Still cool. Sharna Burgess had lunch with Tom Bergeron after she was axed as a professional dancer for the new season of Dancing With the Stars. And she also revealed some exciting news about a new project with Artem Chigvintsev.
The ballroom expert, 34, took to Instagram on Tuesday, September 3, to share a photo from her meal with the DWTS host, 64, in Los Angeles. The picture features Bergeron and Burgess in a sweet embrace, as the former America’s Funniest Home Videos personality makes a funny face.
“Had a hot lunch date today 😉 Always family 💕 loved seeing your face @tombergeron , you are an awesome human 🙌🏻,” Burgess wrote in the caption.
Bergeron commented, “Right back atcha! 😘”
Fans learned that Burgess was cut from the ABC dance competition on August 21 when Good Morning America announced the season 28 cast and she and Chigvintsev weren’t listed as returning pros. After the news, the Australia native expressed her heartbreak in an Instagram post looking back on her 12 seasons on the show.
“As I’m sure you’ve heard, I will not be returning to @dancingabc this season. I am unbelievably sad to not be back!!!” she wrote on Instagram. “However, what i can whole heartedly tell you is that It’s all good, ALL love and in this moment I can’t help but be grateful for the time and the journey that I’ve had, the people I’ve met, the incredible talent I’ve shared the stage with and the memories I’ve made. To say the least.. it’s been epic. ♥️ and to have finally won still feels as exciting and special as it did the moment @tombergeron said our names.”
However, Burgess does have good news for her future. In an Instagram Story on Tuesday, the season 27 DWTS winner revealed that she and Chigvintsev, 37, are choreographing a routine for season 16 of So You Think You Can Dance.
“I’m about to head to my second rehearsal for So You Think You Can Dance because, yes, I’m choreographing this week. But guess what? It’s not just me. I’m choreographing with Artem,” she said. “We have teamed up, and we are doing a routine.”
Burgess continued, “I can’t tell you what it is. Can’t tell you who it’s with. But I can tell you it’s a lot of fun, and you shouldn’t miss out on it. It’s been a good few days, guys.”
On an August 28 episode of Nikki and Brie Bella’s “The Bellas Podcast,” Chigvintsev compared being cut from DWTS to the end of a relationship. The Burn the Floor alum — who is dating Nikki, his season 25 partner — competed on eight seasons of DWTS until his departure.
“Obviously, it was a massive shock,” he said. “It’s not even a job, it’s a lifestyle if you’ve been doing it for a very long time. There was never a thought in my mind that I’m not going to be doing it. There’s always a chance, as a pro, you might be doing some performances on the show and there’s still an involvement in some sort. But getting this call, [hearing] ‘There’s gonna be no involvement in the show from now on,’ it’s like going through a breakup after 10 years.”
