Baseball and dancing fans will unite this fall when Savannah Bananas second baseman Jackson Olson joins Season 35 of “Dancing with the Stars” in September.
The show announced on Tuesday that the 28-year-old Banana Baller and influencer would be joining “Dancing with the Stars” as a celebrity contestant, per People. Two other celebrity contestants have already been announced for the upcoming season: Maura Higgins and Ciara Miller.
The full cast of pros and celebrities for Season 35 will be announced on Sept. 2.
Olson joined the Savannah Bananas in 2022, after becoming a social media sensation and capturing the attention of the team’s owner, Jesse Cole, and eventually earning a spot on the team, according to People. He now has over 2 million followers on TikTok and uses his account to post skits, dance trends and videos to promote the popular exhibition team.
His social media career began after Olson declined an offer from the Arizona Diamondbacks in order to complete his college degree. After the MLB draft was shortened due to COVID-19, he transferred to Stetson University from the University of Hartford.
Founded by Jesse Cole and his wife Emily Cole in 2016, the Savannah Bananas mix standard baseball with added entertainment. Their form of baseball incorporates choreographed dance moves, sing-alongs and even a player entering the field on stilts.
What other ‘DWTS’ contestants have been announced?
Last month, “Dancing with the Stars” announced that Higgins and Miller would be joining Season 35.
Higgins is an Irish reality TV star known for being on “The Traitors” and “Love Island.” Miller is another reality TV star who has been a part of the show “Summer House.”
“I manifested it really hard. It’s on my vision board,” Higgins told USA Today about being on the show. “It’s the one show I really want to do. This is the last show I want to do as a contestant.”
Higgins previously turned down being on the Irish version of “Dancing with the Stars” and the U.K.’s “Strictly Come Dancing” because she didn’t want to jeopardize her chance of being on “Dancing with the Stars” in the U.S.
“I am so excited to join Season 35,” said Miller about the casting announcement, according to USA Today. “I feel like this is the perfect moment; I’m opening a new chapter. I can’t wait to put my energy on the dance floor.”
‘Dancing with the Stars: The Next Pro’
Ahead of Season 35, a new spinoff of “Dancing with the Stars,” titled “The Next Pro,” will premiere on July 13. The show will be hosted by Season 34 Mirrorball Trophy champion and Australian wildlife conservationist Robert Irwin, as previously reported by the Deseret News.
“Dancing with the Stars: The Next Pro” will feature 12 up-and-coming dancers as they compete for a spot as a pro dancer on Season 35 of “Dancing with the Stars” later this year, per USA Today. The contestants will live in a house together as they go through the audition process.
“For the first time in ‘Dancing with the Stars’ history, the greatest dancers will compete for a spot as the next pro,” Irwin said in a teaser for the show. “Let the fiercest dance battle begin.”
ABC has yet to announce a premiere date for “Dancing with the Stars” Season 35.
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