Dancing With the Stars viewers nearly saw a season featuring actor Charlie Sheen competing for the Mirrorball Trophy.
According to DWTS alum Cheryl Burke, Sheen was set to be her partner for a season but decided against it.
Sheen, 58, is known for his roles in the hit sitcoms Two and a Half Men and Spin City and the critically acclaimed films Platoon and Wall Street.
Burke is known for winning the Mirrorball Trophy during Seasons 2 and 3 with singer Drew Lachey and NFL Hall of Famer Emmitt Smith.
She revealed her story about Sheen while appearing as a guest on the Sex, Lies, and Spray Tans podcast hosted by Sheen’s ex-wife, Denise Richards.
During her recollection of the situation, Burke indicated they didn’t practice for long until she realized he wouldn’t appear on the ABC competition show.
Burke says Sheen nixed DWTS appearance after a day of dance lessons
“Fun fact: I danced with Charlie for one day. Maybe you don’t know, but he was going to do the show,” Burke said while on Richards’ podcast.
She revealed that the show’s production team called to tell her an A-lister was considering the show and wanted her to help with the dance moves.
Burke said she asked if they were sure about having her as the person to do that.
“Because if you’re trying to convince somebody to do the show, I might not be the right person. Because I hate lying, and I just don’t want to lie about how the process is,” she said, recalling the phone conversation.
During her podcast appearance, she called Dancing With the Stars “beautiful” but also said it was “a lot of work” for celebrities to appear on.
“I’m not even going to deny that. And there’s a lot of press and a lot of interviews, and all of this stuff,” Burke shared.
She said that despite teaching Sheen “a few steps,” the actor was hesitant to appear on DWTS and began asking questions, including about interviews and press appearances.
Burke said she told the actor they’d appear on ABC’s Good Morning America.
Regarding their dance session, she indicated she’d taught Sheen only a few steps for “a waltz or something” but that the actor “judged himself right away” and said, “I suck at this.”
She also said they talked more than they danced during that day they worked on his dance moves. Ultimately, Burke said she could tell after the session that Sheen would be a “hard no” for appearing on DWTS.
Sheen said he turned down DWTS due to being a bad dancer
In 2019, Sheen revealed in a US Weekly exclusive that he decided against ABC’s competition because of his lack of dancing skills.
The Golden Globe winner was asked to appear in Season 28 of the show.
“I was very flattered by ABC and their offer, but at the end of the day, I have two left feet and I just can’t dance,” he told the publication.
According to the report, a source also indicated that ABC offered Sheen a pilot series contingent upon his DWTS appearance.
The publication revealed that Sheen’s publicist at the time, Jeff Ballard, confirmed that “ABC made a very generous offer” to the actor.
While Sheen didn’t appear that season, Cheryl Burke did, as she partnered with Super Bowl winner and Hall of Famer Ray Lewis. They finished in 11th place in the competition.
During an interview four years ago with People, Burke said she preferred partnering with athletes for DWTS because “they get it” and “understand” what’s involved regarding the work.
Burke went on to do three more seasons, appearing in Seasons 29, 30, and 31. Her best finish among those was third place in Season 30 alongside fitness instructor and TV personality Cody Rigsby.
Sheen’s ex-wife, Denise Richards, also appeared on DWTS in Season 8, which aired in 2009. She was the second contestant eliminated, so Sheen may have had a chance to give a better dance performance than his ex if he’d done the show.
Dancing With the Stars Season 33 is TBA for 2024 on ABC and Disney+.