Dancing With the Stars is preparing to step back into the ballroom for Season 35 on the 2026 TV schedule, and the competition and drama are already looking tough. Several celebrity contestants for Season 35 have been announced, with many more on the way. The full cast announcement is expected to be in September, and there is no telling who will be competing and who will be paired up. What can be assumed is that the judges will once again be as strict as ever, and longtime judge Bruno Tonioli has an understandable reason for it.
Tonioli has been a judge on Dancing With the Stars since the very first season. He has seen it all, which is why he’s coming down harder on the competitors each season. It’s no secret that the judges on DWTS can be harsh and that the fans have a lot of opinions about it. That’s only because the competition in the ballroom is getting fiercer each season, as Tonioli revealed during a panel at the first-ever Dancing With the Stars Con in Palm Springs (via People):
