ABC’s popular dance competition is returning with a fresh group of celebrities ready to compete for the Mirrorball Trophy. The show’s 35th season will begin with a special two-night premiere event, and the complete lineup of contestants has now been revealed.
Season 35 Premieres With Back-to-Back Nights
Dancing With the Stars Season 35 kicks off with a two-night premiere on Tuesday, September 15, and Wednesday, September 16, 2026. Both episodes will air at 8 p.m. Eastern Time on ABC and Disney+.
After the premiere, new episodes will continue to air every Tuesday at the same time. Viewers who miss the live broadcast can stream episodes the following day on Hulu.
The season was officially confirmed on April 22, 2026, during Hulu’s Get Real event. Co-hosts Alfonso Ribeiro and Julianne Hough made the announcement. Season 34 was one of the most popular in recent years, with the premiere drawing the show’s biggest audience in five years.
Full Cast of 16 Celebrities and Their Dance Partners
All 16 celebrity contestants and their professional partners were announced on September 2, 2026, during a special segment on Good Morning America. Here is the complete list of pairs:
- Tatyana Ali – Actress known for The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air – partnered with Jan Ravnik
- Tyler Cameron – The Bachelorette runner-up – partnered with Sharna Burgess
- Giada De Laurentiis – Celebrity chef and Food Network personality – partnered with Alan Bersten
- Jenna Dewan – Actress and dancer from Step Up – partnered with Val Chmerkovskiy
- Ezra Frech – Paralympic gold medalist in high jump – partnered with Daniella Karagach
- Amber Glenn – Olympic figure skating gold medalist – partnered with Pasha Pashkov
- Taylor Hanson – Singer from the band Hanson – partnered with Britt Stewart
- Maura Higgins – Love Island UK and The Traitors star – partnered with Mark Ballas
- Conner Leavitt – The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives personality – partnered with Adele Zaikman
- Ciara Miller – Summer House and The Traitors star – partnered with Brandon Armstrong
- Sarah Jane Nader – Love Thy Nader reality star – partnered with Hailey Bills
- Jackson Olson – Savannah Bananas baseball player – partnered with Emma Slater
- Guillermo Rodriguez – Jimmy Kimmel Live! sidekick – partnered with Witney Carson
- Harry Shum Jr. – Actor from Grey’s Anatomy and Glee – partnered with Jenna Johnson
- Julia Stiles – Actress from 10 Things I Hate About You – partnered with Ezra Sosa
- Connor Wood – Comedian and podcaster – partnered with Rylee Arnold
Sarah Jane Nader and Hailey Bills make history as the third same-sex pairing in the show’s history.
Returning Hosts and Judges
Alfonso Ribeiro and Julianne Hough are back as co-hosts for Season 35. Ribeiro joined the show in Season 31 after winning Season 19. Hough, a two-time Mirrorball winner as a pro dancer, returned to host in Season 32.
The judges’ table remains unchanged. Carrie Ann Inaba, Bruno Tonioli, and Derek Hough are all returning. Inaba and Tonioli have been judges since the very first season. Derek Hough joined the panel in Season 29 after competing as a professional dancer on the show.
New Professional Dancer Joins the Lineup
Adele Zaikman joins Season 35 as a professional dancer. She earned her spot by winning the first season of Dancing With the Stars: The Next Pro, which ended on August 31, 2026. Zaikman is partnered with Conner Leavitt.
Sharna Burgess also returns to the ballroom for the first time since Season 30 in 2021. She is paired with Tyler Cameron.
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What the Contestants Are Saying
Giada De Laurentiis spoke about her experience on Good Morning America, saying:
“The dancing is a lot rougher than I thought it would be. I figured my grandmother was a dancer and I thought maybe I got some of those genes – definitely not.”
Several contestants have personal connections to the show. Conner Leavitt follows his wife Whitney Leavitt, who finished sixth in Season 34. Jenna Dewan and Julia Stiles are returning to dance after starring in the films Step Up and Save the Last Dance.
How to Watch Dancing With the Stars Season 35
The show airs live on ABC and streams simultaneously on Disney+. Episodes are available on Hulu the day after they air. Each episode runs for two hours. The season finale date has not been announced yet, but past seasons have typically finished before Thanksgiving.
Also Read: Dancing With the Stars Season 35 Casts Jimmy Kimmel’s Sidekick Guillermo Rodriguez
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