The Dancing With the Stars pairing process combines production decisions, physical compatibility, personality and, in some cases, celebrity preferences before each season begins.
Season 35 of Dancing With the Stars premiered Sept. 15 with reigning mirrorball champion Witney Carson paired with Guillermo Rodriguez. Other new partnerships include Brandon Armstrong with Ciara Miller and Mark Ballas with Maura Higgins.
Ballas explained during a July 2026 appearance on Off the Vine with Kaitlyn Bristowe that Katz and Green make the pairing decisions. The process, however, involves more than simply matching a celebrity with an available professional.
At the Behind the Mirrorball panel at DWTS Con in August, Katz said the production team considers how each professional has been paired in previous seasons.
She explained that producers want viewers to see pros working with different types of contestants rather than repeatedly giving the same dancer a likely top competitor.
Katz has also said celebrities sometimes arrive with a preferred professional in mind. In a 2015 interview with Glamour, she said the production team listens to those requests but does not promise to honor them.
Higgins became one example in 2026, publicly expressing her desire to dance with Ballas after previously competing against him on The Traitors.
The production team also evaluates practical compatibility. Ballas told E! News in 2015 that height and size can help create a comfortable physical match.
He added that producers consider personality because every professional has a different teaching approach, choreography style and level of patience. Celebrity preferences can sometimes reflect circumstances outside the ballroom.
Joey Graziadei said on the Almost Famous podcast in 2024 that he requested a professional who was in a successful and healthy relationship after becoming engaged to Kelsey Anderson.
The casting process also means some interested celebrities do not make the final lineup. Hallmark actor Nikki DeLoach told attendees at the Dance Party to End ALZ that she submitted an audition tape for the current season but was not selected.
She said she hoped to compete while donating any winnings to causes connected to the event and her late father.
Other Hallmark stars offered different perspectives. Andrew Walker said he could see himself competing with the right coach, while B.J. Britt said he would not consider the show because he cannot dance.
Yan-Kay Crystal Lowe described appearing on DWTS as a dream, while Sharon Lawrence said her professional dance background could make the show’s pace particularly demanding.
Alfonso Ribeiro, speaking on Good Morning America in September 2026, credited Katz with understanding how to combine celebrities and professionals in ways that create strong partnerships.
