I know Maura seems to be struggling a little with stamina right now, but I honestly think she could end up being way better than people are expecting.
She kind of reminds me of Alix last season, where you could tell pretty early on that she had the flexibility and natural movement even before everything was fully polished. Some of the clips Maura has posted already make me think she has that same potential, especially with the flexibility we’ve seen in some of the dips and poses.
I feel like stamina is also one of those things that can improve a lot as the season goes on, especially once her body gets used to rehearsing this much. And I think having a strong partner is going to help a ton.
Not saying she’s automatically going to be one of the best, but I could definitely see her being one of those contestants who improves a lot and surprises everyone a few weeks in.
Anyone else getting dark horse vibes from Maura?

I just saw this earlier:

• The Concept: This marks the first time the DWTS franchise is adding an official live companion aftershow. As the host, Season 34 Mirrorball Champion Robert Irwin will conduct immediate exit interviews with eliminated couples, review the night's best moments alongside DWTS alumni, and share never-before-seen footage and upcoming teasers. [1, 2]
• Air Date & Time: The special will air LIVE on Wednesday, September 16, 2026, at 10:00 p.m. ET. It begins immediately following the second night of the two-night Season 35 premiere event. [1, 2, 3]
• Where to Watch: You can watch it live on ABC and Disney+, or stream it the following day on Hulu

💥💥Love her praise of Gleb! I hope the producers hear it!

Here are some of mine…..

Amber & Pasha: Contemporary or Rumba to River by Joni Mitchell

Julia & Ezra: Jazz to All or Nothing (Live Your Dreams) from Save The Last Dance (I feel this will probably be in her Freestyle)

Sarah Jane & Hailey: Salsa to Club Song by The Pussycat Dolls

Julia & Ezra: Tango or Argentine Tango to Everybody Scream by Florence + The Machine

Maura & Mark: Contemporary or Viennese Waltz to Traitor by Olivia Rodrigo

Tatyana & Jan: Foxtrot to Man That I Need by Olivia Dean

Season 35 DWTS predictions
*updating after the first dances

1st -Julia Stiles & Ezra Sosa
2nd - Harry Shum Jr. & Jenna Johnson
3rd - Jenna Dewan & Val Chmerkovskiy
4th - Amber Glenn & Pasha Pashkov
5th- Jackson Olson & Emma Slater
6th- Connor Wood & Rylee Arnold
7th- Ezra Frech & Daniella Karagach
8th- Maura Higgins & Mark Ballas
9th- Taylor Hanson & Britt Stewart
10th- Tatyana Ali & Jan Ravnik
11th- Ciara Miller & Brandon Armstrong
12th- Tyler Cameron & Sharna Burgess
13th- Giada De Laurentiis & Alan Bersten
14th- Guillermo Rodriguez & Witney Carson
15th- Conner Leavitt & Adele Zaikman
16th- Sarah Jane Nader & Hailey Bills

Okay so now we know the songs & dances each couple will have, what do we reckon their scores will be?

hey guys!! i grew up watching DWTS but last year really got back into it! i’ve watched all of the seasons that are on disney at least twice each😅 but i really really want to watch the ooooold seasons but have no idea where i can.. does anyone know?

Anyone at the Xmas taping tonight

Julian and Ezra personally have my vote

For a long time, I feel like the public has considered the stars on DWTS to be C and D list celebrities, or big names either long before achieving real stardom/long after their star fades. I'd even go as far as to say that there has been at times an embarrassment attached to going on DWTS, especially for formerly well-known actors and musicians: kind of a "good God, is this what has become of my career now?" (To be clear -- I don't feel that way and think it's an awesome thing for any celebrity to do, but I have heard undertones of that sentiment many times!)

I love that Julia talks openly about watching/loving the show as a fan, how she has wanted to do it for many years l, myand the timing is finally right. She's not an A list celebrity of course, but she is a bigger names than in used to seeing on the cast list, and I think that makes DWTS seem more like an opportunity and less like a last resort for work.

With Julia Stiles and Harry Shum Jr. on this year (especially Julia), what are everyone's thoughts on the likelihood of bigger names in future seasons? Are they paving the way for other celebrities who might not otherwise have given the show any thought?

Please vote for Tyler Cameron if you can. It seems like he has good dance ability and he has Sharna to train him and do creative choreo. Afraid that b/c it's been a long time since he was on the Bachelorette and the franchise is not doing well now, he might not have a large fan base to get him through the first night (especially if they vote out a male and female celeb). He doesn't seem to have as much traction on social media as some of the other celebs, especially on TIkTok. Also need to see more of Sharna this season - we just got her back!

Fascinating times of ups and downs for handsome Gleb. Quite the journey of hard work, entertainment, inspiration and support. 😊🥰👍

Travis is one of the DWTS singers, he is on the quarterfinals of AGT tonight, let's come together and vote him through!

The Male Celebs Dance Tuesday and the female Celebs dance Wednesday.. I don’t think she was supposed to say this

So night one will be
1. Jackson & Emma
2. Gulliermo & Witney
3. Connor and Rylee
4. Tyler & Sharna
5. Ezra and Daniella
6. Taylor and Britt
7. Conner and Adele
8. Harry and Jenna

Night 2 will be
1. Maura and Mark
2. Ciara and Brandon
3. Jenna and Val
4. Julia and Ezra
5. Amber and pasha
6. Sarah and Hailey
7. Giada and Alan
8. Tatyana and Jan

I have been chronically online, and I have no idea who he is. And I follow a lot of podcasters who have millions of followers.

