Back in April, Dancing with the Stars’ Cheryl Burke went on T.J. Holmes and Amy Robach’s podcast and confirmed that she’s had relationships with three of her celebrity contestant partners. She only named one, however, and that’s former NFL player Chad Ochocinco, with whom she competed in Season 10. I admit, DWTS fell off my radar ages ago, and I somehow missed that Season 32 aired last fall! Well now, Cheryl is spilling some more tea about the emotional toll that filming DWTS can take on the contestants and their dance partners. On her podcast, Sex, Lies, and Spray Tans, Cheryl talked about how “intimate” and “vulnerable” teams have to get while rehearsing and competing. Her advice? It’s not a competition for married people.

Cheryl Burke has participated in 26 out of the 32 seasons of Dancing With the Stars, so she’s definitely an expert when it comes to the show.

The 40-year-old pro dancer is explaining why she thinks all celeb contestants should be single if they decide to do the show and why it’s dangerous for married stars to compete. Cheryl herself has had three romantic relationships with her celeb partners and there have been plenty of couples formed on the show. Six of them are still together today!

So, why should all contestants be single?

“Be single if you do ‘Dancing With the Stars.’ That’s all I’m saying,” Cheryl said on the latest episode of her podcast, Sex, Lies, and Spray Tans.

“It’s an arranged marriage,” she said. “And it is black and white. Either love each other or hate each other for real.”

“You’re not like, ‘Oh yeah, he’s cute. Like, no, no, I either like you or I don’t because you’re constantly [together] eight hours a day, seven days a week,” she added. “That’s insane. For three months? And you’re vulnerable”

Cheryl revealed that one married contestant once had a crush on their married pro partner, and while nothing happened between them, there was suspicion in the family.

“It’s so intimate, and you’re stuck with this person. Like, you better try and make it work at least,” she said. “You get close in so many ways. These celebrities are so vulnerable because in order to succeed you have to strip it all down. And that alone? I bet you most of these married celebrities have never even done that with their wives.”

[From Just Jared]

I get what Cheryl is saying, but I don’t know if she’s being tongue in cheek or actually thinks the show is ripe for infidelity or emotional affairs. Still, it’s something interesting to think about, the bond that dancing partners form while rehearsing and performing on a reality TV competition. On the other hand, people form strong bonds with coworkers all the time and that doesn’t necessarily translate into an affair. I’m sure Cheryl’s seen a lot of gossipy sh-t during her time on the show, though. And I’m sure a lot more has gone down behind-the-scenes than she’s saying publicly. Season 33 of DWTS airs in September. Although it’s not fully confirmed, here’s the rumored cast list.

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