Dancing With the Stars Has Officially Announced Its Season 28 Cast
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28 seasons in, and fans are still begging for more Dancing With The Stars.
The show skipped its standard spring season in 2019, and after a few changes, is set to return Monday, September 16 at 8:00 PM on ABC.
Here's what we know about the new season.
After last fall's controversial finale, Dancing With The Stars took a brief hiatus and skipped their standard spring season—they typically do two seasons a year—and fans have been itching for the Emmy-winning dance competition's return. Mirror ball enthusiasts breathed a collective sigh of relief when ABC confirmed that the show will premiere on Monday, September 16 at 8:00 PM. The program will be bigger and better than ever, with expected format changes to keep the audience on their toes and make the competition more about dancing. Details are slowly emerging, so here's everything we know about the upcoming 28th season.
When does season 28 of Dancing With The Stars air?
Dancing With The Stars and Mondays are near synonymous at this point, since the show has aired on Mondays since its fourth season, and the show typically runs its fall season between Labor Day and Thanksgiving. This year is no different: DWTS is set to premiere at 8 p.m. ET on Monday, September 16 on ABC.
Who is in this season's cast of celebrity dancers?
ABC Entertainment president Karey Burke revealed that this year they're “going after bigger stars than we have in a long time." And that certainly proved to be true. See the full list below:
Karamo Brown
Hannah Brown
Lauren Alaina
James van der Beek
Ray Lewis
Kate Flannery
Ally Brooke
Lamar Odom
Kel Mitchell
Sean Spicer
Christie Brinkley
Mary Wilson
And just hours before season 28 kicked off, we learned that contestant Christie Brinkley actually dropped out of the race due to an arm injury. Her replacement? None other than her look-alike daughter Sailor Brinkley-Cook, who perfectly fit into mom's costume.
What are the new rules?
The 27th season's results had fans calling for the show's restructuring. To explain the controversy simply, well-scored competitors like singer Tinashe and Fuller House actor Juan Pablo Di Pace were eliminated prematurely, while country radio DJ Bobby Bones and partner Sharna Burgess came away with the final prize, despite consistent low-scores from the judges throughout the season and the lowest scores in the finale. Even Neil Patrick Harris felt some type of way about it:
Dancing With the Stars just confirmed why I don’t watch Dancing With the Stars.
— Neil Patrick Harris (@ActuallyNPH) November 20, 2018
The resulting uproar that DWTS was a popularity contest and not a dance competition was felt by the higher-ups at ABC, who are making changes to the show's structure when it returns in the fall. Host Tom Bergeron first confirmed the changes in June on Twitter:
Just had first meeting re: Season 28 of @DancingABC. Major takeaway; we hear you #DWTS
— Tom Bergeron (@Tom_Bergeron) June 4, 2019
He even threw a little shade at the 2018 results with three words:
As I've often pointed out, @mrBobbyBones won fair & square based on the voting rules of the show at that time.
— Tom Bergeron (@Tom_Bergeron) June 4, 2019
"At that time" has never had so much meaning.
ABC Entertainment President Burke also confirmed that change is coming at the Disney press upfronts in May, per Deadline:
"We have been pitched some really fun format changes for Dancing with the Stars by the executive producers but right now they are top secret. [Reality chief] Rob Mills and I had a meeting with them a couple of months ago and got very excited about some of the new ideas that they were talking about to freshen up the format. It’s still the show that audience knows and loves but they’ve got some good ideas in terms of how to surprise people in new ways," she said.
The most we know so far is—say goodbye to the paddles! Bergeron shared this news on Twitter:
You'll see those three lovable mugs for sure. Probably won't see those 10 paddles for awhile, tho...😉 #DWTS @carrieanninaba @GrumpyLGoodman @BrunoTonioli https://t.co/LqNV2GP0Uq
— Tom Bergeron (@Tom_Bergeron) July 2, 2019
Will the judging panel and cast be the same?
Yes! Hosts Bergeron and Erin Andrews are back, and our judging panel made up of Len Goodman, Bruno Tonioli, and Carrie Ann Inaba are all returning.
How can I watch Dancing With The Stars?
Diehard Dancing fans without cable access can watch the show the day after it airs on Hulu, and you can sign up for a 30-day free trial on their website. Those who want to watch the show as it airs live can catch it with a Hulu + Live TV account, as well.
With a cable login, fans can check out the series online with ABC’s Go Watch Live , or use the ABC app on iOS, Android, Apple TV, Amazon Fire, Smart TVs, or Roku. With your cable login, you can also watch the episodes on ABC.com, and if you don't have one, you'll be able to watch episodes a week after they air.
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