In Mark Ballas’ opinion, Dancing With the Stars may just have something up its sleeve with the season 35 premiere.
“If I were to be a pro this season, I’m sure [casting director] Deena [Katz] will do her thing. The cast they’ve released so far looks great. I’m sure they’re gonna have surprises,” Mark, 40, speculated during an exclusive interview with Us. “The fact that we have a two-night premiere makes me think that there’s a twist.”
While ABC surprised viewers by revealing that season 35 would kick off with a two-night premiere on Tuesday, September 15, no further details were shared from the network about what the episodes would entail.
“The last few years it’s [been] one night and someone either gets eliminated or they don’t. So, a two-night premiere means something’s coming, I think,” Mark theorized. “I would encourage people to keep both nights free.”
Mark, who joined in on brainstorming with Us about what the two-night premiere could mean, pointed to the past DWTS results shows as one potential idea. (For the uninitiated, the show would air two days in a row: one night dedicated to performances and judges scoring, with the second night revealing who America voted off.)
“That was always really fun because the pros got to do really cool opening numbers,” he said. “It was kind of a showcase. We used to do those Macy’s Stars of Dance. We used to have artists come and perform.”
But ultimately, Mark’s guess is as good as ours. “We have no info on what the second show is. We just found out that there will be two,” he said. “They’re so good at this, so who knows? It’ll be a curveball, I’m sure.”
As excitement brews for season 35, the network confirmed that Love Island’s Maura Higgins, Summer House star Ciara Miller, Savannah Bananas’ Jackson Olson and Jimmy Kimmel’s sidekick Guillermo Rodriguez are the first contestants to be vying for the Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy.
No further celebrities nor pros have been announced, but fans know that the winner of Dancing With the Stars: The Next Pro will receive a spot on season 35 — where Mark serves as a judge alongside mom Shirley Ballas and a rotating guest. Mark, for his part, told Us he’s “open” to returning as a pro himself.
“I mean, it just depends. The show has their system that they go through and they’re deeply in the casting process right now,” he said, adding, “We’ll see.”
