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Emma Slater will do anything to nail her Dancing With destiny regimens.
That’s why the season 35 pro, who has actually belonged to the program given that 2012, had a funny bone about her whole toe nail falling off while practicing with her celeb partner, Savannah Bananas gamer Jackson Olson
“There’s a lot of people that want to do Dancing With the Stars, and they want to experience it, but there’s something you should know,” Slater teased while showing her removed toe nail in a Sept. 17 video “If you do Dancing With the Stars, this could happen.”
“Do you know what this is? This is my toenail,” the season 24 champ continued in her trailer. “It’s not a fake toenail. This is my actual toenail, and I had to peel that off just now because it was flip-flopping like a cat door.”
The U.K. transplant quipped, “You can imagine what my toe looks like without this being on it. It’s not cute.”
While the 37-year-old isn’t a substantial fan of the not-so-pleasant injury, she has actually stated she’s delighting in contending versus sweetheart Alan BerstenHer real-life partner of over a year is the dance specialist wanting to lead chef Giada De Laurentiis to triumph in the ballroom this year.
“It’s actually really helpful,” Slater specifically informed E! News following the best Sept. 15. “We’ll watch each other’s videos, we’ll help each other choreograph, we’ll ask each other’s opinion, and we always come from a really honest, ‘let me help you’ place.”
Slater, who was formerly wed to professional Sasha Farber for 6 years up until settling their divorce in 2024, is grateful to have the assistance of “a team member who knows how to go through this, ’cause this is a crazy world.”
And dancers committing their blood, sweat and toe nails to discovering their regimens is just the start of the ABC hit’s tradition. Keep reading for an appearance behind the scenes at the tricks behind Dancing With destiny
ABC/Paula Lobo
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Just how much Do the Celebrities Get Paid to Be on Dancing With destiny
Mentioning several sources, Range reported in 2019 that Dancing With destiny entrants make $125,000 for the rehearsal duration and very first 2 weeks of the program. If they advance beyond that point, the outlet continued, they make more cash weekly. At the time, sources informed the publication stars might make an optimum of $295,000.
Bobby Bones stated he made more than this when he won season 27 with Sharna Burgessin 2018.
“That show pays OK,” the radio character stated on a Sept. 2025 episode of Jason Tartick‘s podcast Trading Secrets “Like, first episode, no money. Second episode, $10,000. I think it’s like, $10,000, $10,000, $20,000, $20,000. It ends up being $50,000 an episode if you last.”
Getting a base wage of around $110,000, Bones continued, “I ended up making close to $400,000 from that show.”
ABC has actually not openly verified any of these figures.
Eric McCandless/ABC through Getty Images
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What Do the Pros Get Paid on Dancing With destiny
Little has actually been shared openly about how much the pros get paid. As with the candidates, it appears like the longer they’re on the program, the more cash they can make.
Even if a pro is removed in the very first round, they’re not leaving the ballroom empty-handed.
“You’re guaranteed until a certain amount of weeks,” Jenna Johnson stated on a June 2025 episode of Kelly Stafford and Hank Winchester‘s podcast The Morning After “I think there’s different contracts though. I can’t speak for everybody.”
Disney/Eric McCandless
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Do Pros Get Paid More If They Win Dancing With destiny
Obviously not.
WhileJohnson– who won season 26 with Olympic figure skater Adam Ripponalong with season 33 with The Bachelor‘s Joey Graziadei— states the pros do not get a bigger income if they take home what is now called the Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy, she kept in mind there’s still a reward to make it to the ending (besides bragging rights, naturally).
“If you make it all the way to the end, you’re getting paid the whole season, which is amazing, and you get a bonus on top of that for making it to the finale,” she discussed on The Morning After “If you win, it’s not like you win a $1 million and split it with your partner. You’re just getting a cute trophy together.”
Instagram/ Dancing With destiny
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Do the Troupe Members Get Paid as Much as the Pros on Dancing With destiny
That does not seem the case.
On a 2022 episode of Trading Secrets Lindsay Arnold remembered how her income was cut “more than in half” when she was benched from professional to troupe member.
Eric McCandless/ABC through Getty Images
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How Are Pros and Celebrities Paired Together on Dancing With destiny
The pros get little input when it happens matched with a star.
“You get no say,” Lindsay stated on a May 2025 episode of Maggie Sellers Hot Smart Rich podcast “It’s very much just, ‘Here’s your partner. Make it work.'”
Jenna stated the pairing is frequently a trick till the last minute.
“They really want to keep it a secret until you meet them live,” Jenna stated on The Morning After “They want that genuine reaction. So I think people always think we know who we have and we’re keeping it a secret. Absolutely not. They do not tell us. They really don’t even want us to know the cast. It gets leaked a lot, but they want it very hush-hush until you walk in and meet your partner.”
When it comes to what the Dancing With destiny group tries to find when making these matches?
“It’s based on height, build and personality and compatibility,” previous showrunner Rob Wade informed E! News in 2015. “We don’t pair people who aren’t going to get on. It’s too intense. It’s not like The Bachelor or something, we couldn’t do that. That would just be miserable experience for the celebrity, for us and the viewer. You don’t want to see two people who don’t like each other and, quite frankly, we have made that mistake pairing people up who didn’t get on so well.”
Disney/Eric McCandless
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How Often Do the Pros and Celebrities Practice on Dancing With destiny
Simply put, a lot.
“Every day we have four-hour rehearsals,” Rylee Arnoldwho was partnered with Olympic gymnast Stephen Nedoroscik on season 33, shared on a September 2024 episode of the Lightweights Podcast With Joe Vulpis “It’s either 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. or 5:00 p.m to 9:00 p.m.”
The work does not stop when the wedding rehearsal covers. Rylee noted she may then meet manufacturers or the imaginative group, deal with choreography or research study dance videos.
“Literally my whole life is devoted to it,” she continued, “but it’s my passion and it’s what I love. So, it makes me so happy.”
It’s a no-days-off kind of gig.
“We have our show day on Tuesday and then it’s Wednesday to Sunday, straight rehearsals,” Rylee included. “And then Monday we have camera blocking and then Tuesday’s show day again.”
Instagram/ Emma Slater
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Do the Pros Get to Pick the Songs Each Week for Their Dance With Their Celebrity Partner?
“Mostly yes,” Emma Slater and Britt Stewart exposed in a September 2025 Instagram video, “though it’s a collaboration with producers.”
Eric McCandless/Disney through Getty Images
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What’s the Process Like for Making the Costumes for Dancing With destiny
If you believed the quickstep was quick, simply wait till you find out about the speed of the outfit department.
“We meet with the set and lighting designers, dancers and talent and create a story [for each pair],” outfit designer Daniela Gschwendtnerinformed television Insider back in 2017. “Then we sketch out ideas. We have five days, max, to make all the outfits. That’s half a day per costume, not including all the rhinestones. The fitting and trimming we do later. We have about 20 people in our department and then we have a separate tailor shop. It’s a big enterprise.”
Outfit designer Steven Norman Lee stated sets generally try out their outfits for the very first time simply hours before showtime. And while the department “might use a pair of pants again for the boys,” he continued, whatever is usually made custom-made weekly.
As Gschwendtner included, “We do reuse things for group numbers or promo shoots, but not for the competition. We don’t reuse things unless there’s a specific reason to do so. We try to keep everybody fresh and new in something different every week, so it stays interesting.”
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