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Cue the music! It’s time for an official “Dancing With the Stars” cast announcement. Among the celebrity competitors to grace the ballroom for the show’s 35th season are actors Jenna Dewan, Julia Stiles and Harry Shum Jr., and celebrity chef Giada De Laurentiis.
The big reveal came Wednesday on “Good Morning America,” with the full celebrity cast sitting alongside their pro partners and speaking with “DWTS” co-hosts Julianne Hough and Alfonso Ribeiro. Dewan and Stiles discussed how their “DWTS” tenure lines up with milestone anniversaries for their beloved dance films “Step Up” and “Save the Last Dance,” respectively.
“Rookie” actor Dewan, best known for her breakthrough role in “Step Up” alongside Channing Tatum, will dust off her dancing shoes to compete with pro Val Chmerkovskiy. “10 Things I Hate About You” star Stiles is paired with pro Ezra Sosa. Harry Shum Jr. of “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Crazy Rich Asians” and, most notably, “Glee,” will return to his dance roots, performing alongside “DWTS” pro Jenna Johnson.
Fresh faces, TikTok and nostalgia have all been factors in the series’ resurgence, which culminated last month in its first Emmy nomination for reality competition in 10 years.
Emmy-winning culinary star and TV personality De Laurentiis said during Wednesday’s “GMA” segment that “the dancing is a lot rougher than I thought it would be.”
“I figured my grandmother was a dancer and I thought maybe I got some of those genes — definitely not,” she continued. She is paired with Alan Bersten.
“DWTS” rounds out its Season 35 cast with “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” alumna Tatyana Ali (partnered with pro Jan Ravnik), TV personality Tyler Cameron (with dancer Sharna Burgess), Paralympic high jump gold medalist Ezra Frech (with Daniella Karagach), Olympic figure skating gold medalist Amber Glenn (dancing with Pasha Pashkov), musician Taylor Hanson (with Britt Stewart), “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” reality star Conner Leavitt (with “Dancing With the Stars: The Next Pro” winner Adele Zaikman), “Love Thy Nader” reality star Sarah Jane Nader (with pro Hailey Bills) and comedian-podcaster Connor Wood (paired with Rylee Arnold).
Some celebrity cast members were unveiled prior to Wednesday morning’s announcement, including Jackson Olson, second baseman for the Savannah Bananas; Maura Higgins, who starred on Season 5 of U.K.’s “Love Island” and Season 4 of “The Traitors US”; Ciara Miller, star of Bravo’s “Summer House” and Season 3 of “The Traitors.” Olson, Higgins and Miller will dance with pros Emma Slater, Mark Ballas and Brandon Armstrong, respectively.
This season, new series will feel familiar, thanks to literary adaptations like ‘East of Eden’ and ‘Pride and Prejudice,’ as well as prequels and sequels like ‘Crystal Lake’ and ‘Blade Runner 2099.’
Guillermo Rodriguez — the talk show personality best known as Jimmy Kimmel’s longtime sidekick on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” — will also make his ballroom debut alongside “DWTS” professional dancer Witney Carson, who revealed the pairing last month on “GMA,” adding that she will participate in the dancing competition while pregnant with her third child.
Last year, Carson took home the top prize alongside Australian conservationist Robert Irwin, a season that expanded the show’s reach across young audiences on social media. In 2014, Carson claimed her first Mirrorball trophy alongside Ribeiro.
On Tuesday, it was also announced on the ABC morning show that Ribeiro and Hough will continue to host the popular dance series. Derek Hough, Carrie Ann Inaba and Bruno Tonioli will also return on the judges’ panel.
The new season of “Dancing With the Stars” will premiere with a two-night episode on Sept. 15 and 16 on ABC and Disney+. It will be available to stream the next day on Hulu.
