Meet the 2026 ‘Dancing With the Stars’ cast featuring Amber Glenn, Savannah Bananas player and more

As the fall quickly approaches, “Dancing With the Stars” is back as 16 more celebrities look to take home the Mirrorball Trophy.

Over the years, contestants on the show have ranged between variety of industries, including many contestants coming from the world of sports. Since Emmitt Smith became the first athlete to win the show all the way back in 2006, athletes have put together a successful run by competing on the ABC show.

This year, the list of contestants features a slew of reality stars, actors and athletes, all set to compete on the show for the first time. All the stars will be paired with a professional dancer as each team will try to win over America with their dances each week.

Meet the cast of “Dancing With the Stars” season 35. 

MORE: Full list of athletes to ever win Dancing With the Stars

Meet 2026 ‘Dancing With the Stars’ cast

Here’s a look at all 16 contestants on season 35 of “Dancing With the Stars.”

Ezra French

French is a 21-year-old Paralympian who participated in the 2024 Paralympic Summer games in Paris in 2024. The California native was born without most his left leg and less fingers on his left hand, then he had the rest of his left leg amputated when he was two years-old.

French participated in three events two years ago, winning gold in the high jump T63 event and the men’s 100m race while also competing in the long jump T63 event. He is most known for his success in the high jump, as he won gold at the World Para Championships in 2023

In fact, French broke the Paralympic record in 2024 with his high jump record with a final score of 1.94.

French will be the 13th disabled contestant to compete on “Dancing With the Stars,” along with being the fourth Paralympian to compete on the show. Paralympic snowboarder Amy Purdy finished in second place in season 18, Paralympic swimmer Victoria Arlen was a fifth-place finisher in season 25 and Paralympic alpine skier Danielle Umstead finished in 12th place in season 27.

Amber Glenn

Fresh off her performance at the 2026 Winter Olympic games in Milano Cortina, Amber Glenn will take her talents to “Dancing With the Stars.” Glenn was part of the United States gold-medal winning team in the team event, and she also had a fifth-place finish Women Single Skating event.

Glenn’s experience as a figure skater will seamlessly translate to this show, as Olympic figure skating has a lot of similarities to ballroom dancing. Besides the olympics, Glenn has five career medals during the U.S. Championships singles event, including three golds in 2024, 2025 and 2026.

There have been eight former Olympic figure skaters to compete in “Dancing With the Stars,” as it is very common for figure skaters to get an invite on the show. Glenn hopes to become the third figure skater to win the show outright, with a chance to join Kristi Yamaguchi and Adam Rippon.

Jackson Olson

The final athlete on this season of “Dancing With the Stars” is Jackson Olson, who is one of the stars for the Savannah Bananas baseball team. The Savanah Bananas have become popular for taking baseball and adding theatrics to it, including dance breaks, off-the-board rule changes and fan interactions.

Olson played baseball throughout his life, and he played collegiate baseball at the University of Hartford for four seasons. In his time with the Hawks, Olson was an infielder who played in 161 games, and totaled 161 hits with a .287 batting average and just four home runs.

Olson joined the Bananas in 2022 and has since become a viral sensation with over 2.2 million followers on TikTok. Olson claims that he once dreamed of being shortstop for the New York Yankees, but his career as a baseball entertainer with the Bananas is better than anything he could’ve imagined.

Athletes to win DWTS

There have been 12 different athletes to win “Dancing With the Stars,” beginning with Emmitt Smith in 2006 and most recently with Iman Shumpert in 2021. Ballroom dancing requires a level of athleticism that professional athletes certainly possess, making them the ideal targets to compete on the show.

Of all the sports, football has the most winners with four different winners, while six different Olympians have come up victorious. There has also been a winner from the NBA and a winner from race car driving.