Dancing With the Stars Reveals Celebrity Athlete Joining Season 35

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Dancing With the Stars scored a home run with its newest addition to the cast.

The popular ABC series has added Jackson Olson, a player from the fun and entertaining baseball team the Savannah Bananas, to its Season 35 cast. He’ll be joining dancers Maura Higgins and Ciara Miller on the dance floor.

Before Derek Hough was officially confirmed as a judge on Dancing with the Stars, many fans thought he’d given a clue about Xochitl Gomez joining the show. This speculation started after they performed together at a Savannah Bananas baseball game back in March.

In a video posted to Instagram, Derek playfully threw Jackson a small disco ball, which led one commenter to joke that Jackson would be competing on Dancing with the Stars.

As a lifestyle enthusiast, I’ve been following this story closely! It seems football star Trevor Jackson, who’s dating Maggie Sajak (yes, Pat Sajak’s daughter!), is really hoping to trade in his cleats for dancing shoes. He actually told Nicki Marie on her podcast back in July of 2025 that he’d much prefer to be on Dancing With the Stars over The Bachelor – and he even let ABC know he was interested! He’s definitely eager to bring his energy from the field to the ballroom, and honestly, I can see him doing really well.

He’s avoided directly addressing the casting since it was announced, only saying during a December podcast interview with Ali on the Run, “We’ll see what happens.”

Jackson also shared which of the show’s professional dancers he’d like to collaborate with.

I think I’d get along well with Rylee Arnold – I’ve watched her videos and think we’d click. But honestly, I’m happy with whoever they pair me with; I’d be cool with anyone.

Before joining Dancing With the Stars, Jackson talked about his journey from performing in the background to becoming a main performer, captivating audiences in packed stadiums.

He told CT Insider in July that he’s never been one to seek attention. He described himself as a quiet person – never raising his hand in class or dominating conversations, preferring to stay in the background. But he decided he wanted to change that.

From then on, the athlete consistently shares the beliefs and attitudes that have helped him achieve success.

He encouraged everyone to simply be themselves and keep pursuing their goals, dismissing the opinions of others. He added that he personally doesn’t worry about what anyone thinks of him, and finds it incredibly liberating.

Find out what goes on behind the scenes of Dancing With the Stars while we wait to see who will be joining Jackson, Maura, and Ciara on the show!

In 2019, Variety reported that celebrities appearing on Dancing With the Stars initially earn $125,000 for rehearsals and the first two weeks of the show. According to sources, contestants who advance further receive additional payments each week, potentially reaching a maximum of $295,000.

However, Bobby Bones said he made more than this when he won season 27 with Sharna Burgess in 2018.

The radio host mentioned on Jason Tartick’s podcast, Trading Secrets, in September 2025 that the show’s pay started at zero for the first episode, then increased to $10,000 for the second. They estimated the pay scale as $10,000, $10,000, $20,000, $20,000, ultimately reaching $50,000 per episode for those who continued with the show.

In addition to a salary of about $110,000, Bones revealed he earned nearly $400,000 from the show.

ABC has not publicly confirmed any of these figures.

Details about professional dancers’ earnings haven’t been released, either. However, like the contestants, it appears they earn more the further they advance in the competition.

But even if a pro is eliminated in the first round, they’re not leaving the ballroom empty-handed.

Jenna Johnson explained on the June 2025 episode of the The Morning After podcast, hosted by Kelly Stafford and Hank Winchester, that dancers are typically guaranteed work for a set number of weeks. However, she added that contracts vary and she couldn’t comment on the specifics of everyone’s agreement.

Apparently not.

Professional dancers on Dancing with the Stars, like Jenna Johnson, don’t earn extra money for winning the show—even with past victories alongside Adam Rippon (season 26) and Joey Graziadei (season 33). However, she points out there are still benefits to reaching the final round, beyond just the prestige of winning the Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy.

She explained on The Morning After that reaching the finale means you receive full-season pay plus a bonus. However, winning doesn’t come with a large cash prize; instead, the winning couple receives a trophy.

That doesn’t appear to be the case.

In a 2022 appearance on Trading Secrets, Lindsay Arnold shared that her pay was reduced by more than half after she moved from being a professional dancer to a troupe member.

The pros get little input when it comes to being matched with a celebrity.

On the May 2025 episode of Maggie Sellers’ podcast, Hot Smart Rich, Lindsay explained that people in these situations have no input. She described it as simply being told, ‘Here’s your partner – now make the relationship succeed.’

In fact, Jenna said the pairing is often a secret until the last minute.

Jenna explained on The Morning After that the show aims to keep the cast a complete surprise until the reveal. Many assume the hosts know beforehand, but that’s not the case – the producers intentionally don’t tell them who’s participating. They want genuine reactions, so they keep the cast list extremely confidential, even though leaks sometimes happen, until the contestants meet their partners.

As for what the Dancing With the Stars team looks for when making these matches?

According to former showrunner Rob Wade, the show’s pairings weren’t random. In a 2015 interview with TopMob News, he explained they considered height, body type, personality, and how well contestants would get along. They avoided putting people together who they thought wouldn’t click, as the experience was already stressful enough. Unlike shows like The Bachelor, forcing incompatible matches would create a terrible experience for everyone involved – the celebrity, the production team, and the audience. He admitted they’d made that mistake before, pairing people who just didn’t mesh well.

Dancing with the Stars requires a huge time commitment. Rylee Arnold, who partnered with Stephen Nedoroscik in season 33, explained on the Lightweights Podcast With Joe Vulpis that rehearsals typically last four hours, either from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., or 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. But the work doesn’t end there – she often spends additional time meeting with producers, working on choreography, or studying dance routines. Rylee says it consumes her entire life, but she loves it and is passionate about it. The schedule is relentless, with rehearsals happening Tuesday through Sunday after each show, and camera blocking on Mondays. It’s a job that demands dedication every single day.

Emma Slater and Britt Stewart shared in a September 2025 Instagram video that they were mostly on board with something, but it involved working with the show’s producers.

If you think the quickstep dance is fast-paced, you should see how quickly the costume department works! Costume designer Daniela Gschwendtner explained to TV Insider that they collaborate with set, lighting, and dance teams to create a unique story for each dancer’s outfit. Then, they have just five days – often only half a day per costume, before even adding rhinestones – to create everything. The department employs around 20 people, plus an external tailor shop, to manage this massive undertaking.

Costume designer Steven Norman Lee revealed that dancers often don’t try on their costumes until just hours before the show. While some basic pieces might be reused, most costumes are custom-made each week.

As Gschwendtner added, they will reuse items for group performances or promotional photos, but never for the competition itself. The goal is to keep the looks fresh and new each week to maintain excitement and visual interest.

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2026-05-13 00:18