Dancing With the Stars is slowly starting to unveil its cast for Season 34, which will hit the 2025 TV schedule this fall. So far, just Robert Irwin and Alix Earle have been announced, but the speculation is continuing as to who else will be joining them on the ballroom floor. Separately, people have wondered if DWTS will ever have a male-on-male pairing, and one head honcho had some thoughts. Let's un-tango what he had to say.
Although there hasn’t been a male duo before on the long-running dancing competition series, there is precedent for such a move. Jenna Johnson and JoJo Siwa were the first same-sex pairing during Season 30, placing in second. It marked a pretty impactful change to DWTS and opened up the door to more same sex pairings in the future.
Additionally, fan-favorite former pros Derek Hough and Mark Ballas did a routine together last season, and Ballas previously touched on the importance of seeing two men dance together. In response to the routine, BBC Studios President of Unscripted TV Ryan O’Dowd told Deadline how great the dance is and even admitted that he didn’t know the origins of the tango.
It’s great to do a dance like that in general, with the motivation behind it. Many people said to me they had no idea about the origins of the tango. And I had no idea that it did begin with two males. And so you’ve got to see an unbelievable performance, right?
Even though it took 33 seasons to see two men dancing together, it seems like O’Dowd loved it as much as many of the fans did. That said, as Dancing With the Stars continues with no end in sight, it feels like there is room to go a little harder in the paint when it comes to new pairings. Someone asked O'Dowd what he thought, and his answer was very candid:
As to your question, I would say we are constantly looking at the ways by which we can push the envelope and produce a show that reflects and represents society as a whole. So I wouldn’t rule it out. It’s something that we’re continuing to discuss.
DWTS is certainly keeping things fresh every season, whether that’s with something new in regards to the pairings or simply by changing out themes, hosts, judges and pros over the years. Of course, it would have to be the right celebrity and the right pro, but it sounds like it’s not off the table. Maybe it could even happen for Season 34.
It's worth noting, Hough and Ballas’ dance went viral, and I think it showed fans love variety, and would be interested in a male-on-male pairing. On top of the fact that Johnson and Siwa made history, they also managed to nearly take the Mirrorball Trophy. Even though they didn't win, I think Siwa and Johnson proved same-sex dancing can work.
Whether or not that happens next season is still unknown, but Dancing With The Stars doesn’t seem to have any end in sight. If not this season, there's always the next, and hopefully there will be plenty of time to make it happen at some point. If anything, it’s comforting to know that even a BBC Studios head honcho knows how important new pairings are, and have a male duo in his sightline.
In the meantime, there will be a lot to look forward to with the upcoming season as fans continue to wait for the next big contestant announcement. As of now, a premiere date has not been announced for Season 34, but the wait shouldn’t be too much longer. It will be exciting to see who will be vying for the Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy next on Dancing With the Stars.
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