Getty Mark Ballas is making his return to "Dancing With the Stars" for season 31.
Mark Ballas made a surprise announcement about his “Dancing With the Stars” return during the Thursday, September 8, 2022 cast announcement on “Good Morning America.”
Ballas first joined “Dancing With the Stars” during season five of the show and was nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Choreography in 2011.
The dancer has since released multiple albums, the first of which was titled “HurtLoveBox,” which was released in March 2011. He has also starred on Broadway in his time away from the ballroom competition.
Now, it seems he may have been given a ringer ahead of the upcoming season.
Ballas is Partnered With Charli D’Amelio
As an influencer and part of the DWTS cast, Charli D’Amelio follows in the footsteps of Olivia Jade Giannulli and pop star JoJo Siwa as celebrities with large social media presences making their way into the ballroom.
Charli boasts the second-highest following on TikTok with 145.7 million followers. There, she posts dance videos as well as updates fans on her life and products that she loves. The star also joins the roster of celebrities who have dance experience. She’s been taking dance lessons since she was a young girl.
Fans think D’Amelio and Ballas have a huge chance of winning the entire competition.
“Ok, so Charli and Mark are winning this, right? Excited to have Mark back but also can’t wait to see how the rest do,” one person wrote on Reddit after the partnerships were announced.
Another person wrote, “i would be shocked if they didn’t win, they’re definitely at least going to be top 3.”
Many are going to root for D’Amelio because she was partnered with Ballas.
“I can’t believe I’m going to root for Charli, but Mark is my favorite ever and I’m so happy he’s back,” one person wrote.
Another commented, “This is how I feel. Like no hate to the girl, as far as I know she’s fine as a human, but she wouldn’t be my first choice of contestant to root for. But damn it, Mark is back and I’m all in. His choreography is always top notch and I hope she can execute because I’ve been waiting for him to come back.”
Some credit “Dancing With the Stars” judge Derek Hough with the partnership.
‘Dancing With the Stars’ Season 31 Will Feature 16 Professional Dancers
@officialdwts @JasonLewis @PetaMurgatroyd @JordinSparks @brandonkstrong @heididamelio @artemchigvintse @itsSHANGELA @Gleb_Savchenko @TrevDon @EmmaSlaterDance @JoeBaenaOfcl @DKaragach @Teresa_Giudice @PashaKovalev @GabrielaWindey @iamValC .@officialdwts pairings! #DWTS
@DanielNDurant & @BrittBStewart
@VINNYGUADAGNINO & @koko_iwasaki
The professional dancer roster was officially announced on “Good Morning America” on Thursday, September 8, 2022.
Here are the pros fans will see in the ballroom this season:
- Britt Stewart
- Cheryl Burke
- Peta Murgatroyd
- Emma Slater
- Koko Iwasaki
- Daniella Karagach
- Witney Carson
- Val Chmerkovskiy
- Alan Bersten
- Artem Chigvintsev
- Gleb Savchenko
- Louis Van Amstel
- Brandon Armstrong
- Pasha Pashkov
- Sasha Farber
- Mark Ballas
The troupe will also be making a return to the ballroom for season 31 of the show.
The troupe is made up of professional dancers who are not paired with a celebrity partner but are there to participate in and choreograph pro numbers as well as participate in the dances of other couples. They are also the understudies for professional dancers with celebrities and are ready to step up at any point in the competition if a pro is sick or injured during the season.
This year’s troupe is made up of the following dancers:
- Ezra Sosa
- Alexis Warr
- Kateryna Klishyna
- D’Angelo Castro
“Dancing With the Stars” premieres on September 19, 2022 at 8 p.m. ET only on Disney+.
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