Cast
Couples
On April 22, 2026, during an upfront for Hulu's unscripted programming, Ciara Miller and Maura Higgins were announced as the first celebrity participants for the thirty-fifth season. Jackson Olson joined the cast three weeks later during an upfront for Disney's original programming. On June 17, TMZ reported that Guillermo Rodriguez joined the cast; Jimmy Kimmel confirmed Rodriguez's appearance later that day. Throughout August, Tyler Cameron, Jenna Dewan, Julia Stiles, Tatyana Ali, Sarah Jane Nader and Conner Leavitt were named to the cast. Nader is the younger sister of season thirty-three contestant Brooks Nader, and Leavitt is the husband of season thirty-four semi-finalist Whitney Leavitt. Amber Glenn and Ezra Frech became the first Olympic and Paralympic champions to compete during the same season.
The first celebrity-professional dancer pairing, Rodriguez and the reigning champion Witney Carson, was announced on Good Morning America on August 17, 2026. At the time of the announcement, Carson was four months pregnant with her third child. She became the first pro to enter an installment of Dancing with the Stars while pregnant, and the first to compete that far into her second trimester. Gleb Savchenko and Sasha Farber did not return as pros this season, although Farber was still involved in other capacities. After a five-year hiatus, Sharna Burgess returned to the lineup on August 24. Adele Zaikman, winner of Dancing with the Stars: The Next Pro, joined the series as a first-time pro on August 31. She is the first Israeli professional dancer to be featured on the series. Season thirty-four troupe member Hailey Bills was promoted to a first-time pro. Her pairing with Nader marked the third same-sex partnership in the series' history, following JoJo Siwa and Jenna Johnson from season thirty and Shangela and Savchenko from season thirty-one.
The full roster of celebrity participants and their partnerships was revealed on Good Morning America on September 2. With sixteen couples, this season is tied with season nine and season thirty-one as having the largest cast in the show's history.
Hosts and judges
The hosts and judges for the season were announced on Good Morning America on September 1, 2026, one day before the cast reveal. Alfonso Ribeiro and Julianne Hough returned as hosts, while Derek Hough, Carrie Ann Inaba, and Bruno Tonioli returned as judges. Joe Buck served as the guest judge for Super Bowl Night. Kym Johnson served as the guest judge for Dedication Night. Shirley Ballas served as the guest judge for Horror Movie Night. Cynthia Erivo will serve as the guest judge for Disney Night.
The second season of the Dancing with the Stars podcast, hosted by season thirty-four quarter-finalist Andy Richter, launched on September 10. An official Dancing with the Stars aftershow, hosted by season thirty-four champion Robert Irwin, aired live immediately after the second night premiere episode on September 16.
Ritcher revealed the majority of the season's themes during the second episode of the Dancing with the Stars podcast. He did not not reveal the theme for the fifth week of competition; Super Bowl Night was announced on Good Morning America on September 30. Throughout the season, Richter shared the songs and dance styles for the upcoming week. The songs and dance styles for Dedication Night were exclusively revealed by People magazine on October 14.
Dance troupe
Kamri Peterson, a former pro on Dancing with the Stars: Juniors, was announced as a first-time troupe member on August 2, 2026, during the series' inaugural fan convention. Jaxon Willard, Carter Williams, and Onye Stevenson were announced as second-year troupe members on September 4.
Episodes
Special
Notes
Scoring chart
The highest score each week is indicated in bold green with a dagger (†), while the lowest score each week is indicated in italicized red with a double-dagger (‡).
Color key:
Notes
Weekly scores
Individual judges' scores in the charts below (given in parentheses) are listed in this order from left to right: Carrie Ann Inaba, Derek Hough, Bruno Tonioli.
Week 1: Premiere
For the two-night season premiere, each couple performed one unlearned dance to a song that topped one of Billboard magazine's music charts during the year each celebrity was born. The male celebrities performed on the first night and the female celebrities performed on the second night. One couple was eliminated at the end of each night.
Night 1 (Men)
The opening number, choreographed by Jamal Sims, was set to "Dancing on My Own" by Robyn. The troupe performed a bumper to "Bangaranga" by Dara. Due to technical difficulties, online voting for the night was excluded and only votes cast via text messaging were accepted. The female celebrities and their professional partners performed a routine to "Cha Cha Cha" by Bruno Mars, choreographed by Brandon Armstrong and Jan Ravnik. Adele Zaikman, Allen Genkin, Erik Linder, and Selena Hamilton from Dancing with the Stars: The Next Pro performed a salsa bumper to "Dai Dai" by Shakira and Burna Boy. Inspired by Paris Baguette, one of the season's sponsors, co-host Julianne Hough and Tessandra Chavez choreographed a number to "I Love Paris" by Tatiana Eva-Marie and the Avalon Band; Hough additionally performed the routine with the pros.