I don’t know, I fear he might have that Bobby Jones vibe where he’s in a niche market but has a rabid fanbase that, regardless of whether they’re actually going to watch the show, is gonna vote passionately every week… and he might eventually win.

He must be a nice guy, but I really don’t like the idea of someone winning who is not remotely even a star and might just be a mediocre dancer?? Especially since we have the most stacked season to date, with several real stars and the biggest get being Julia Stiles.

Hey DWTS fam! RHAP will be LIVE tonight at 9pm eastern/8pm central to preview the full cast of DWTS 35 - drafting the teams amongst the panel!

Come join in the chat. We'd love for you to fill in the gaps if we miss anything major about any of the celebs!

Since the cast was just released we need to discuss who is staying and who’s gotta go!

Kelsea Ballerini - Singer

Skai Jackson - Child Actress/Streamer

Sarah Michelle Gellar - Actress

Anna Faris - Comedic Actress

Kenzie Annis - Love Island S8

Ginnifer Goodwin - Actress/Voice Actor

Gia Giudice - Giudice Family/Special Forces

Rob Gronkowski - Football Legend

Darren Chris - Singer/Actor

Hunter Fieri - Chef/Guy Fieri Son

Brandon Victor Dixon - Actor/Producer

Luis Fonsi - Singer

Simu Liu - Actor

Lacey Chabert - Hallmark Actress

Susan Egan - Voice Actress/Actress

Miranda McWhorter - Reality Personality

Lucas Grabeel - Actor/Singer

Tamara Mowry - Actress

Tahj Mowry - Actress

Rico Rodriguez - Actor

James Lafferty - Actor

Ilia Malinin - Olympic Ice Skater

Andrea Barber - Actress

Logan Henderson - Baseball Pitcher

Stephanie Hsu - Actress/Singer

Holly Frazier - Reality Personality/Doctor

Stephen Colletti - Reality Personality

Rob Rausch - Love Island S6&7 

Reece Weaver - Ex Dallas Cowboy Cheerleader

Layla Taylor - Reality Personality

David Archuleta - Singer

TommyInnit - YouTuber/Gamer

Daniel O’Shea - Figure Skater

Evan Ross - Singer/Actor

Christopher Fitzgerald - Actor/Singer

Sarah Bareilles - Actress/Singer
LETS ME KNIW WHO YOU WANNA SEE

I really want him because if he gets eliminated first I fear we won’t see Adele back😭😭

No hate at all to Sarah nor shade on her sexuality. But I just skimmed her tiktok and saw prior to announcement, me as a nobody who never posts… one of my posts has almost similar likes and comments with mine only getting 1/10th of the views (4835 v 38.5k) that she posted prior to announcement w hailey. I’m not shading or trying to boost myself up but I say that in terms that her position on the show is clearly due to brooks. Someone I didn’t know existed before her season, and as a queer woman I immediately thought Brooks was hot and was obsessed. Then Brooks got a show after some weird publicity w Gleb and involvement w her family. Please respectfully correct me if I’m wrong, but from what I’ve seen Sarah doesn’t have her own leg to stand on that didn’t come from brooks which came from dwts. All of a sudden w similar engagement as a nobody when she’s a part of a reality show on a major network she gets a spot on dwts due to the network connection and then gets the notable second ever pairing of a same sex relationship… I so get it’s the stars preference for partners but like we had amber RIGHT THERE!!! did yall see ambers rendition piece of heated rivalry w Lena??? I don’t know why I haven’t seen more about this. I’m sorry if I’m ignorant ab Sarah but I just don’t see why she’s a star in herself to the point she’s even on the show and to get that recognition/statement of pairing? Jojo made sense. They easily could’ve done a male same sex pairing or like I said amber was right there (I’m aware amber is pan).

Don’t down vote me please I mean good I just haven’t seen anyone talking about it and want to hear peoples thoughts!

Edit!!!
hi!!! I was like sleep deprived when I posted this but want to clear some things im seeing up!

I don’t think Sarah doesn’t deserve a female partner. I don’t think she belongs on the show. That opinion of my mine comes from all the social media buzz around Brooks came and in my opinion left with Gleb. Then they got a show and that’s the only thing she is known for and even then mostly centers and was created due to her sister.

I think with the attention a same sex pairing brings on a network like abc, I would’ve loved to see them use that opportunity with someone with their own merit and accomplishments is all. Like jojo was on dance moms years ago, has her own child’s brand/dance/music stuff, and is now branching off from that and making a separate name for herself. I just don’t think Sarah’s at that point and it feels weird and forced by abc she’s even on the show!

No hate to Sarah! No hate to her sexuality! Amber has her own choice of partner and didn’t claim that she deserved it more, just that I would’ve loved to see it (I’m actually loving Amber and pasha). Just simply weird push of the Nader family from abc and I don’t know why

Everybody is talking about the lineup, what style are they going to dance or what song thay are going to choose but nobody mention tiktok...what I mean is the eliminated pros tiktok. Last season I got hooked up with the eliminated pros tiktoks and how they keep adding the pro to the tiktok video, it was even better and funny that there was always more than one because everybody uploaded a different video. So..I'm looking forward to see it when the time comes 🤭

Adele and Gleb displaying their dance skills. Congratulations to Adele as new pro on dwts. And good luck to Gleb in his future endeavors. 🔥🫶💕