‘DWTS’ Season 31 Stars & Pros Talk First Impressions, Diversity and More

Forget about learning the Paso doble and Argentine Tango! The celebrities who’ve signed up for Season 31 of Dancing With the Stars have already taken on one of the toughest tasks they’re going to face as they compete for mirror ball glory – sitting down with the press!

Following the cast and pro dancer reveal on Good Morning America, most of the couples chatted with the media about their expectations, apprehensions, and more (including the return of executive producer Conrad Green to the show) as they get ready to partake in the dance reality competition series. In case you hadn’t heard, DWTS is moving to streaming service Disney+ after 30 seasons on ABC. TV Insider was on the scene to get the scoop. Here’s what they had to say:

Selma Blair (Cruel Intentions) & Sasha Farber

Blair, who’s been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, on how she’s feeling:

“I’m in good health right now. My abilities are much better inside my house than when I go outside. I’m not representing everyone with MS – what I want to do is representing is finding your joy.”

Farber on being paired with Blair:

“This is so inspiring. When I met Selma two seasons ago, I said you’d be amazing on this show. We’ve only had four [dance] sessions but we’ll sit back and watch the video.”

Teresa Giudice (The Real Housewives of New Jersey) & Pasha Pashkov

Giudice on having been invited to be on DWTS before:

“I got asked right after I got home from prison. I didn’t want to leave my kids [so soon]. Years later, it’s come around again so it was meant to be. I watched this show when my Dad was with me so, he’s looking down on me now. Today’s his birthday so this was really meant to be.”

Pashkov on not appearing on TRHONJ as the show is not in production:

“How do I feel that it’s done filming? [Smiling] Not happy.”

Cheryl Ladd (Charlie’s Angels) & Louie van Amstel

Van Amstel on how long he and Ladd have known each other:

“We met years ago at Jay Schwartz’s [Ladd’s publicist] birthday party. I’ve waited for this.”

Ladd on discussing doing DWTS with fellow ‘Angel’ Jaclyn Smith:

“We had a few conversations about it. I said, ‘You should be doing Dancing With the Stars. You have all that ballet and dance in your life. She said, ‘Honey. My body said no’ in that way that only she can which is so adorable. She’s excited that I’m doing it. She might be there too [in the audience]. You never know.”

Gabby Windey (The Bachelorette) & Val Chmerkovskiy

Windey on how being on DWTS will differ from appearing on The Bachelorette:

“It’ll be different. I’m lucky enough to have momentum. Now, I get to challenge myself in a different way. There’s a lot of vulnerability that comes from being [on this show]. I’m going to listen to everything that Val says!”

Chmerkovskiy on returning to DWTS without wife Jenna Johnson Chmerkovskiy, who is sitting out this season and is expecting the couple’s first child:

“I’m grateful to be back, grateful to be dancing. I actually have a partner that gives me a legit shot. She can move. [We] have all the elements. Jenna had an amazing run on the show. This was a good time for her to take a break to pursue our outside the show life goals. I’ll hold it down but she’ll be back next season.”

Chmerkovskiy on Mark Ballas’s return to the show:

“It’s great to see Mark and Louie [van Amstel] as well. I grew up competing with Mark. We’re the same age. Our careers paralleled each other. I celebrate him. We were these competitive kids and now, we’re these adults who support each other. He’s a creative genius. That motivates me to step up my game.”

Jason Lewis (Sex and the City) & Peta Murgatroyd

Lewis on why he decided to do the show:

“It was a combination of things. I perceived the show as ‘reality TV.’ This year, when the offer came, my fiancée [Liz Godwin] asked me to be a little less pig-headed. I watched an episode and was awestruck. The dancers are so talented. It’s incredibly beautifully done. I’m not a good dancer. Peta has been so kind.”

Murgatroyd on her return to the show as well as the return of Conrad Green, executive producer:

“I realized I really missed dancing. This was the best decision I made. I’m not stressing now. The constant worrying about when the second baby will come. I’m going to do what I love with a great guy. There’s no ego [with Jason]. Everything aligned. I feel great about Mark and Louie being back and also having Conrad Green back. He’s bringing the show back to its roots. I remember the height of Dancing With the Stars – Season 10 and having 23 million people watching. Conrad is the right person to bring the show back and having all these familiar faces was the right thing to do. They’re an asset to the show. It’s great.”

Shangela (RuPaul’s Drag Race) & Gleb Savchenko

Savchenko on being paired with Shangela:

“Sign me in! I’m going to live my best life. I was absolutely thrilled. I’ve never danced with a drag entertainer before. This is all about positive energy, all about love.”

Shangela on how past experiences serve as preparation for DWTS:

“I’ve been on RuPaul’s Drag Race. I’m no stranger to cameras. I get caught up in the moment. I think that’s what this show is all about. This is about performance and talent. It’s why I love the show.”