Couples are listed in the order they performed.
Notes
Night 2 (Women)
The opening number, choreographed by Mandy Moore, was set to "Love Sensation" by Madonna. The troupe performed a number to "Danceteria" by Madonna and a tango bumper to "Pinky Up" by Katseye. Singer-songwriter BC Jean performed "Black Velvet" by Alannah Myles for Maura Higgins' foxtrot. Inspired by Google Gemini, one of the season's sponsors, judge Derek Hough and Tessandra Chavez choreographed a number to "Asturias Variations" by Isaac Albéniz and "Hanuman" by Rodrigo y Gabriela. Hough additionally performed the routine with his wife Hayley Erbert and dancers who were featured in their Symphony of Dance stage tour.
Couples are listed in the order they performed.
Week 2: Viral Hits Night
Each couple performed one unlearned dance to a song that went viral on social media. The opening number, choreographed and performed by the troupe, was set to "Lush Life" by Zara Larsson. Adele Zaikman and Hailey Bills performed a samba bumper to "Mi Chico" by DJ Goja. Music producer Harrison performed his cover of "All the Things She Said" for Amber Glenn's tango. The troupe later performed a tango routine to "Talking Body" by Tove Lo.
Couples are listed in the order they performed.
Week 3: Yacht Rock Night
Each couple performed one unlearned dance to a yacht rock song. The opening number, performed by the eliminated pros and the troupe, was set to "This Is It" by Kenny Loggins. The eliminated pros also performed a routine to "Baby Come Back" by Player. The troupe performed a bumper to "Love Will Keep Us Together" by Captain & Tennille.
Couples are listed in the order they performed.
Week 4: Mariah Carey Night
Each couple performed one unlearned dance to songs by Mariah Carey, who sent a message to the cast before the episode began. The opening number, choreographed by Luam Keflezgy, was set to "Heartbreaker" (featuring Jay-Z). Season seventeen champion Amber Riley returned to perform "It's Like That" for Harry Shum Jr.'s tango. Adele Zaikman, Hailey Bills and the troupe performed a bumper to "Loverboy". The eliminated pros performed a routine to "Always Be My Baby".
Couples are listed in the order they performed.
Week 5: Super Bowl Night
Individual judges' scores in the charts below (given in parentheses) are listed in this order from left to right: Carrie Ann Inaba, Derek Hough, Joe Buck, Bruno Tonioli.
To commemorate Super Bowl LXI, each couple performed one unlearned dance to songs that were performed in various Super Bowl halftime shows. Monday Night Football play-by-play commentator Joe Buck appeared as a guest judge. The opening number, choreographed by Jamal Sims, was set to "Nuevayol" by Bad Bunny, "Rude Boy" by Rihanna, and "Humble" by Kendrick Lamar. It featured appearances from season three champion Emmitt Smith and season fourteen champion Donald Driver.
Britt Stewart and Brandon Armstrong performed a bumper to "Bootylicious" by Destiny's Child. Smith and Driver joined season twenty-seven contestant DeMarcus Ware and season thirty-three finalist Danny Amendola in a number to "It's Heavy Action (Monday Night Football Theme)" by APM and "In the Air Tonight" by Chris Stapleton. It was choreographed by Sims and the Super Bowl champions performed with Hailey Bills, Onye Stevenson, Britt Stewart, and Adele Zaikman. Julia Stiles' jazz routine featured a cameo appearance from her Save the Last Dance (2001) co-star Sean Patrick Thomas.
Couples are listed in the order they performed.
Week 6: Dedication Night
Individual judges' scores in the charts below (given in parentheses) are listed in this order from left to right: Carrie Ann Inaba, Derek Hough, Kym Johnson, Bruno Tonioli.
