'Dancing With the Stars' 2017: Derek Hough & Tony Dovolani Not Returning As Season 24 Pros [VIDEO]
A few fan favorite pros will not be back on Dancing With the Stars this spring.
Derek Hough is not expected to compete as a pro on Dancing With the Stars for season 24, according to a new People report. This was expected, considering Hough is always busy and is now working as a judge on NBC's new dance competition series World of Dance.
The other big pro who won't be returning for season 24 is Tony Dovolani. The pro confirmed that he would not compete on Dancing With the Stars this spring in a new Instagram post, writing a lengthy caption alongside a photo of himself.
"I wanted my fans to hear it from me first. I will not be on Dancing With the Stars this season, season 24," Dovolani writes.
A post shared by Tony dovolani (@tonydovolani) on Feb 24, 2017 at 12:10pm PST
"While I will miss the show and interacting with our wonderful audiences, both at home and in the ballroom, I will continue to focus on growing my Dance With Me USA studios and teaching," he explains. "I will also be traveling across the country performing and making personal appearances. I will be hosting my second annual Tony Dovolani Foundation: Golf For Special Needs Children tournament on July 14. I am honored to be a member of the PGA Player and Coaching Development Committee and look forward to contributing to the future of professional golf."
This may be disappointing news to his fans, considering the pro was not featured in season 23 either. There was some hope that he would return when he appeared on Home & Family earlier this year and revealed he would be interested in returning next season. The pro took off season 23 to be with his sister and aunt, who were both battling cancer.
As for the pros that are returning, Maks Chmerkovskiy and Peta Murgatroyd confirmed they are competing in season 24, and People is reporting that Val Chmerkovskiy, Sharna Burgess and Witney Carson are also returning as pros.
Dancing With the Stars season 24 premieres Monday, March 20 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC.
