Right. So if Mark backed out because he was assigned a poor "star" I would think very little of him.
Well, he's got other things he could probably do instead.
Like with Derek, in the last few seasons, he just always HAPPENS to have some other show/project he's working on too, and says he's too busy to do DWTS. But, then the producers (and the producer of The Rockette Show he did,) at the last minute, both coughed up a deal: $$$ + a contender to suddenly make it worth his while to do BOTH.

I have to wonder if, by now, that has become a business strategy of his & his agent. "Make it worth Derrek's while to come back. . . because he's really to busy otherwise to make room in his schedule for DWTS TOO.
Meanwhile, poor Tony didn't have that same kind of clout that Derrek or Mark has. I was told by an acquaintance, several years ago, who used to be a professional ballroom dancer and retired, that back then, Tony was considered OLD to be ballroom dancing. That's why this guy retired. That was about 15 seasons ago. So, Tony has stayed with the show, even when they've give him, over and over, really sucky partners.