Each couple performed one unlearned dance to honor the most influential figures and institutions in the celebrities' lives. There was no elimination this week; all scores were carried over to the following week. Two-time mirrorball champion Kym Johnson returned as a guest judge for the second consecutive year. Val Chmerkovskiy was suspended from participating in this episode after he made inappropriate remarks on social media against judge Carrie Ann Inaba that referenced actor Will Smith slapping comedian Chris Rock during the 94th Academy Awards. It marked the first time a professional dancer had been suspended in Dancing with the Stars history. As a result, Jenna Dewan performed her Viennese waltz with Alan Bersten.
For the second consecutive year, the friends, family members, and special guests selected by each celebrity contestant were incorporated into their routines. For her Viennese waltz, Tatyana Ali was joined by her The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (1990–1996) co-star Alfonso Ribeiro. She also performed "(You Don't Know) How Glad I Am" by Nancy Wilson. Maura Higgins was joined by professional Irish stepdancer Lochlan "Lucky" Howard for her paso doble. Tyler Cameron was joined by his fiancée Tate Madden for his contemporary routine. During the performance, the couple revealed that Madden was pregnant with their first child, a daughter. At the end of her contemporary routine, Julia Stiles was joined by her 10 Things I Hate About You (1999) co-stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Larisa Oleynik, Andrew Keegan, Gabrielle Union, and Susan May Pratt.
The troupe performed a bumper to "Stay (If You Wanna Dance)" by Myles Smith. Hailey Bills and Brandon Armstrong performed a bumper to "Fever Dream" by Alex Warren. Adele Zaikman and Allen Genkin honored Dolly Parton with a performance to "Here You Come Again" by Parton and Willa Amai. Genkin, the eliminated pros, and the troupe performed a number to "CATastrophe" by Hilary Duff from The Cat in the Hat (2026). It was choreographed by Bills and Bersten and featured an appearance from season thirty-two champion Xochitl Gomez.
Couples are listed in the order they performed.
Week 7: Horror Movie Night
Individual judges' scores in the charts below (given in parentheses) are listed in this order from left to right: Carrie Ann Inaba, Derek Hough, Shirley Ballas, Bruno Tonioli.
Each couple performed one unlearned dance inspired by horror films. There was a double elimination this week. Strictly Come Dancing and Dancing with the Stars: The Next Pro head judge Shirley Ballas appeared as a guest judge. Val Chmerkovskiy returned to compete with Jenna Dewan after he was suspended last week. The opening number, performed by the eliminated pros and the troupe, was set to "Tubular Bells" by Mike Oldfield. The troupe performed bumpers to "Main Title Theme (from Beetlejuice Beetlejuice)" by Danny Elfman and "Magic" by Hailee Steinfeld; the latter was choreographed by Brandon Armstrong. Singer-songwriter BC Jean performed "Madness" by Ruelle for Ezra Frech's jazz routine and "Cry Little Sister" by Gerard McMahon for Maura Higgins' contemporary routine. Britt Stewart and Alan Bersten performed a bumper to "Dying for You" by Charli XCX.
Couples are listed in the order they performed.
Week 8: Disney Night
Individual judges' scores in the charts below (given in parentheses) are listed in this order from left to right: Carrie Ann Inaba, Derek Hough, Cynthia Erivo, Bruno Tonioli.
To avoid conflicts with the U.S. midterm elections, scheduled to be held on November 3, 2026, Dancing with the Stars moved the air date of this episode to Monday, one day earlier.
Each couple will perform one unlearned dance and participate in a team dance to songs from the Disney on Broadway series of musicals and stage plays. Actress and singer Cynthia Erivo will appear as a guest judge. The teams were chosen by the celebrities with the lowest combined scores, Tatyana Ali and Connor Wood. For the second consecutive year, co-hosts Alfonso Ribeiro and Julianne Hough will each join a team.
Four guest vocalists will be performing live during this episode. Heather Headley will be performing "Easy as Life" for Ali's contemporary routine and "I See the Light" for Wood's waltz. "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" will be performed by Kyra Belle Johnson for Harry Shum Jr.'s jazz routine. Michael James Scott will be performing "Under the Sea" for Ezra Frech's samba, while Rodney Ingram will be performing "Be Our Guest" for Jenna Dewan's quickstep.
Additional pro and troupe performances will be set to "Circle of Life/Nants Ingonyama" from The Lion King, "Belle" from Beauty and the Beast, "Seize the Day" from Newsies, "The Greatest Show" from The Greatest Showman, and "Friend Like Me" from Aladdin.
Couples are listed in the order they performed.
Dance chart
The couples performed the following each week:
Weeks 1–7: One unlearned dance
Week 8: One unlearned dance & team dance