The official “Dancing With the Stars” season 35 cast list is out. Fans can’t wait to see 16 couples go head to head this year in hopes of winning the Mirrorball trophy.
While viewers are delighted to see many familiar faces return, there are two beloved pro dancers who aren’t competing this year.
Sasha Farber & Gleb Savchenko Aren’t Competing This Year
During “Good Morning America” on September 2, viewers tuned in to see who would compete on “Dancing With the Stars” season 35. There are more couples than last year, but many fans noticed two professional dancers weren’t included.
Neither Sasha Farber nor Gleb Savchenko have won a Mirrorball trophy yet. However, they both have large fan bases and have appeared in the finale multiple times. They even participated at the Dancing With the Stars convention this summer.
But this year, they weren’t among the pro dancers featured on “Good Morning America.”
Sasha Farber was noticeably absent from the DWTS season 34 cast list as well. But even so, fans easily spotted him in group dances and in several cast members’ social media posts. Even though he wasn’t competing, he still had a strong presence in the ballroom. It’s entirely possible a similar situation could play out this year.
Farber’s ex-wife, Emma Slater, and her current boyfriend, Alan Bersten, are competing pros this year.
Gleb Savchenko competed in season 34 with Hilaria Baldwin. They were eliminated fairly early in the competition, finishing in 11th place out of 14 couples. While Gleb remains popular with fans, drama with previous contestants and ongoing legal issues in his personal life possibly caused him not to participate this year.
Maura Higgins Spoke Out Against Gleb Savchenko Before the Season
“The Traitors” alum Maura Higgins is competing with pro dancer Mark Ballas this year. But before being paired, she spoke out against Gleb Savchenko.
“I’d be happy with anyone except Gleb. That’s only because I’m loyal and I’m friends with Brooks [Nader],” the Irish model told E! News, noting that she strongly dislikes the way he speaks about women.
Brooks Nader and Gleb Savchenko dated after competing in DWTS season 33 together. Their breakup was incredibly explosive and they spoke very unkindly about each other in the press. This year, Brooks’ sister, Sarah Jane Nader, is competing with new pro Hailey Bills.
“I don’t really want to spend all my time with someone like that. I’m like, no thank you,” Maura added about the pro dancer.
After hearing Maura Higgins’ opinions, Gleb issued an official statement of his own.
“Until I was asked to comment on this story, I’d genuinely never heard of Maura, so I was quite surprised to learn she’d spoken about me so negatively,” the Russian dancer told PEOPLE in August. “We’ve never met, and she doesn’t know me personally, so it’s disappointing to be judged based on a one-sided version of events rather than the facts.”
Until Gleb Savchenko and Sasha Farber speak up about their absence on the show, fans will continue to speculate.
Catch the “Dancing With the Stars” season 35 premiere at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, September 15. There will be a second episode the following evening on Wednesday, September 16.
