A few seasons have passed since Cheryl Burke's departure from Dancing with the Stars, and the ballroom pro has been getting brutally honest about some of her experiences on the show since then. Burke, who received fan support last season after she was left out of the Len Goodman tribute, is now getting real about the Mirrorball trophies she won during the early seasons. Amid a recent chat, she explained why they're now "completely in the trash."
Cheryl Burke welcomed former DWTS contestant, singer and actress Jana Kramer on an episode of her podcast, Sex, Lies, and Spray Tans, during which they talked about their experiences on the ABC show. Kramer admitted that she'd love to return to the competition series one day, if only so that she could hold the Mirrorball trophy and win. Burke then began to talk about her wins in Seasons 2 and 3. The veteran said that while the Mirrorball trophy may seem like quite the prize these days, her trophies from the early seasons are not of the same quality:
It's so cheap. Like, mine was–the second and third seasons of the Mirrorball trophies were made of lampshades. Cute, yeah. It was like a joke, but not a joke. But that's why mine is like completely in the trash because the mirrors have fallen off one by one. Nowadays, it's like very blingy.
The former pro is not exaggerating here, as Dancing With The Stars did reconfigure lamps for their trophies in the early seasons of the show. In an interview with People, production designer James Yarnell explained that the only reason they stopped using a lamp was because the model they bought at Lamps Plus to create the trophy went out of production. From then on, the show began commissioning an actual cast of the memento and worked with different companies to create what is the Mirrorball trophy viewers know today.
One interesting point to note, however, is that James Yarnell added that the awards, by the nature that they're created, are still as cheap now as the original models were. So, eventually, it's likely that even the latest Len Goodman Mirrorball trophy will break down with time. With that, maybe the reason Cheryl Burke's hasn't held up is because it's been seventeen years since she last won.
All of that aside, Cheryl Burke is thriving in her next chapter since her exit from Dancing with the Stars. All the while, fans have still been wanting to see her back on the dance floor. Many even suggested the idea of seeing her start a new show with Tom Bergeron after they reunited for a photo not long ago. Creating a series that could stand up against DWTS would be a tall order, but maybe those two could succeed where other competitors have failed.
As for Jana Kramer, she's been quite a presence in the Christmas movie circuit as of late, with her latest production being A Cowboy Christmas Romance. The movie gained attention for its sex scene, and Kramer promoted it by giving away sex toys. That may sound a little personal but, for someone who once admitted she never heard from Chris Evans after having "asparagus pee," I would wager she's pretty comfortable with things others might find taboo.
Turning our attention back to non-sexual-related matters though, it would be interesting to hear other past winners provide updates on the statuses of their Mirrorball trophies. If the integrity of the awards is as weak as we've been led to think, then surely Cheryl Burke isn't the only person who has mostly discarded their trophies.
For now, watch the past two seasons of Dancing with the Stars with a Disney+ subscription. You'll also want to keep an eye on the 2024 TV schedule so you'll know when the show is eventually set to return.
