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"The Switch Up" on Dancing With the Stars: New Cast Reacts to "Horrible" Partner Change Twist

Exclusive! The new cast of DWTS reacts to the game-changing twist that will go do down in week three of the ABC reality hit's 1th season

By Tierney Bricker, Chris Harnick Mar 05, 2014 3:30 PMTags
Watch: Viewers Can Vote to Switch "DWTS" Couples

Not excited by the new Dancing With the Stars cast? Well, the producers have a new twist up their sleeves to spice up season 18 if the likes of NeNe Leakes, Billy Dee Williams and Drew Carey aren't doing it for you.

The new twist, dubbed "The Switch Up," will allow voters the chance to pair up the professional dancers with different celebrity contestants than they were originally paired with. Right now ABC is just saying the partner change will take place at a "point in the season," but week three seems to be when the gamechanging twist will occur. 

After the big cast reveal, E! News chatted with DWTS' new cast and their partners about the new twist. And guess what? One of the fan favorite pros actually came up with the idea!

While the twist is pretty major, some of DWTS' pros don't seem to mind the possibility of changing partners. In fact, Derek Hough revealed to us, "What's funny is that I suggested that, the Switch Up thing, years ago, and they were like, 'Oh, I don't know if it would work out.' It's going to be interesting to watch!"

Cheryl Burke added, "It's good that it's happening week three because you've already build that foundation...and it'll be interesting to see if your celebrity improves or if he just stays the same."

But not everyone is a fan of the change, with Karina Smirnoff admitting, "I don't think I like it!" Mark Ballas seconded her sentiment, telling E! News, "I don't like it. It's great television, I understand, and it really gives the fans a fun interaction, something different for the first time, but it's going to be a challenge."

Valentin Chmerkovskiy's thoughts? "It's horrible. It's so cruel, so cruel," he simply told us. 

But how do some of Season 18's stars feel about the new twist? Watch our interviews with the pairings above to find out!

ABC/Todd Wawrychuk

And in case you missed the big announcement, the current pairs are...

Billy Dee Williams & Emma Slater
Candace Cameron Bure & Mark Ballas
Charlie White & Sharna Burgess
Cody Simpson & Witney Carson
Danica McKellar & Valentin Chmerkovskiy
Diana Nyad & Henry Byalikov
Drew Carey & Cheryl Burke
James Maslow & Peta Murgatroyd
Meryl Davis & Maksim Chmerkovskiy
NeNe Leakes & Tony Dovolani
Sean Avery & Karina Smirnoff
Amy Purdy & Derek Hough

Who do you want to see paired up? Sadly, Charlie White and Meryl Davis will remain as competitors.

Dancing With the Stars premieres Monday, March 17 on ABC.