Overview
- ABC confirmed the season will air as a two-night event on Tuesday, Sept. 15, and Wednesday, Sept. 16, with one male eliminated at the end of the first night and one female eliminated at the end of the second night.
- The full 16-couple cast was revealed and ABC published most Week 1 song-and-dance assignments that pair each contestant with a No. 1 hit from their birth year.
- The familiar judging panel of Carrie Ann Inaba, Bruno Tonioli and Derek Hough returns to score the debut performances.
- Producers promoted talent from the spinoff The Next Pro, including Adele Zaikman, and have signaled a stronger emphasis on contestants’ social-media activity during the season.
- The early double eliminations and the birth-year theme are designed to drive immediate voting and online engagement, which may speed judges’ and producers’ focus on castability and audience mobilization in later weeks.