When Emma Slater first learned that Savannah Bananas second baseman Jackson Olson would be sliding into the Dancing With the Stars ballroom, she was tempted to go to producers with her pitch. 

"I was thinking, 'There's a dream,'" the British pro admitted in an exclusive interview with E! News at the official season 35 cast reveal Sept. 2. However, she noted, "I would never have the balls or the confidence to go up to the producers and be like, 'Hey, I want to dance with him.'" 

But she did find herself cobbling together a game plan well before she learned they'd be teammates, telling E!, "I even found myself thinking, 'If he was my partner, this is what I would do.'" 

Still, she's calling foul on the idea that his extensive performance experience gives them an unfair advantage on their quest for the Mirrorball Trophy. 

"I love how much you love music," Slater told the athlete during their joint interview. "And I love how much you embrace the musical theater aspect and learning choreography, which is great. But dance experience? We're working on that." 

He's definitely stepped up to the plate, Slater acknowledged. 

"We're getting some quality technique in there," the pro noted. "He hasn't had that posture training and technique training, but we're getting there. And he's a quick learner." 

Olson also feels the critique that he'll be able to effortlessly knock it out of the park is a bit, well, bananas. 

"I've never put on ballroom shoes before!" he told E!. "So, it's been a transition for sure." 

Of course, he's not the only current castmate fielding criticism about his stat sheet. 

Among the takeaways fans definitively did not miss on Glee was Harry Shum Jr.'s aptitude for song and dance. And, any assessment of her character's Juilliard audition routine aside, Save the Last Dance alum Julia Stiles proved that her moves are slammin'. 

Of course, these days she's traded STEPPS—the Chicago club that ain't no square dance—for her New York City apartment. 

As she joked to E!, her three kids with husband Preston J. Cook "see me dance every day and every night in my kitchen and in my living room. They're like, 'Oh, there goes Mommy again.'" 

Even middle Hanson brother Taylor Hanson brings his ability to MMMBop to the ballroom. 

"Taylor's said it many times: Music and dance, they're so connected," partner Britt Stewart raved of the pop rocker. "So it's definitely a strength that I'm using this season." 

Agreed Hanson, "It's the strength that I have to bring to the table." 

And, yes, Jenna Dewan is well aware fans feel she won't have to, uh, step up her game all that much when she and Val Chmerkovskiy quick step onto the ballroom stage. 

"I have performed before," acknowledged the actress, who began her career as Janet Jackson's backup dancer. "I can learn choreography. But, however, ballroom is a whole different language. It's actually very, very challenging for me. And I wanted that challenge." 

Other than impressing avowed DWTS superfan Everly, her 13-year-old daughter with ex Channing Tatum, Dewan added to E!, "That was one of the biggest reasons why I wanted to come and do this. I haven't trained this hard in so many years." 

Plus, as Chmerkovskiy noted, "This isn't the first time we've had a contestant that had experience." 

Nor are they dodging the fact that she's already danced with her share of stars (see: Ricky Martin, Christina Aguilera, Pink, Missy Elliott, Justin Timberlake). 

"To do ballroom at the highest level is a huge challenge for anybody, with experience, without experience," he stressed. "And that’s the goal. It’s not to rest on our laurels, but to really step it up. No pun intended." 

Because if they don't bring that magic, he added, the fan vote is "the great equalizer in this competition."

While experienced performers like Nicole Scherzinger, Melissa Rycroft, Kaitlyn Bristowe and Charli D'Amelio have hoisted the Mirrorball Trophy, others like Glee's Heather Morris, Normani and even gymnast GOAT Simone Biles have taken their final bows much earlier. 

It takes two—the judges' scores and viewers' votes—to win at the tango. So, before the 16 couples make the whole ballroom shimmer Sept. 15, cha-cha on down to brush up on the rules of play and other series secrets. 

How Much Do the Celebrities Get Paid to Be on Dancing With the Stars?

Citing multiple sources, Variety reported in 2019 that Dancing With the Stars contestants make $125,000 for the rehearsal period and first two weeks of the show. If they progress beyond that point, the outlet continued, they earn more money each week. At the time, sources told the publication stars could earn a maximum of $295,000.

However, Bobby Bones said he made more than this when he won season 27 with Sharna Burgess in 2018.

"That show pays OK," the radio personality said on a Sept. 2025 episode of Jason Tartick's podcast Trading Secrets. "Like, first episode, no money. Second episode, $10,000. I think it's like, $10,000, $10,000, $20,000, $20,000. It ends up being $50,000 an episode if you last."

