Dancing With the Stars has officially confirmed its third celebrity contestant for Season 35 — and longtime fans are already calling it the most chaotic casting twist the show has pulled in years. Social media exploded within minutes as viewers went “bananas” over the unexpected reveal, with many convinced this controversial fan-favorite could completely change the competition before the ballroom battle even begins.

Dancing With the Stars” made the fans’ wishes their command! The long-running competition series just announced the third competitor set to show off their dancing skills during season 35.

Jackson Olson Joins ‘Dancing With the Stars’

Beloved Savannah Bananas star Jackson Olson is officially heading to the ballroom.

“This banana is hitting the ballroom! 🍌🕺 Catch @jacksonolson_ on the new season of #DWTS, this fall on ABC, Disney+, and Hulu,” the official “Dancing With the Stars” Instagram account shared on Tuesday, May 12.

Stars walk the red carpet as 79th Cannes Film Festival opens

Olson previously hinted at his big move with a teasy TikTok video over the weekend.

“Jackson when can you share the secret you’ve been keeping from us?” the text over the video shared May 7 read.

“Don’t Worry guys i Will tell you Soon,” the caption of the video read, with fans quickly noticing the capital letters spell out “DWTS.”

Eagle-eyed fans were also quick to point out a small disco ball hiding in the background of his clip.

“Def DWTS. Tiny mirror ball in the railing and the D W T S all caps. yay! I’ll be voting for you!” one fan commented.

“Texting JACKSON to 21523 ten times now just to be safe,” another joked.

After ABC made its official announcement, Olson took to TikTok to share the news.

“Everyone…I have an announcement,” he wrote over a video set to “Popular” off the “Wicked” soundtrack.

“WELCOME TO THE FAMILYYYYY,” pro dancer Ezra Sosa commented.

“Home run 🪩” Val Chmerkovskiy added.

“WOOOOOOOO,” Rylee Arnold wrote.

Olson joins previously announced stars from “The Traitors” and “Love Island” Maura Higgins, and “Summer House” icon Ciara Miller,.

According to Deadline, the rest of the season 35 cast will be announced on September 2 on “Good Morning America.”

Fans Have Been Rallying for Jackson Olson

“Dancing With the Stars” is coming off a major revival season after exploding in popularity during season 34 with stars like Robert Irwin and Alix Earle. November’s finale was the show’s highest-rated finale in nearly a decade, Deadline reported.

After “Dancing With the Stars” legend Derek Hough and his wife, Hayley Hough, joined the Savannah Bananas for a special performance, fans quickly voiced their desire to see Olson in the ballroom.

“A performance worthy of a mirrorball trophy 😉 ” the official social media account captioned a clip of the Houghs’ visit.

“They better be calling you for DWTS real soon!! 👏🏻 👏🏻 🕺 💃🏼” one Instagram follower commented.

When asked whether he would be interested in joining the dance competition, during a December 2025 appearance on the “Ali on the Run Show” podcast, Olson played coy.

“That’s the thing I didn’t want to talk about, so we’ll see what happens with that,” he said.

When asked who his dream partner would be, however, the content creator explained, “I think I would get along with Rylee [Arnold], because I’ve seen her videos and I feel like that would work. But I don’t have a specific one. Whoever they would give me, I would be cool with.”

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