‘DWTS’ Season 24 Producers Admit Heather Morris Has An ‘Advantage’
The cast of DWTS Season 24 are back in the ballroom Monday night on ABC. This year, Olympian Simone Biles, Glee alum Heather Morris, Bachelor star Nick Viall, and Mr. T will take to the dance floor and compete for the coveted Mirror Ball trophy. But does Morris have an unfair advantage over the other contestants?
According to the Hollywood Reporter, Morris worked as a professional dancer prior to her Glee days. Morris was a backup dance for Beyonce and danced during the American Music Awards, on Saturday Night Live, and on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. With a lot of dancing experience under her belt, it’s clear that Morris has an advantage.
But according to DWTS producers Joe Sungkur and Ashley Edens, Morris doesn’t have an unfair advantage over everyone else.
“Does she have an advantage? Yeah. Is it unfair? No,” Edens shared. “She has never had a ballroom lesson. She’s never partner danced. That is a skill in and of itself. Does she know how to count music and have rhythm? Yes. But the expectation because she’s a dancer is going to be very different than someone like Rashad Jennings, who is an athlete coming into this.”
Edens equated ballroom dancing to learning a new language for Morris. While fans may still think that Morris has an advantage, Edens and Sungkur aren’t afraid to talk about it.
“We’re not shying away from the fact that she 100 percent has dance experience. Because of that, she will be judged on a higher level and there will be higher expectations on her,” Edens added.
Sungkur then pointed out how they’ve had former dancers on the show before and they haven’t won it all. This includes Corbin Bleu and Zendaya, both of whom did not take home the Mirror Ball trophy.
Edens and Sungkur aren’t the only ones speaking out about the unfair advantage. Just Jared Jr. reports that Morris’ dancing partner, Maksim Chmerkovskiy, addresses the comments and believes having an advantage is a good thing on the show.
“Any of the competitors would want an advantage, a lot of the professionals would want to be paired with an Olympian or experienced partner, you know what I mean, but if anybody would have that advantage I’m just glad that it’s me,” he stated.
Chmerkovskiy assured fans that he and Morris are going to be great on DWTS Season 24. He also dished on their opening dance and revealed that it will start slow before building into something amazing. Considering Eden’s comments about the judging, Morris and her partner will have to bring their best game every week if they want to stay in the competition.
Meanwhile, an inside source told Perez Hilton that other contestants and their partners have been talking about Morris’ advantage behind the scenes. The source revealed that the other stars have joked about the issue off set and know all about Morris’ past experience. Even worse, it doesn’t take Morris nearly as long to prepare for her routine.
“It takes the others days or even a full week to learn a routine,” the insider dished. “She gets it down in a matter of hours.”
The insider added that some of the other pros have also voiced their complaints about Morris’ involvement on the show. Of course, only time will tell if Morris can use her advantage to win it all. If Morris and Chmerkovskiy end up winning, then the outcry will only get worse.
Fans can watch Morris and the rest of the stars take to the dance floor when the new season of Dancing with the Stars airs March 20 on ABC.
Tell us! Do you think Heather Morris has an unfair advantage over the rest of the DWTS Season 24 contestants? Check out the clip of her dancing back-up for Beyonce below and let us know in the comments.
[Featured Image by ABC]
