Carrie Ann Inaba and Bruno Tonioli return for their 35th season at the judges’ table, Derek Hough is back beside them, and Alfonso Ribeiro and Julianne Hough will once again guide a cast ranging from Olympians and actors to reality stars and musicians.
Dancing With the Stars is heading into Season 35 with a familiar team running the ballroom and an entirely new group preparing to compete for the mirrorball trophy.
Before the first scores are handed out, viewers already know who will be steering the season. Alfonso Ribeiro and Julianne Hough are returning as co-hosts, while Carrie Ann Inaba, Bruno Tonioli and Derek Hough will make up the judging panel once again.
That combination gives the new season an unusually strong link to the show’s history. Inaba and Tonioli have served together on the judging panel throughout all 35 seasons, while Derek Hough first joined Dancing With the Stars as a professional dancer before eventually moving behind the judges’ desk in Season 29.
The continuity ends there. On the dance floor, Season 35 brings together 16 celebrity contestants from television, sport, music, food and digital entertainment, each paired with a professional dancer.
Who is hosting Dancing With the Stars Season 35?
Alfonso Ribeiro and Julianne Hough will return as the show’s co-hosts.
Ribeiro has already pointed to the celebrity-professional partnerships as one of the ingredients that gives the competition its personality each season. During a preview of the new season, he described the thought that goes into those pairings as part of the show’s “magic.”
Julianne Hough, meanwhile, has hinted that at least one theme night could become a visual highlight of the season.
“The fashion is going to be really fun with one specific theme night,” she said while previewing Season 35. “For me at least, I’m very excited.”
The details of that theme night were not disclosed.
Who are the judges for Season 35?
Carrie Ann Inaba, Bruno Tonioli and Derek Hough are returning to score the performances.
For Inaba and Tonioli, Season 35 continues a run stretching back through the entire history of the competition. Derek Hough brings a different perspective to the panel because of his own years performing as a professional dancer on the show.
Hough has suggested that the upcoming season will retain the format viewers recognise while arriving with noticeably more energy.
“You can expect what you know and love about ‘Dancing With the Stars’ but also an energized show,” Hough said during an appearance on Good Morning America, adding that the cast and professional dancers were bringing strong momentum into the season.
Meet the Dancing With the Stars Season 35 cast and professional partners
The full field combines established television names with Olympic and Paralympic athletes, musicians, reality personalities, comedians and hosts.
The Season 35 pairings are:
- Tatyana Ali, known for The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, with Jan Ravnik
- Tyler Cameron, television personality and host, with Sharna Burgess
- Giada De Laurentiis, celebrity chef and host, with Alan Bersten
- Jenna Dewan, star of The Rookie, with Val Chmerkovskiy
- Ezra Frech, Paralympic gold medalist, with Daniella Karagach
- Amber Glenn, Olympic gold medalist, with Pasha Pashkov
- Taylor Hanson of Hanson with Britt Stewart
- Maura Higgins, reality star and model, with Mark Ballas
- Conner Leavitt of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives with Adele Zaikman
- Ciara Miller, reality star and host, with Brandon Armstrong
- Sarah Jane Nader of Love Thy Nader with Hailey Bills
- Jackson Olson of the Savannah Bananas with Emma Slater
- Guillermo Rodriguez of Jimmy Kimmel Live! with Witney Carson
- Harry Shum Jr., known for Grey’s Anatomy, with Jenna Johnson
- Julia Stiles, film and television actor, with Ezra Sosa
- Connor Wood, comedian and podcaster, with Rylee Arnold
The lineup gives the season a deliberately broad mix of backgrounds. Some contestants arrive with experience performing for cameras, while others come from competitive sport, music or unscripted television.
Among the better-known television names are Jenna Dewan, Harry Shum Jr. and Julia Stiles. The athlete contingent includes Paralympic gold medalist Ezra Frech and Olympic gold medalist Amber Glenn, while Taylor Hanson adds a music connection to the cast.
Several Season 35 contestants were revealed before the full cast announcement
Not every name arrived as a surprise on cast-reveal day.
Maura Higgins and Ciara Miller had already been introduced at Hulu’s Get Real event in April. Jackson Olson was announced in May, while Guillermo Rodriguez joined the lineup in June after his participation was revealed on Jimmy Kimmel Live!.
The complete set of celebrity-professional partnerships was later presented on Good Morning America.
When does Dancing With the Stars Season 35 premiere?
Season 35 will begin with a two-night premiere event on Tuesday, September 15, and Wednesday, September 16.
The episodes will air at 8 p.m. ET on ABC and Disney+, with episodes available to stream the following day on Hulu.
The second night will also introduce another piece of programming around the competition.
The first DWTS After Party is scheduled to air immediately after the Wednesday premiere at 10 p.m. on ABC and Disney+. Season 34 champion Robert Irwin will host the special, which is set to feature eliminated contestants and commentary on notable moments alongside DWTS alumni.
Season 35 leans on familiarity before the competition begins
There is a clear contrast at the heart of the new season.
The people presenting and judging Dancing With the Stars remain highly familiar to longtime viewers. Ribeiro and Julianne Hough return at the front of the show, while Inaba, Tonioli and Derek Hough continue at the judges’ table.
The uncertainty comes from the dance floor.
Sixteen newly formed partnerships now have to turn very different backgrounds into performances capable of surviving the weekly competition. An athlete accustomed to elite competition faces a different challenge from an actor, reality personality or musician, but all of them will ultimately be judged on the same ballroom floor.
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