Cheryl Burke is proof never to judge a book by its cover.
The Dancing With the Stars alum has danced with 24 celebrities across 26 seasons of the ABC ballroom competition — but two in particular took her by surprise.
Burke, 40, revealed on the Sunday, December 1, episode of her “Sex, Lies, and Spray Tans With Cheryl Burke” podcast that reality television stars Rob Kardashian, 37, and Jack Osbourne, 39, were among her favorite dance partners.
“I’ve done 20-something seasons, and I’ve had quite a lot of partners,” she said, per Entertainment Weekly. “Though I danced with Emmitt Smith twice, I have to say, actually, I had the most fun … I was shockingly surprised, I guess. I didn’t expect to have such a great season like I did with Jack Osbourne and Rob Kardashian.”
Burke said she didn’t have “high” expectations going into her seasons with Kardashian and Osbourne, which made it “shocking at the end how far we got.” Burke and Kardashian came second on DWTS season 13 in 2011. In 2013, she and Osbourne came third on season 17.
“Their reputations, my judgment of these two people, Jack and Rob, they were, in a way, spoiled brats when I witnessed them on MTV, and witnessed Rob on [Keeping Up With the] Kardashians when he was younger. But these two men, they’re totally not what you would expect … I just love the fact that we got along, and they didn’t take themselves too seriously.”
Over the years, Burke danced with everyone from singer Drew Lachey, with whom she won season 2, to The Price Is Right host Drew Carey, but the dance pro said, “I tend to like, and I tend to gravitate and enjoy my seasons when it’s with a reality star or an athlete, but mainly a reality star.”
Burke announced her departure from Dancing With the Stars in 2022 after season 31, having competed on 26 seasons of the ABC reality competition.
Cheryl Burke ABC/Andrew Eccles
“I am sitting here full of so many conflicting emotions about the words I am about to write,” she shared one night before the season 31 finale. “Tomorrow night will officially be my final dance as a pro dancer on [DWTS]. This has been one of the absolute hardest decisions of my life & I am also confident that it is the right one.”
“This show has been my 2nd family since I was 21 years old,” Burke added. “The cast, crew & fans have seen me through my highest highs & some of my lowest lows, & I honestly don’t know who I would be today without them. I also know that it is time for me to begin the next phase of my career, although dance will always be a part of me. I am excited about the idea of evolving, about being challenged in new ways, having the ability to expand my commitment to mental health advocacy, focusing on my new found love for podcasting, & I’m ready to face the uncertainty (though it’s scary as s–t) of what the future holds – I do have a few things up my sleeves though, so don’t worry. 😉”
