The Season 22 cast of Dancing with the Stars has been officially announced, as have the partnerships. There had already been plenty of buzz about who would be involved in the spring offering of the show, and there were a couple of interesting shifts in the pro slate. Emma Slater will not be on DWTS this time around, and now the fan-favorite professional has commented on the situation.
Many Dancing with the Stars fans were hoping that Emma Slater would still end up in the mix of things this spring, and many had been thinking that she might still wind up on DWTS with a surprise addition. Specifically, there has been buzz that perhaps Emma and Bachelor Ben Higgins would be added after the official cast announcement once his show finale airs in another week. Unfortunately, it seems that is not the case.
Not only is Slater not a pro in this next edition of DWTS, it seems she will not be a troupe member either. This is a move that has many dedicated Dancing with the Stars fans quite upset. While Emma has not won a Mirrorball trophy yet, she has been a pro for the past five seasons and helped several of her partners charm the viewers when, on paper, they didn’t look like they necessarily had a shot at winning.
Emma first joined Dancing with the Stars in Season 17 with partner Bill Engvall, and they surprised just about everybody by sticking around until fourth place. Slater came back and danced with Billy Dee Williams, Michael Waltrip, Redfoo, and Hayes Grier, lasting until seventh with Waltrip and eighth with Grier. She also sparked a lot of showmance buzz last fall when contestant Alek Skarlatos admitted he had developed quite the crush on her.
Although Alek and Emma flirted and danced around the idea of a romance, later in the season, it seemed that she had become unavailable. While DWTS fans buzzed about what this meant, it now has become clear that Slater has reunited with fellow pro dancer Sasha Farber as many Dancing with the Stars viewers suspected. Sasha and Emma had dated for quite some time a while back, then split, and made it clear that they had remained friends. Now Farber and Slater are dating again.
Dancing with the Stars fans would have loved to see Emma and Sasha back on the DWTS dance floor as pros together, as Farber is back as a pro this spring with celebrity contestant Kim Fields. Unfortunately, it seems the show had other plans. Slater shared via her Instagram page that she is not involved in this new season in any capacity, news that comes as terribly disappointing to Emma’s fans.
Slater’s Instagram followers were quick to start lending their support when they saw the official confirmation that Emma wouldn’t be on Dancing with the Stars this time around. While she does indicate that she is simply taking a break for this spring outing of the show, DWTS fans won’t know for a while whether she will be back with a partner in the fall or not. Many are hoping that perhaps Emma can go on to bigger and better things from here if the show doesn’t see the potential Slater has.
Many of Slater’s fans would argue that she has not necessarily been given the kind of Dancing with the Stars celebrities that allow her to show what she’s got as a pro. Viewers loved her with Hayes and some of her earlier DWTS partners, but none of them were “ringers” or easy partners by any means.
During the Season 21 switch-up week, Emma and Alek danced together, and Dancing with the Stars fans would love to see her get a high-profile partner with both some dance or athletic talent and a solid fan base that syncs with the DWTS fans base to bring in the votes. Unfortunately, it seems that the powers that be on the show felt they didn’t have a spot for her. Will Emma be back, or will Slater end up joining the likes of Chelsie Hightower and Lacey Schwimmer, who had a lot of fans but weren’t brought back after a few professional spins on the dance floor?
There is a lot of speculation over at PureDWTS that perhaps Strictly Come Dancing can scoop Slater up, as many think she would be a great fit with that show. However, Emma now has not only Sasha here in the States, but her sister recently moved here as well, so relocating to England for SCD may not be the direction she wants to head right now.
For those who have been hoping that Emma Slater would be a surprise 13th pro with Bachelor Ben Higgins or someone else, it sounds as if that speculation can now be put to rest. Which couple do you think will manage to take home the Mirrorball trophy this spring on Season 22 of Dancing with the Stars?
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[Photo by Angela Weiss/Getty Images]