Cheryl Burke thinks security needs to be increased for the DWTS ballroom

Former “Dancing with the Stars” professional dancer Cheryl Burke believes ballroom security needs to be increased.

Days after a behind-the-scenes video was leaked on social media, Burke called for increased security backstage at the competition’s ABC All-Star Ballroom.

In a September 2024 episode of the “Sex, Lies and Spray Tans” podcast, Burke noted that Season 33 co-stars Gleb Savchenko and Brooks Nader were “caught kissing” backstage. After questioning how someone could see the couple on camera, Burke revealed that there was an unsecured open area where people could look behind the scenes.

“This is why, this is why, I will tell you now,” Burke said. “There is an audience. There is a balcony in the ballroom. (In the ballroom) that top row that, if you keep walking, will take you backstage. It’s (expletive) up. And they need to have safety there. Because that’s the problem. People can bring their phones with them, which means they should not allow others to bring their phones.”

Burke seemed unsure whether the phone policy had changed. In an October 2022 post on the Dancing With the Stars subreddit, one fan detailed how phones may be in the ballroom now that the show is being simulcast live on Disney+ for West Coast viewers.

In a post for Soaps.com, DWTS guru Kristyn Burtt noted that staff members “took away cell phones before the show and didn’t let you take any photos in the studio.” She confirmed that from January 2024, the use of mobile phones and “taking photos before and after the performance” will be allowed in the ballroom. But Burtt warned: “They will call you out very publicly if you try to record while the show is live.”

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In September 2024, a fan leaked a behind-the-scenes video

Shortly after the DWTS live performance on September 24, the TikTok account @ashleysdiary7 shared a video of Savchenko and Nader backstage. An aerial view showed the DWTS partners holding hands and then quickly kissing on the lips.

Many comments wanted to know how the footage was obtained.

“HOW DO YOU FILM THIS” – one of the commentators asked.

“Whooo I took it LOLOL not you in the rafters ,” wrote another.

“I need to know how we got that angle!” asked another.

“This is the ‘behind the scenes’ we want to see!!!! You are NOT just cooling in the vents,” added another.

“I feel like I’m intruding, but however you put it, it’s murder,” wrote another.

Dancing With the Stars has recorded one new show since the backstage photo incident and will welcome another live studio audience to the ballroom on Tuesday, October 8. On Soaps.com, Burtt noted that fans who attended the DWTS taping “can sit on the ground floor, on the first balcony, or high in the rafters on the second balcony.”

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Security was increased in 2016 after a scary incident involving DWTS partner Cheryl Burke

Burke came face to face with the ballroom’s need for security. In 2016’s Season 23, Burke and her partner Ryan Lochte were stunned when two male protesters ran onto the stage after their opening night dance. Both men called the Olympic swimmer a “liar” as they ran across the stage after Lochte was accused of fabricating a story about an assault during the Rio de Janeiro Olympics. Security quickly escorted both men out of the ballroom.

The video also shows professional dancer Derek Hough throwing fellow protesters out of the building. “Get out of here!” Hough yelled at the group wearing anti-Lochte T-shirts. “It’s a good program, a positive program. Get out of here!”

According to ABC News, both men, Sam Sotoodeh and Barzeen Soroudi, were taken to the Los Angeles Police Department’s Metropolitan Detention Center with bail set at $1,000 each. The men told the website that they never intended to hurt Lochte, but were only protesting against his casting in a celebrity dance program.

A representative for BBC Worldwide Productions told The Hollywood Reporter at the time: “The safety of our cast, crew and studio audience is of the utmost importance. A full review of security procedures/protocols is ongoing and we will make any changes we deem necessary.”

Following the incident, Burke posted on Instagram thanking the “Dancing with the Stars” security team for acting quickly to confront protesters and remove them from the ballroom.