Dancing With the Stars is known for its fierce competition. And Season 30 was no exception. Pro Cheryl Burke and her partner, Peloton instructor Cody Rigsby, had to train and even dance remotely one week because they both had Covid-19. Cheryl likened Season 30 of DWTS to the show Survivor.
DWTS also made history for featuring the first same-sex partnership. Pop singer JoJo Siwa was paired with Jenna Johnson, and the duo lit up the ballroom.
Pro Lindsay Arnold was paired with Matt James, who starred on The Bachelor. According to Entertainment Tonight, Lindsay and Matt were sent packing at the end of two nights of Disney-themed performances. Brian Austin Green and pro Sharna Burgess were also sent home in the double elimination.
According to E! News, Lindsay shared how a demotion on DWTS was the best thing that could have happened to her on Jason Tartick’s podcast, Trading Secrets. In 2013, Lindsay joined Season 16 of DWTS. She was 18 years old. She was partnered with boxer Victor Ortiz, and the duo came in eighth place. After that, Lindsay learned that she would be returning, but as a member of the dance troupe.
“I just was not ready,” Lindsay explained. “I hadn’t been on the show ever to know how things work. In hindsight, it’s the best thing that happened to me that I went down to being a background dancer.” Lindsay had to adjust to the “total pay cut” and called the news “probably one of the hardest parts of my career.”
Lindsay is grateful for the experience “because it really propelled be in being ready for the time they asked me to come back up as a professional.”
“When I was 18 years old, it was a lot harder for me to understand,” the pro dancer stated. She added that there “wasn’t really any justification” for her demotion.
“In hindsight, I know it was because I wasn’t quite ready. I think I needed more time to mature—first of all—and to really find out who I was as an entertainer,” Lindsay stated. “You really have to come into your own and figure out who you are as a person.”
RELATED: Dancing With The Stars Pro Sharna Burgess Expecting Her First Child With Brian Austin Green
The demotion also led Lindsay to discover the joys of budgeting. When she went “from one salary and having that cut more than in half,” she learned how to manage her money. The former So You Think You Can Dance competitor stated, “I never had a job growing up because literally my whole life was school and dance, so I had never had to pay for my own gas.”
Lindsay was “just starting to barely experience money and pay checks” when her salary was cut. “I’m lucky that I had parents to guide me through that,” Lindsay said. “That would’ve been a totally different story had I not have people in my life that were directing me and helping me through that.”
While she was part of the dance troupe on DWTS, Lindsay actually logged in more time in the dance studio because she was working “on the show’s schedule.” Lindsay had to be “always on call, ready to go.” She added of the position, “It’s a total pay cut, but it’s still great.” In 2015, Lindsay was promoted back to a pro position on DWTS after spending four seasons as a member of the troupe.
RELATED: Artem Chigvintsev Has Had Pneumonia For Four Weeks; Previously Left The Dancing With The Stars Tour Due To “Unexpected Health Issues”
During Season 25, Lindsay and her partner, Jordan Fisher, took home the mirror ball.
E! reached out to Dancing With the Stars for comment but did not get a response.
TELL US- WAS LINDSAY’S DEMOTION THE BEST THING FOR HER? DO YOU WANT DWTS TO COME BACK FOR ANOTHER SEASON?
[Photo Credit: ABC/Maarten de Boer]
