Ciara Miller and Maura Higgins Are Coming for the Mirrorball on Dancing With the Stars Season 35
Dancing With the Stars is turning up the heat for season 35: at Hulu’s Get Real House event on Wednesday, April 22, the streamer unveiled its first two contenders—Love Island and The Traitors alum Maura Higgins and Summer House’s Ciara Miller—set to hit the ballroom.
Two reality pros just claimed the first slots on Dancing With the Stars season 35, and the timing is spicy for at least one of them.
The reveal
Hulu rolled out the news at its Get Real House event on Wednesday, April 22: Maura Higgins (Love Island, The Traitors) and Summer House nurse-turned-Bravo star Ciara Miller are heading to the ballroom. Hulu also used the moment to confirm the show is officially renewed. Yes, Hulu announcing an ABC show that also streams on Disney+ is some neat Disney synergy in action.
The full celebrity lineup and pro pairings are still under wraps. The new season premieres this fall on ABC and Disney+, with next-day streaming on Hulu.
Ciara Miller: walking in with momentum and mess
Miller, 30, is signing on while her Summer House world is mid-chaos. She has been at the center of a brewing situation with ex West Wilson and her close friend Amanda Batula, who recently announced a separation from husband Kyle Cooke after four years of marriage. That tangle is supposed to be unpacked — timelines and all — at the Summer House season 10 reunion.
This DWTS move has been floating around fan circles for a while. Last year, Bravo rumor accounts (including @BravoandCocktails) had her pegged for season 34. Around then, she told Us Weekly she grew up dancing — ten years of ballet — and would love a shot at the show as long as the timing was right. She even had a pro in mind: Val Chmerkovskiy. In her words, she wanted a partner who would push her, no cute gimmicks, just work.
Maura Higgins: reality veteran with a designer-tinged grudge
Higgins, 35, jumped from Love Island fame to The Traitors season 4, where she made the finale but lost to Rob Rausch after he turned on her. His peace offering? A Birkin bag. Higgins joked to Us back in February that she had never even watched The Traitors before joining, but she still made it to the end, got to serve the looks, and only needed one more thing to feel like a winner.
"If I get that Birkin handbag from Rob, then for me, I have won."
What to watch next
We will get the rest of the celebrity cast and their pro partners later. Keep an eye on whether Miller lands that tough-love partner she wanted — Val or otherwise — and how much of her Summer House storyline bleeds into the pre-dance package drama. DWTS season 35 hits ABC and Disney+ this fall, with episodes available on Hulu the next day.