Shangela on if getting to keep the wardrobe is part of the contract:

“If it’s not then I need to make an amendment! They’re right up Shangela’s alley!”

Trevor Donovan (Hallmark Movies; Days of our Lives) & Emma Slater

Donovan on why he decided to do DWTS:

“I started an anti-bullying campaign where I visit middle schools. I encourage kids to stand up to their fears, to help raise each other up. There’s no better way than to lead by example and [do this] on a national level.”

Slater on Donovan’s strengths despite him not having any dance background:

“He’s very athletic. He’s competitive. He’s skied. He’s really strong and he knows his muscle groups. We can very much talk on a sportsman-to-sportsman level. In terms of doing lifts, the Argentine tango will be a really great dance for us.”

Charli D’Amelio (TikTok) & Mark Ballas

D’Amelio on competing against her mother and fellow contestant Heidi D’Amelio:

“I’ve never really competed against my mom in anything. We’re not really competitive with each other but we are competitive with dance. I think we’re both excited and are happy for one another. There’s that little bit of competition that will happen throughout the season.”

Ballas on what Charli needs to do to win the mirror ball:

“Oh, man, it’s still premature to tell you, like, one thing but it’s just about feeling great, getting out there and having a good time and staying connected, getting creative. I’m really looking forward to that aspect of things. That was the one thing I missed the most about the show – the creative aspect.”

Heidi D’Amelio (The D’Amelio Show) & Artem Chigvintsev

Chigvintsev on Mark Ballas being back in the ballroom and going up against Heidi’s daughter Charli:

“It’s great to have Mark back. We’ve missed his creativity. It’s been five years since Mark’s been back, which is a long time. Once we saw each other, those years disappeared. I think his dancing with Charli is a huge plus. We’ll see how it works out. Heidi and Charli are a little competitive and when I say a little, I mean a lot.”

Heidi’s response to Charli saying that they’re actually not competitive within the family:

“I will say we joke around competitively. But we are…it’s a problem. But it’s all in good fun. We each want to win. I would love to see her win.”

Jordin Sparks (American Idol) & Brandon Armstrong

Sparks on DWTS’ locale:

“It’s actually really funny because I was walking through the [DWTS] studio and it’s the same one where we shot Idol. [Laughs] I’m like, I must love torturing myself in this way! But I’m really excited. I actually like that kind of feeling. I work well under pressure.”

Sparks on why she’s doing the show:

“I want to show my son that you can be brave and scared at the same time. I’m really excited to be able to show him that.”

Vinny Guadagnino (Jersey Shore) & Koko Iwasaki

Guadagnino on if his time at Chippendales helped prepare him for DWTS:

“I don’t know if I’m going to like, you know, rip the T-shirt off right off the bat. This is like ballroom style, something I’ve never done before.”

Iwasaki on Guadagnino going shirtless:

“We’ll try to incorporate a little peek-a-doo here and there at some point. I am using this to my advantage. When they least expect it!”

Daniel Durant (CODA) & Britt Stewart

Durant on if he reached out to past DWTS contestant – and fellow Oscar Winner – Marlee Matlin (Children of a Lesser God):

“Of course!  I love Marlee. We’re so close. She’s like my mom. So when I got on Dancing With the Stars, I secretly told her. She was so thrilled. We got on FaceTime right away. She started telling me, ‘You need to do this…’ I took all of her advice.”

Sam Champion (Good Morning America) & Cheryl Burke

Champion on sharing more about his personal life on DWTS:

“It’s a step because I left my business, retired, and then, I came back a little bit. I’ve checked the career level. Now, I’m working on a personal level. I had to keep this look and feel [about me] where I was safe. I wasn’t talking about who I was. I’ve always been good at weather but I’ve always been uncomfortable talking about me.”

Burke on talking about her personal life:

“As far as the divorce [from Matthew Lawrence] goes, it’s slowly getting there. With closure comes a lot of healing. I’m not even dating anyone at the moment. I’m trying to feel my feelings. It’s scary but I know that it doesn’t last very long. People think it’s oversharing…but it does help me heal.”

Champion on if he entertained being partnered with a male dance pro given the show’s doing more diverse pairings:

“I never thought about it. I’m not a dancer. I’ve never danced. I’m not sure what that would have meant in terms of dancing. Socially, it would be great. I’d embrace it. I’m happy to have the partner I have knowing she can push me in places I’ve never been.”

Burke on Conrad Green’s return to DWTS as executive producer:

“With Conrad’s influence, it will slowly go back to being a ballroom show. I’m very happy that he’s back.”

Dancing With the Stars, Season 31 Premiere, Monday, September 19, Disney+