While many Dancing With the Stars pros and contestants choose to lace up their dancing shoes one final time for a batch of live shows, not every ballroom personality has been featured on the lineup.
On the heels of many DWTS seasons, the pros hit the road for a live tour with a select crop of ex-mirrorball hopefuls.
“I think performing in front of a live audience is like a drug,” Gabby Windey, who was a finalist on season 31 and hosted the subsequent tour, told the Cincinnati Enquirer in February 2023. “But, sleeping on the tour bus is a challenge. Not everyone has that problem, but I do. Other than that, it’s really fun.”
Season 33 winner Joey Graziadei, for his part, noted via Instagram in April 2025 that his favorite memories were “being able to share the stage” with all of the professional dancers night after night.
“This was truly a special group of people and I can’t wait to see how each of you continue to shine in the future,” Graziadei wrote. “The support that we felt all season was unbelievable and it was so amazing to be able to tour around the U.S. and feel the energy and love face to face. I mean it when I say this was the experience of a lifetime.”
Not every DWTS alum, however, has been invited to perform during the live shows. Keep scrolling to read their remarks about skipping the DWTS tour:
Rylee Arnold
Pro Rylee Arnold abruptly left the spring 2025 shows after suffering an ankle injury.
“My doctor did not OK me to get back to dancing right now, and I will not be returning for the extension of the tour, which is just so sad,” Arnold said in an April 2025 social media video. “I’m going to be resting and healing at this time to make sure that my ankle properly gets healed and returns back to the way it was.”
She continued, “I’m sad I can’t do these last nine shows for you guys, but I know that I need to take this time to heal, make sure my ankle gets back to where it needs to be. All of your guys’ love and support has meant the absolute world to me and I cannot wait to see you guys again and to get back dancing.”
Arnold returned for the next season of DWTS, where she performed with Pentatonix singer Scott Hoying. She subsequently opted to sit out of the 2026 tour.
“This year, I had to make the hard decision to sit it out and focus on my health, especially with managing my Type 1 diabetes, which can be tricky on the road,” Arnold, who was diagnosed when she was 15 years old, revealed via her Instagram Stories in October 2025. “I’m going to miss it so much, but I’ll definitely be cheering everyone on and can’t wait to watch.”
Gleb Savchenko
Fellow pro Gleb Savchenko also decided not to go on tour in early 2026.
“It’s a transition. It’s nice to have a great season. I’m not going on tour. I’m gonna go see my kids for a few weeks over the holidays,” Savchenko, whose two daughters live in Hong Kong with their mother, exclusively told Us Weekly in October 2025. “I’m just focusing on myself.”
Julianne Hough
Former mirrorball-winning pro Julianne Hough, the cohost of DWTS since 2023, was initially scheduled to perform during a handful of 2024 live shows.
“I’ve been so looking forward to getting to connect with all our amazing fans on the road and perform live alongside the DWTS Tour cast for select dates,” she said in a February 2024 social media statement. “However, due to a change in my production shooting schedule, a conflict has come up. “I will no longer be able to join the tour for my scheduled dates.”
Sasha Farber
Sasha Farber, a former DWTS pro, revealed on a December 2024 episode of Joe Vulpis’ eponymous podcast that each tour was “so amazing” to see how much the fans enjoy the competition series. After doing “all the tours,” he opted to sit out of the winter 2025 tour.
“I wanted to just emotionally have a break, and take a pause from the tour,” he explained. “I think [on] this tour, they have their peeps. … The tour is so strong, the dancers are so strong [and] Mandy Moore, the choreographer, is on point. She knows exactly what the fans want and always delivers.”
Jenn Tran
Farber’s season 33 partner, former Bachelorette Jenn Tran, claimed weeks earlier that she wasn’t even asked to join the tour.
“I got a call about [the] tour, and I won’t be going on tour, which is really sad because I really wanted to go,” Tran said in a November 2024 Instagram video. “I felt like with tour, I was gonna be able to hold onto this feeling a little bit longer and hold onto this dancing moment that I’ve been having.”
According to Tran, she “started sobbing” when she learned that she was excluded from the cast list.
“You know the saying, ‘Don’t cry because it’s over. Smile because it happened.’ And it really is true,” she concluded. “I really did have the best two months of my life dancing.”
Instead of Tran, the 2025 tour featured winner Graziadei and finalists Chandler Kinney, Ilona Maher and Stephen Nedoroscik.
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