Dancing With the Stars has announced the first two celebrity contestants who will be taking to the ballroom for Season 35.
Love Island and The Traitors star Maura Higgins will be tearing up the dance floor with Summer House‘s Ciara Miller in the upcoming season of the ABC ballroom dance competition show, Hulu announced Wednesday at the Get Real event.
A full cast of celebrities and their pro dancer partners will be announced at a later date, with Season 35 set to premiere this fall on ABC and Disney+.
Higgins first appeared on the fifth season of Love Island back in 2019, but she recently reentered the spotlight this year on Season 4 of The Traitors, where she ultimately lost to Love Island USA‘s Rob Rausch. Rausch then apologized for betraying her on the show by gifting Higgins a Birkin bag.
“She went from looking for love to looking for who to trust, and now she’s looking to win the Mirrorball,” Dancing With the Stars wrote on Instagram Wednesday while announcing Higgins would be competing on Season 35. “We’re welcoming @maurahiggins to #DWTS on ABC, Disney+, and Hulu this fall!”
Miller’s casting comes amid a scandal in the Bravoverse, as her Summer House co-stars, ex West Wilson and close friend Amanda Batula, recently confirmed their romance amid Batula’s separation from husband Kyle Cooke. The cast is set to address the state of things in the upcoming Season 10 reunion.
“Everyone’s been talking about what her next move will be. It’s going to be in the ballroom,” Dancing With the Stars wrote on social media of Miller’s casting. Miller herself also shared an announcement video that shows her checking off “prioritizing myself” and “taking risks” on her “next chapter 2026” to-do list before ultimately crossing out “Dancing With the Stars!!”
“See you in the ballroom,” Miller tells the camera before taking a twirl.
The announcement comes on the heels of a milestone 34th season of Dancing With the Stars, which brought in 72 million votes during the finale. Ultimately, Robert Irwin and pro Witney Carson walked away with the Mirrorball Trophy, and Hulu announced on Wednesday that Irwin will host a new series, Dancing with the Stars: The Next Pro.
The series, which premieres on July 13 on ABC, will feature “12 exceptional up-and-coming dancers who move into one house and compete in a grueling audition process, all vying for a coveted spot as a pro dancer” on Season 35, as per the network.
Dancing With the Stars pro Mark Ballas and his mother, Shirley Ballas, will judge the competition alongside a rotating panel of guest judges.
