“Dancing with the Stars” unveiled its Season 35 cast live on “Good Morning America” on Sept. 2, bringing 16 celebrities to the ballroom to compete for the Mirrorball Trophy.
As announced, Carrie Ann Inaba, Derek Hough and Bruno Tonioli are set to return to the judges’ table, while Alfonso Ribeiro and Julianna Hough were cast as the season’s co-hosts.
Prior to the “GMA” broadcast, Guillermo Rodriguez, Jimmy Kimmel’s sidekick, and pro Witney Carson, who won last season with Robert Irwin, were announced as the first pair of the season on Aug. 17.
Following, Maura Higgins, known for “Love Island UK” and “The Traitors,” pairing with pro and former “The Traitors” co-star Mark Ballas, debuted live on “GMA.” Higgins revealed she “prayed” to be partnered with Ballas in an interview with USA Today and expressed great relief that her “dreams came true.”
Similarly, in the reality television scene, “Summer House” star Ciara Miller dances with pro Brandon Armstrong, while Savannah Bananas player Olson competes with pro Emma Slater, as speculated by DWTS fans.
Harry Shum Jr., most well-known for his roles in “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Glee,” will dance with pro Jenna Johnson.
More notably, “The Rookie” star Jenna Dewan competes with Val Chmerkovskiy, while Dewan and Shum enter the ballroom with dance experience as backup dancers for artists including Janet Jackson, Jennifer Lopez and Beyoncé. Fans criticized the casting of Dewan and Shum, arguing that they have an unfair advantage. Both stars have defended themselves, claiming that knowledge of one form of dance will not always translate into others.
“I do not know how to ballroom dance. Let’s be clear. It’s two different languages,” Dewan told Entertainment Weekly. “It almost threw me off initially because I had to unlearn a lot of habits of the style that I’m used to.”
“I have a background in dance, but when it comes to ballroom and Latin, it’s just a whole new vocabulary,” Shum said. “So [Jenna’s] teaching me the ropes, and hopefully we can execute on stage.”
Model Sarah Jane Nader is partnered with Hailey Bills, making the show’s third same-sex pairing in history. Sarah follows in her older sister’s footsteps, Brooks Nader, who competed in Season 33 and finished in ninth place. Bills, who was part of the show’s troupe last year, makes her professional debut this season.
Comedian and social media personality Connor Wood, known as Fibula online, competes with pro Rylee Arnold. Taylor Hanson, a member of the pop-rock band Hanson, will compete with pro dancer Britt Stewart. “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” actress Tatyana Ali is paired with Jan Ravnik, who is known as a backup dancer for singer Taylor Swift.
Julia Stiles, known for “10 Things I Hate About You,” competes with pro Ezra Sosa. Stiles is a longtime fan of the show. “I just can’t resist a challenge,” she said. “I like getting out of my comfort zone—it’s how we grow… I absolutely love this show, and I can’t believe I’m here.”
Two Olympic athletes also join the cast. Ezra French, a Paralympic gold medalist sprinter born with congenital limb differences, is paired with pro Daniella Karagach. Olympic gold medalist and three-time U.S. national champion figure skater Amber Glenn dances with Pasha Pashkov.
Conner Leavitt, husband of season 34 semifinalist and star from “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives,” Whitney Leavitt, is paired with newest pro Adele Zaikman, who earned her spot winning “Dancing with the Stars: The Next Pro.”
Giada De Laurentiis, celebrity chef and eldest celebrity competing this season, is paired with Alan Bersten. “Funny enough, Dancing With the Stars has come to me maybe 10 times over the years,” she told E! News. “And I was always like no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.”
Tyler Cameron, runner-up of “The Bachelorette” in 2019, competes with Sharna Burgess as she returns to the ballroom after a five-year hiatus. “I can’t wait to be back in the ballroom with my dancing family…” Burgess said.
Season 35 is set to premiere as a two-night event on Sept. 15 and 16 at 8 p.m. on ABC and Disney+, with episodes streaming the next day on Hulu.
