Dancing With The Stars is slowly but surely gearing up for Season 34's premiere on the 2025 TV schedule. The show has announced influencer Alix Earle as part of the celebrity cast and conservationalist Robert Irwin is in the mix as well. With some celebrities already in the know, I was shocked when long-time pro Daniella Karagach told me the pro dancers don't find out if they'll be on the show until much later.
I spoke to Karagach on the heels of her and husband Pasha Pashkov finishing the Dancing With The Stars tour, and during our conversation, she revealed a surprising bit of information. Thinking I misheard when she and Pasha will officially know if they're part of the cast this season, I asked her to clarify. Suffice it to say, I was shocked by the response:
We usually learn about that like a few days [before it’s announced on] Good Morning America, like around that time. There's like a few days where we kind of start practicing with our partners, and when we do our first meet, like a few days before that, is when we find out. So, around August time.
I was aware that the pros don't meet their celebrity contestants until shortly before the premiere. However, I was floored that these dancers don't even know they'll be on Dancing With The Stars until shortly before the rest of the world finds out on Good Morning America. I assumed their contracts were a little more guaranteed than that, with some assurance they'd know they were returning at least by the conclusion of the previous season. However, that's not the case at all.
Dancing With The Stars is a rigorous show that requires a lot of work, so it goes without saying that pros have to be in top conditioning to be ready to compete for the Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy. Daniella Karagach confirmed the work begins for her and Pasha Pashkov before they officially know they're involved. And she talked about why it's important to get into peak shape before they know if they'll get a partner or not:
We always try to go to the gym and just like take care of ourselves, eat properly before the craziness starts, because you have to be healthy like from within for the show it's so taxing. You want to be able to like be drinking and hydrated and all that. There's definitely a preparation that goes into the season.
While there's no guarantee that either of the dancing couple will be invited back for Season 34 of Dancing With The Stars, both have had a steady presence on the series for years now. Pasha has been on since Season 28, and Daniella joined in Season 29. I would be shocked if they weren't a part of the new installment, and showing off their best Foxtrot or Pasodoble for those tuning in on ABC or with a Disney+ subscription.
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Should they return, I'll be interested to see who Daniella Karagach gets paired with. Last season, she was with former NBA star Dwight Howard, and the duo made it farther than some DWTS fans might've liked. No doubt her previous experience working with NBA's Iman Shumpert helped her come up with some great choreography, which helped them outlast some of their competitors. So, I'm curious to see if she'll get paired with another athlete or someone totally different.
As mentioned, we should be getting the reveals of who will be on Dancing With The Stars Season 34 sometime in August. While we already know a couple of people who will be participating, the field is still wide open for who could be chosen as a competitor. I know Good Morning America host and former NFL star Michael Strahan is (reluctantly) interested, so maybe we'll be in for a surprise when the show does its official casting announcement.
Plus, now that we know the pros also don't know if they'll be on the show until right before that GMA announcement, I'm also anticipating their involvement, too.
Until then, we'll just have to wait for this summer to pass and watch old seasons of Dancing With The Stars over on Disney+. Season 34 is still a ways off, but hopefully we'll all get a chance to enjoy plenty of summer fun before its return.
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