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Insider spills major tea on the last-minute drama behind ‘DWTS’ Season 34 cast reveal: ‘Several names...’

‘DWTS’ insiders spill that casting was hectic, with several stars asked to hold schedules and kept in the dark until hours before reveal

The heavy cast of ‘Dancing with the Stars’ Season 34 has finally been announced. However, an insider recently shed light on the drama that went behind the big announcement. While the announcement made on September 3 of the final contestants has turned heads, a report by Parade suggests that it had uncertainty until the very last moment. According to an insider who spoke to the outlet, “The final cast was being put together up until the 11th hour.”

They further added, “The network seems to be doing things very differently this year, and we were in discussions with a lot of different people going back and forth between which direction they wanted to go casting-wise.” The source also mentioned, “There were several names for the show who were asked to put their schedules on hold for filming, leading up to very close to the announcement. They were kept in the dark, even the day before the big reveal.”

While the cast announcement may have had issues just as the insider detailed, the final cast that was announced on 'Good Morning America' looks stunning. The show not only welcomes new names ready to dazzle the stage of ‘Dancing with the Stars,’ but also includes pros from previous seasons. One of the big names that grabbed the attention of everyone is Jen Affleck, 'The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives' star, who will be partnering with Jan Ravnik. Next up is Hilaria Baldwin, with partner Gleb Savchenko; they will be going against an Olympic gold medalist, Jordan Chiles, who will take the stage with partner Ezra Sosa. Meanwhile, the NBA player Baron Davis is also set to appear on ‘DWTS’ with partner Britt Stewart. 

Other big stars include Alix Earle with partner Val Chmerkovskiy, the brother of Zac Efron, Dylan Efron, who will partner up with Daniella Karagach, and the ‘80s classic star, Corey Feldman, with partner Jenna Johnson. Danielle Fishel will be seen on 'DWTS' as well with partner Pasha Pashkov, alongside another mindblowing pair, Elaine Hendrix and partner Alan Bersten. Pentatonix singer Scott Hoying with partner Rylee Arnold; Robert Irwin with partner Witney Carson; Fifth Harmony’s Lauren Jauregui and partner Brandon Armstrong are a few other stars set to compete on the reality TV series. Another ‘The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives’ star who will be seen on ‘DWTS’ is Whitney Leavitt, pairing with Mark Ballas, alongside Andy Richter with partner Emma Slater.

Meanwhile, Alfonso Ribeiro will continue to be a part of ‘Dancing with the Stars,’ and will co-host the show with the former Mirror Ball winner and judge, Julianne Hough. ‘Dancing with the Stars’ first premiered on June 1, 2005. The dancing reality show concluded its Season 33 on ABC on November 26, 2024. ‘DWTS’ then moved to Disney+ for its Season 31, and moved back to ABC, while also being available on Disney+ for its Season 32. Season 34 of ‘Dancing with the Stars’ will premiere on September 16.