Get your dancing shoes ready, because Dancing With The Stars is returning for its 30th season. The ABC show usually airs twice a year, but in recent seasons has only had a fall premiere. It started in June 2005 and is the US version of Strictly Come Dancing, where celebrities are paired up with professional ballroom dancers to compete for the Mirrorball trophy.
Season 29 had Artem Chigvintsev wining his first Mirrorball trophy with Bachelorette star Kaitlyn Bristowe.
The 30th season was announced on March 31, 2021. Also this past March, Sharna Burgess, season 27 champion, told Us Weekly, she hopes that this season will be "bigger than ever." Although don't expect an all-star season again.
The Emmy-nominated show is bound to step up their game for the historical 30th season. Here's what we know so far about season 30 of Dancing With the Stars.
10 The Judges/Host
Tyra Banks will be back to host for her second season. She replaced Tom Bergeron and Erin Andrews in 2020. Many fans thought Bergeron would return after he hinted in a tweet that he was returning to hosting, but later confirmed it was not for DWTS or any show he has hosted in the past. Banks is not only serving as the host but is also the executive producer of the show. Despite backlash form fans, she is staying on as host.
Bruno Tonioli, Carrie Ann Inaba, Len Goodman and Derek Hough will all be back to judge the couples. Hough filled in for Goodman last year when restriction on traveling were implemented, but since he is a fan-favorite, he stayed on for this season too.
9 Tyra Banks On Hosting Fails
Last season, she messed up quite a few times. Banks announced the wrong couple who was in the bottom two once and has been accused of stealing the spotlight. However, she admitted it was not her fault at the Television Critics Association press tour this past August. "People see my face; they don't know there are things in my ears, and there are directors and things, people saying stuff to me… but the world sees me."
8 When/Where Can You Watch It?
The new season premieres on September 20 on ABC at 8/7c. The two-hour premiere will kick off a season of Monday night shows and wrap up right before Thanksgiving. However, if you miss the live show, you can always find it on YouTube TV, Hulu with Live TV, Fubo TV and AT&T TV Now. You can also catch the show the next day on ABC.com and Hulu. The premiere is right around the corner!
7 The Cast Reveal Of 'DWTS' Season 30
There will be 15 couples dancing in the ballroom this year. And so far, four celebrities have been announced with the full cast reveal on September 8 on ABC, according to Us Weekly. The first celebrity competing this season will be Olympic gold medalist, Suni Lee. Also, Dance Moms' alum, JoJo Siwa will be lacing up her dancing shoes. Some fans are mad at this reveal because they said that Siwa can already dance. Next, we have The Real Housewives of Atlanta Star, Kenya Moore, who was confirmed by TMZ. The Talk co-host Amanda Kloots was seen leaving the DWTS rehearsal studios with pro Alan Bersten, so she is most likely confirmed for this season.
6 How The Show Is Making History
JoJo Siwa came out as pansexual earlier this year and for the first time ever on the show, there will be a same-sex couple. Yep, Siwa will be paired with a female professional dancer. "It was a, like, 'Whoa, I'm changing the future' [moment] because I have such a kid demographic. It's making it acceptable, and I love that and I'm so proud of that," she told Entertainment Tonight. And with 30 seasons under its belt, the show is long over due for a same sex couple. They are also aiming to be more inclusive in their pros and have dancers from many different backgrounds.
5 Which Pros Are Returning For 'DWTS' Season 30?
Although none of the professional dancers have been confirmed yet for season 30, we know Alan Bersten is in because he was seen rehearsing with Kloots. There are rumors that there were new pro auditions and that there will be a few LatinX members in the troupe. It seems as though season 24 champion, Emma Slater, will be returning as she posted that she 'cannot wait to meet Jojo Siwa.' And her husband, Sasha Farber, is rumored to be back after he retweeted a tweet from Good Morning America about the new season. Lindsay Arnold and Artem Chigvintsev also expressed their excitement for Siwa on the DWTS Instagram page, so they may be possible contenders for this season.
4 COVID Rules
Last year, ABC and DWTS took many pre-cautions to keep their cast and crew safe and healthy. This year will be no different. The Walt Disney Company announced a vaccine mandate for all employees. They will follow social distancing rules by having the judges table spread out, Banks and the contestants distanced during post-dance interviews and more. There will most likely be COVID testing and masks worn when not live on TV.
3 Will There Be A Studio Audience?
Although there was no live studio audience last season, DWTS is hoping to bring that back this year. In an interview with KTLA recently, Hough that they are optimistic to have fans back in the ballroom again. "I think we should be good with a live audience this year. They did a great job last season keeping the energy, keeping the vibe in the room. I think we are going to be good with an audience this year in the room with vaccinations and testing going on. I think we should be fine. I look forward to that." They will probably have to be vaccinated in order to attend.
2 Jojo Fletcher Was Supposed To Appear
DWTS has had its fair share of Bachelor/ette contestants on the show. Many people believed Bachelorette star, Jojo Fletcher was set to be on this upcoming season, and they aren't entirely wrong. She was seen in LA and rumors started to fly. She set the record straight on her Instagram story, however. “Funny story — I was supposed to do ‘Dancing with the Stars’ after my season of ‘The Bachelorette’ but ended up not being able to because of my contract,” she wrote. “Womp womp. Not sure America could have handled my super sweet dance moves anyways.”
1 Fans Reactions
One excited fans expressed that Kloots and Bersten are going to be this season's champions before the show even started. Others think Suni might be the winner because Olympians do very well on the show.
However, although most people are excited to see Lee in the ballroom, others are mad that Siwa will be dancing with a female pro. One Twitter user wrote, "JoJo dancing with a girl is so disappointing. My 11-yr-old daughter and I, as true Auburn fans, didn’t miss a minute of Suni Lee in the Olympics, but will not watch her on DWTS bc of the lack of judgement making a statement with a barely legal teen star. Shame on you."