'Dancing With the Stars' Premiere Date and Pro Dancers With Tyra Banks

It’s baaack! Dancing With the Stars premieres on Monday, September 14, for season 29 on ABC. Some of your favorite pro dancers will be returning, including last year’s winner Alan Bersten, Sharna Burgess and Val Chmerkovskiy, but there will also be a lot of changeups, too.

Tyra Banks is taking over for Tom Bergeron as host. Cohost Erin Andrews will also not be returning. The America’s Next Top Model creator, who is now an executive producer of DWTS, gushed over her new gig via Instagram in July shortly after news broke.

“I am so excited, you guys,” the America’s Got Talent judge said. “This is going to be, like, bananas. We’re going to take Dancing With the Stars to the next level. Did you think I was going to waltz on over to Dancing With the Stars and not bring you with me? Oh no, baby, we will be smizing on ABC.”

Tom took to Twitter to thank the reality competition show for his time as host. “It’s been an incredible 15-year run and the most unexpected gift of my career,” the America’s Funniest Home Videos host wrote at the time. “I’m grateful for that and for the lifelong friendships made. That said, now what am I supposed to do with all of these glitter masks?”

Erin also shared her own message on Twitter and wrote, “I will always cherish my days on that set, even if I wasn’t the best at walking in heels.”

Another exciting addition to the show will be Derek Hough. ABC teased on September 2 that he’s “coming back” but did not reveal in what capacity. The dancer, who is the brother of Julianne Hough, last appeared as a pro during season 23. However, fans are speculating he will be returning to season 29 as a judge or Tyra’s cohost.

As far as which dancers will be taking the lead, there are many familiar faces. Alan not only won the mirrorball trophy with former Bachelorette star Hannah Brown last year, but the duo was also shipped by fans from the very beginning.

“We knew people would talk and assume, especially because she was the Bachelorette, and I’m still single,” he told Us Weekly in January 2020. “So we expected it, but we didn’t really let that get into our heads.”

The pro, who dated his former partner Alexis Ren in 2018, added, “I learned after a few seasons to not mix business with pleasure.”

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That’s not to say they didn’t build a strong friendship. “She confided in me, and it really helped build our relationship, in a way,” Alan exclusively told Life & Style about the Alabama native in January 2020. “We built trust and we could really count on each other to get through these kinds of things … It was great. We really connected from that and we were able to use that in the dancing.”

There will be another Bachelorette appearing on season 29 — Kaitlyn Bristowe. Bachelor host Chris Harrison made the announcement during The Bachelor: The Greatest Seasons Ever on June 15. Will Alan continue to partner with Bachelor Nation babes? Time will tell!

Keep scrolling to see which pros will be appearing on season 29.

Artem Chigvintsev

A surprise addition! ABC revealed Artem was joining as one of the pros during the cast announcement on September 2.

“Last season, watching from the sidelines, really made me realize how much I really miss the show, miss performing live,” the Russian stud, who just had a baby boy with fiancé Nikki Bella, said on GMA. “I just can’t wait to get back. I want to dedicate this season to my little boy.”

PASHA PASHKOV

The ballroom dancer has been on the show since season 2. He actually has a connection to new pro Daniella Karagach.
The pair started dancing together in 2009, when the blonde beauty was just 15, and went on to become a seven-time U.S. 10-Dance Champion and Latin Champion. They even represented the U.S. at the 2009 World Games in Taiwan.