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A big twist is heading to the Dancing With the Stars ballroom — right off the bat.
During the Thursday, September 10, episode of Hulu’s “Get Real” podcast, host Amanda Hirsch confirmed that one male celebrity and one female celebrity will be eliminated after each night of the two-night premiere. (The women will all dance one day, with the men the other.)
“I don’t even think I was on the show when that happened,” pro Mark Ballas quipped, referring to the elimination twist that was last featured on the show in 2018. “This is a first. … It’s not even an even playing field, right? It’s, like, the cast is split in half. They’re, kind of, like, ‘Boys over there, girls over here; one of you is going from each group.’ So, that’s a little different.”
The two-time mirrorball pro, 40, has partnered up with Love Island UK alum (and his The Traitors season 4 costar) Maura Higgins.
“That is so scary,” Higgins, 36, added in response. “Yeah, I have to work hard.”
Hirsch, 37, further revealed on Thursday’s episode that the cast — which also includes Jenna Dewan, Harry Shum Jr., Ezra Frech, Julia Stiles, Ciara Miller and more — will perform routines to songs that were released in their respective birth years. For Higgins, she chose 1989’s “Black Velvet” by Alannah Myles.
“It’s such a good song,” the Irish reality TV alum gushed. “I love that song — and my mother loves that song. She loves it.”
Ballas, meanwhile, noted it’s been his “favorite” Week 1 song throughout his entire ballroom tenure.
“Week 1 is always, kind of, like, ‘Oh, God, what song are we gonna get?’” he recalled. “When [Maura] told me it was that, I was like, ‘I love that.’ [It is] a really good song.”
After Higgins selected her song choice, Ballas revealed that they were assigned a foxtrot dance style before he started dreaming up choreography.
“As soon as I started listening to it, I was kinda like, ‘Oh, this is a good first impression for her,’” he teased. “I love the foxtrot. It’s a beautiful dance.”
Higgins, however, lamented the routine is “really hard” but still wanted to give it her all.
“[He] sped it up … three percent. If you don’t think that’s fast, you’re crazy,” she joked to her pro partner.
The rest of the cast’s premiere night songs and dance styles have yet to be revealed.
Dancing With the Stars season 35 kicks off with a two-night premiere on ABC and Disney+ Tuesday, September 15, and Wednesday, September 16, at 8 p.m. ET.
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