There no shortage of Utahns on the Season 34 cast of “Dancing With the Stars.”
Nearly every couple on the upcoming season of the reality dance competition show has ties to the Beehive State, and connections span between both the professional dancers and celebrity guests.
The reality series has always had Utah connections. Siblings Julianne Hough, a longtime co-host on the series, and Derek Hough, a judge who has been involved with the series for roughly two decades, were both born and raised in Orem, Utah.
And this season, five of the 12 professional dancers are all Utahns. Here are the celebrities the Utah pro dancers — Witney Carson, Ezra Sosa, Jenna Johnson, Brandon Armstrong and Rylee Arnold — got paired up with for the upcoming season of “Dancing With the Stars.”
- Witney Carson is partnered with Robert Irwin, a wildlife conservationist and Steve Irwin‘s son.
- Ezra Sosa is partnered with Jordan Chiles, an Olympic gymnast.
- Jenna Johnson is partnered with Corey Feldman, an actor known for his roles in “The Goonies” and “Stand by Me.”
- Brandon Armstrong is partnered with Lauren Jauregui, a member of the girl group Fifth Harmony.
- Rylee Arnold is partnered with Scott Hoying, a member of the pop group Pentatonix.
A handful of Utah celebrities were also cast as guest dancers on the reality show. Reality stars and influencers known for the Utah-based series “The Secret Live of Mormon Wives,” Whitney Leavitt and Jen Affleck, will both compete on the series.
Leavitt is partnered with pro dancer Mark Ballas and Affleck is partnered with pro dancer Jan Ravnik — a former backup dancer for Taylor Swift’s “The Era’s Tour.”
Utah’s strong dance culture has paved the way for several Utahns to dance professionally on “Dancing With the Stars” every season.
Arnold, a “Dancing With the Stars” pro raised in Provo, Utah, credits the Beehive State’s unique dance training style with turning out so many pro dancers.
“I just feel like there’s really good training in Utah. We were blessed with some really good teachers, and it’s cross-training — so there’s really good training for all sorts of styles outside of outside of ballroom. And then plus really good teachers that teach us that Latin ballroom style," Arnold said in an interview with Us Weekly.
She continued, “So the dancers that come from Utah, we’re just well-versed and well-rounded, and we know all the styles and that just kind of sets you apart from other people as well. So I just think its a really good place to grow up in and to learn how to dance.”
When does ‘Dancing With the Stars’ Season 34 come out?
“Dancing With the Stars” Season 34 premieres on ABC on Tuesday, Sept. 16, at 7 p.m. MDT. Follow-up episodes will air weekly on Tuesdays at 7 p.m. MDT.