ABC’s Dancing With the Stars Returns With a Special Two-Night Premiere, Featuring a Cast of 13 Celebrities Who Are Ready to Compete for the Coveted Mirrorball Trophy, on the Season Premiere Airing on September 24 & 25
Pop Star Mackenzie Ziegler Will Perform Her Hit Song, ‘Wonderful,’ On Night Two At the End of the Two-Night Premiere, One Couple Will Be Eliminated
Los Angeles, CA – “Episode 2701” – “Dancing with the Stars” is back with a new, dynamic cast of 13 celebrities who are ready to move out of their comfort zones and hit the ballroom floor on a special two-night premiere. The competition begins with a two-hour season premiere, live, MONDAY, SEPT. 24 (8:00-10:00 p.m. EDT), on The ABC Television Network, streaming and on demand. The show will kick off with an exciting opening number featuring the full cast dancing to Erin Boheme’s “I Won’t Dance,” choreographed by the show’s own Emmy®-winning Mandy Moore.
This season’s lineup of celebrity dancers includes an “American Idol” mentor, the first-ever blind contestant to take part in the show, an alumnus from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, a Duke of Hazzard, an Olympic Gold medal-winning gymnast and a Bachelor Nation favorite, among others. Each couple will perform a jive, cha cha, foxtrot, salsa or quickstep, vying for America’s vote for the first time. There will not be an elimination on this night.
Each couple will dance to the following songs (in alphabetical order):
- Alexis Ren and Alan Bersten – Jive – “Good Golly Miss Molly” by Little Richard
- Bobby Bones and Sharna Burgess – Jive – “T-R-O-U-B-L-E” by Travis Tritt
- Danelle Umstead and Artem Chigvintsev – Foxtrot – “Rise Up” by Andra Day
- DeMarcus Ware and Lindsay Arnold – Cha Cha – “Sweet Sensation” by Flo Rida
- Evanna Lynch and Keo Motsepe – Foxtrot – “Do You Believe in Magic” by Aly & AJ
- Joe “Grocery Store Joe” Amabile and Jenna Johnson – Quickstep – “Fish Out of Water” by Leo Soul
- John Schneider and Emma Slater – Foxtrot – “Good Ol’ Boys from Dukes of Hazzard” by Waylon Jennings
- Juan Pablo Di Pace and Cheryl Burke – Salsa – “Dinero” by Jennifer Lopez featuring DJ Khaled & Cardi B
- Mary Lou Retton and Sasha Farber – Cha Cha – “Treasure” by Bruno Mars
- Milo Manheim and Witney Carson – Cha Cha – “Free Free Free” by Pitbull featuring Theron Theron
- Nancy McKeon and Val Chmerkovskiy – Quickstep – “It Don’t Mean a Thing” by Club Des Belugas
- Nikki Glaser and Gleb Savchenko – Salsa – “YES” by Louisa featuring 2 Chainz
- Tinashe and Brandon Armstrong – Jive – “I’m a Lady” by Meghan Trainor
For week one, viewers may cast their votes for their favorite “Dancing with the Stars” couples via phone and online at www.ABC.com on Monday night, beginning from the start of the episode on the East Coast at 8:00 p.m. EDT/5:00 p.m. PDT and closing at 4:00 a.m. EDT/1:00 a.m. PDT on Tuesday.
“Episode 2701A” – On part two of the spectacular season premiere, the 13 celebrities get ready to hit the ballroom floor once again, with a lot riding on their final scores, on “Dancing with the Stars,” live, TUESDAY, SEPT. 25 (8:00-10:01 p.m. EDT), on The ABC Television Network, streaming and on demand. The night kicks off with an electrifying opening number, featuring all of the pros dancing to “The Greatest Show” from “The Greatest Showman” soundtrack, choreographed by Mandy Moore. Also, as a special treat, singer/actress/model Mackenzie Ziegler will perform her hit song, “Wonderful.”
In addition, the cast of the much-anticipated “Dancing with the Stars: Juniors,” which premieres on Sunday, Oct. 7 at 8:00 p.m. EDT, will take the stage and be revealed. The youngest cast ever, featuring 12 celebrity kids and professional junior ballroom dancers, will hit the ballroom floor, sparkle up their wardrobe and break in their dancing shoes as they ready themselves for what will be an unforgettable journey. Each couple will be mentored by one of “Dancing with the Stars’” professional and troupe dancers. The “Juniors” cast will then complete a performance to DNCE’s “Dance.” Additionally, the “Juniors” pros will also perform a dance to “Born Ready” (by Disco Fries featuring Hope Murphy). Both numbers will be choreographed by Mandy Moore.
Each “Dancing with the Stars” couple will prepare a jive, cha cha, foxtrot, salsa or quickstep. At the end of the night, one couple will be eliminated.
Each couple will prepare dances to the following songs (in alphabetical order):
- Alexis Ren and Alan Bersten – Jive – “Shake the Room” by Gamu
- Bobby Bones and Sharna Burgess – Jive – “Gimme Some Lovin’” by The Spencer Davis Group
- Danelle Umstead and Artem Chigvintsev – Foxtrot – “Strong Ones” by Armin van Buuren featuring Cimo Fränkel
- DeMarcus Ware and Lindsay Arnold – Cha Cha – “I Like It (Like That)” by The Blackout Allstars
- Evanna Lynch and Keo Motsepe – Foxtrot – “Rewrite the Stars” by Zac Efron & Zendaya
- Joe “Grocery Store Joe” Amabile and Jenna Johnson – Quickstep – “Check It Out” by Oh the Larceny
- John Schneider and Emma Slater – Foxtrot – “Orange Colored Sky” by Nat “King” Cole
- Juan Pablo Di Pace and Cheryl Burke – Salsa – “Tu Sonrisa” by Elvis Crespo
- Mary Lou Retton and Sasha Farber – Cha Cha – “Hot Stuff” by Donna Summer
- Milo Manheim and Witney Carson – Cha Cha – “Good Feeling” by Austin French
- Nancy McKeon and Val Chmerkovskiy – Quickstep – “Walking on Sunshine” by Katrina & The Waves
- Nikki Glaser and Gleb Savchenko – Salsa – “Tres Deseos” by Gloria Estefan
- Tinashe and Brandon Armstrong – Jive – “Yes” by Merry Clayton
For Tuesday’s show, which airs at 8:00 p.m. EDT/7:00 p.m. CDT on Sept. 25, the eliminated couple will be determined based on that night’s judges’ scores, along with the previous night’s judges’ scores and viewer votes, along with the results of a live viewer vote during the live broadcast of the show. Fans can vote online during the live broadcast in the Eastern and Central time zones at www.DWTSLiveVote.com. The live viewer vote will open after all of the eligible couples have finished their dances and will remain open for approximately five minutes before the elimination is revealed.
Hosted by two-time Emmy-winning host Tom Bergeron and Erin Andrews, “Dancing with the Stars” is the hit series in which celebrities perform choreographed dance routines that are judged by a panel of renowned ballroom experts, including head judge, Len Goodman, and dancers/choreographers Bruno Tonioli and Carrie Ann Inaba.
“Dancing with the Stars” is produced by BBC Studios. Andrew Llinares and Ashley Edens-Shaffer are executive producers. The show is broadcast in 720 Progressive (720P), ABC’s selected HDTV format, with 5.1 channel surround sound.
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Cheat tweet: .@DancingABC is back with a new, dynamic cast of 13 celebrities who are ready to move out of their comfort zones and hit the ballroom floor in a special two-night season premiere, Monday, September 24 & Tuesday, September 25! #DWTS #ABCPublicity
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