The male celebs will make their dancefloor debut on Sept. 15 with the women performing on Sept. 16.

*Dancing With the Stars *season 35 premiere to end with elimination twist for the first time since 2018

The male celebs will make their dancefloor debut on Sept. 15 with the women performing on Sept. 16.

By Shelby Stivale

Shelby Stivale

Shelby Stivale is a senior writer at **. She has been working at EW since July 2026. Her work has previously appeared on Us Weekly and J-14.

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September 10, 2026 12:14 p.m. ET

‘Dancing With the Stars’ hosts Alfonso Ribeiro and Julianne Hough. Credit:

Disney/Matt Sayles

- *Dancing With the Stars *is set to have an elimination shakeup after the season 35 premiere.

- Amanda Hirsch revealed details about who will go home during the Sept. 10 episode of Hulu’s *Get Real *podcast.

- The *DWTS* season 35 two-night premiere is set for Sept. 15 and Sept. 16.

The stakes are even higher for this year’s *Dancing With the Stars** *contestants with a double elimination during season 35 premiere week.

Hulu’s *Get Real* podcast host Amanda Hirsch confirmed during the Sept. 10 episode that viewers will be saying goodbye to two contestants following the two-night premiere, set to take place on Sept. 15 and Sept. 16.

“This is the first time since 2018 that one male celebrity and one female celebrity will be sent home after the two-night premiere,” Hirsch said while interviewing *DWTS *pro Mark Ballas and his celebrity partner Maura Higgins during Thursday’s podcast episode. “That hasn’t happened in many years.”

‘Dancing With the Stars’ duo Maura Higgins and Mark Ballas.

Disney/Andrew Eccles

Ballas noted that he wasn’t even on the show the last time a double premiere elimination took place. “This is a first [for me],” Ballas said. Hirsch noted that it was “added pressure” for the contestants, wondering if it changes “the vibe for the premiere.” Ballas said yes.

“It’s not an even playing field,” Ballas explained. “The cast is split in half. ... Boys over there, girls over there. One of you is going from each group. That’s a little different.”

The male celebrity contestants, including *The Bachelorette** *alum Tyler Cameron, Paralympian Ezra French, singer Taylor Hanson, *Secret Lives of Mormon Wives** *star Conner Leavitt, Savannah Bananas player Jackson Olson, *Jimmy Kimmel Live** *star Guillermo Rodriguez, actor Harry Shum Jr. and influencer Connor Wood, are set to compete during Monday night’s live show.

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Higgins and the rest of the women, including actress Julia Stiles, reality star Sarah Jane Nader, *Summer House *star Ciara Miller, Olympian Amber Glenn, actress Jenna Dewan, celebrity chef Giada De Laurentiis, and actress Tatyana Ali, will hit the dance floor on Tuesday.

Some fans have raised concern about this year’s stars — especially Shum Jr. and Dewan — both of whom have dance backgrounds. Dewan, who appeared in the 2006 dance movie *Step Up* and toured as Janet Jackson’s backup dancer, addressed the backlash during an interview with **.

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“I do not know how to ballroom dance. Let’s be clear. It’s two different languages,” she explained. “It’s a new technique, brand new technique. It almost threw me off initially because I had to unlearn a lot of — I don’t want to say bad habits — but just habits of the style that I’m used to.”

The *Dancing With the Stars* two-night premiere airs Tuesday, Sept. 15, and Wednesday, Sept. 16, at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC and Disney+. Watch the full *Get Real *podcast episode below.

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Source: “EW Dancing”