Heavy/Getty/ABC Lacey Schwimmer says DWTS producers didn’t ask her to return.
Former “Dancing With the Stars” pro Lacey Schwimmer was the first person brought onto the show from “So You Think You Can Dance.” She joined the cast in season seven and was given an easy frontrunner for a partner – Lance Bass.
However, on the October 30, 2023 episode of Cheryl Burke’s podcast “Sex, Lies, and Spray Tans,” Schwimmer said that she was not asked to return after a few seasons.
“The show decided not to bring me back. When everyone asks, ‘Why didn’t you come back?’ It’s not my decision,” Schwimmer said. “It was never my decision,” she added.
Here’s what you need to know:
Lacey Schwimmer said she shouldn’t have been on Season 11 with Kyle Massey
Schwimmer had pretty good success on “Dancing With the Stars.” She and Bass made it to the finals in Season 7. The following season Schwimmer was paired with Steve-O from “Jackass” and they were eliminated in 8th place. From then on, Schwimmer danced with Mark Dacascos in the ninth season and placed sixth.
Schwimmer wasn’t brought back for season 10, but happened to be part of season 11 with Kyle Massey. She explained what happened on Burke’s podcast.
“Even when I had my seven-season contract and they didn’t use me. They didn’t use me in one season and they didn’t want to use me in the second season either. And… if they don’t use you for two seasons in a row, your contract is void,” Schwimmer explained. She further said that she was not originally cast for season 11 but was added late.
“I shouldn’t be his partner. In fact, I think he should go to Chelsie Hightower if I’m not mistaken,” she continued. “Something happened… and they moved people at the last second. And then I got a call,” she added.
Schwimmer and Massey lost the season to Jennifer Gray.
Lacey Schwimmer was not asked to return to Dancing With the Stars after her season with Chaz Bono
Schwimmer competed in season 13 with Chaz Bono and they placed 7th. After the season ended, Schwimmer was not asked to return.
“When the show ended for me,” Schwimmer told Burke. “I fell into depression. … I went through this phase where I didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life. Because I couldn’t dance anymore, because I had cut all those ties from teaching and all that stuff,” she continued.
“So I went into this broke, depressed, dark life and finally got a call telling me that I was supposed to open the show for ‘Dancing With the Stars’ in Las Vegas.” And I said, “Yes,” because I needed the money. And I did the show,” she added.
Schwimmer went on tour and eventually met her boyfriend Frankie Moreno, who she has been with ever since. Overall, everything worked out, said Schwimmer.
These days, Schwimmer is still involved in dance, but she has created her own space. She founded The Ballroom Project, which offers dance classes for dancers of all ages.
“We will focus on a variety of these styles to fully expand each dancer’s vocabulary. Our faculty of celebrated ballroom professionals are truly world-class in their specific genres and at the end of this dance-filled day, you will walk away with not only fun combinations, but also real ballroom knowledge and skill,” the company’s website states.
According to her Instagram bio, Schwimmer also has a dancewear line with Só Dança and Chelsea B.
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Effie Orfanides has more than two decades of experience in entertainment journalism. She has been writing for Heavy since 2017, covering entertainment news. Effie lives in Tampa, Florida. More about Effie Orfanides