Dancing with the Stars’ Season 35 Opens With Two-Night Premiere and First Elimination

S NEWS DESK | ENTERTAINMENT | 16 September 2026

The new season features 16 celebrity contestants from television, film, sport, music, reality television and social media. Among them are Jenna Dewan, Julia Stiles, Taylor Hanson, Giada De Laurentiis, Tyler Cameron, Tatyana Ali, Ezra Frech and Harry Shum Jr., each paired with a professional dancer.

The programme continues with Alfonso Ribeiro and Julianne Hough as co-hosts, while Carrie Ann Inaba, Bruno Tonioli and Derek Hough return to the judging panel. The season also introduces professional dancer Adele Zaikman, who earned her place after winning the inaugural season of Dancing with the Stars: The Next Pro.

The opening night saw the male celebrities take to the dance floor, with contestants performing to No. 1 songs from the years they were born. The first episode also included the season's first elimination.

Harry Shum Jr. received the highest score of the opening night, earning 21 points for his Cha Cha. Paralympic gold medallist Ezra Frech followed with 20 points for his Tango, according to Entertainment Weekly's recap of the episode.

The first episode also experienced a technical issue affecting online voting. Variety reported that voting on ABC's website was disrupted, leaving text voting available while the problem was addressed.

The second part of the season premiere is scheduled for 16 September, with the female celebrities taking their turn in the ballroom. The two-night format is being broadcast live on ABC and Disney+, with episodes available for streaming on Hulu the following day.

Following the opening event, regular episodes are scheduled to continue on Tuesday evenings, maintaining the programme's established live competition format.

VoS ENTERTAINMENT INSIGHT

Season 35 brings together established actors and television personalities alongside athletes, musicians, chefs and reality stars. With the two-night opening format, the programme is introducing its contestants through separate performances before moving into the regular weekly competition.

Sources: ABC News; ABC; People; Variety; Entertainment Weekly.