The winner of the 27th season of “Dancing With the Stars” now has his Mirrorball back in his hands.
Several months after he returned his award to the show, the country music deejay revealed that he was now in possession of the Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy he won while partnered with pro dancer Sharna Burgess back in 2018.
Return to Sender
On Thursday, August 6, Bones took to Instagram to share a photo of himself posing with his trophy, upon which is a “DWTS” card with the words “run it back?” printed on it.
“Look what just came in the mail,” he wrote in the caption.
This seemingly indicates that fences have been mended, given how fraught Bones’ relationship with “Dancing With the Stars” has been over the course of the past few months.
A Controversial Run
Viewers who watched the 27th season of “Dancing With the Stars” would certainly agree that Bones was far from the season’s top dancer.
The judges certainly thought so, typically awarding him and Burgess poor to middling scores.
When he and Burgess ultimately emerged victorious, there were many who attributed the win to his considerable fanbase — and not his so-so ballroom skills.
A Bergeron Blunder?
The controversy had long since died down when former “DWTS” host Tom Bergeron resurrected it in late 2025 while interviewed for Parade.
When asked to recall the show’s most shocking eliminations, Bergeron instead pivoted by identifying what he thought had been the most shocking win. “Bobby Bones,” Bergeron declared, admitting that “was the first time it was like, ‘Ouch.’ No disrespect to Bobby. He would probably say the same thing.”
‘Hurtful’ Comments
Bergeron, however, was dead wrong. Not only did Bones not feel the same way, he found the ex-host’s comments to be insulting.
“This was hurtful, and not because of what was said, but really who said it,” Bones said in a video he shared via Instagram. “What was I supposed to do on that show? I didn’t even want to be on the show.”
According to Bones, he had another project for ABC, and accepted the offer to compete on “DWTS” in the spirit of being a team player.
“I was working on a different show at the network, they asked me to go on the show to promote. Am I supposed to not show up and work hard? Am I supposed to not give it freaking everything that I have? Am I supposed to, like, throw it and not win?” he continued.
“I had a great attitude, I worked hard and here we are six years later, I’m still catching strays out of nowhere, so I sent the trophy back,” he shared. “They don’t want me to be a part of the show, obviously. I no longer have the Mirrorball trophy. I loved my time there, but I would say things like this… taking random shots this week [has] taken all the joy out of my time on the show.”
Run it Back?
While Bergeron was hit with backlash for his remarks, and ultimately apologized to Bones, what about that card accompanying his returned Mirrorball trophy?
While it could be seen as a joke, it could also be interpreted as an invitation from the show to return to the dance floor for another shot at “DWTS” glory.
In any case, neither Bones nor “DWTS” has shed any light on that.
In the meantime, however, the return of his trophy does represent a significant than between Bones and the show.
“It’d be nice if I could get my ‘Dancing With the Stars’ trophy back,” Bones told Us Weekly earlier this year.
“I got my feelings hurt,” he admitted, “and so, in a haste, I sent my trophy back to somewhere at ABC. I do not know where the trophy is. I like that trophy. If anybody’s watching this that has my Mirrorball trophy, please mail it back to me. I would love to have it back.”
