“Dancing with the Stars” Season 34 premieres on Tuesday, September 16, 2025. The episodes will air at 8 p.m. ET and continue until 10 p.m. ET, and can be watched on ABC and Disney+. Ahead of the premiere in a few hours, there are already a few spoilers about this season that will interest fans, including how a DWTS alum will be incorporated into the show, a missing judge, and the paychecks for some of the professional dancers and celebrities.
Who Is Returning For DWTS Season 34?
The judges for this season are Carrie Ann Inaba, Bruno Tonioli, and Derek Hough. Still, fans will see a noticeable absence in Episode 1 because it has been revealed that Inaba will not be there because she is unwell.
She announced the news in an Instagram post on September 16. “I wanted to share that I will not be at the show tonight as I am feeling quite under the weather. I’m resting up and can’t wait to be back next week in good health,” she wrote. “In the meantime, I wish all the contestants the very best of luck. I’ll be cheering you on from home.”
Beloved co-hosts Julianne Hough and Alfonso Ribeiro will return.
Professional dancers Jenna Johnson, Val Chmerkovskiy, Witney Carson, Brandon Armstrong, Mark Ballas, Gleb Savchenko, Ezra Sosa, Britt Stewart, Daniella Karagach, Pasha Pashkov, Alan Bersten, Rylee Arnold, and Emma Slater will also be back onstage. Jan Ravnik will join the pros as a new addition, and he has previously worked as a dancer on Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour.
Who Is Competing on Season 34?
Competing for the Mirrorball Trophy this year are “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” stars Jen Affleck and Whitney Leavitt, comedian Andy Richter, influencer Hilaria Baldwin, Olympic gold medalist Jordan Chiles, Fifth Harmony singer Lauren Jauregui, and wildlife conservationist Robert Irwin. Fans will also see NBA star Baron Davis, influencer Alix Earle, “The Traitors” star Dylan Efron (who is also the brother of Zac Efron), ‘80s child star Corey Feldman, “Boy Meets World” star Danielle Fishel, actress Elaine Hendrix, and Grammy winner Scott Hoying.
Beloved DWTS alum Sasha Farber will also appear on the show, though not as a dancer this season. His inclusion on the show was announced on the official “Dancing with the Stars” Instagram page on September 15. The account teased how he would be giving audiences a look behind the scenes.
How Much Do the Dancers & Celebs Get Paid?
ABC has never publicly confirmed the salaries of the celebrity contestants or the professional dancers. The contestants receive $125,000 for rehearsals and the first two weeks, Variety reported in 2019. This amount will increase if the contestant spends more time on the show.
“Sources say that the maximum contestants can earn is $295,000,” Variety reports.
The pros also get paid for their hard work, but do they get more for winning? ”If you make it all the way to the end, you’re getting paid the whole season, which is amazing, and you get a bonus on top of that for making it to the finale,” Jenna Johnson told “The Morning After” in a July 2025 interview. “If you win, it’s not like you win a $1 million and split it with your partner. You’re just getting a cute trophy together.”
There Is a Lot of Practising
Professional dancer Rylee Arnold has previously revealed the grueling rehearsal schedule in an interview with the “Lightweights Podcast With Joe Vulpis” podcast in September 2024. “Every day we have four-hour rehearsals,” she said. “It’s either 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., or 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.”
All The Dancing with the Stars Season 34 Spoilers So Far
DWTS Season 34 is shaping up to be an exciting show, and the mix of celebrity contestants will make for excellent viewing; however, there is also some concern that there will be an unfair advantage for stars with dance backgrounds, for example, Hilaria Baldwin, who has ballroom training and was on a ballroom dance team at New York University (NYU).
There has been some speculation about who can win the competition, with Robert Irwin’s name being tossed into the mix. Fans love him because of his humble and kind personality, and his older sister, Bindi Irwin, won the competition on Season 21 when she competed alongside Derek Hough.
“I think the fans can expect a competitive season,” Derek Hough told E! News in a September 3, 2025, interview. “A season with a lot of social media because I feel like a lot of the cast have that down. So you’re not just gonna get the show, you’re gonna get a 24/7 show.”
