Dancing With the Stars is back for its 35th season, and the ballroom is already buzzing with drama, surprises and standout performances. The milestone season kicked off with a two-night premiere on Sept. 15 and Sept. 16, 2026, bringing 16 celebrity contestants and their professional partners to ABC and Disney+. One of the biggest twists this year is a double elimination during premiere week — one male celebrity went home on night one, and one female celebrity is set to be eliminated on night two.
When and Where to Watch DWTS Season 35
New episodes air Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC and stream simultaneously on Disney+. For viewers who miss the live broadcast, episodes are available on Hulu the following day. The two-night premiere featured two-hour episodes from 8 to 10 p.m. ET on both nights.
For global audiences, the show airs on Disney+ in Canada, and viewers in the UK, Australia and India can catch episodes through Disney+ where available, with next-day streaming on Hulu in the US. The Season 35 finale date has not yet been confirmed by ABC, but the show typically wraps up in November.
Here is the confirmed episode schedule so far:
- Episode 1: Tuesday, Sept. 15 — “Premiere: Night One” (male celebrities perform)
- Episode 2: Wednesday, Sept. 16 — “Premiere: Night Two” (female celebrities perform)
- Episode 3: Tuesday, Sept. 22
- Episode 4: Tuesday, Sept. 29
After premiere week, the show returns to its regular Tuesday night slot.
Full Cast Lineup for Season 35
The complete cast was revealed on Sept. 2, 2026, on Good Morning America. This season brings together actors, athletes, reality TV stars, a musician, a chef and a comedian. Here are all 16 couples competing for the Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy:
- Tatyana Ali and Jan Ravnik
- Tyler Cameron and Sharna Burgess
- Giada De Laurentiis and Alan Bersten
- Jenna Dewan and Val Chmerkovskiy
- Ezra Frech and Daniella Karagach
- Amber Glenn and Pasha Pashkov
- Taylor Hanson and Britt Stewart
- Maura Higgins and Mark Ballas
- Conner Leavitt and Adele Zaikman
- Ciara Miller and Brandon Armstrong
- Sarah Jane Nader and Hailey Bills
- Jackson Olson and Emma Slater
- Guillermo Rodriguez and Witney Carson
- Harry Shum Jr. and Jenna Johnson
- Julia Stiles and Ezra Sosa
- Connor Wood and Rylee Arnold
A notable addition this season is Adele Zaikman, who earned her spot as a pro after winning the first season of Dancing with the Stars: The Next Pro. Sharna Burgess also returns to the ballroom for the first time since season 30 in 2021. Sarah Jane Nader and Hailey Bills form the third same-sex pairing in the show’s history.
Judges and Hosts Return for Season 35
Carrie Ann Inaba, Derek Hough and Bruno Tonioli are back at the judges’ table. Inaba and Tonioli have been with the show since its first season, while Hough joined the panel in season 29 after competing as a pro dancer.
Alfonso Ribeiro and Julianne Hough return as co-hosts for the new season.
Premiere Night One Results and Low Scores
Night one of the premiere saw the male celebrities perform to a No. 1 song from the year they were born. Guillermo Rodriguez and his partner Witney Carson received a score of 10 out of 30 for their Cha Cha to “Mr. Big Stuff” by Jean Knight — one of the lowest scores in the show’s 21-year history.
“Was the technique there? No. Was the effort there? Absolutely.” — Derek Hough to Rodriguez during the live episode
“Nobody will ever, ever forget this … Technique can only get better.” — Bruno Tonioli
Rodriguez’s score is second only to Master P, who scored an 8 out of 30 during week 4 of season 2 in 2006. Despite the low score, Rodriguez praised his partner: “Witney is the best. She’s an example that women can do anything. She’s pregnant and she’s dancing”.
At the end of night one, Conner Leavitt and Adele Zaikman were eliminated after their salsa to “Whoomp! (There It Is)” by Tag Team.
Early Mirrorball Winner Predictions
Ahead of the premiere, The Action Network released odds for which duo is most likely to win Season 35. Harry Shum Jr. and Jenna Johnson lead the pack with +376 odds and an implied probability of 21 percent.
“Harry Shum Jr. leads the pack as the favorite to win season 35 of Dancing With The Stars with odds of +376, and it is no surprise given his well-known dance background and the physicality he brings from years of choreographed work on Glee.” — spokesperson for The Action Network
Amber Glenn and Pasha Pashkov are second with +455 odds, followed by Jenna Dewan and Val Chmerkovskiy at +488.
On the elimination side, Giada De Laurentiis and Alan Bersten had +100 odds — an implied probability of 50 percent — of going home in the first week. De Laurentiis also revealed she “busted my toe” in a Sept. 6 Instagram video.
Bobby Bones, a former DWTS champion who correctly predicted winners four years in a row, shared his pick for Season 35: Jackson Olson and Emma Slater.
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Fan Reactions and Social Media Buzz
Social media lit up during the premiere. Fans trolled Derek Hough after he mistakenly called Tyler Cameron “Dylan” during the live show.
Voting issues also frustrated viewers. Many fans on X (formerly Twitter) complained that the voting website was down during part of the episode. One user wrote: “How unfair it is to eliminate someone today when the voting was not working for part of the episode? #dwts”.
The casting of Jenna Dewan and Harry Shum Jr. — both of whom have extensive professional dance backgrounds — drew mixed reactions online. One user wrote: “That advantage is crazy,” while another said: “DIABOLICAL. Give someone else a chance”.
Fans were largely in agreement about the first elimination, with one writing, “the correct result, sorry Adele ly queen”.
Also Read: Julia Stiles, Jenna Dewan and Harry Shum Jr. Join Dancing With the Stars Season 35 Cast
Stay tuned to VvipTimes for every ballroom update, score recap and elimination result as Dancing With the Stars Season 35 continues.
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