“Dancing With the Stars” Season 35 has only just begun, but host Alfonso Ribeiro is already teasing a possible major change for the finale. With the season’s unusual elimination structure, Ribeiro suggested the final episode may need to be considerably longer than usual.
Ribeiro discussed the possibility while speaking with ABC’s “On The Red Carpet” at the Emmy Awards. The conversation turned to how many couples could still be competing by the finale if the currently announced elimination schedule remains unchanged.
As things currently stand, six couples could potentially reach the Season 35 finale. When that number was pointed out to Ribeiro, he acknowledged that fitting six finalists into a traditional finale would create a major scheduling challenge.
“That’s a big finale,” Ribeiro said, before suggesting there “might” need to be extra time to accommodate six couples. Importantly, his comments were a possibility rather than confirmation that ABC has officially expanded the finale.
The situation stems partly from Season 35’s unusual opening-week format. The competition launched with a two-night premiere, with the male celebrities performing Tuesday, September 15, and the female celebrities competing Wednesday, September 16.
One male celebrity is eliminated after the first night and one female celebrity after the second. The premiere-week elimination structure has not been used since 2018, making it one of the first significant changes viewers encountered this season.
Professional dancer Mark Ballas has also discussed how unusual the setup feels. Because the cast is divided into separate male and female groups for the premiere, he noted that contestants are not beginning the competition together on exactly the same playing field.
The possibility of six finalists quickly generated mixed reactions online. Some viewers questioned whether having so many couples in the finale could make reaching the final night feel less exclusive, while others welcomed the possibility of seeing more contestants perform their highly anticipated freestyle routines.
A six-couple finale would also create practical challenges. Finalists traditionally perform multiple routines, and adding more couples means producers would need enough time for performances, judges’ comments, voting, packages and the eventual announcement of the Mirrorball champion.
For now, however, viewers should not treat an extended finale as officially confirmed. ABC has not yet announced the Season 35 finale date or its running time, and Ribeiro’s remarks were clearly framed as speculation about what might be necessary if six couples remain.
Season 35 is already proving unpredictable in other ways. During the September 15 premiere, ABC’s online voting system experienced technical problems, forcing the show to disregard online votes for that night and count text-message votes instead.
Whether the finale ultimately becomes longer or the elimination schedule changes before then remains to be seen. What Ribeiro’s comments make clear is that a potential six-couple final presents producers with an unusual challenge—and fans may have to wait for ABC’s official schedule before knowing exactly how the battle for the Season 35 Mirrorball will unfold.
