BATTLE OF THE SEXES DWTS to kick off with major format change on two-day premiere and fans are ‘so excited’
DANCING with the Stars will kick off Season 35 with a dramatic format change for the highly anticipated premiere.
The ballroom dancing competition series premieres its newest season in a two-day event on September 15 and 16.
Dancing with the Stars will undergo a major format change for the Season 35 two-night premiereCredit: Disney
The celebrities will be separated by gender and perform on two different nightsCredit: Disney
Longtime viewers will notice a major switch-up to the show’s usual format, as the 16 pairings won’t perform the same way they have in years past.
Instead of everyone taking the stage in a specific order, the stars will be separated by gender and perform on two different nights.
Contestant Tatyana Ali and her pro partner Jan Ravnik revealed the change in a TikTok Live earlier this week.
The video, which also captured the duo’s silly banter, showed them interacting with fans during a rehearsal break.
At one point, Tatyana explained the breakdown of the two-night premiere, revealing that the male celebrities will perform with their partners on the first night, followed by the female stars on the second night.
It’s unclear if the division of genders means that two pairings – including one female and one male celebrity – will be eliminated the next week.
Fans reacted overwhelmingly positively to the format swap and shared their thoughts on social media.
“Wait I love this!! hopefully this will give more time for longer packages + more time for judges scoring and critiques,” one person wrote on X.
“Oooh interesting!! Haven’t seen that in a while, but I’m excited nonetheless,” another said.
“I wonder what they’re gonna do to fill up the time slot,” a third pondered.
“I was hoping they would do this and they are. To fill the time up they should have a female pro number and a male pro number,” a fourth proposed.
The full official cast was announced on September 2 on Good Morning America, including a mixture of reality stars, actors, athletes, models, and internet personalities.
Contestant Tatyana Ali revealed the change in a TikTok Live with her pro partner Jan RavnikCredit: TikTok/Tatyana Ali
The premiere kicks off on September 15 with the male celebrities performing, followed by the female stars on September 16Credit: Getty
Devoted DWTS watchers seem to be particularly going wild over the casting of actresses Julia Stiles and Jenna Dewan, given their iconic roles in late 1990s and early 2000s rom-coms.
However, their addition has also sparked backlash over their prominent dance backgrounds, which some feel is unfair to fellow competitors without that experience.
Grey’s Anatomy star Harry Shum Jr. is also among the few causing an uproar with their dance skills after having previously been a professional backup dancer.
No matter how well the contestants do on the floor, the celebrities are each guaranteed a hefty paycheck for participating in the show.
A source exclusively revealed to The U.S. Sun that every celebrity gets paid $125,000 to cover pre-season rehearsals and the first two weeks of the competition.
Making it to the finale will bring a much higher payout, with finalists earning about $360,000 or more, depending on the deal their team negotiated.
Another insider previously told The U.S. Sun that production has already pegged Savannah Bananas second baseman Jackson Olson as the winner, believing that he could become “the next Robert Irwin,” who took home the Mirrorball Trophy last season.
Both premiere nights will run for two hours beginning at 8:00 p.m. EST/5:00 p.m. PST on ABC and will stream simultaneously live on Disney+.
Episodes will be available to stream the next day on Hulu.
