Savannah Bananas star Jackson Olson is admittedly nervous to trade his baseball cleats for ballroom shoes on Dancing With the Stars.
“I’m definitely nervous. I feel like my dad used to always say to me, ‘If you’re nervous, it’s a good thing. If you’re scared, it is not a good thing,’” Olson, 28, exclusively told Us on Thursday, August 6, while promoting his partnership with Supercuts. “There’s a big difference there. I feel like the nerves are there, but it’s more excitement.”
Olson is among the few competitors who have been confirmed for DWTS season 35, alongside Ciara Miller, Maura Higgins and Guillermo Rodriguez. (The rest of the cast lineup will be announced in September.)
When it comes to the competition itself, the pro athlete is the most worried about “the 10 seconds before” the music plays for his premiere week performance.
“That’s when I’m most nervous for Bananas games, when we’re about to get called out for starting lineups,” he stated. “It’s like, ‘All right, that first 10 seconds,’ but then right when you’re out there, you’re like, ‘Oh, this is what I’ve been practicing for,’ and so I feel like baseball has taught me so much how to have [a] good practice before you actually go out there.”
Despite his initial nerves, Olson is ready to cha-cha across the dance floor.
“I already know I’m going to be super, super motivated to perform really well on the show just from my sports background,” he told Us. “I think it’s different, too, because … I don’t know how many people have ever done what I’m about to do, which is play my sport actively while being on the show at the exact same time. Usually, it’s retired athletes [of] five [or] 10 years that go on. They have a lot of time, [but] I’m still going to be playing three games a weekend during this.”
Olson, an infielder for the Bananas, will balance DWTS rehearsals and live shows with his baseball schedule.
“There’s been talks that my pro partner will come on tour with us, and we will find potentially ballrooms to practice in,” Olson teased of his dance partner, who is still unknown. “While I’m playing, obviously, I’m gonna have to focus on my dances for the Bananas. The crazy part about this is … I’m playing baseball, dancing on the baseball team and then also doing Dancing with the Stars. It’s not like I’m playing [with] Major League Baseball, playing a game and then going to dance. I have to remember a bunch of performances for my game, and then a performance for the main show.”
Though he hasn’t officially met his pro partner yet, Olson is excited to get the ball rolling.
“I will gladly have any of them. They’re all amazing and so talented,” he stated on Wednesday when asked about his favorites on the DWTS pro roster. “I want someone [who] is not necessarily gonna yell at me, but I want them to push me. I want them to push me probably further than I think I can go, because I don’t know my dance ability.”
Before Olson laces up his dancing shoes, he joined forces with Supercuts to debut “The Jax” haircut style for the back to school season.
“My hair has become, kind of, a part of my personality, and when kids dress up as me for Halloween, they’ll get their hair dyed and they’ll cut their hair to try to look like mine,” Olson told Us. “It always looked a little bit like mine, but it was never my haircut. Now, to work with a brand that is literally creating ‘The Jax’ haircut based on my exact haircut, where kids can go into a Supercuts … and get my hair cut, that’s a dream come true. “
Guests can request “The Jax” at participating Supercuts locations nationwide, no appointment necessary. To find a location, visit www.supercuts.com.
Dancing With the Stars season 35 kicks off with a two-night premiere on ABC and Disney+ beginning Tuesday, September 15, at 8 p.m. ET and streams the next day on Hulu.
