Cheryl Burke addresses ‘Dancing With the Stars’ scoring debate — and why she ‘has empathy’ for Carrie Ann Inaba

Cheryl Burke is making her long-awaited return to “Dancing With the Stars.”

The professional dancer — who retired as a pro in November 2022 — is serving as a guest judge for next Tuesday’s “Halloween Night,” alongside Carrie Ann Inaba, Derek Hough and Bruno Tonioli.

“I was never going to say ‘no’ to this! It’s so special, it’s surreal,” Burke exclusively told Page Six over Zoom, telling us that she’ll be looking for “authenticity” from the remaining couples in the competition.

“The last time I left that ballroom, it was so emotional, and I believe it’s going to be just as emotional seeing everybody again. In a good way, though. I’ve grown up on that show. It has been most of my life. It’s been almost 20 years of me in that same ballroom.”

Burke — who competed as a pro for 26 seasons — noted that it’s no secret that she’s been wanting this opportunity for a while now.

“A lot of people know that I wanted to be given a chance to judge,” she shared. “So I’m just happy that they’re giving me this chance. I’m grateful.”

During our lengthy chat, Burke also weighed in on all the social chatter surrounding Season 34, including various debates over the scoring.

Viewers have been chiming in with their opinions, arguing that some dance duos are being scored “unfairly,” and receiving “harsh” feedback, while others are getting higher scores for “less impressive” routines.

“I think for the newer fans, what they should try and realize, I can’t force it down their throats obviously, but you can’t compare the couples, because they’re not doing the same dance style,” the two-time mirrorball winner explained.

“I would love for the newer fans to go check out an authentic local dance competition, just to see what it’s like. Because it’s impossible, first of all, to compare any type of ballroom dance to contemporary; you can’t even do it with a waltz or a cha-cha. And honestly, you can’t really do it unless you do it the way it’s done in the competitive world, which is … we’re all dancing to the same song [and dance style].”

Fans have particularly been hard on Inaba this season, calling her out for everything from her “confusing” scoring to “tough” feedback.

The criticism inspired the longtime judge to respond with an Instagram post set to Taylor Swift’s “Actually Romantic” this week — after previously telling viewers, “It’s OK to disagree about what we see. That’s what makes our show great.”

“I can definitely have empathy and compassion for her, because I think I’ve experienced it, but in a different way,” Burke told us. “All of the judges have said something that maybe the audience may not have liked. But the reaction of it has been a lot different, for sure, when Carrie Ann says something.”

“But look, ‘damned if you do, damned if you don’t.’ You’re never going to please everybody,” she continued. “So the goal should never be about that, and I don’t think it is with her, or with any judge. Because if that was the case, they wouldn’t have been there that long.”

This season of “DWTS” — which features celebrities like Alix Earle, Robert Irwin, Danielle Fishel, Dylan Efron, Whitney Leavitt, Jen Affleck and more — has already set a record high. The “Dedication Night” episode alone reached nearly six million viewers.

Of course, the massive viewership comes with all new fans who are watching the show — and sharing their opinions — for the first time. Some of the negative commentary on TikTok, specifically, has been a lot for the competitors, pros and judges to take in.

“The bullying needs to stop,” Burke urged, “but that’s on the social media platform for them to, like, curate it a little better, because it is a problem. I understand, I’ve been dealing with it myself lately.”

Burke went on to say that she believes it “affects the pros maybe a little bit more” because it is their entire work on the line.

“We get the credit, but we also get the negative with it. Because if the choreography may not have been great, or whatever it is, [it’s on us]. As pros, it’s their reputation on the line, too,” she explained.

“Everything, from your reaction to when you get called ‘safe,’ like, everybody’s watching. And nowadays, on TikTok, they express that. So you have to really be paranoid about it.”

Burke added that “every single pro” is “so grateful” to be on the show, so for anyone to ever think differently, “it’s really hard” to see that.

“We dedicate our lives to this show. [But] you can’t impress everybody. Understand that … your validation doesn’t come from the outside noise, it comes from within,” she advised.

“A lot easier said than done, especially when you’re coming from the ballroom world, where we’re being judged our whole lives.”

Burke’s highly anticipated return to the ballroom comes three years after she took her final bow as a pro.

“I am just as passionate about the show now as I was when I was involved in it. Except this time, I don’t need to choreograph during off-hours,” she said of taking the show in as a viewer vs. a competitor.

“I don’t need to stress and question myself every two seconds about whether it’s good enough or not. That part, I am happy to release,” she said, laughing. “But the show has really evolved, and it is just so beautiful to see a community really gather around it.”

“Dancing With the Stars” returns next Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC and Disney+, with new episodes streaming on Hulu the following day.