Heather Morris and Maksim Chmerkovskiy are teaming up for Season 24 of “Dancing With The Stars” and viewers can check out their first performance during the premiere on Monday, March 20. Maks is back for another round of “DWTS” and fans are anxious to see him partnered with the former “Glee” star. What does everybody need to know about Heather?
'Glee' fans loved Morris in the role of Brittany
This “Dancing With the Stars” contestant is known to many from her time playing Brittany on the Fox show “Glee,” and Wetpaint notes that Heather Morris also auditioned for “So You Think You Can Dance” in Season 2.
Heather Morris made it to Vegas Week on “SYTYCD” that year and got a fair amount of air time, but she was cut just before the Top 20. The “DWTS” contestant also performed with Beyonce as a dancer on the singer's world tour several years back, and she danced for Beyonce at the American Music Awards and Grammys.
Morris started dancing at the age of 9 and competed through her teen years. She focused primarily on jazz, tap, and contemporary, it seems, so her ballroom experience is quite limited. As Buddy TV notes, Heather was brought to the set of “Glee” to teach the cast the “Single Ladies” dance, since she had done that with Beyonce. The show's creator Ryan Murphy seemingly liked her so much that despite not having a singing or acting background, he created the role of Brittany for her.
Chmerkovskiy is back in hopes of another 'DWTS' win
Morris was a fan-favorite character on “Glee,” but she left before the series wrapped and she now has two children, Elijah and Owen, with husband Taylor Hubbell. Heather will be performing with “Dancing With the Stars” pro Maksim Chmerkovskiy, who previously won with Olympic ice skating champion Meryl Davis.
Maks had competed on “DWTS” for many seasons before leaving, but he was back last season with Amber Rose. He initially indicated that he wouldn't be on Season 24 as he was planning to be a stay-at-home dad to his new son Shai with fellow pro Peta Murgatroyd. However, it seems that he just couldn't stay away from a partner like this.
There is already plenty of buzz circulating about Heather's dance background and whether or not it's fair for her to be a contestant on Season 24 of “Dancing With the Stars.” As many “DWTS” fans point out, she didn't just train as a child or do a bit of dancing during singing or acting gigs. Morris' work, for the most part, has been tied to her dancing, so despite a lack of ballroom experience, this clearly gives her a leg up on the other contestants.
Does Heather have an unfair advantage on 'DWTS'?
Heather may have been cut just short of the Top 20 on “So You Think You Can Dance,” but she came close to being included on the live shows. Pros like Lindsay Arnold, Witney Carson, and Allison Holker all came to “Dancing With the Stars” after making the Top 20 on “SYTYCD,” so an argument can certainly be made that Morris' dance experience is fair to question in terms of her being a contestant this spring.
So far, the “DWTS” pair has been brushing off the questions and criticism, but they will certainly have to make sure that they are delivering in terms of high-quality choreography.
Do you think that "Glee" star Heather Morris and Maksim Chmerkovskiy have an unfair advantage on Season 24 of "DWTS"? ABC's "Dancing With the Stars" kicks into gear Monday, March 20 and fans cannot wait to see if "Team Maksimum Heat" can take home the win.
