If you’re wondering what time is dancing with the stars on, Season 35 of ABC’s hit ballroom competition begins with a special two-night premiere on Tuesday, September 15, and Wednesday, September 16, 2026. Both live episodes begin at 8:00 p.m. ET and 7:00 p.m. CT, with the program airing on ABC and streaming live on Disney+. The first episode puts the male celebrities in the spotlight, while the female celebrities make their competitive debuts on the second night.
The new season arrives with a cast of 16 celebrities, returning professional dancers, new faces in the ballroom and an unusually high level of pressure from the beginning. Unlike a traditional premiere in which the entire cast performs during one episode, Season 35 divides the celebrities across two nights, with an elimination scheduled at the end of each installment.
That format means viewers will have plenty to watch during premiere week, and fans will not have to wait long to see which couples immediately emerge as contenders for the Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy.
Dancing With the Stars Season 35 Premiere Time
The first episode of Season 35 airs Tuesday, September 15, at 8:00 p.m. ET on ABC and Disney+. The broadcast is scheduled to continue until approximately 10:00 p.m. ET.
The second episode follows on Wednesday, September 16, beginning at 8:00 p.m. ET. That installment is scheduled to run until approximately 10:03 p.m. ET.
For viewers across the United States, the premiere schedule is:
| Time Zone | Start Time |
|---|---|
| Eastern | 8:00 p.m. |
| Central | 7:00 p.m. |
| Mountain | 6:00 p.m. |
| Pacific | 8:00 p.m. |
The show is being presented live, making the premiere particularly important for viewers who want to participate in voting while the competition is taking place.
Why Is the Season 35 Premiere Two Nights?
The two-night premiere is one of the biggest changes to the show’s opening format this season.
On Tuesday, all of the male celebrity contestants take the ballroom floor. Each couple performs one routine, and one male celebrity is eliminated after the voting and judging results are combined.
The competition continues Wednesday with the female celebrities. They also perform their first routines and face an elimination at the end of the night.
As a result, two contestants will leave the competition during premiere week.
The arrangement also gives viewers an opportunity to see each half of the cast receive its own spotlight instead of having 16 performances packed into a single episode.
What Is the Theme for the First Performances?
The premiere has a personal musical theme. Each celebrity is performing to a No. 1 song from the year they were born.
That concept gives the opening routines an individual connection to each contestant. Rather than simply receiving a dance assignment and song, the celebrities will have the opportunity to perform to music connected to the year they entered the world.
The professional dancers then build choreography around those selections while working with their celebrity partners to prepare for the ballroom.
Because this is the first competitive performance of the season, the premiere will also provide the first real indication of which celebrities have adapted quickly to ballroom training.
Who Is Competing in Season 35?
The Season 35 cast features 16 celebrities from television, film, music, sports, reality programming and social media.
The celebrity lineup includes:
- Tatyana Ali
- Tyler Cameron
- Giada De Laurentiis
- Jenna Dewan
- Ezra Frech
- Amber Glenn
- Taylor Hanson
- Maura Higgins
- Conner Leavitt
- Ciara Miller
- Sarah Jane Nader
- Jackson Olson
- Guillermo Rodriguez
- Harry Shum Jr.
- Julia Stiles
- Connor Wood
The diverse cast gives the season several different types of performers. Some contestants already have extensive experience in front of cameras or on stages, while others are approaching competitive ballroom dancing from completely different backgrounds.
That contrast is part of what makes the early weeks unpredictable.
Jenna Dewan Brings Dance Experience to the Ballroom
Jenna Dewan enters the competition with a background that makes her one of the more obvious names to watch.
The actress and performer is widely associated with the dance film Step Up, but it has been many years since she trained and performed competitively at that level.
Dewan is paired with professional dancer Val Chmerkovskiy, giving the couple a combination of Dewan’s performance background and Chmerkovskiy’s extensive experience with the competition.
The challenge will be translating Dewan’s previous dance experience into ballroom technique while adapting to the demanding weekly schedule.
Julia Stiles Takes on a New Challenge
Julia Stiles is another major entertainment name joining Season 35.
Known for movies and television projects including 10 Things I Hate About You, the Bourne franchise, Dexter and Save the Last Dance, Stiles enters a very different kind of performance environment.
She is paired with professional dancer Ezra Sosa.
Stiles has acknowledged that joining the competition was outside her comfort zone, which could make her progression throughout the season particularly interesting for viewers.
Athletes Enter the Competition
Season 35 also features athletes who are accustomed to high-pressure competition.
Paralympic gold medalist Ezra Frech is partnered with Daniella Karagach. His athletic background could give him an advantage in areas such as discipline, training consistency and physical conditioning.
Olympic gold medalist figure skater Amber Glenn is paired with Pasha Pashkov.
Figure skating and ballroom dancing require very different technical skills, but both demand balance, body control, timing and the ability to perform under pressure. Glenn’s transition from the ice to the ballroom will therefore be one of the season’s intriguing storylines.
New Professional Dancers Join the Show
Season 35 also introduces new professional talent.
