The ballroom is back: 3 things to watch in the 2-night ‘Dancing with the Stars' premiere

Good Morning America • September 15, 2026 • entertainment

Key Points:

Season 35 of "Dancing With the Stars" premieres with a special two-night event on Sept. 15 and 16 at 8 p.m. ET on ABC and Disney+, featuring celebrity contestants dancing to No. 1 songs from their birth years.
Male celebrity contestants will perform on night one and female contestants on night two, with a double elimination occurring—one male and one female contestant will be sent home after each night’s performances.
New professional dancers Adele Zaikman, winner of "Dancing with the Stars: The Next Pro," and Hailey Bills, previously part of the Troupe, make their pro debuts this season, alongside the return of longtime pro Sharna Burgess.
Viewers can watch live on ABC and Disney+, stream on Hulu the following day, and vote online or via SMS during live shows, with votes combined with judges’ scores to determine eliminations.
The season features returning co-hosts Alfonso Ribeiro and Julianne Hough, with Carrie Ann Inaba, Bruno Tonioli, and Derek Hough as judges; the full celebrity cast was revealed on Sept. 2 on "Good Morning America."

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