‘Dancing With the Stars’ Season 30: Who’s Back, Who’s Competing and More to Know

Credit: ABC/Laretta Houston

'Dancing With the Stars' Season 30: Who's Back, Who's Competing and More to Know

Back to the ballroom! Dancing With the Stars season 30 is right around the corner, and while many familiar faces will appear, the show will also include many new elements. ABC will announce the full cast on September 8 but revealed two celebrities set to take on the ballroom early: JoJo Siwa and Suni Lee. The Dance Moms alum, who came out in January, will be paired with a female dancer. “I think it’s cool, I think it breaks a wall that’s never been done before,” she told press during a Television Critics Association panel in August. “I think it’s really special that I get to share with the world that you can love who you love, but now you can dance with who you want to dance with.” [jwplayer Omhi3Ltb-l3ahXupL] Although it wasn't easy for Banks to step into such beloved shoes — and she received a great deal of criticism for her hosting abilities — she's excited to be back. The Life-Size star also told reporters that when mistakes do happen behind the scenes, she's happy to take the fall. “I mean, people see my face. They don’t know there’s things in my ears, and there’s directors and things, people saying stuff to me,” the America's Next Top Model creator said. “The world sees me. They don’t understand that there’s a whole thing going on. ... The world is angry at the talent. But there’s a whole control room and things happening and craziness going on, and I’m fed certain things, say certain things that I’m told. But it is what it is." Banks added, "We are a team. And sometimes you have to take darts for the team, and I took them. And will continue to take them. … I was blamed for it, and it wasn’t me." For more on the upcoming season, scroll through the gallery below: [podcast_block]

Credit: ABC/Laretta Houston

Changes

"There's a lot of changes. There's things when I came on as executive producer of season 29, I had all these crazy ideas. But you know, you gotta kind of like ease your way into it, and we're doing some of them! I'm throwing some things in where the dancers are gonna be like, 'Really, Tyra? Thank you, really?'" Banks teased to Entertainment Tonight on September 15. "Competitive things, things we've never done before, [throwing] a little wrench at these professional dancers that know how to do everything. The celebs have to do it too and they're already amateur, right? But it's the pros that are so perfect with everything. I think it's important to constantly challenge ourselves or else we get a little bit too complacent. They're some of the best dancers in the entire world and I think the best also need challenges to take them to the [next] level. So I can’t wait to see that."

The model added that there will “be some nostalgia” as the show enters season 30. “But we still wanna stay fresh and relevant and constantly looking to the future, and doing that thing that makes people go, 'Oh my gosh!'" she explained.

Credit: ABC/Eric McCandless

Premiere Date

The season is set to debut on ABC Monday, September 20, at 8 p.m. ET.

Credit: London Entertainment/Shutterstock

The Host

Banks will return as season 30 host. “I’ve been doing live TV probably since I was 17, 18 years old,” the supermodel said in August. “Live TV is pretty normal for me. I actually prefer it because when you tape, you’re taping something for 12 hours, and the director keeps saying do it over and over again. Whereas live, you’re over it pretty fast."

Credit: ABC

The Judges

Len Goodman, Carrie Ann Inaba, Bruno Tonioli and Derek Hough will sit at the judging table for season 30.

Credit: ABC

The Cast

JoJo Siwa and Olympian Suni Lee were the first celebrities announced for the next season.

Us Weekly exclusively confirmed on September 1 that Matt James and Kenya Moore will also be joining this season. Ahead of the GMA announcement, Us confirmed Olivia Jade Giannulli and Brian Austin Green, who is dating pro Sharna Burgess, are also set to compete.

Credit: ABC/Craig Sjodin

The Pros

The professional dancers returning for season 30 include Burgess, Britt Stewart, Cheryl Burke, Daniella Karagach, Emma Slater, Jenna Johnson, Lindsay Arnold, Witney Carson, Alan Bersten, Artem Chigvintsev, Brandon Armstrong, Gleb Savchenko, Pasha Pashkov, Sasha Farber and Valentin Chmerkovskiy.

Credit: Suzanne Cordeiro/Shutterstock

Special Events

Although the 30th season won't be an All-Star season, many pros hope that some of the greatest are honored on the big season. In March, Burgess said that she's hoping DWTS will be "bigger than ever" when it returns.

Credit: Courtesy of Sharna Burgess/Instagram

The Beginning

"I’ve already met my partner, we’ve already been dancing and it’s already been very good,” Burgess gushed in her first Instagram Story from the studio on September 5.

Credit: Courtesy of Lindsay Arnold Cusick/Instagram

The Studio

Arnold smiled in a September 5 Instagram Story video taken back on set.

Credit: Courtesy of Instagram

New Pros

Ezra Sosa and Sofia Ghavami will join DWTS for the 30th season. The competition show announced the two new pros via Instagram in September. “I have trained my whole life for this moment, truly a dream come true,” Sosa shared via Instagram. “I’m so grateful and blessed to have the opportunity to dance for all of you! It is the biggest honor of my life. Thank you.”

Ghavami is equally excited. “This does not feel real……… WHAT AN ABSOLUTE DREAM COME TRUE!!!!!!! 🤩,” she shared via Instagram. “I am SO EXCITED to be joining the @dancingabc fam as their newest pro with the incredible @ezra.sosa 💃🏻❤️ I moved here with a dream 5 years ago…… I can’t believe I am actually living it 🙏🏼”

Credit: ABC/Maarten de Boer (4)

First Week's Songs

While the partnerships won’t be revealed until premiere night, ABC shared what song and style each celebrity will tackle the first week.

Allen will dance a tango to “The Way I Are” by Timbaland featuring Keri Hilson, while Green will give the foxtrot a try, set to “Skate” by Bruno Mars. The Bling Empire star will also dance a tango, though hers will bring the glitz of Fergie’s “Glamorous.” Former Bachelor James will try his best cha cha to Rick James’ “Give It To Me Baby” and Kloots will tango to J.Lo’s “Dance Again.” Hardin will also tackle a tango to “Simply Irresistible” by Robert Palmer and the influencer will salsa to Lizzo’s “Juice.” Kove is set to do a paso doble, Lee will attempt a jive and The Miz will cha cha to a chart-topping BTS hit. Rigsby will get physical to the Olivia Newton-John hit with a tango and Shumpert will try to wow the judges with a jive to “Hey Ya!” Additionally, the RHOA personality will dance a foxtrot to Doja Cat’s “Kiss Me More” and teen queen Siwa will quickstep to Jet’s “Are You Gonna Be My Girl?” Then, former Spice Girl Melanie C will dance to one of her popular hits, “Wannabe,” for a high-energy cha cha.

Credit: Courtesy of Lindsay Arnold/Instagram

All That Glitters Is Gold on Set

Back in the ballroom! Days before the 30th season premiere, the cast has been hard at work perfecting their numbers. Pro Lindsay Arnold shared her first visit in the ballroom on September 19 via Instagram Story. Alongside starry-eyed emojis, the Move With Linds founder shared a brief look at the golden soundstage.

Credit: ABC

The Return of the Audience

While season 29 couldn't have any guests due to the pandemic, this season will include a "limited live audience," made up of the contestants' friends and family members [of those dancing]. Everyone attending must be vaccinated, get tested ahead of time and remain masked during the production.