Dancing With the Stars Season 35 Premiere Details

Dancing With the Stars will commence its 35th season with a special two-night premiere event, beginning on Monday, September 16, 2024, and continuing on Tuesday, September 17, 2024. This season will feature a significant twist: a double elimination will occur on each of these premiere nights, meaning a total of four celebrity contestants will be sent home within the first two episodes. The familiar hosting duo of Alfonso Ribeiro and Julianne Hough will return to guide viewers through the competition. Ribeiro, a former professional dancer and winner of Season 19 with partner Witney Carson, has been a co-host since Season 28. Hough, a two-time professional champion and former judge, rejoined the show as a co-host in Season 32. The format of the premiere, with two consecutive nights of eliminations, aims to quickly establish the competitive landscape and heighten the stakes for the remaining contestants. Viewers can tune in to ABC and stream simultaneously on Disney+ and Hulu to watch the live performances and elimination results. The exact lineup of celebrity contestants and their professional dance partners for Season 35 has not yet been announced, but is typically revealed in the weeks leading up to the premiere. The show's production team often aims to balance a diverse range of personalities and backgrounds among the celebrity cast. Dancing With the Stars, a long-running reality competition series, pairs celebrities with professional ballroom dancers who train and compete against each other in weekly judged dance routines. The show has been a staple of network television for over two decades, consistently drawing a significant audience. The double elimination format, while not entirely new to the series, is a notable feature for the opening episodes of Season 35, signaling an accelerated pace for the competition. This approach is likely intended to create immediate drama and ensure a strong, competitive field for the remainder of the season. Fans eager to follow the competition will need to monitor ABC's official announcements for the full cast reveal and any further details regarding the season's structure and guest judges, who often appear throughout the competition to offer their expertise. The premiere will showcase the initial dances from all competing pairs, with the audience and judges casting their votes to determine who advances and who faces the early exit. The dual elimination structure means that the pressure is on from the very first performance, as contestants and their partners must impress immediately to avoid being among the first to leave the ballroom.