DWTS Season 19: Serge Onik

We're back! It was so much fun to be back in studio with Anna Trebunskaya and Suri Serano after a long summer away. Jake DuPree will be back for our Sept. 30 show, but in the meantime, SYTYCD's Serge Onik is doing a great job at filling in.

I wasn't too sure about this season. I didn't love the contestants, but Monday night's show proved that we are going to have fun this season with some unexpected choices. I'm excited by the possibilities…

Next week: Serge is in for Jake and Elena Grinenko is our guest. If you heard me say new pro Keo Motsepe is on next week, that was my mistake. He will be on our Sept. 30 show. I read the email wrong and I clearly have no concept of time.

We are on at Wednesday at 5 p.m. next week on AfterBuzz TV.

Dance With Me Sherman Oaks Opening Night Party

Congratulations again to Maks Chmerkovskiy, Tony Dovolani, Val Chmerkovskiy, Elena Grinenko and Rib Hillis for an incredible opening night party of Dance With Me Sherman Oaks. It's always nice to see the DWTS pros succeed in areas outside of the ABC show because they are sharing their love of dance.

I had been to the studio before when Elena and Rib had opened the studio back in March. I attended the party with my niece after a DWTS taping. Elena had briefly mentioned to me that they were thinking about partnering up with DWM late last spring. It's a really smart move since the brand is so strong.

The studio has been renovated (a lot done by Rib himself!) to get it ready for the official DWM launch. If you go in for a class, you will love the elegant chandeliers around the space. It creates a really lovely ambiance. 

Last night's party was packed and it was a hot night in the Valley, so the dancing out on the dance floor was even hotter and sweatier. I spent most of the night trying to touch base with as many pros as possible to see if we could connect and get them on AfterBuzz this season. I was buzzing around the room talking to Val, Louis, Peta, Henry, Sasha and Elena. I missed Maks and Artem, but I was glad to see some familiar faces supporting their new venture.

Some of the former and current contestants who stopped by included Leah Remini with her family in tow, Lea Thompson (who stuck by Artem most of the night--I mean, who wouldn't?!), Danica McKellar with her fiancé, Zendaya with her dad and Victor Ortiz. I run into Victor at least once a month and I have to say he is one of the most gracious and kind people I have ever met. He introduced me to boxer Diego Magdaleno and he kept bragging about his friend's upcoming world championship fight. 

I should have a few #15SecondDanceScoops for you this week, so make sure you are following my Instagram account: TheKristynBurtt.

For more photos from the evening, check out my Twitter, Instagram and Facebook pages. 

See you all on Wednesday for our first episode of Season 19 DWTS on AfterBuzz TV at 5 p.m. PST.