Dancing with the Stars returns with a two-night premiere on September 15 and 16, 2026, kicking off Season 35 with sixteen new celebrity couples. Here’s everything you need to know before tuning in, including when the episodes premiere, where to watch and a preview of what’s ahead.
‘Dancing with the Stars’ Season 35 Week 1:
- Theme: Premiere Night
- Air Dates: Tuesday, September 15 – Wednesday, September 16, 2026
- Time: 8 p.m. ET
- Hosts: Alfonso Ribeiro and Julianne Hough
- Judges: Carrie Ann Inaba, Derek Hough and Bruno Tonioli
- Network: ABC
- Streaming Service: Disney+
What is ‘Dancing with the Stars’ About?
Dancing with the Stars pairs a celebrity with a professional ballroom dancer and gives them one week to build a routine for live television. Three judges score the dance, and the audience votes on their favorite. The two different scores are combined, and the couple with the lowest score goes home. By the finale, only the top pairings remain, with the winning couple taking home the Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy.
Season 35 brings sixteen new couples into the ballroom. Alfonso Ribeiro and Julianne Hough return as hosts and Carrie Ann Inaba, Derek Hough and Bruno Tonioli return to the judges’ table.
How to Watch ‘Dancing with the Stars’
Dancing with the Stars Season 35 opens with a two-night premiere on Tuesday, September 15 and Wednesday, September 16 at 8:00 PM ET, airing live on ABC and streaming simultaneously on Disney+. After the premiere the show will settle into its regular Tuesday slot at 8:00 PM ET, with episodes available the next day on Hulu.
You can watch ABC and stream Disney+ through DIRECTV, making it easy to catch every live show and vote along all season!
‘Dancing with the Stars’ Week 1 Preview
Here’s what to expect in the two-night premiere, including a sneak peek from the Season 35 trailer:
ABC has confirmed the format of the premiere, and it is an unusual one. The sixteen couples are split across the two nights. The eight male celebrities compete on Tuesday and the eight female celebrities on Wednesday.
Every couple will be performing to a hit song from the year their celebrity was born.
The bigger news is the twist. One celebrity goes home at the end of each night, so Week 1 will see two eliminations. Voting is open only for the couples competing on that night, which means the men and the women are effectively running two separate contests for survival this week.
Here’s the full Week 1 lineup of songs and dances:
| Couple | Dance | Song |
| Tyler Cameron and Sharna Burgess | Tango | “Are You Gonna Go My Way”, Lenny Kravitz |
| Ezra Frech and Daniella Karagach | Tango | “Since U Been Gone”, Kelly Clarkson |
| Taylor Hanson and Britt Stewart | Quickstep | “Tell Her About It”, Billy Joel |
| Conner Leavitt and Adele Zaikman | Salsa | “Whoomp! There It Is”, Tag Team |
| Jackson Olson and Emma Slater | Cha-cha | “Wannabe”, Spice Girls |
| Guillermo Rodriguez and Witney Carson | Cha-cha | “Mr. Big Stuff”, Jean Knight |
| Harry Shum Jr. and Jenna Johnson | Cha-cha | “Let’s Groove”, Earth, Wind & Fire |
| Connor Wood and Rylee Arnold | Cha-cha | “I Like It, I Love It”, Tim McGraw |
| Tatyana Ali and Jan Ravnik | Jive | “Knock on Wood”, Amii Stewart |
| Giada De Laurentiis and Alan Bersten | Tango | “Venus”, Shocking Blue |
| Jenna Dewan and Val Chmerkovskiy | Tango | “Call Me”, Blondie |
| Amber Glenn and Pasha Pashkov | Cha-cha | “Smooth”, Santana featuring Rob Thomas |
| Maura Higgins and Mark Ballas | Foxtrot | “Black Velvet”, Alannah Myles |
| Ciara Miller and Brandon Armstrong | Foxtrot | “Exhale (Shoop Shoop)”, Whitney Houston |
| Sarah Jane Nader and Hailey Bills | Jive | “Sk8er Boi”, Avril Lavigne |
| Julia Stiles and Ezra Sosa | Quickstep | “9 to 5”, Dolly Parton |
‘Dancing with the Stars’ Season 35 Competitor Tracker
| Celebrity | Known For | Professional Partner | Status |
| Amber Glenn | Olympic gold medalist figure skater | Pasha Pashkov | Active |
| Ciara Miller | Summer House | Brandon Armstrong | Active |
| Conner Leavitt | The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives | Adele Zaikman | Active |
| Connor Wood | Comedian and podcast host | Rylee Arnold | Active |
| Ezra Frech | Paralympic gold medalist | Daniella Karagach | Active |
| Giada De Laurentiis | Chef and Food Network host | Alan Bersten | Active |
| Guillermo Rodriguez | Jimmy Kimmel Live! | Witney Carson | Active |
| Harry Shum Jr. | Glee actor and dancer | Jenna Johnson | Active |
| Jackson Olson | Savannah Bananas second baseman | Emma Slater | Active |
| Jenna Dewan | Step Up and The Rookie star | Val Chmerkovskiy | Active |
| Julia Stiles | Film and television actress | Ezra Sosa | Active |
| Maura Higgins | Love Island UK and The Traitors | Mark Ballas | Active |
| Sarah Jane Nader | Love Thy Nader | Hailey Bills | Active |
| Tatyana Ali | The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air actress | Jan Ravnik | Active |
| Taylor Hanson | Hanson singer | Britt Stewart | Active |
| Tyler Cameron | The Bachelorette alum | Sharna Burgess | Active |
‘Dancing with the Stars’ Season 35 Schedule
Follow the season with the schedule below:
| Week | Theme | Air Date | Status |
| Week 1, Night 1 | “Premiere: Night One” | September 15, 2026 | Upcoming |
| Week 1, Night 2 | “Premiere: Night Two” | September 16, 2026 | Upcoming |
| Week 2 | TBA | September 22, 2026 | Scheduled |
The season opens with a two-night premiere, after which new episodes air live every Tuesday. This schedule will be updated as additional themes and air dates are announced.
Watch ‘Dancing with the Stars’ on DIRECTV
Never miss an elimination! Watch new episodes of Dancing with the Stars every week on ABC and stream them on Disney+ through DIRECTV and follow Season 35 all the way to the Mirrorball.
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Frequently asked questions
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