Goodbye, Abby Lee Miller. Hello, Cheryl Burke!
Following Miller's dramatic announcement that she'd quit Dance Moms in an Instagram post, producers on the Lifetime reality series sprung into action to find a replacement for the dance instructor and E! News has learned the Dancing With the Stars vet has stepped into the role and is already at work filming with the dancers!
"People are super excited about it," our source said. "Everyone is acting like kids in a candy store!"
Burke even gave fans a hint at what was to come on her Twitter account, sharing a photo of her feet on the dance studio floor, with the caption, "Back to work! Dance Dance Dance."
While Miller's resignation from the series was just announced, our source tells us that cameras have been rolling without her for some time. "They have been shooting for two weeks without Abby," our source said.
"The network liked Abby a lot but Abby was never happy," our source added. "They tried to keep her happy, but she left and they've moved on. I don't think Abby saw this coming. It's come together pretty quickly."
Prior to leaving the series, Miller had been embroiled in quite a bit of legal drama, attempting to avoid jail time after pleading guilty to the charge of concealing bankruptcy assets and for one count of not reporting an international monetary transaction in June of 2016. A source told E! News that her legal troubles had become a cause of "major upheaval" on the set.
In her announcement, Miller claimed that producers had "manipulated, disrespected, and used" her "day in and day out."
ET first reported news of Burke's addition to the series. When reached for comment, Lifetime had this to offer: "The current season of Dance Moms that finished taping last week was shorter than normal because of Abby's schedule. Cheryl Burke will appear as a guest choreographer, as is standard practice when Abby is unavailable. Other choreographers that have or will appear on Dance Moms include Debbie Allen, Travis Payne, Aisha Francis, Erin Babbs, Nakul Dev Mahajan and Laurieann Gibson, among others."
Are you looking forward to a new Dance Moms? Sound off in the comments below!