Dancing with the Stars Season 35 Kicks Off With Two-Night Premiere
Dancing with the Stars kicks off Tuesday night with a two-night season 35 premiere on ABC and Disney+, bringing back a format not seen since 2018: a gender-split competition with one elimination per night. The season opens with 16 celebrity contestants — the largest cast in years — alongside a double elimination that raises the stakes from the very first episode.
A New Premiere Format
Season 35 splits the 16 celebrities into two groups for the opening week. Male celebrities compete on night one, Tuesday, September 15, while female celebrities take the stage on night two, Wednesday, September 16. One man and one woman will be sent home before the regular season begins, making the premiere week a double elimination for the first time in eight years.
All contestants dance to No. 1 hits from their birth year — a wrinkle that adds a personal dimension to the opening performances. Fans can vote only for competitors on their respective night. The show is one of the most-discussed entries on the fall shows list heading into the new television season, and the format change gives the premiere extra weight.
Hosts, Judges, and a Returning Champion
Alfonso Ribeiro and Julianne Hough return to host, with the judging panel of Derek Hough, Carrie Ann Inaba, and Bruno Tonioli back in place. The season’s most talked-about returning pro is Witney Carson, who is pregnant with her third child while competing — a first in the show’s history. Carson, the reigning champion from season 34, is partnered with Jimmy Kimmel sidekick Guillermo Rodriguez. Sharna Burgess also rejoins the cast after a five-year absence, partnered with Tyler Cameron, a runner-up on The Bachelorette.
Two pros make their full-season debut this year. Adele Zaikman, winner of Dancing with the Stars: The Next Pro, joins the ballroom for the first time as a competitive partner. Hailey Bills, promoted from troupe dancer, steps into the pro ranks alongside reality star Sarah Jane Nader.
The Season 35 Cast
The 16-couple cast ties seasons 9 and 31 as the largest in the show’s history. Night one featured eight male celebrities: Hanson frontman Taylor Hanson with Britt Stewart, reality alum Tyler Cameron with Sharna Burgess, Glee actor Harry Shum Jr. with Jenna Johnson, comedian Connor Wood with Rylee Arnold, Savannah Bananas player Jackson Olson with Emma Slater, Jimmy Kimmel’s Guillermo Rodriguez with Witney Carson, Paralympic gold medalist Ezra Frech with Daniella Karagach, and Conner Leavitt with Adele Zaikman.
Night two brought the female celebrities: actress and dancer Jenna Dewan with Val Chmerkovskiy, Julia Stiles with Ezra Sosa, celebrity chef Giada De Laurentiis with Alan Bersten, model Maura Higgins with Mark Ballas, Olympic figure skater Amber Glenn with Pasha Pashkov, Summer House’s Ciara Miller with Brandon Armstrong, Sarah Jane Nader with Hailey Bills, and Saved by the Bell actress Tatyana Ali with Jan Ravnik.
Historic Moments in the Lineup
The show’s history of occasionally provocative casting — from athletes to figures like Anna Delvey — continues with a genuinely historic pairing this season. Sarah Jane Nader and Hailey Bills form only the third same-sex partnership in the show’s run, a milestone that drew attention before the first night aired.
The season also marks a full-circle moment for the franchise. Dancing with the Stars spent several recent seasons rebuilding its cast strategy after criticism that celebrity bookings had grown predictable. The season 35 lineup pulls from reality TV, professional athletics, and legacy entertainment in a wider mix than the show has attempted in recent years.
What to Watch This Season
Several storylines will carry beyond the opening week. Witney Carson’s pregnancy makes her one of the more physically remarkable performers in the ballroom this year. Jenna Dewan, a trained dancer who has appeared on the show before, arrives with higher expectations than most celebrity contestants. Harry Shum Jr., known for his dance background from Glee, will be difficult to overlook among the male competitors. And the two-night premiere format means the season arrives with urgency: by the time night two ends, two couples are already gone.
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