We are now just days away from the premiere of “Dancing with the Stars” Season 35, and once again, the show’s lineup is full of Utahns.
This year’s cast for “Dancing with the Stars” includes hosts, judges, pro dancers, celebrity contestants and troupe members that are from Utah. This is not a new pattern; Utahns have had a major presence on the show for years, with many of the dancers from Utah training at the same studio.
Here’s a look at what Utahns you will be able to see on the ballroom dance competition show this year and a preview of what you need to know ahead of the Season 35 premiere.
Utahns on ‘Dancing with the Stars’
A number of the pro dancers on “Dancing with the Stars” — many of whom trained at Center Stage Performing Arts in Orem — are from Utah.
The Utahn pro dancers are: Witney Carson, Brandon Armstrong, Jenna Johnson, Ezra Sosa, Riley Arnold and Hailey Bills.
Derek Hough, who serves as one of the show’s judges, and his sister Julianne Hough, who is one of the co-hosts, are both from Utah and also trained at Center Stage. The Houghs were both formerly pro dancers on the show.
Carter Williams, who is a part of the “Dancing with the Stars” troupe that serves as background dancers on the show, is also from Utah. Williams is joined on the troupe by Jaxon Willard, Onye Stevenson and Kamri Peterson.
This year, the show features one celebrity contestant from Utah, Conner Leavitt, whose wife Whitney Leavitt competed on the show last year. Conner Leavitt is part of the reality TV show “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” and recently made his off-Broadway debut in the show “11 to Midnight.”
Full list of ‘Dancing with the Stars’ Season 35 celebrity contestants
Here’s a list of the 16 celebrity contestants for “Dancing with the Stars” Season 35 and their pro partners.
- Reality TV star Maura Higgins with Mark Ballas
- Actress Julia Stiles with Ezra Sosa
- Reality TV star Sarah Jane Nader with Hailey Bills
- Reality TV star Ciara Miller with Brandon Armstrong
- Olympic figure skater Amber Glenn with Pasha Pashkov
- Actress Jenna Dewan with Val Chmerkovskiy
- Celebrity chef Giada De Laurentiis with Alan Bersten
- Actress Tatyana Ali with Jan Ravnik
- Reality TV star Tyler Cameron with Sharna Burgess
- Paralympian Ezra Frech with Daniella Karagach
- Singer Taylor Hanson with Britt Stewart
- Reality TV star Conner Leavitt with Adele Zaikman
- Baseball player and influencer Jackson Olson with Emma Slater
- “Jimmy Kimmel Live” star Guillermo Rodriguez with Witney Carson
- Actor Harry Shum Jr. with Jenna Johnson
- Influencer and comedian Connor Wood with Rylee Arnold
When does ‘Dancing with the Stars’ Season 35 premiere?
The 35th season of “Dancing with the Stars” will have a two-night premiere on Tuesday, Sept. 15, and Wednesday, Sept. 16. Both episodes will air at 8 p.m. EDT on ABC and Disney+. The episodes will also be available on Hulu the next day.
The stakes of the premiere will be even higher than they have in the past with a double elimination. On Hulu’s “Get Real” podcast on Thursday, it was confirmed that two contestants will go home at the end of the two-night premiere.
“Dancing with the Stars” pro dancer Mark Ballas said that one male celebrity and one female celebrity will be sent home during the premiere, per Entertainment Weekly.