Fans convinced a former ‘DWTS’ winner is returning — and her cryptic video might be the clue
'Dancing With the Stars' season 34 is setting fans' hearts racing with its star-studded casting news. Reports suggest a new name will soon be announced on 'Good Morning America'. Meanwhile, a former dancing pro has teased her entry into the ballroom competition, and a Reddit thread is abuzz with the potential return of Witney Carson. The season 19 winner showcased her dancing skills by posting practice clips on her Instagram stories. "Out of breath. The altitude here is crazy," she captioned one clip. "This song on repeat," she wrote on another and, "Put the samba whisks into a little combo. Also don't recommend samba in tennis shoes lol," she advised in the next video.
"Witney is training ballroom again! Will she be back?" the main Reddit title read. "I doubt she’s made her mind up yet TBH. Good at least to be keeping her training up to date in case she does return either this year or in the future," an online user reasoned. "She seemed tired and tbh probably was lowkey frustrated teaching Danny and I think that's why she just resorted to doing all lifts when possible," a fan pointed out, referring to Carson's alleged lackluster choreography during season 33 with NFL player Danny Amendola. "Might be an unpopular opinion, but I don't want her back. Or, Lindsey back, people keep commenting that they want her back on her TikTok. It just feels like their time on the show is over, and that's okay. I'm ready for new pros on the show," a netizen harshly remarked.
"I love watching Whitney. If they do come back, I sort of think it's unfair how little training they do in between seasons when so many of the other pros are still doing dance-related things and sharpening their skills," a die-hard 'DWTS' viewer commented. Carson debuted on the ABC dance reality show as a troupe member for seasons 16 and 17, respectively, as per Fandom.
During season 18, she was promoted as a pro ballroom dancer. In 2014, she won the Mirror Ball trophy with current host Alfonso Ribeiro. After competing for nearly 14 seasons, Carson announced her exit during season 31, citing family reasons. “I love dance,” she revealed on a TikTok video. “It’s definitely my passion, so this was a hard decision, but I’m at peace with it," she said, as per ABC.
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The former reality star, who has two sons with husband Carson McAllister, admitted that she wanted to put family time first and that traveling across the country with her two toddlers for 'DWTS' shoots would be challenging. In a commemorative post shared on Instagram in 2023, Carson expressed gratitude about her 'DWTS' journey with throwback clips, "Took a break from this," she wrote. "Thank you for all your kind words of support it means so much to me! I will miss dancing for you all every single week this season, but I know it’s the right decision for me and my family right now. I love you all," she added.
Carson returned after a year's hiatus for season 33 and went on to compete in the finals along with Amendola, however, the pair lost out to pro dancer Jenna Johnson and her partner, a television personality, Joey Graziadei. Although unconfirmed, the former winner's recent practice sessions may be hinting at a surprise comeback.