Cheryl Burke is waltzing in with her opinion on Dancing With the Stars.
The dance professional—who retired from the competition series in 2022 after 26 seasons as a pro—recently shared that she thinks the show’s judging panel should hold contestants to “true ballroom dancing” standards, which may require more studying on their part.
“You have to know what you’re talking about, right?” she said on the Dec. 4 episode of her Sex, Lies and Spray Tans podcast. “They have to be able to back up whatever they say. If you’re just saying things because you know it’s the right terminology, and you can’t explain yourself as to why it should be a certain way, then it’s kind of hard.”
Burke also noted that the judges—which include Derek Hough, Carrie Ann Inaba and Bruno Tonioli—are “not experts in the niche of ballroom dancing” which means they “can’t really be more strict in [the] genre.”
Burke—who was married to Boy Meets World alum Matthew Lawrence from 2019 to 2022—was also adamant about her opinion that the panel should take an adjudicator’s exam, a test administered by the National Dance Council of America that, according to the organization’s site, qualifies people to judge national dance competitions in all styles of the craft.
“Just like the pro dancers have to continue to educate themselves on their craft,” the 40-year-old continued, “I also feel like the judges should do the same.”
“I think that’s important, and why wouldn’t you wanna do that?” she added. “After all these years, if you weren’t as familiar with the genre, why don’t you familiarize yourself with it?”
But, as Burke admitted, she is not aware if the panel—which used to include the late Len Goodman, who was previously a professional ballroom dancer—already has that distinction, saying, “Maybe they have, I don’t know. I’m not them.”
Read on for more of Burke’s candid thoughts over the years.
A Tough Break
Cheryl Burke admitted that her 2022 exit from Dancing With the Stars was "hands down" harder than her divorce from Matthew Lawrence, who she split with that same year.
"You can't compare," she shared in an April 2024 episode of Amy & T.J. podcast, explaining that the show was her "identity" at one point. "I credit them for giving me a voice in general."
More Money, More Problems
Reflecting on her three-year marriage with the Boy Meets World actor, Cheryl believes her DWTS salary put a strain on their relationship.
"I learned that you can't buy love," she said on Amy & T.J. "Obviously, I didn't buy my ex-husband, but I definitely would say I was the breadwinner. I supported us."
Dance Like You Mean It
The dancer got candid about being the challenges of not being able to choose a DWTS partner as a pro dancer, sharing that "whoever walks in through that door, you don't turn around and walk out."
"This is showbiz," she told Variety in 2023. "I'm an employee. You can't just turn around and walk out and say I'm sorry. That's not part of the contract. It's a fine line."
Too Hot to Foxtrot
Cheryl set the record straight on rumors that she hooked up with her Dancing With the Stars season eight partner Gilles Marini when they were training together in 2009.
"We had that thing without having that thing," she said in an April 2024 episode of the Sex, Lies, and Spray Tans podcast. "Chemistry."
Though Cheryl admitted that the two were "very close," she said, "Nothing has ever happened physically between us."
Open Book
Amid her divorce, Cheryl had a blunt message for critics who thought she was sharing too much about her personal life on social media.
"Don't waste the time to comment because I do know for a fact that I'm helping at least one person," she said in an E! News interview. "At the end of the day, those people I feel might need to take a note a little bit and really just understand that this is somebody's story."
Going Sober
Cheryl has been open about her sobriety journey, sharing that the 2018 death of her dad was what led her to abstain from alcohol.
"My father passed away—and my dad was an alcoholic—so either I was gonna crash and burn and check myself into rehab, or I was gonna just quit cold turkey," she said in a 2020 episode of the LadyGang podcast. "That's just my personality. It's either black or white."
Getting Vulnerable
And the Dance Moms coach isn't afraid of showing her vulnerable side.
"To say that my sobriety has been easy would be a lie," Cheryl said in a June 2021 YouTube video. "When I keep secrets or don't tell my truth to everyone, including my followers, that's when it gets scary for me."