A fourth celebrity will be lacing up their ballroom shoes for Dancing With the Stars season 35.
Jimmy Kimmel announced on the Wednesday, June 17, episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live! that his onscreen sidekick Guillermo Rodriguez is joining DWTS this fall.
“This September, Guillermo will become the first-ever parking lot security guard to dance with the stars,” Kimmel, 58, declared. “Don’t lose a single adorable pound! ”
Rodriguez, 55, has been working on Jimmy Kimmel Live! for 23 years, having started on the show as a security guard. His quirky chemistry with Kimmel led to an on-air role as a sidekick and red carpet interviewer.
A full list of cast members (including stars and pro dancers) is set to be unveiled on September 2 on Good Morning America, with the series premiering this fall on ABC and Disney+. A new dancer from The Next Pro, which is hosted by season 34 mirrorball winner Robert Irwin, will also be joining the series.
Wednesday’s announcement comes one month after DWTS announced that Savannah Bananas’ Jackson Olson would be joining the show. Weeks earlier, news broke that Summer House star Ciara Miller and Love Island’s Maura Higgins would be trying their hand at the competition on season 35.
Maura, for her part, already has an idea of who she wants to be by her side in the ballroom.
“The training is meant to be quite grueling,” Maura, 35, exclusively told Us Weekly in May. “That’s why I want Mark [Ballas], because maybe he might go easy on me a bit. But then I do probably need to be pushed.”
While Mark — who connected with Maura on season 4 of The Traitors, which Rob Rausch won — said he’s “not sure” if he would return for DWTS season 35, Maura has a back-up plan at the ready. (After being famously betrayed by Rob, 27, in the finale, Maura was gifted a Birkin for her troubles.)
“If it’s not Mark, I think I’d want Val [Chmerkovskiy],” Maura told Us. “I mean, to be honest, I’m OK to have anyone else. I just don’t want Gleb [Savchenko]. That’s the main thing for me.”
For Maura, not being partnered with Gleb, 42, is important to her after his on-off relationship with her friend Brooks Nader.
“It’s not even being mean. It’s just because I get on with Brooks and that’s that. I’m on Brooks’ side,” Maura told Us, as she referenced her mindset from season 4 of The Traitors. “I’m a loyalist, OK?”
Ciara, whose casting was announced amid the ongoing controversy surrounding Summer House costar and ex West Wilson’s romance with ex-BFF Amanda Batula, is set on having Val, 40, as her partner.
“I’ve been campaigning for Val,” Ciara told E! News during the May Met Gala livestream. “I don’t know if they hear me, but yeah, sending out some emails, putting my word in. We’ll see where everyone wants to place me.”
Dancing With the Stars is set to premiere this fall on ABC and Disney+. A specific date has not been announced yet.
