You may have noticed that we’re in a kind of “Dancing with the stars“Renaissance.
The season 34 finale scored the show’s highest ratings since 2016, Term reported, and the cast of lovable professionals have taken over TikTok and venues near you as the “DWTS” tour also draws huge crowds of increasingly younger fans.
“We joke about how ten years ago we had to make sure the tour was safe for walkers. Now there are students lining up – thousands of them buying merchandise,” Ryan O’Dowd, president of unscripted at BBC Studios LA, which produces the show, told Variety in November 2025.
After a hugely successful 34th season, there is a lot at stake for season 35. Last season’s jury team — Derek HoughCarrie Ann Inaba and Bruno Tonioli – are back, as are co-hosts Julianne Hough and Alfonso Ribeiro.
After months of speculation, the full cast was announced on “Good Morning America” on September 2. Among them are reality stars, athletes, child stars and a few people with dance experience. The cast appeals to millennials, who will love Julia Stiles, Taylor Hanson and the “Fresh Prince” reunion between Ribeiro and Tatyana Ali, as well as Gen Z viewers who are fans of “Love Island” and “Secret Lives of Mormon Wives.”
Here’s the entire cast of season 35 and their professional partners.
Ciara Molenaar
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Miller, 30, was one of the first two stars announced for season 35 in April.
Miller is best known for her role on the long-running Bravo reality series “Summer House,” which she starred in during filming in 2020, and for her appearance on season three of “The Traitors” in 2024.
She joined “DWTS” when her name was in the headlines for the biggest scandal of her reality TV career: Her good friend and castmate Amanda Batula broke the girl code and began secretly dating Miller’s ex, West Wilson, while Batula was still not legally divorced from her estranged husband, Kyle Cooke. Messy.
Miller’s dance partner will be Brandon Armstrong.
Maura Higgins
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Higgins, 35, was the other star announced alongside Miller in April. The Irish TV personality was introduced to audiences in season five of ‘Love Island UK’ in 2019.
She has since competed on ‘Dancing on Ice’, ‘I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here!’ and the US version of ‘The Traitors’ earlier this year. She also hosted the ‘Love Island’ after-show, ‘Aftersun’, for both the US version and ‘Love Island Games’ from 2023 to 2025.
Her partner is Mark Ballas.
Jackson Olson
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Olson, 28, is the second baseman for the Savannah Bananas, a baseball team popular on social media. Olson himself has 2.2 million followers TikTok.
Banana Ball has a song-and-dance component, so he has some experience breaking it down.
He was announced as part of the cast on May 12 during the Disney Upfronts panel. On the same day, Disney announced that it had acquired the rights to the Banana Bowl, the Banana Ball championship, which will stream live on Disney+ on October 10.
His professional partner will be Emma Slater.
Guillermo Rodriguez
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Rodriguez, 55, was Jimmy Kimmel’s loyal sidekick on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” since 2003. TMZ first reported that he had been cast in season 35 on June 17, before Kimmel confirmed it on his show that night.
Rodriguez will be dancing with reigning champion Witney Carson, who is around at time of publication four months pregnantmaking her the first pro to compete this far into a pregnancy.
Tyler Cameron
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We weekly reported that a source close to “DWTS” confirmed Cameron’s addition to the cast on August 19.
Cameron, 33, is best known for his appearances on “The Bachelorette” (he placed second on Hannah Brown’s season in 2019) and “The Bachelor Mansion Takeover,” an at-home makeover show set in the iconic home of the long-running series.
He’s also competed in “Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test” and “The Real Dirty Dancing” – so yes, he has dancing experience too.
His partner will be Sharna Burgess.
Jenna Dewan
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That same Us Weekly report confirmed Dewan’s addition to the cast. The 45-year-old has an extensive dance background. She started her career as a backup dancer for Janet Jackson and later starred in the classic film ‘Step Up’, which featured her dancing. It is also where she met her first husband, Channing Tatum.
In addition to “Step Up,” Dewan has appeared in “American Horror Story,” “Supergirl,” and “The Rookie.”
Dewan has also hosted two separate dance competition shows: “World of Dance” and “Flirty Dancing.”
