“Dancing With the Stars” will cross paths with the Savannah Bananas this fall as second baseman Jackson Olson joins Season 35 as a celebrity contestant.
Olson, who is also an internet personality, marks the third celebrity contestant to be announced for Season 35, joining “Summer House” star Ciara Miller and “The Traitors” alum Maura Higgins, who were previously announced as the first celebrities to compete this season at Hulu’s Get Real event in Los Angeles.
The full cast of celebrities and professional dancers will be announced Wednesday, Sept. 2 on Good Morning America.
“Dancing with the Stars” will simulcast live this fall across ABC and Disney+ and stream next day on Hulu on Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ahead of new episodes of “RJ Decker.”
Olson’s casting on “Dancing With the Stars” comes as Disney expands their partnership with the Savannah Bananas as Disney+ becomes the U.S. the home of the Banana Bowl, which is set to stream this October.
Additionally, ESPN, Disney+ and the Savannah Bananas have launched a 25-game exclusive package, meaning that every game will live stream on the ESPN App and Disney+, with select matchups airing across ESPN networks and ABC.
The buzzy celebrity roster so far bodes well for the upcoming season of “Dancing With the Stars,” which saw ratings in the key broadcast demo grow nearly 80% year-over-year with Season 34.
“The team has innovated immensely in the social media space, both from a casting perspective and a lot of the social and marketing tactics involved with the show — I think you’re going to see the same type of approach this season with the amazing work that’s been done on TikTok and across social platforms,” ABC SVP of content strategy and scheduling Ari Goldman told TheWrap. “I think we’ve also seen the innovation in the podcast space last year that further improved or engaged audiences even more … you’re going to see us doubling down in those areas this season.”
“Dancing with the Stars” finished Season 34 as the No. 1 entertainment series among adults 18-49 for the second year in a row, per Nielsen. Season 34 wrapped up with a record-breaking 72 million votes in the finale and nearly half a billion votes across the season.
The ballroom competition series is produced in front of a live audience by BBC Studios.
