Dancing with the Stars

Honey Boo Boo is learning a hard lesson ... dancing can really suck.

The 12-year-old dissolved into tears after a rehearsal Saturday at CBS Studios in L.A.

All is not bad ... she's getting $50,000 just for signing to do the show, and the longer she competes the more money she'll pull in. If she makes it to episode 3 she'll get $10k, episode 5 she'll get another $15k, episode 7 she'll get $20k, episode 8 another $15k, and if she's in the finale she'll get another $20k.

Honey Boo Boo has the chance to reel in some serious cash if she can survive the grueling competition on "DWTS: Juniors."

Boo Boo -- aka Alana Thompson -- got $50,000 just for signing on to do the show ... and the longer she competes, the more money she will make each episode. We've obtained a copy of her contract, and the rest of the cash breaks down like this ...

- $5,000 per episode for episodes 2 & 3.

- $7,500 per episode for episodes 4 & 5.

- $10,000 per episode for episodes 6 & 7.

- $15,000 for episode 8.

- $20,000 for the finale.

If you are bad at math -- that is $130,000 total -- or a lifetime supply of "sketti and butter."

Val Chmerkovskiy has become the latest in Hollywood to recruit a member of the LeBron family ... with the two-time Mirror Ball trophy winner callin' out Bronny to join the cast of "Dancing with the Stars: Juniors"!

Remember ... L.A.'s biggest celebs have already lined up to work with LeBron now that he's a Laker -- and just a few days ago, Jackie Christie begged Savannah to join "Basketball Wives."

Now ... Bronny's getting the Tinseltown pitch, courtesy of new 'DWTS: Juniors' judge Chmerkovskiy -- who tells TMZ Sports he really wants to see LBJ Jr. on the dance floor.

"It'll be awesome for you," Val says. "You're welcome, you should come on the show!"

It wouldn't be the most farfetched thing we've ever seen ... after all, we already reported Scottie Pippen's 9-year-old daughter is slated to be on the show.

Ex-"Dance Moms" star Mackenzie Ziegler has over 100k reasons to wanna make it to the "Dancing with the Stars: Juniors" finals ... huge BUCK$ are on the line.

The 14-year-old is guaranteed to make at least $50k for appearing on the 'DWTS' spinoff, but there are tons of incentives built into her minors contract ... obtained by TMZ.

Here's the breakdown:

- $10k for episodes 2 and 3

- $15k for episodes 4 and 5

- $20k for episodes 6 and 7

- $15k for episode 8

- and $20k for the finale ... bringing her total to $130k!!

Scottie Pippen might wanna clear a shelf in his trophy room ... his 9-year-old daughter's got her eyes on a 'Dancing with the Stars' championship.

We're told Sophia will join the cast of the new spin-off 'DWTS: Juniors.' Sources say Scottie's wife, Larsa, and her pal, Kim Kardashian, were spotted at the 'DWTS' studios this week watching Sophia rehearse.

Sophia joins an eclectic cast that reportedly also includes Honey Boo Boo. The mini celebs will be mentored by pros when the show airs this fall.

Pops Pippen has 6 NBA Championship rings, but a 'DWTS' mirrored ball would tower those.

"Dancing with the Stars" pro Sharna Burgess made a splash -- literally and figuratively -- after a night of some heavy partying.

Sharna hit the beach Friday in Miami ... wearing the hell out of her navy blue, strapless bikini. For good measure ... she matched her Apple Watch with a blue-trim strap. Shades were also a must.

The Australian beauty also brought her pooches with her for a little fun in the sand. Sharna was out partying the night before ... turning up with the "Total Divas" crew.

The Pope is gonna be stoked ... 'cause he just got some serious props from the guy who won "Dancing with the Stars!"

Olympic figure skater Adam Rippon -- the first openly gay U.S. athlete to medal in the Winter Olympics -- says he heard about Pope Francis telling a gay man that his sexuality "does not matter" and thinks it's "so awesome!"

Backstory ... Pope Francis had spent some time back in April with a man who was sexually abused by a priest. When the topic of his sexuality came up, the Pope reportedly said, "God made you like this. God loves you like this."

He added, "The Pope loves you like this and you should love yourself and not worry about what people say."

Warren Sapp got one helluva VIP experience at the Justin Timberlake concert Tuesday night when the Hall of Famer was invited up onstage ... to dance!

It all went down at the Amalie Arena in Tampa ... where they LOOOOVE Sapp.

Before JT took the stage, DJ Freestyle Steve got to warm up the crowd ... and brought the former "Dancing with the Stars" contestant up to show off some moves while he played "Tootsee Roll."