Her professional partner is Val Chmerkovskiy.
Tatyana Ali
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TMZ reported on August 20 that Ali, 47, had been cast in season 35. Ali has been working in Hollywood for decades, but she is best known for her six-season role on “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” as Will’s younger cousin, Ashley Banks.
She dances with Jan Ravnik.
Julia Stiles
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The same TMZ report stated that Stiles, 45, had also been added to the cast. Stiles is another 90s/2000s icon, best known for her roles in ’10 Things I Hate About You’ and ‘The Prince and Me’, as well as the ‘Bourne’ franchise.
Of course, she also memorably played a dancer in “Save the last dance”, a film that lives on 25 years later.
She is officially partnered with Ezra Sosa.
Conner Leavitt
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On August 20, We weekly reported that Conner Leavitt, 32, was part of season 35, a year after his wife and fellow “Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” cast member Whitney Leavitt placed fifth in season 34.
Her relatively early departure was controversial – so much so that after fan demand, Whitney Leavitt and her dance partner, Mark Ballas, appeared on “Call her daddy” to perform what would have been their final freestyle dance.
Conner Leavitt’s partner will be Adele Zaikman, the recently crowned winner of “Dancing with the Stars: The Next Pro.”
Sarah Jane Nader
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Leavitt isn’t the only one following in a family member’s footsteps. Nader, 23, was cast in season 35, according to Us Weekly. Her older sister, Brooks, competed on season 33 and very publicly had an on-and-off relationship with her professional partner, Gleb Savchenko.
The Nader sisters both star in the reality series ‘Love Thy Nader’.
As of August 20 TMZ According to the report, the younger Nader will be paired with a female pro, marking the third same-sex pairing on “DWTS”, after JoJo Siwa and Jenna Johnson in 2021 and Savchenko and Shangela in 2022.
This was confirmed on “Good Morning America,” where it was revealed that she will be dancing with Hailey Bills, who is making her professional debut this season after competing on “Dancing with the Stars: Juniors” in 2018.
Taylor Hanson
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Taylor Hanson, 43, along with two of his brothers, form the band Hanson, best known for their 1990s hit “MMMBop.”
He was announced as part of the cast of “Good Morning America” on September 2. His partner will be Britt Stewart.
Ezra Frech
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Frech, 21, is a track and field athlete and two-time Paralympic gold medalist. He was born without his left knee and left fibula, making him the fourth celebrity with a prosthetic limb to participate in the show after Amy Purdy. Noah Gallowayand Heather Mills.
He was announced on “GMA.”
Frech dances with Daniella Karagach.
Giada De Laurentiis
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De Laurentiis, 56, is one of the best-known chefs around. She has starred in her own Food Network shows (“Everyday Italian” from 2003 to 2008, “Giada at Home” from 2008 to 2015 and “Giada Entertains” from 2016 to 2021), has published multiple cookbooks and created her own line of cookware.
She dances with Alan Bersten.
Connor Wood
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Comedian, social media personality and podcast host Wood, who also goes by Fibula, was announced on “GMA.” The 30-year-old will team up with Rylee Arnold.
Harry Shum Jr.
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Shum, 44, is the second celebrity this season with extensive dance experience; he starred in all six seasons of “cheerfulness” as Mike Chang, who was known for his dancing ability.
Shum also danced in films such as “Step Up 2: The Streets”, “Step Up 3D” and “Center Stage: Turn It Up” in the early 2000s. More recently, however, he has focused on acting, appearing in ‘Grey’s Anatomy’, ‘Crazy Rich Asians’, ‘Voicemails for Isabelle’ and ‘Blue Eye Samurai’.
He will be dancing with Jenna Johnson, according to ‘GMA’.
Amber Glenn
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The final star of “DWTS” season 35 is Glenn, the 26-year-old Olympic figure skater who captured everyone’s hearts when she rallied to complete a near-perfect free skate after an error in her short program left her in 13th place.
However, she is still a gold medalist on the powerful women’s figure skating team, making her the first openly LGBTQ+ U.S. women’s figure skating champion.
Her partner will be Pasha Pashkov.