ABC Confirms Season 35 ‘Dancing With The Stars’ Celebrities and Partners!
The ballroom is back, and this cast has something to prove.
Last season was one of the show’s strongest in years. Whitney Leavitt, Robert Irwin, Alix Earle, Jordan Chiles, Dylan Efron, Jen Affleck, and Elaine Hendrix all brought their own audiences, and the voting stayed heated all the way through.
That is the bar.
Dancing With The Stars returns to ABC for season 35, and Good Morning America just revealed the full cast and their pro partners. Olympians, a celebrity chef, a late-night sidekick, and several actors who built careers on dance films.
Plus one name fans will clock immediately.
The Cast
- Tatyana Ali (The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air) and Jan Ravnik
- Tyler Cameron (The Bachelorette) and Sharna Burgess
- Giada De Laurentiis (celebrity chef) and Alan Bersten
- Jenna Dewan (Step Up) and Val Chmerkovskiy
- Ezra Frech (Paralympic gold medalist) and Daniella Karagach
- Amber Glenn (gold medalist figure skater) and Pasha Pashkov
- Taylor Hanson (Hanson) and Britt Stewart
- Maura Higgins (Love Island UK) and Mark Ballas
- Conner Leavitt (The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives) and Adele Zaikman
- Ciara Miller (Summer House) and Brandon Armstrong
- Sarah Jane Nader (Love Thy Nader) and Hailey Bills
- Jackson Olson (Savannah Bananas) and Emma Slater
- Guillermo Rodriguez (Jimmy Kimmel Live!) and Witney Carson
- Harry Shum Jr. (Glee, Grey’s Anatomy) and Jenna Johnson
- Julia Stiles (Save The Last Dance) and Ezra Sosa
- Connor Wood (social media personality) and Rylee Arnold
The Leavitt Angle
Best casting decision on the list.
Conner Leavitt joins one season after his wife, Whitney Leavitt, competed. She was among the most talked-about contestants of the year, and plenty of fans wanted her to hold the mirrorball.
What that sets up:
- A built-in fanbase that already knows the family
- Expectations attached, since part of the audience feels Whitney was owed a win
- Whitney’s firsthand knowledge of rehearsals, judging, and the voting cycle
- A win putting the mirrorball in that house anyway, which is the story fans are already writing
Another Family Name
Sarah Jane Nader also joined after her sister competed on season 33.
Two contestants following a spouse or sibling into the ballroom in one cast is unusual.
Family connections help early. Voters recognize the name, and producers get an easy narrative for the packages.
The Dance Movie Problem
This may be the most movement-experienced cast the show has assembled.
- Julia Stiles starred in Save The Last Dance
- Jenna Dewan came out of Step Up
- Harry Shum Jr. has Step Up credits plus Glee
Film choreography is not ballroom. Learning a Viennese waltz differs from hitting camera marks. But picking up routines fast, performing under pressure, and being comfortable in your body all carry over.
Early elimination odds are going to look rough for everybody else.
The Athletes
- Amber Glenn, a gold medalist figure skater
- Ezra Frech, Paralympic gold medalist
Figure skaters have a long history of going deep on this show. Ice dance and ballroom share posture, partnering technique, and vocabulary. Glenn starts ahead.
The Wild Cards
- Giada De Laurentiis is the first celebrity chef in a while, and food personalities bring loyal voters
- Guillermo Rodriguez is the comedy pick, and those contestants routinely outlast better dancers
- Jackson Olson comes from the Savannah Bananas, a team built entirely on choreography, so he may be far more prepared than his bio suggests
- Taylor Hanson has decades of stage experience and fans who have shown up since “MmmBop”
Premiere Details
- Two-night premiere: Tuesday, September 15 and Wednesday, September 16
- Time: 8:00 p.m. ET
- Where: ABC and Disney+
- Streaming: next day on Hulu
The Disney+ simulcast has reshaped how people watch, and two nights double the cast’s exposure before anyone goes home.
Can It Top Last Season
It might.
Last season ran on star power and a few excellent dancers. This one has more real dance experience, two Olympic-caliber athletes, a chef with a devoted following, and a spouse storyline that writes itself.
What it needs is chemistry, and that never shows up in a cast list.
Voting opens September 15.
