Months ago, Phil Hellmuth tweeted that he had been taking dance lessons. The 11-time World Series of Poker bracelet winner also mentioned that he was considering joining this upcoming season of Dancing With the Stars, in what would surely make for entertaining television. Since then, Hellmuth has tweeted on and off about the show, leading to a swirl of rumors. The cast for DWTS Season 12 was announced today, however, and Hellmuth was not on the list.
The season will include such names as Hines Ward and Kendra Wilkinson, but Hellmuth remains notably absent. There are many who will root for Hellmuth to make a run at Season 13, however. Watching the poker pro struggling with tough dance moves, and giving it his all to crush the competition with his well-known “Poker Brat” antics, would be nothing short of television gold.
Even though Hellmuth’s dancing stardom dreams may be over, or at least postponed, he will remain in the spotlight for the next several months. Hellmuth has recently left his sponsorship deal with Ultimate Bet, and has held meetings with several different online sites regarding potential sponsorship deals.
Hellmuth is one of the world’s most recognizable faces of poker. As a sponsor, Hellmuth is highly sought after. A new sponsorship deal for the WSOP record setting pro could likely be the most lucrative deal for any American player today.