After weeks of fan speculation, the cast for Dancing With the Stars Season 34 has been revealed ahead of the premiere on the 2025 TV schedule. As per usual, there is a mix of athletes, reality stars, actors, influencers, and singers. There's even a pro returning after a few seasons. Perhaps one of the most exciting additions to the cast this season is ‘90s icon Danielle Fishel. And apparently, her addition to the show has been in the making for a long time.
Considering Fishel’s impact on ‘90s and early ‘00s television, it’s a surprise that she hasn’t competed on DWTS already. Her role as Topanga Lawrence (and later, Matthews) on Boy Meets World from 1993 to 2000 remains a favorite to this day. So much so that she reprised the role for Disney Channel revival Girl Meets World from 2014 to 2017. Fishel admitted to Us Weekly that she’s actually been asked on numerous occasions over the years to compete on DWTS, but it was never the right time:
You know what, I honestly couldn’t tell you [how many times I’ve said no], it has been that many. And there was just always something that wasn’t right about it, and I really do believe that when the timing is right, you’ll know.
Doing something like Dancing With the Stars is not easy, and not just because of all the dancing and training involved. Depending on how far you make it, the series can take up to three or four months of your life, and you can’t really do anything else. With Fishel having other projects and her family, every time she got asked, it probably just wasn’t in the cards for her at that time. Plus, your heart really has to be fully in it when it comes to DWTS, so it makes sense that she didn’t want to say yes right away. But this past year has certainly changed her perspective:
And this year, when the call came in, it was like the fastest yes ever. After last year having cancer, I just realized ‘I’m not having enough fun or I’m not experiencing enough joy.’ And the minute this call came in, it sounded like exactly that, joy and fun wrapped up into a three-month experience. So, it’s been a week, and that’s exactly what it’s been, joy and fun.
Fishel revealed last year that she was diagnosed with breast cancer during an episode of her Boy Meets World rewatch podcast Pod Meets World with co-hosts and former co-stars Ryder Strong and Will Friedle. She explained that the stage she was at was technically stage zero, and she was “gonna be fine” as she was having surgery to remove it. She seems to be doing a lot better a year later, but that seemingly showed her that life is too short. So when the opportunity to do DWTS came up yet again, it makes sense why she wanted to jump at it.
It may be a bit too early to tell how Fishel will do on Dancing With the Stars, but she has a pretty good partner: Pasha Pashkov. The pro dancer joined in Season 28 and has become a fan-favorite. The only time he was in the finals was Season 32 with Vanderpump Rules star Ariana Madix, and they came in third. Whether or not he and Fishel will be able to make it to the finals this time is unknown, but it will be entertaining to see them in the ballroom.
Season 34 of DWTS has some stiff competition, and there is no telling who will win the coveted Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy. Tune in on Tuesday, September 16 at 8 p.m. ET on ABC and with a Disney+ subscription to see what happens.
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