DWTS Bosses on Ciara, Maura Season 35 Casting, Next Pro Spinoff, Emmys
'Dancing With the Stars' FYC panel.
Frank Micelotta/Disney
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Season 34 of Dancing With the Stars was a moment in itself, but as Emmy season picks up and the show finds itself vying for awards recognition, the road to season 35 is already being laid out.
“We’re deep into it,” executive producer and casting head Deena Katz tells The Hollywood Reporter of her plans for the forthcoming installment at an Emmys FYC event on Sunday in Hollywood. “We’re already deep into casting, we’re talking themes — we’re talking everything.”
Sunday’s event, held at the Dolby Theatre, allowed attendees to learn more about the creative processes that mold Dancing With the Stars. The season 34 finale earned the show’s highest ratings in a decade, and they’re ready to continue that momentum with further acknowledgment from the Television Academy.
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The reality show historically earns craft nominations, though it’s been 10 years since Dancing With the Stars earned a coveted nod in the reality competition program category. Shows like RuPaul’s Drag Race and The Traitors (which Katz co-exec produces and casts for) have dominated the unscripted landscape in the past decade, but with its newfound success, showrunner Conrad Green and Katz are hopeful Emmys voters will recognize the blood, sweat and tears that feed into creating a two-hour-long live show for 11 weeks at a time.
“I think the Emmy voters understand and appreciate that there’s very little like this on television anymore apart from those big award shows,” Green explains. “There’s very little production of this level on television, certainly not routinely, week after week. For comedy, you’ve got Saturday Night Live; for dancing and entertainment, you’ve got Dancing With the Stars. It’s a similar process: It’s a weekly turnaround where you have to hit that excellence every time.”
Deena Katz and Conrad Green at the Dancing With the Stars FYC event.
Frank Micelotta/Disney
The professional dancers put on a dazzling performance on Sunday, pinpointing their strengths as performers and giving a tease of what fans tune in to see every Tuesday night as the main season airs.
A Q&A panel led by DWTS alumni and Love Island host Ariana Madix followed the show, where the series’ strongpoints were highlighted, including its ability to foster community each and every week with viewers, which sets it apart from other reality shows that don’t utilize a live viewing (and voting) model.
As for plans for season 35, Katz said they’re in the midst of working on “every single part of it.” Part of those plans were unveiled at Hulu’s Get Real House 2026, with The Traitors runner-up Maura Higgins and Summer House star Ciara Miller announced as the first two celebrities boarding the 2026 Dancing season.
Higgins previously told THR she’d love to compete on the ABC show, with Katz reiterating that sentiment. “Maura has literally manifested this. She texts me every time she’s coming to L.A. She wants to have lunch. She’s been dying to do the show, and she’s fantastic. She’s great television. She’s funny. She’s entertaining,” she says.
“[Maura] is exactly what our show is, and she’s having a moment right now, so that was a no brainer. And knowing what was going to happen with Traitors and seeing the buzz about her, she was fantastic,” Katz adds of tapping her for the show. “She’d be one of those people that Conrad is going to love that you’re not sure what she’s going to say at any moment on live television.”
Green agrees, adding, “She’s so authentic, and gorgeous and likable. I mean, likable goes a long way.”
Dancing With the Stars FYC performance.
Frank Micelotta/Disney
Bravo darling Miller “was a really of the moment” casting choice, Katz explains, referring to the ongoing Summer House scandal that has plagued her personal life. Miller’s ex-boyfriend and best friend, West Wilson and Amanda Batula, recently revealed they are now dating, creating a major scandal in the Bravosphere.
“I already knew Ciara. She was on Traitors, and she’s wonderful. She’s stunning, she’s gorgeous; she’s all these things,” Katz says. “And then the stuff that happened to her, it was a reall