoming months. Reportedly, the upcoming season will premiere on Monday, September 19. This date has yet to be confirmed by Disney + at this time. It has not been revealed whether the show will air at 8 p.m. or not.
