“Dancing With the Stars” named its first two celebrity contestants for its upcoming 35th season Wednesday.
Reality stars Ciara Miller and Maura Higgins will hit the dance floor for the landmark season of the ballroom dance competition show. “Summer House” star Miller joins the franchise following her fifth consecutive season of the Bravo series and her standout performance on “The Traitors.” Higgins recently placed as a finalist on Peacock’s “The Traitors,” following her breakout role on “Love Island UK” and hosting spinoffs “Love Island USA: Aftersun.”
The full cast of celebrities and returning professional dancers will be announced at a later date, according to the network. “Dancing with the Stars” will premiere this fall on ABC and Disney+, and will stream next day on Hulu.
Both Higgins and Miller have extended their reality TV stardom beyond their respective franchises. Higgins has become a full time model and fashion influencer, making appearances at the Golden Globes, the British Fashion Awards and the TIME 100 Gala.
Miller has collaborated with studios, including Apple and Warner Bros. Pictures, for their red carpet coverage. She also works as a model and formerly as an ICU nurse. The reality star has been in the headlines recently as it relates to relationship drama between her “Summer House” cast mates Amanda Batula and West Wilson.
“Dancing With the Stars” also confirmed that its spinoff series “The Next Pro” will come to ABC and Hulu this summer. The reality series, which follows 12 up-and-coming dancers hopeful to earn their spot on the ballroom competition series, will premiere July 13.
Season 34 champion Robert Irwin will host the new spinoff with three-time mirrorball champion Mark Ballas and his mother, Shirley, serving as judges. The third judging chair will be open for returning pros to judge and also serve as mentors for the contestants. Ballas most recently appeared on “DWTS” partnered with “Mormon Wives” star Whitney Leavitt and on Season 4 of “The Traitors.”
Produced by BBC Studios, “Dancing With the Stars: The Next Pro” will have Conrad Green as showrunner and executive producer. Ryan O’Dowd, Krystal Whitney, Alex Cross and Jenny Groom will also executive produce with casting director Deena Katz and Quinn Lipton as co-executive producers.
Season 34 of “Dancing With the Stars” saw an uptick in viewership, breaking records with the show’s best finale in 10 years. The season also scored 72 million votes for the finale and nearly half a billion votes overall.