Interesting move considering Sapp's legal history (he was convicted of domestic violence in 2015), but the crowd didn't seem to care ... and neither did JT, who posed for a selfie with the 45-year-old.

So, how'd the Sapp cameo go over on social media? Not well ...

"@WarrenSapp sit ur stupid ass down!"

"@jtimberlake do your @tmz research on @WarrenSapp before you pull him onstage at your concert in Tampa...."

Ronda Rousey ain't the only UFC star gunnin' for the WWE ... Paige VanZant says she LOVES the pro wrestling biz, and is "definitely interested" in making the jump.

"If the knock comes onto my door, I'm taking it," Paige told TMZ Sports before adding ... "when the time is right."

PVZ also seemed pretty down to face Rousey in the ring ... especially if WWE lets 'em throw hands for real!

For now, VanZant's gonna stick with kickin' ass inside the Octagon. She's making her debut at 125 pounds this Sunday at UFC Fight Night 124 ... and says she's got BIG plans for 2018.

One of those plans involves the UFC ... but she's also got a serious proposition for "Dancing with the Stars!"

Now that he's retired from the NFL, "Dancing with the Stars" champ Rashad Jennings tells TMZ Sports he's trying to making a serious run in the dance world!

"I have not put up my shoes yet in the ballroom," Jennings said. "I'm actually gonna enter into a competition in March."

Pretty awesome ... especially considering Rashad -- who was at a gala for the Muscular Dystrophy Association -- had zero dance experience before we got him to shout out the reality show.

The pitch worked, he won Season 24 of 'DWTS' ... and now it looks like he could parlay that success into something big.

Shad's already teaching classes on his new passion -- dude knows what he's doing!

AJ McLean is standing firm with his Backstreet bro, saying there is no way Nick Carter raped anyone ... and although he generally supports accusers ... he just can't in Nick's case.

We got AJ at LAX Monday and he insisted Dream singer Melissa Schuman's claim Nick raped her in 2002 had to be bogus. Others have defended Carter, like his "Dancing with the Stars" partner, Sharna Burgess.

But, AJ has a long history with Nick -- back to their pre-teen days -- and says his groupmate just isn't that kinda guy.

Nick Carter's partner on "Dancing with the Stars" says him being accused of rape doesn't sound like the guy she knew ... 'cause he was a class act on the show.

Pro dancer Sharna Burgess posted a couple videos Saturday defending Nick after Melissa Schuman recently said he raped her in 2002, a claim he's denied.

Sharna says Nick was one of the most respectful partners she's had -- going so far as to say he never lashed out at anyone, even during the most tense times in their season ... which is apparently worthy of praise. She prefaced her clips by saying she isn't victim shaming.

While she might not be doing that per se, Sharna's definitely giving Nick a ringing endorsement here. That second place win in 2015 seems to have gone a long way.

Kobe Bryant ... in the ballroom?? Maybe.

With "Dancing with the Stars" doing a full sports-themed competition with athletes next season, Derek Fisher told TooFab.com "Kobe's name keeps coming up."

"He loves the show. He and the family watch it," Fisher said ... "[Producers] should at least try and call him!"

Fisher competed on the show this season and loved it -- despite being the 3rd couple eliminated.

Athletes tend to kill it on the show -- with NFL stars like Emmitt Smith, Hines Ward, Donald Driver and Rashad Jennings all winning dancing championships.

While Chad Ochocino has officially slammed the door on an NFL comeback, Terrell Owens tells TMZ Sports he's still DEAD SERIOUS about playing in the league.

"I can help anybody," T.O. tells TMZ Sports ... saying his tweet to the NY Giants about filling in as a WR was no joke.

Owens had been competing on "Dancing with the Stars" for the past few months -- but says he would have left the show immediately if an NFL offer had come in.

BTW, did you watch T.O. on that show? Still looks pretty good ...

"Dancing with the Stars" front-runner Lindsey Stirling is in excruciating pain after suffering a devastating injury that could knock her off the show.

'DWTS' sources tell TMZ ... Lindsey was badly hurt Sunday in rehearsal practicing a rapid dance move and was rushed to a hospital. We've learned she suffered a blunt rib injury and possible separation, and the pain's so immense it could force her to bow out of Monday's show.

Lindsey's dance partner, Mark Ballas, went to the hospital with Lindsey, and she asked him what would happen if she's unable to perform Monday. It's crushing ... he tells Lindsey she'll have to forfeit.

Frankie Muniz did plenty of Netflix and chill this summer ... not on a hot new show, but on "Malcolm in the Middle" to jog the memory.

We got Frankie at The Grove Wednesday and asked him about his big revelation on "Dancing with the Stars" -- that he's suffering severe memory loss due to multiple mini strokes and 9 concussions from playing sports.