Who is Sarah Jane Nader? 'DWTS' adds new pro partner for returning franchise favorite
Sarah Jane Nader is joining ‘Dancing With the Stars’ Season 35 with a new professional partner and a familiar family connection to the franchise. The ‘Love Thy Nader’ star will compete alongside Hailey Bills, who is making her debut as a professional dancer this season.
Bills joined the 'DWTS' dance troupe during Season 34 before earning a spot among the show's professional partners.
Nader's sister, Brooks Nader, competed on Season 33 of the ABC dance competition. Nader and Bills will form the show's first same-sex pairing since Season 31. The partnership marks only the third same-sex pairing in 'DWTS' history.
The executive producer, Conrad Green, explained the rationale behind the pairing in an interview with TheWrap. He said Nader identifies as bisexual and wanted to compete with a female professional.
Green said the production team kept returning to the pairing during casting. He felt Nader and Bills had a strong dynamic together, and Bills supported the idea and agreed to take part. The show has featured two previous same-sex pairings; JoJo Siwa competed with Jenna Johnson during Season 30.
Nader's professional partner brings her own family link to the series. Hailey Bills is the niece of Jenna Johnson, who returns for Season 35 with 'Grey's Anatomy' actor Harry Shum Jr. Johnson joined 'DWTS' in 2014 as a member of the dance troupe. She later became one of the show's regular professional dancers. Her husband, Val Chmerkovskiy, will compete this season with Jenna Dewan.
Her move from the troupe to the professional lineup gives her a new role as she competes for the Season 35 title. Nader joins a cast filled with actors, athletes, reality stars, and musicians. The season features 16 celebrity contestants paired with professional dancers.
Season 35 lineup includes Julia Stiles with Ezra Sosa, Giada De Laurentiis with Alan Bersten, and Harry Shum Jr. with Jenna Johnson. Taylor Hanson will compete with Britt Stewart, and Tatyana Ali will dance with Jan Ravnik. Jenna Dewan joins Val Chmerkovskiy, and Olympic figure skater Amber Glenn will compete with Pasha Pashkov.
Paralympic track-and-field athlete Ezra Frech will partner with Daniella Karagach. Connor Wood will compete with Rylee Arnold, and Conner Leavitt will dance with new professional Adele Zaikman. Tyler Cameron returns to reality TV competition with Sharna Burgess. Jackson Olson joins Emma Slater, and Guillermo Rodriguez will compete with Witney Carson.
'Summer House' star Ciara Miller will pair up with Brandon Armstrong. 'Love Island' UK alum Maura Higgins joins Mark Ballas for the new season. Sharna Burgess returns to 'DWTS' after leaving the show following Season 30. She stepped away from the competition in 2021 and later focused on raising her son.
The professional lineup has another notable change. Gleb Savchenko does not appear in the Season 35 cast announcement. Derek Hough, Carrie Ann Inaba, and Bruno Tonioli will return as judges. Alfonso Ribeiro and Julianne Hough will continue their hosting roles.
