On Tuesday, May 12 at the ABC/Disney Upfronts, there were several headlines coming out of it for the upcoming 2026-2027 television and streaming season.

First, Savannah Bananas second baseman Jackson Olson will be taking some swings on the ballroom dance floor when he joins other celebrities already locked in for Dancing with the Stars season 34.

Olson will join already confirmed reality stars: Maura Higgins (The Traitors and Love Island) and Ciara Miller (Summer House). The full cast list and their pro partners will be announced on September 2nd.

Photo: SavannahBananasIG

SAVANNAH BANANAS COME TO DISNEY+

The news of Olson who has also become a social media influencer, comes out of the Disney upfront that also revealed that Disney+ will become the exclusive home of the Banana Bowl streaming live this October, hence the tie-in.

The Banana Bowl will feature the top teams in the Banana Ball league facing off for the season championship. Known for blending athleticism with entertainment, the game will include one of the biggest performances the league has ever seen, bringing together all six teams, along with its signature on-field showmanship.

NO BACHELOR FRANCHISE THIS FALL

Meanwhile, ABC revealed that a new season for the troubled The Bachelor franchise offshoots is not on the fall schedule where they usual place: The Bachelorette, The Golden Bachelor or Golden Bachelortte are no where to be found. This is the first time since the Covid-19 pandemic that there will be no Bachelor-branded series on ABC’s fall schedule.

Photo: ABC

The Bachelor will return as usual in the midseason in 2027, Grant Ellis was the lead as the man looking for love and vying for a woman’s heart in 2025.

All this, amid the turmoil surrounding Taylor Frankie Paul’s season of The Bachelorette being pulled and currently never seeing the light of day after the domestic violence surfaced with her throwing a chair towards the direction of her child, while she got into a melee with ex-boyfriend Dakota Mortensen.

Ari Goldman, SVP, Content Strategy and Scheduling said of removing The Bachelor from the new season ABC lineup, “We’ve had to take a look at just managing the franchise properly. These shows have enormous fan bases, and we were so thrilled the year that we were able to launch Golden Bachelor and have it stand out in that fall season the way that it did. But I think that the usual cadence that we like to find ourselves in is really the flagship series in midseason and then having some summer edition, which we have already locked in on Bachelor of Paradise for next season. So this is more of a return to a steady state on the franchise.”

So, what do you think about Jackson Olson from the Savannah Bananas joining the new season of Dancing with the Stars? Do you like how the show is making efforts to cast social media influencers and talents with a mass number of followers to draw eyeballs to the reality-competition series? Meanwhile, are you for or against even The Bachelor coming back in 2027, or do you think its time to rest the entire concept all of its spin-offs for good? Share your thoughts in the comment section.

The ballroom is back in a major way in news today during the Disney’s Get Real unscripted TV event. First, Dancing with the Stars has been renewed for its upcoming 35th season, that is expected to premiere this fall.

The first two celebrity contestants have been revealed. Maura Higgins from Traitors and Love Island has joined the cast as has Summer House favorite Ciara Miller.

Previously, the 34th season of Dancing with the Stars saw its largest audience in years driven by viewer interest in the younger demographics, plus the sho delivered its highest-rated finale in nearly a decade, which saw wildlife conservationist, Robert Irwin winning the Mirror Ball trophy.

Photo: ABC

It’s clear, ABC feels they have gold with Irwin, who they have tapped to host their new spinoff series coming this summer. Now comes Dancing with the Stars: The Next Pro coming to ABC and Hulu. The series will premiere July 13, 2026, at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC, with episodes available the next day on Hulu.

The new competition series which will be hosted by Irwin, features 12 up-and-coming dancers who move into one house and compete in a grueling audition process, all vying for a coveted spot as a pro dancer on Season 35 of Dancing with the Stars.

Three-time Mirrorball champion Mark Ballas and his mother, Shirley Ballas “The Queen of Latin” will serve as judges. They will be joined by lineup of returning pros who will serve as rotating mentors and guest judges. Details about the returning pros, and contestants will be announced at a later date.

The series is produced by BBC Studios. Conrad Green serves as showrunner and executive producer. Ryan O’Dowd, Krystal Whitney, Alex Cross and Jenny Groom are executive producers. Deena Katz and Quinn Lipton are co-executive producers.

Now below, check out the first look trailer for ‘Dancing with the Stars: The Next Pro.’ Then let u know, what you think of the concept? Robert Irwin as host and the OG Dancing with the Stars returning for season 35 via the comment section.

Just announced Dancing with the Stars fans, is its first foray into a full-on fan fest convention. Dancing With the Stars Con 2026 is coming this summer which will feature a plethora of pro dancer favorites,  uniting past winners, alums and a pair of well-known judges for the weekend long event.

Billed as “a celebration of all things Dancing With the Stars” the three-day convention will take place from Friday, July 31 to Sunday, August. 2 in Palm Springs, California at the Acrisure Arena. The venue has the capacity to hold 11,000 people and is located in heart of the Coachella valley near where the Coachella music fest is held every year.

Event organizers share that attendees will see live dance performances, live panels, interactive photo experiences, and exhibits which feature. mirrorball champions and fan favorites.

Photo: ABC

WHO’S APPEARING AT ‘DANCING WITH THE STARS CON’

Confirmed to attend are: long-time judges: Carrie Ann Inaba and Bruno Tonioli. Dancers: Brandon Armstrong, Lindsay Arnold, Rylee Arnold, Alan Bersten, Hailey Bills, Sharna Burgess, Witney Carson, Val Chmerkovskiy, Sasha Farber,, Jenna Johnson, Daniella Karagach, Pasha Pashkov, Jan Ravnik, Gleb Savchenko, Emma Slater, Ezra Sosa, and Britt Stewart.

Photo: ABC

The convention was “designed to celebrate the iconic television series and its passionate fan base” shared the event organizers with Entertainment Weekly. Danielle Fishel added, “There are a lot of things that we don’t even know yet. The greatest thing about the Con is that it’s going to be a celebration of all 20 years of the show.”The Con is going to be the legacy of the show – a celebration of the legacy of the show.”

HOW TO GET TICKETS

Tickets for Dancing With the Stars Con go on sale this Saturday, February 14 at 1 p.m. ET/10 a.m. PT. However, in a special promotion with Verizon, its members can access an exclusive presale beginning February. 12. Three-day early bird tickets, VIP packages, and more can be explored at at www.dwtscon.com

So, what do you think about the concept of a Dancing with the Stars massive convention with fans from around the country and the world, pro dancer, past winners and celebs and more? Is it something you would be interested in attending? Let us know via the comment section below.

Photo: ABC