“Dancing With the Stars” is back for Season 35, but viewers should not expect a typical opening night. The competition begins with a special two-night premiere on September 15 and 16, with 16 celebrities entering the ballroom in a format designed to raise the pressure immediately.
The first major change is that the entire cast will not perform together. Male celebrities compete Tuesday night, while the female celebrities make their debuts Wednesday, meaning each couple appears on only one of the two premiere episodes.
Both groups will perform routines set to No. 1 songs from the years they were born. That creates a nostalgic theme while giving viewers their first opportunity to see how the celebrities handle ballroom styles including tango, cha-cha, quickstep, foxtrot, salsa and jive.
The second surprise involves voting. Fans can vote only for the couples performing on that particular night, so Tuesday’s voting covers the male celebrities while Wednesday’s voting is reserved for the female celebrities.
Voting takes place during the live broadcasts, and the results will be combined with the judges’ scores. Online voting is available to eligible fans in the U.S., its territories and Canada, while text-message voting is available through participating U.S. wireless carriers.
That voting system matters immediately because Season 35 is not giving everyone a comfortable first week. One male celebrity will be eliminated at the end of Tuesday’s premiere, followed by one female celebrity leaving after Wednesday’s show.
According to Entertainment Weekly, this is the first time since 2018 that “Dancing With the Stars” has used this kind of premiere-week elimination setup. Pro Mark Ballas acknowledged the unusual pressure created by splitting the contestants into separate groups and sending someone home from each.
The cast itself could make those early eliminations difficult to predict. Season 35 includes Julia Stiles, Harry Shum Jr., Jenna Dewan, Giada De Laurentiis, Tyler Cameron, Tatyana Ali, Taylor Hanson, Amber Glenn and several other personalities from entertainment, sports and reality television.
There are also changes among the professional dancers. Adele Zaikman joins the main competition after winning the inaugural season of “Dancing With the Stars: The Next Pro,” while Hailey Bills moves into a pro role after previously appearing with the troupe.
Fans will also see a familiar face return, as longtime professional Sharna Burgess is back in the ballroom for the first time since Season 30. She is partnered with “The Bachelorette” and “Bachelor in Paradise” personality Tyler Cameron.
Alfonso Ribeiro and Julianne Hough return as co-hosts, while Carrie Ann Inaba, Derek Hough and Bruno Tonioli are back at the judges’ table. After premiere week, the series returns to its normal Tuesday-night schedule, with episodes airing live on ABC and Disney+ and streaming afterward.
With contestants separated by gender, voting restricted to each night’s performers and two celebrities eliminated before premiere week is even over, Season 35 is starting with unusually high stakes. Instead of giving the cast time to settle into the competition, “Dancing With the Stars” is making every first dance—and every viewer vote—matter immediately.
