Already have an account?
Get back to the

Kaitlyn Bristowe Joins ‘Dancing With the Stars’ After Claiming ‘Bachelor’ Creator Blocked Her From Competing

A dream come true! Kaitlyn Bristowe is set to compete on season 29 of Dancing With the Stars.

Related: ‘DWTS’ Winners Through the Years: Where Are They Now?

Chris Harrison surprised the reality star, 34, with the news during the Monday, June 15, episode of The Bachelor: The Greatest Seasons — Ever! after looking back on scenes from her 2015 stint as Bachelorette.

After teasing that Bristowe’s boyfriend, Jason Tartick, was about to propose — she felt AirPods in his pocket and thought it was an engagement ring — Harrison, 48, turned to the “Off the Vine” podcast host and shared his “real question” over video chat.

Kaitlyn Bristowe Joins Dancing With the Stars After Claiming Bachelor Creator Blocked Her
Kaitlyn Bristowe Evan Agostini/Invision/AP/Shutterstock

“Kaitlyn, will you be on the next season of Dancing With the Stars?” the TV host asked.

After Tartick, 31, covered his mouth in shock, Bristowe gasped and shouted, “Are you serious?”

The Spade and Sparrows founder then told herself to “play it cool, Kaitlyn, play it cool” and excitedly accepted the offer.

“I am so honored to say yes,” she told Harrison.

Related: Kaitlyn Bristowe’s Season 11 of ‘The Bachelorette’: Where Are They Now?

Bristowe has wanted to compete on DWTS for years. In 2017, she claimed to Entertainment Tonight that she “had an offer to do” the ABC dance competition but “was told by [Bachelor creator] Mike [Fleiss] I could not.” She alleged that the producer, now 56, was “sick of people wanting fame from his show.” (At the time, Bachelorette alums Melissa Rycroft and Trista Sutter had already appeared on DWTS.)

Kaitlyn Bristowe Joins Dancing With the Stars After Claiming Bachelor Creator Mike Fleiss Blocked Her
Mike Fleiss Evan Agostini/Invision/AP/Shutterstock

Fleiss argued via Twitter in 2017 that Bristowe had his “total support,” while DWTS executive producers Joe Sungkur and Ashley Edens told The Hollywood Reporter that they ultimately “wanted” to see Bristowe’s ex Nick Viall compete over her.

Related: Former ‘Bachelor’ and ‘Bachelorette’ Leads: Where Are They Now?

The former spin class instructor reignited the drama in October 2019 during an appearance on the “Talkhouse” podcast, saying, “Mike Fleiss is a piece of s–t! He is the creator of The Bachelor, and he hates women. … As long as he’s in power with ABC, I will never get on that show.”

But now that Bristowe is officially set to compete, she has the support of Tartick, whom she started dating in January 2019 after he starred on Becca Kufrin’s season of The Bachelorette.

“Kaitlyn decided to forgo college to pursue dance, her dream was to always dance with professionals…5 years later from making her debut on ABC we’re heading to LA to make that dream come true,” the banker wrote via Instagram on Monday. “Mirror ball or not, you did it again…checked another box off your bucket list! And I’m freakin here for it!”

ABC has yet to announce a premiere date for DWTS season 29.

In this article

Got a Tip form close button
Got a tip for US?
We're All Ears for Celebrity Buzz!