The premiere of season 35 of “Dancing With the Stars” is here, and a brand new star-studded cast will take the stage in a special two-night premiere featuring live performances.
From cha-chas to salsas to quicksteps, the celebrity contestants and their pro partners plan to bring their best moves in their first week vying for the Mirrorball Trophy.
“Dancing with the Stars” season 35 premieres on Tuesday, Sept. 15 and Wednesday, Sept. 16 at 8 p.m. ET on ABC and streaming on Disney+.
Some members of the cast of “Dancing With the Stars” season 35, applaud during an appearance on “Good Morning America,” on Sept. 2, 2026.
ABC News
Here are three things to watch for in the two-night season premiere.
1. Couples will compete in only 1 of the 2 nights
Each couple will compete in only one of the premiere’s two episodes – either Tuesday or Wednesday.
The male celebrity contestants will take the stage on night one, followed by the female celebrity contestants, who will make their debut on night two.
Every pair in this season’s premiere will dance to a No. 1 song from the celebrity’s birth year.
Night one’s performances will include Ezra French, Paralympian gold medalist, dancing a tango to Kelly Clarkson’s “Since U Been Gone” with partner Daniella Karagach, and Jackson Olson, “Savannah Bananas” star, performing a cha-cha with partner Emma Slater to “Wannabe” by the Spice Girls.
Among the performances on night two are Ciara Miller, reality star, dancing a foxtrot with partner Brandon Armstrong to “Exhale (Shoop Shoop)” by Whitney Houston, and Julia Stiles, film and TV star, performing a quickstep to Dolly Parton’s “9 to 5” with partner Ezra Sosa.
The full list of pairs and their premiere dance styles and songs can be found here.
2. A double elimination will occur
For the first time in years, the season 35 premiere will be double elimination, raising this season’s stakes from the get-go.
Following Tuesday’s performances, one male celebrity contestant will be eliminated, and on Wednesday, one female celebrity contestant will head home.
3. A new pro makes their debut
The new pro Adele Zaikman will compete for the Mirrorball Trophy for the first time with partner Connor Leavitt, husband of Whitney Leavitt, “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” star.
Zaikman emerged as the winner of the inaugural season of “Dancing with the Stars: The Next Pro” in the season finale on Monday, Aug. 31.
Adele Zaikman is part of the season 35 cast of ABC’s “Dancing With The Stars.”
Andrew Eccles/Disney
Zaikman took home the Mirrorball after her final performance with season 29 celebrity runner-up Nev Schulman. Each professional was paired with a past celebrity contestant for their final performances.
Longtime pro Sharna Burgess will return this season as well for the first time since season 30 in 2021.
How to watch and how to vote
Viewers can tune in to view the live premiere on ABC and Disney+, and can stream the next day on Hulu.
Voting will take place during the live shows for that night’s contestants only. On Tuesday, voting will open for couples with male celebrity contestants, and for female celebrity contestants on Wednesday.
During this time, online voting will be available to fans in any time zone in the U.S., its territories and Canada at dwtsvote.abc.com, and fans on participating U.S. wireless carriers can also vote via SMS/text (fans in Canada cannot vote via SMS/text).
Viewer votes will be combined with judges’ scores to determine the pairs that will be eliminated and those that will continue on to next week’s show.
This season brings back co-hosts Alfonso Ribeiro and Julianne Hough. Carrie Ann Inaba, Bruno Tonioli and Derek Hough will return as judges.
The full celebrity cast was announced live on “Good Morning America” on Wednesday, Sept. 2.
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