Dancing With the Stars is returning for another season, and the ABC dancing competition’s first casting announcement is a headline-making one.
Summer House star Ciara Miller and Maura Higgins (The Traitors, Love Island) are the first two celebrity cast members joining season 35. ABC announced the renewal and early castings on Wednesday during Hulu‘s Get Real House 2026 presentation, spotlighting the streamer and ABC’s unscripted slate.
DWTS will return this fall on ABC and Disney+, streaming next-day on Hulu. The full cast of celebrities and pro dancers will be announced at a later date.
Miller is a coup for DWTS and capitalizes on ABC’s long-running reality series enjoying a resurgence last season. After 20 years on the air, DWTS made a major comeback with season 34’s resurgent ratings and all-time high audience interaction that the show’s production team credited to boosts from TikTok and social media, as well as casting. The season also had its highest-performing finale in 10 years.
Miller’s casting continues that trend, as the Bravo breakout who had already carved herself out as a fan-favorite is currently emerging from a scandal rocking the Bravosphere with a wave of audience support. All eyes have been on the stunning ICU-nurse-turned-model since she was blindsided by the newfound relationship between two of her co-stars: former best friend Amanda Batula and Miller’s ex-boyfriend, West Wilson. The Summer House scandal will be addressed during the currently airing season’s upcoming reunion, where Miller will be in attendance.
There was speculation that Miller could be the next star of The Bachelorette. With that franchise on hold after scuttling its 22nd season with planned star Taylor Frankie Paul, DWTS has now swooped in with the stunt Bravo casting.
When speaking with THR about the unscripted slate announcements, Rob Mills, evp of unscripted & alternative entertainment at Walt Disney Television, said The Bachelorette was never discussed with Miller. “The Dancing model seemed really exciting [for Ciara]. I can’t speak for her, but I would think her heartbreak is pretty fresh. So to immediately say, ‘Here are 25 new guys’ seems a little crazy. Why don’t we start with one on Dancing and see where that takes us?” he said.
Also on the heels of last season’s success, ABC announced on Wednesday that it’s expanding Dancing into a franchise with a new competition series set around aspiring pro dancers.
Dancing with the Stars: The Next Pro, hosted by season 34 winner Robert Irwin, will move 12 up-and-coming dancers into one house where they will compete in “a grueling audition process” to earn a spot as a pro dancer on season 35. Three-time DWTS champion Mark Ballas and his mother, Shirley Ballas, are the judges, with returning pros (to be announced at a later date) who will rotate in as mentors and guest judges.
That series will air this summer, premiering July 13 at 8 p.m. on ABC, streaming next day on Hulu.
Miller has appeared on Summer House for five consecutive seasons; she also starred on NBC’s The Traitors season three, in addition to her modeling career and red-carpet hosting. Global talent Higgins is also enjoying a cultural moment following her runner-up finish on The Traitors season four. The Love Island star was the first U.K. islander to cross into the U.S. series, hosting Love Island USA: Aftersun and Love Island Games: Aftersun.
Irwin, known as a passionate wildlife conservationist, is the most recent Len Goodman Mirrorball Champion. Ballas’ career as a performer spans television, Broadway, dance and music. He was a breakout pro on DWTS for more than a decade, nabbing an Emmy for best choreography. He also appeared in The Traitors season four. Mom Shirley is a champion ballroom dancer, world-renowned dance teacher and the head judge on BBC1’s Strictly Come Dancing.
DWTS is produced in front of a live audience by BBC Studios. Dancing with the Stars: The Next Pro, also produced by BBC Studios, has Conrad Green as showrunner and executive producer. Ryan O’Dowd, Krystal Whitney, Alex Cross and Jenny Groom are also executive producers, with co-executive producers Deena Katz and Quinn Lipton.
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