Cheryl Burke's Return To DWTS Put Her Unrecognizable New Look In The Spotlight
Fans were thrilled to see Cheryl Burke return to "Dancing With the Stars" to guest host for the Halloween episode on October 28. Yet, it wasn't a costume that made her unrecognizable. Instead, it's Burke's new appearance that is getting attention. Burke only stepped away from the "DWTS" stage for three years, but she's changed enough to have fans of the show buzzing about how different she looks.
Burke was a professional dancer on "DWTS" for a whopping 26 seasons and won the coveted Mirrorball trophy twice during her tenure. As a result, fans definitely knew what she looked like. And, according to what they're saying online, this is not it.
The dance pro is no stranger to comments about her appearance, however. In May, Burke spoke out about having recently lost around 35 lbs., and according to her, the public's reactions to her new look were surprising. "These are all assumptions that people have thrown at me, as far as Ozempic, my face," she told People, adding, "I've always had criticism, but what's shocking is that this is worse than when I gained weight." And, it seems that her return to the small screen has reignited talk among fans about her new look.
Cheryl Burke's new look is going viral
Since Cheryl Burke wasn't on "Dancing with the Stars" for a while, her new look was surprising to many people watching the October 28 episode. One user on X (formerly Twitter) posted, "So my dancing with the stars friends, Cheryl Burke was a judge this week. Is it just me or does she look like her face is tighter than a drum and she's a bag of bones ... I hope she's OK." Another chimed in, saying, "Did Cheryl Burke have some plastic surgery done? She looks great, just different from how I remember her." "#DWTS2025 Cheryl Burke is unrecognizable!" added another.
Ultimately, no one can be sure exactly what went into the changes to Burke's look. Yet, many netizens guessed that it had to do with cosmetic procedures. "Cheryl Burke has had wayyyyy too much plastic surgery! She looks horrible. Wouldn't have even recognized her had they not told me her name," another "DWTS" fan posted on X.
Lately, we've seen more drastic face transformations that left celebs unrecognizable than ever. From Selena Gomez to Emma Stone and many more, Burke is just the latest in a string of celebrities whose faces looked totally different in 2025. It's hard to know exactly what's behind all these changes or why the trend among stars seems to be all about major transformations. But, one thing is for sure, as one X user put it, "Cheryl Burke doesn't look like Cheryl Burke wtf."