Also receiving a base salary of around $110,000, Bones continued, "I ended up making close to $400,000 from that show."

ABC has not publicly confirmed any of these figures.

What Do the Pros Get Paid on Dancing With the Stars?

Similarly, little has been shared publicly about how much the pros get paid. But as with the contestants, it seems like the longer they're on the show, the more money they can make.

But even if a pro is eliminated in the first round, they're not leaving the ballroom empty-handed.

"You're guaranteed until a certain amount of weeks," Jenna Johnson said on a June 2025 episode of Kelly Stafford and Hank Winchester's podcast The Morning After. "I think there's different contracts though. I can't speak for everybody."

Do Pros Get Paid More If They Win Dancing With the Stars?

While Johnson—who won season 26 with Olympic figure skater Adam Rippon, as well as season 33 with The Bachelor's Joey Graziadei—says the pros don't get a larger paycheck if they take home what is now called the Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy, she noted there's still an incentive to make it to the finale (besides bragging rights, of course).

"If you make it all the way to the end, you're getting paid the whole season, which is amazing, and you get a bonus on top of that for making it to the finale," she explained on The Morning After. "If you win, it's not like you win a $1 million and split it with your partner. You're just getting a cute trophy together."

Do the Troupe Members Get Paid as Much as the Pros on Dancing With the Stars?

On a 2022 episode of Trading Secrets, Lindsay Arnold recalled how her salary was cut "more than in half" when she was demoted from pro to troupe member.

How Are Pros and Celebrities Paired Together on Dancing With the Stars?

The pros get little input when it comes to being matched with a celebrity.

"You get no say," Lindsay said on a May 2025 episode of Maggie Sellers' Hot Smart Rich podcast. "It's very much just, 'Here's your partner. Make it work.'"

In fact, Jenna said the pairing is often a secret until the last minute.

"They really want to keep it a secret until you meet them live," Jenna said on The Morning After. "They want that genuine reaction. So I think people always think we know who we have and we're keeping it a secret. Absolutely not. They do not tell us. They really don't even want us to know the cast. It gets leaked a lot, but they want it very hush-hush until you walk in and meet your partner."

As for what the Dancing With the Stars team looks for when making these matches?

"It's based on height, build and personality and compatibility," former showrunner Rob Wade told E! News in 2015. "We don't pair people who aren't going to get on. It's too intense. It's not like The Bachelor or something, we couldn't do that. That would just be miserable experience for the celebrity, for us and the viewer. You don't want to see two people who don't like each other and, quite frankly, we have made that mistake pairing people up who didn't get on so well."

How Often Do the Pros and Celebrities Practice on Dancing With the Stars?

Put simply, a lot."Every day we have four-hour rehearsals," Rylee Arnold, who was partnered with Olympic gymnast Stephen Nedoroscik on season 33, shared on a September 2024 episode of the Lightweights Podcast With Joe Vulpis. "It’s either 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. or 5:00 p.m to 9:00 p.m."But the work doesn't stop once the rehearsal wraps. Rylee noted she might then meet with producers or the creative team, work on choreography or study dance videos."Literally my whole life is devoted to it," she continued, "but it's my passion and it's what I love. So, it makes me so happy."Indeed, it's a no-days-off kind of gig."We have our show day on Tuesday and then it's Wednesday to Sunday, straight rehearsals," Rylee added. "And then Monday we have camera blocking and then Tuesday's show day again."

Do the Pros Get to Pick the Songs Each Week for Their Dance With Their Celebrity Partner?

"Mostly yes," Emma Slater and Britt Stewart revealed in a September 2025 Instagram video, "though it's a collaboration with producers."

What's the Process Like for Making the Costumes for Dancing With the Stars?

If you thought the quickstep was fast, just wait until you hear about the pace of the costume department."We meet with the set and lighting designers, dancers and talent and create a story [for each pair]," costume designer Daniela Gschwendtner told TV Insider back in 2017. "Then we sketch out ideas. We have five days, max, to make all the outfits. That’s half a day per costume, not including all the rhinestones. The fitting and trimming we do later. We have about 20 people in our department and then we have a separate tailor shop. It’s a big enterprise."In fact, costume designer Steven Norman Lee said pairs usually try on their costumes for the first time just hours before showtime. And while the department "might use a pair of pants again for the boys," he continued, everything is generally made custom each week.As Gschwendtner added, "We do reuse things for group numbers or promo shoots, but not for the competition. We don’t reuse things unless there’s a specific reason to do so. We try to keep everybody fresh and new in something different every week, so it stays interesting."