Dancing With Stars Season 34 Premieres With 14 Celebrities, New Elimination Format

Season 34 of Dancing With the Stars premiered on September 16, celebrating the show's 20th anniversary with a diverse cast of 14 celebrities ranging from Olympic athletes like Jordan Chiles to reality TV stars, musicians, and conservationists such as Robert Irwin. The premiere featured a high-energy opening number choreographed to "Kill the Lights" by Whitney Myer and performances by an all-new troupe dancing to Tate McRae's "Just Keep Watching." Celebrity and professional dance pairs performed a variety of ballroom styles including the Tango, Cha-Cha, Salsa, and Jive, with notable participants such as Jen Affleck and Whitney Leavitt from "The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives," Pentatonix’s Scott Hoying, and Lauren Jauregui from Fifth Harmony. The season's professional roster includes returning stars like Mark Ballas and newcomers like Jan Ravnik, who danced with Jen Affleck. Viewers can watch live on ABC and Disney+ with voting available online and via SMS in the U.S. and Canada, combining viewer votes and judges' scores to decide eliminations. Co-hosts Alfonso Ribeiro and Julianne Hough returned alongside judges Carrie Ann Inaba, Bruno Tonioli, and Derek Hough to guide the competition through its milestone season.