Sharna Burgess, an Australian ballroom dancer, gained recognition as a professional partner and troupe member on the ABC show Dancing with the Stars. She secured victory on season 27 of the American television program with her celebrity counterpart Bobby Bones, and has also been a finalist on multiple occasions.
Early Life
Sharna May Burgess was born to parents Ray and Lucy on 21 June 1985 in Wagga Wagga, New South Wales, Australia. During her childhood, she participated in various sports and dance forms. She started learning ballet, jazz, and gymnastics at the age of five.
Later, at the age of eight, she began her training in ballroom dancing and achieved numerous victories at local and national levels. At 15 years old, she was selected to represent Australia in the World Championships for Standard and Latin styles and also had the opportunity to showcase her talents at the 2000 Summer Olympics Closing Ceremonies.
Sharna Burgess’ Career
When she turned 18, Sharna Burgess relocated to London, where she attained several accolades and joined a UK tour for the production Simply Ballroom. After this, choreographer Jason Gilkison invited her to join the Burn the Floor tour, where she remained for six years. Burgess continued her role in Burn the Floor when it transferred to Broadway.
Burgess made her debut on television as a contestant on Dancing with the Stars in Australia, followed by appearances on the Belgian and Dutch versions of So You Think You Can Dance.
She then became a member of the troupe in season 13 of Dancing with the Stars and worked alongside choreographer Jason Gilkison on both the Australian and American editions of So You Think You Can Dance. Burgess continued as a troupe member until the conclusion of season 15.
In season 16, Sharna Burgess became a regular professional and was paired with Andy Dick. She came back as a pro in season 17 and danced with former NFL player Keyshawn Johnson, but they were the first couple to be eliminated.
In season 18, she was partnered with Olympic ice dancer Charlie White and despite receiving praise from the judges and consistently high scores, they were eliminated in week 9 (the semi-finals) and finished in 5th place.
On August 27, Sharna Burgess was officially announced as a contestant for season 19. During the season, she was partnered with talk show host Tavis Smiley, but unfortunately, they were voted off in the second week and placed 12th overall.
In the 20th season, Burgess was partnered with Noah Galloway, a combat veteran and motivational speaker. They reached the finals and placed third. In the 21st season, her partner was Nick Carter, a member of the Backstreet Boys. They also made it to the finals but came in second, with Bindi Irwin and Derek Hough taking the top spot.
In season 22, she was matched with Antonio Brown, a professional football player. Despite reaching the semi-finals, the pair was ultimately eliminated and landed in 4th position. In season 23, Burgess was teamed up with James Hinchcliffe, a race car driver.
Unfortunately, she had to take a break during weeks 8-9 due to a knee injury sustained during the previous week’s practice. Jenna Johnson filled in as Hinchcliffe’s partner during this time. The duo advanced to the finals, ultimately placing 2nd behind winners Valentin Chmerkovskiy and his partner Laurie Hernandez.
In the 24th season, Sharna Burgess teamed up with professional bull rider Bonner Bolton. They were voted off in week 8 and placed fifth. In the 25th season, Burgess was paired with former NBA player Derek Fisher. They were eliminated in week 4 and finished eleventh.
In the 26th season, she was partnered with NFL player Josh Norman and they made it to the finals, ultimately coming in second place. For the 27th season, Burgess danced alongside radio host Bobby Bones.
Despite receiving consistently low scores from the judges, they were able to secure their spot in the competition thanks to the support of the viewers and ultimately emerged as the winners. On 2 February 2019, it was announced that Burgess would be the only female judge on the Australian version of the reality dancing competition.
However, Sharna Burgess did not participate in season 28 of the American version. She made her return the following year in season 29, where she was paired with actor Jesse Metcalfe. Unfortunately, the couple was eliminated in the fifth week and placed 12th overall. Burgess came back for season 30 with her real-life partner Brian Austin Green and ended up finishing in 13th place.
Husband & Kids
Sharna Burgess and Brian Austin Green are currently engaged, having met in 2020 through mutual acquaintances. In February 2022, they shared the news of their first child on the way, and their son was born on June 28, 2022. On September 22, 2023, Burgess took to Instagram to announce their engagement.
Net Worth
With a net worth of $3 million, Sharna Burgess is a renowned ballroom dancer from Australia. She gained recognition as a professional dance partner on the popular show, Dancing With the Stars, on ABC. Before this, she appeared on the Australian version of Dancing with the Stars and So You Think You Can Dance in Holland.
