Dance on TV

“DWTS” Season 35 Premiere: We’re So Back

September 17, 2026

Happy mirror-ball season, readers!

“Dancing with the Stars” has returned with a sparkly bang, complete with familiar faces, noteworthy firsts, a technical snafu, and a giant disco-ball banana. This year, the show’s 16-celebrity cast had to be divided into two full episodes, with the celeb men competing on Tuesday and the women on Wednesday. And while things got off to a rocky start technically—the show’s online voting platform crashed on Tuesday after just two dances—it was likely due to an unexpectedly high volume of viewer votes, which is good news. In fact, co-host Alfonso Ribeiro shared at the end of Tuesday’s episode that the show received over twice as many votes as it had for last year’s premiere. (And that was only after the first night!)

Both evenings kicked off with high-octane group performances from the pros and troupe, with choreography by Jamal Sims on Tuesday and Mandy Moore on Wednesday. Among the roster were two newbies—promoted troupe dancer Hailey Bills and “Dancing with the Stars: The Next Pro” winner Adele Zaikman—as well as returning pro Sharna Burgess, who last appeared on the show five years ago. (Check out a full list of pros and their celeb partners, with their current scores, below.)

  • On the "DWTS" stage, four troupe members pose in a cluster, framing their faces with either one or two hands. They pose with hips popped, Peterson sitting on one leg. The women wear sparkly silver costumes, and the men wear black pants and open hot pink shirts.
    From left: Troupe members Onye Stevenson, Carter Williams, Jaxon Willard, and Kamri Peterson. Photo by Eric McCandless, courtesy Disney/ABC.
  • Four dancers in bright orange costumes perform on the "DWTS" stage, with one leg lifted slightly as they shift their weight, their left arms bent up and their right arms extended back.
    Tuesday night’s episode included a special performance from “The Next Pro” alums. (From left: Allen Genkin, Adele Zaikman, Selena Hamilton, and Erik Linder.) Photo by Eric McCandless, courtesy Disney/ABC.

Frankly, with this year’s cast, “DWTS” is doing us dancers a favor. With stars from Step Up (Jenna Dewan), Save the Last Dance (Julia Stiles), and “Glee” (Harry Shum Jr.), Season 35 feels like a giant early-2000s-dance–themed watch party. Forgive us here at Dance Spirit if we show some nostalgic bias…But that doesn’t mean we won’t be cheering on their fellow contenders. After this week, Irish TV host Maura Higgins, Paralympic track and field athlete Ezra Frech, and Olympic-gold–winning figure skater Amber Glenn are standing out as hot competition.

Season 35 also comes with a lot of exciting “firsts,” namely:

  1. The first time a pro is competing while pregnant (Witney Carson)
  2. The first time that pro Emma Slater has been partnered with an under-30 star (Jackson Olson of the Savannah Bananas)
  3. The first “The Next Pro” winner competing as an official cast member (Adele Zaikman)
  4. Hailey Bills’ first run as a pro following her promotion from the “DWTS” troupe
  5. Kamri Peterson’s first season as a new troupe member
  6. And the first official “DWTS After Party,” hosted on Wednesday night by Season 34 winner Robert Irwin

Plus, the third time a same-sex partnership has appeared on the show (Bills and Sarah Jane Nader), following Season 30’s Jenna Johnson and Jojo Siwa and Season 31’s Gleb Savchenko and Shangela.

  • Valentin Chmerkovskiy dips Jenna Dewan as they dance together, Dewan extending her inside leg forward as she arches backward. She wears a long red dress, and Chmerkovskiy wears a shiny dark purple shirt with black pants.
    Valentin Chmerkovskiy and Jenna Dewan. Photo by Eric McCandless, courtesy Disney/ABC.
  • Sarah Jane Nader and Hailey Bills pose in nearly-matching outfits while dancing. Bills stands directly behind Nader, placing one hand on her thigh and the other around her waist. Nader lifts her front leg into a parallel passé and rests one hand on her hip with her other arm around Bills' waist.
    From left: Sarah Jane Nader and Hailey Bills. Photo by Eric McCandless, courtesy Disney/ABC.
  • Guillermo Rodriguez and Witney Carson hold hands to the front, their other arms extended back as they twist their torsos away from each other. They each step forward with their inside legs and smile. Witney wears a sparkly gold dress with heels, and Guillermo wears a bronze tuxedo with a shiny gold shirt underneath.
    Guillermo Rodriguez and Witney Carson. Photo by Eric McCandless, courtesy Disney/ABC.

This is all very exciting. And while (spoiler alert) Bills and Zaikman were both eliminated with their partners this week, we’re looking forward to seeing them dance in group and interlude numbers as the season continues.

On that note, here is the official score sheet from Week 1, along with a few quotes of the week:

  • Maura Higgins and Mark Ballas: 21/30
  • Harry Shum Jr. and Jenna Johnson: 21/30
  • Ezra Frech and Daniella Karagach: 20/30
  • Jenna Dewan and Val Chmerkovskiy: 19/30
  • Amber Glenn and Pasha Pashkov: 18/30
  • Julia Stiles and Ezra Sosa: 18/30
  • Tyler Cameron and Sharna Burgess: 17/30
  • Giada De Laurentiis and Alan Bersten: 16/30
  • Taylor Hanson and Britt Stewart: 16/30
  • Connor Wood and Rylee Arnold: 16/30
  • Ciara Miller and Brandon Armstrong: 15/30
  • Jackson Olson and Emma Slater: 15/30
  • Sarah Jane Nader and Hailey Bills: 14/30 (ELIMINATED)
  • Tatyana Ali and Jan Ravnik: 12/30
  • Conner Leavitt and Adele Zaikman: 12/30 (ELIMINATED)
  • Guillermo Rodriguez and Witney Carson: 10/30

“DWTS” Quotes of the Week

“We love bananas, don’t we? Very healthy.” —“DWTS” judge Bruno Tonioli being Bruno, and commenting on Savannah Bananas second-baseman Jackson Olson’s dance with Emma Slater

“We’re not playing around this season.” —An especially fierce Britt Stewart, after tearing up the floor with celeb partner Taylor Hanson

“I’m excited to move the way I want to in my head.” —Actress and singer Tatyana Ali, looking forward to getting back into dance and performing with partner Jan Ravnik

“You can dance with whoever you want. You can love whoever you want. And being yourself is the best power.” —TV personality Sarah Jane Nader, whose partnering with pro Hailey Bills was the show’s third same-sex pairing

See you for next week’s episode!

adele zaikman alan bersten amber glenn brandon armstrong britt stewart dancing with the stars daniella karagach dwts emma slater ezra frech ezra sosa sharna burgess hailey bills harry shum jr jackson olson jan ravnik janna johnson julia stiles mark ballas maura higgins pasha pashkov rylee arnold sarah jane nader val chmerkovskiy witney carson