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Cheryl Burke’s ‘Dancing With the Stars’ Blog: This Is How the Voting Should Have Always Been (Exclusive)

Dancing With the Stars pro Cheryl Burke is blogging exclusively with Us Weekly about her quest to take home the season 28 mirrorball trophy! Check back each week for her latest update on the competition.

After landing in the bottom two during the Monday, September 24, episode of Dancing With the Stars, Cheryl Burke opens up to Us about how she felt about her near-elimination, the judges’ scores and more.

Related: Breaking Down 'DWTS' Week 2

On being in the bottom two:
I didn’t even know what to think because it went by so fast. It was like, we were so happy that everyone else got saved, and then we realized it was just us standing there. I had no idea what was going to happen because this is a whole new voting system.

On that new voting system:
I actually think it’s quite fair. I think it’s something they should have done from the beginning. They’re definitely a season too late! Just Kidding. Juan Pablo Di Pace, you know, that would’ve really helped! I do think it’s fair because at the end of the day, ballroom dancing is a technical sport. I think it’s important that they get the last final say because I think it’s important that everyone understands why. If someone’s not technically sound or even close to being as good of a dancer as the other couple, they should be the ones going home.

Dancing With The Stars Cheryl Burke, Ray Lewis
Cheryl Burke and Ray Lewis on an episode of ‘Dancing With The Stars.’ ABC/Eric McCandless

On Len Goodman being the one to save them:
When I heard Len say, “I have to think with my brain on this one and not with my heart,” I kind of felt like it was us. Len is a technician and I think, to be quite honest, I know a lot of people are complaining about how hard he was last night. If I were a judge, I think I’d probably be the same way because we’re being told that we’re bringing this back to ballroom and then that separates everybody. I felt like every dance last season was a freestyle. As as a choreographer and as a professional dancer, you don’t know what to follow. I know the rules from the beginning of the competition when I started almost 14 years ago.

Related: 'Dancing With the Stars' Winners Through the Years

On Len saying he didn’t like gimmicks:
Well right, they’re looking for syllabus. We have a technique book in different levels of that, and I think it’s important that we establish what that is.

Dancing With The Stars Brandon Armstrong, Mary Wilson, Tom Bergeron, Erin Andrews, Cheryl Burke, Ray Lewis
Brandon Armstrong, Mary Wilson, Tom Bergeron, Erin Andrews, Cheryl Burke, and Ray Lewis on an episode of ‘Dancing With The Stars.’ ABC/Eric McCandless

On Ray’s reaction to being saved:
He was fine. I always get nervous during eliminations just because you never can be too confident on this show. At the end of the day, it’s not even about us as pros, it’s about our stars. So it’s like, yes, Ray messed up 100 percent and it was obvious and he got called out. To be quite honest, the scores did not say, from the judge’s side, that he should be the one staying. So I was a little nervous when Carrie Ann Inaba wanting to save Mary first. I love that you can get a 5 for your personality. So that’s good to know! I think that what he said about improving each week is what’s going to really help Ray at the end of the day. This is just as much of a physical sport as it is a mental sport. You really have to stay positive and I think that’s what Ray is so good at.

Related: 'DWTS' Cast Revealed

On movie week:
So, we’re given a movie and for our movie we have to be able to, like, reenact some scene basically. It’s a movie that I’m pretty sure that everyone has seen at some point in their life, so. It’s a cha-cha and it’s going to be lots of people.

Dancing With the Stars airs on ABC Mondays at 8 p.m. ET.

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