The cast for season 35 of Dancing With the Stars has been officially revealed, featuring a lineup of actors, athletes and reality television stars who will compete for the Mirrorball Trophy.
The celebrity pairings and the new professional dancer lineup were announced on Good Morning America on September 2. The upcoming season of the ABC competition series will introduce two new professional partners and welcome back several familiar faces to the ballroom.
The new season features the show's first same-sex pairing since season 31 in 2022. Twenty-year-old Hailey Bills has been promoted to a professional partner and will dance with Sarah Jane Nader, who stars in the reality series Love Thy Nader. Nader is the sister of model Brooks Nader, who competed on season 33 of the dance competition.
"I'm so excited," Nader said during the September 2 cast appearance on the morning show. "I mean, I think we all know that girls run the world, right? So, I think this partnership is going to be so special. And we're already having so much fun."
New professional dancers join the cast
Bills makes her debut as a full professional partner after performing in the background as part of the dance troupe during season 34. The show remains a family affair for the young dancer, as she is the niece of returning professional Jenna Johnson. Johnson, who first joined the show as a troupe member in 2014, will be dancing with Harry Shum Jr., an actor known for his roles in the musical series Glee and the medical drama Grey's Anatomy.
Furthermore, Bills' uncle Val Chmerkovskiy, who has been married to Johnson since 2019, returns to the ballroom. He will partner with Step Up actress Jenna Dewan, exactly 20 years after she starred in the original dance film.
Joining Bills as a new professional partner is Adele Zaikman. She earned her spot on the main roster by winning the spinoff series Dancing With the Stars: The Next Pro, calling it a pivotal moment in her career.
"I just feel like this is a celebration of all the sacrifices that I've done," Zaikman said on the finale episode of the spinoff following her win. "It's just like a big 'I made it' moment."
Zaikman will be paired with Conner Leavitt, who appears in the reality series The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives. He follows in the footsteps of his wife, Whitney Leavitt, who competed on season 34.
Returning professionals and judges
Sharna Burgess is dusting off her dance shoes and returning to the ballroom to partner with Bachelorette finalist and Bachelor Nation star Tyler Cameron. Burgess previously left the show following season 30 in 2021 to focus on raising her four-year-old son, Zane, whom she shares with her fiancé, actor Brian Austin Green.
However, professional dancer Gleb Savchenko appears to have left the cast. Savchenko had been among the cast for every season since season 23 in 2016, but he was absent from the September 2 cast announcement on Good Morning America.
While the professional lineup has seen some fresh faces, the judging panel remains unchanged. Derek Hough, Carrie Ann Inaba and Bruno Tonioli will all return to evaluate the celebrity routines.
Hough noted he had no pre-show jitters ahead of the premiere. "The cast is incredible," he said during a September 1 appearance on Good Morning America. "The pros are energized. They're motivated. They're excited. They're ready to compete. It's gonna be an incredible season. I cannot wait. Truly, this is just magic in a bottle, and it continues to create magic every single season."
Actors and athletes take the floor
The celebrity lineup features several familiar faces from television and film. The 10 Things I Hate About You star Julia Stiles will be dancing with professional partner Ezra Sosa. Tatyana Ali, best known for her role in the sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, will be bringing her fresh moves to the dance floor alongside Jan Ravnik.
The sports world is well represented in season 35, with two accomplished competitors joining the cast. Amber Glenn, a 2026 Olympic figure skater, will trade the ice for the ballroom alongside Pasha Pashkov. Team USA Paralympic track and field athlete Ezra Frech will show off his athleticism with his partner Daniella Karagach.
In addition, Jackson Olson, a baseball player for the Savannah Bananas exhibition team, will step up to the plate to bring his moves from the diamond to the ballroom with his partner Emma Slater.
Musicians, comedians and reality stars
Musician Taylor Hanson, the former 1990s teen heartthrob known for the hit song MMMBop, will hope to top the leaderboard with Britt Stewart. Celebrity chef Giada De Laurentiis has been paired with Alan Bersten, while Guillermo Rodriguez, the familiar face from Jimmy Kimmel Live!, is ready to learn new moves with Witney Carson.
Comedian Connor Wood, who is known to his social media followers as Fibula, will be partnered with Rylee Arnold.
Summer House cast member Ciara Miller is preparing for her turn in the ballroom with Brandon Armstrong. Speaking exclusively to E! News in June, Miller noted she would need to improve her physical fitness for the demanding show.
"Looks are not indicative of being in shape," Miller said. "I do huff and puff going up the stairs, so I gotta get back into the gym and work on my stamina."
Finally, Love Island UK star Maura Higgins will dance with Mark Ballas. Higgins told E! News in May that she had been manifesting this experience and hoping for a spot on the cast.
"I have a vision board and I redo it every year," Higgins said. "This year is the first year that I stayed at home by myself on New Year's Eve. I did not go out at all. I made myself a bowl of pasta and a glass of red wine and I redid my vision board for the year. Dancing With the Stars was already on it from the year before. However, I added five more Dancing With the Stars on the board."
