‘DWTS’ may have just cast this beloved TV chef for Season 35

Ciara Miller, Maura Higgins, and more celebrities are set to join ‘Dancing With the Stars’ Season 35
A still from ‘DWTS’ Season 33 featuring the judges (Cover Image Source: ABC)
A still from ‘DWTS’ Season 33 featuring the judges (Cover Image Source: ABC)

Since ‘DWTS: The Next Pro’ debuted, fans have been eagerly awaiting the show’s finale. This is because the winning contestant will earn a spot as one of the professional dancers on ‘DWTS’ Season 35. Over the past few weeks, fans have been looking forward to learning more about the celebrity contestants and the pro dancers set to feature on the ABC show. Since Kristyn Burtt teased that ‘Good Morning America’ will reveal a major casting announcement on Monday, August 17, 2026, anticipation has been at an all-time high.

A still featuring Giada De Laurentiis from Giada's Holiday Handbook (Image Source: YouTube | @Food Network)
A still featuring Giada De Laurentiis from 'Giada's Holiday Handbook' (Image Source: YouTube | @Food Network)

Interestingly, The Sun reported that Giada De Laurentiis is set to join ‘DWTS’ Season 35 as one of the celebrity contestants. If the report turns out to be accurate, fans will see the Italian-American chef dancing with a pro dancer as she competes to win the Mirrorball Trophy. A source told the publication, “Giada is on. The show has been trying to get her on since basically the first season.” Fans might know the 55-year-old Emmy-winning chef from the Food Network’s renowned shows. She has authored several cookbooks and has established herself as a prominent name in the culinary world.



Apart from Giada, the publication also reported that Taylor Hanson could be joining the competition series. Previously confirmed ‘DWTS’ celebrity contestants include Ciara Miller from ‘Summer House’, Irish reality TV personality and model Maura Higgins from ‘The Traitors’, Jackson Olson from the Savannah Bananas, and ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’s Guillermo Rodriguez. However, the pro dancers accompanying them have not yet been announced. 

A still from ‘Dancing With the Stars: The Next Pro’ featuring the host Robert Irwin posing with the dancers (Image Source: Instagram | @dancingwiththestars)
A still from ‘Dancing With the Stars: The Next Pro’ featuring the host Robert Irwin posing with the dancers (Image Source: Instagram | @dancingwiththestars)

The official lineup of dancers and celebrity contestants will be announced on September 2, 2026, on ‘Good Morning America.’ So, fans will have to wait a couple of weeks for the official reveal. ‘DWTS’ Season 35 is set to premiere on September 15, 2026, on Disney+, ABC, and Hulu (from the next day onwards). For now, fans can enjoy ‘DWTS: The Next Pro’ as the finale approaches.

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