Adele Zaikman joins the professional cast after winning the inaugural season of Dancing with the Stars: The Next Pro. She is partnered with Conner Leavitt.
Hailey Bills also moves into a professional role after previously performing as part of the show’s troupe. She is partnered with Sarah Jane Nader.
The season also marks the return of Sharna Burgess, who returns to the competition after last appearing as a professional during Season 30 in 2021.
The mixture of established professionals and newer dancers could produce some interesting partnerships as the season progresses.
Who Are the Hosts?
Alfonso Ribeiro and Julianne Hough return as the show’s co-hosts.
Ribeiro has a long connection to the program, having first competed as a celebrity before moving into his hosting role. Hough is also deeply connected to the series, having previously competed as a professional dancer and won multiple Mirrorball Trophies.
Their responsibilities include guiding viewers through the live performances, voting information, backstage moments and results.
Their familiarity with the competition also gives the live broadcasts a combination of entertainment experience and firsthand knowledge of what the contestants are experiencing.
Who Are the Judges?
The Season 35 judging panel remains familiar to longtime viewers.
Carrie Ann Inaba, Bruno Tonioli and Derek Hough are returning to evaluate the contestants.
Inaba and Tonioli have been associated with the judging panel since the show’s earliest seasons, while Hough brings extensive experience from his years as a professional dancer before becoming a judge.
The judges assess each performance based on elements such as technique, timing, musicality, choreography, performance quality and overall execution.
Their scores will be combined with viewer voting to determine which couples continue in the competition.
How to Watch Dancing With the Stars Season 35
Fans have multiple options for watching the new season.
ABC remains the primary television home for the competition. Viewers with access to their local ABC station can watch the episodes live during their scheduled broadcast.
The premiere is also streaming live on Disney+, giving subscribers another way to watch the competition as it happens.
For people who cannot watch live, new episodes become available for streaming the following day on Hulu.
That makes it possible for viewers to follow the season even if they cannot be in front of a television during the live broadcast.
Why Watching Live Matters This Season
Live viewing is particularly important during the opening week because voting is tied to the individual premiere episodes.
Tuesday’s voting is associated with the male celebrity contestants performing that night, while Wednesday’s voting applies to the female celebrities.
Viewer votes are combined with judges’ scores to help determine which contestants remain in the competition.
With an elimination taking place after each premiere episode, there is very little room for contestants to recover from a weak opening performance.
Fans who already have a favorite celebrity should therefore pay attention to the voting window during the live broadcast.
What Time Is Dancing With the Stars On After Premiere Week?
For viewers asking what time is dancing with the stars on beyond the special premiere, the regular schedule returns to Tuesday nights.
Following the September 15 and September 16 episodes, new episodes are scheduled to air Tuesdays at 8:00 p.m. ET on ABC and Disney+.
The two-night format is therefore a premiere-week event rather than the show’s regular weekly arrangement.
Fans can expect the competition to continue with weekly performances, eliminations and new themes as the celebrities and professionals work toward the Mirrorball Trophy.
What Happened in Season 34?
The new season follows a dramatic previous competition.
Robert Irwin and Witney Carson won Season 34, taking home the Mirrorball Trophy after reaching the finale.
Their victory set the stage for a new group of celebrities to enter the ballroom for Season 35.
With a completely new group of contestants competing for the trophy, the new season begins without an established favorite. Early performances will be important in shaping viewer expectations about which couples could ultimately make the finale.
What to Expect From Premiere Week
Season 35 is designed to move quickly.
The celebrities have spent weeks preparing their first routines with their professional partners, but only one performance will determine how viewers initially perceive each couple.
Some celebrities may immediately appear comfortable with ballroom technique, while others could require several weeks to develop their confidence.
The two-night structure also means fans will have a much clearer picture of the cast by the end of Wednesday night. Two eliminations will have already taken place, leaving the remaining couples to continue into the regular Tuesday schedule.
The combination of live performances, viewer voting and early eliminations makes this one of the most consequential opening weeks in recent seasons.
The Bottom Line
Season 35 of Dancing with the Stars starts with a special two-night premiere on September 15 and September 16. Both episodes begin at 8:00 p.m. ET, with the first night featuring the male celebrities and the second night featuring the female celebrities.
Each contestant is performing to a No. 1 song from the year they were born, and one celebrity will be eliminated at the end of each premiere episode.
After the opening event, the show moves into its regular Tuesday-night schedule. New episodes are expected to begin at 8:00 p.m. ET on ABC and Disney+.
With 16 celebrities, returning favorites, new professional dancers and two immediate eliminations, Season 35 is starting with plenty of competition from the very first night.
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║ – Dancing with the Stars Season 35 begins with a special two-night premiere on September 15 and 16. ║
║ – Both premiere episodes begin at 8:00 p.m. ET on ABC and Disney+. ║
║ – Male celebrities compete Tuesday, followed by the female celebrities Wednesday. ║
║ – One contestant is eliminated after each premiere episode, creating two eliminations during opening week. ║
║ – The season moves to its regular Tuesday schedule at 8:00 p.m. ET after premiere week. ║
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