Reese Cassidy ’28

by Reese Cassidy ’28 on September 25, 2025

Amidst the chaos going on with ABC, Dancing with the Stars has begun its 34th season. 

DWTS is a reality competition that pairs celebrities and professional dancers. Each week, the couples perform a ballroom dance in front of judges, getting votes from both the judges and the fans watching from home. Once all the votes are tallied, the lowest-scoring team gets sent home, and the winning couple wins the Mirrorball Trophy. The new season premiered last Tuesday, but the cast was announced two weeks before and has been a talking point since. 

While the number of couples varies each season, this season has 14 couples—one pro and one star in each. There are many returning pros this season and one new addition, Jan Ravnik. He is starting this season having just returned from performing the entirety of Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour, during which he was one of the most well-known backup dancers and was very prominent in Taylor Swift: Eras Tour (2023). In the past, he has also performed with Bruno Mars and Mariah Carey, so it is safe to say he has lots of experience. Other than Ravnik, the rest of the pros have been on past seasons of DWTS and are already largely known by the show’s fanbase. The pros are Alan Bersten, Brandon Armstrong, Britt Stewart, Daniella Karagach, Emma Slater, Ezra Sosa, Gleb Savchenko, Jan Ravnik, Jenna Johnson, Mark Ballas, Pasha Pashkov, Rylee Arnold, Val Chmerkovskiy, and Witney Carson. 

This season’s stars come in a large variety of ages and careers, ranging from ages 21 to 58, including athletes, actors, singers, influencers, comedians, and even a zookeeper. It seems as though there’s something for everyone in this season, so no matter who is watching, it will be exciting. Some of these stars are up and coming or even at their peak of stardom, but others are well past it and were cast as stars for the older generations. This includes Andy Richter, who is most known as the comedic sidekick of Conan O’Brien, though some viewers may recognize him for voicing Mort in Madagascar (2005). Stand by Me (1986) star Corey Feldman and The Parent Trap (1998) actress Elaine Hendrix are also among the older stars of this season. There are always a couple of professional athletes among the cast, and this season is no different, with two-time NBA All-Star Baron Davis and one of the most well-known and well-loved U.S. Olympic athletes: gymnast Jordan Chiles. The casting directors of DWTS also never fails to find some reality TV stars. This season, there are even two stars from the same show: The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives (2024) stars Jen Affleck and Whitney Leavitt. They will compete alongside Hilaria Baldwin and Dylan Efron, who is widely known as the brother of High School Musical (2006) star Zac Efron. There are multiple familiar faces for Gen-Z to watch out for, as they may be stars they grew up with. First, Danielle Fishel, who is best known for her character Topanga on both Boy Meets World (1993) and the spin-off Girl Meets World (2014). Then, two famous voices: Scott Hoying from Pentatonix and Lauren Jauregui from Fifth Harmony. The two stars causing the most talk and likely bringing most of the views for this season are Alix Earle and Robert Irwin. Earle has had a quick rise to fame over the past few years after her “Get Ready with Me” videos went viral on TikTok. Since then, she has been in movies and even a Super Bowl commercial. Irwin is possibly the most famous zookeeper in the world. Being the son of Steve Irwin, he has always been in the public eye. After an impressive first episode, a lot of America seems to think now is truly his time to shine. A Mirrorball Trophy may be in his future as he is hoping to carry on his sister, Bindi Irwin’s, legacy after she won season 21.

While fans all over the country have already made their picks on who they hope to win,  it’s not too late to tune in and cast your votes on Tuesdays at 8 p.m. EST on ABC.