{"id":258669,"date":"2026-08-20T21:19:51","date_gmt":"2026-08-20T21:19:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/08\/20\/carrie-ann-inaba-says-she-doesnt-want-to-know-dwts-cast-early-reveals-dream-contestants\/"},"modified":"2026-08-20T21:19:51","modified_gmt":"2026-08-20T21:19:51","slug":"carrie-ann-inaba-says-she-doesnt-want-to-know-dwts-cast-early-reveals-dream-contestants","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/08\/20\/carrie-ann-inaba-says-she-doesnt-want-to-know-dwts-cast-early-reveals-dream-contestants\/","title":{"rendered":"Carrie Ann Inaba Says She Doesn\u2019t Want to Know \u2018DWTS\u2019 Cast Early, Reveals Dream Contestants"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Carrie Ann Inaba<\/strong><\/a> likes to find out who is competing on Dancing With the Stars<\/em><\/a> the same way the fans do, with an air of mystery leading up to the official announcement.<\/p>\n

\u201cI never know, I find out via social media,\u201d the DWTS<\/em> judge, 58, exclusively told Us<\/em> while promoting her partnership with Novartis to spread awareness of Sj\u00f6gren\u2019s disease. \u201cOf course, I used to be like, \u2018Can\u2019t you tell me?\u2019 And then I was like, you know what? It doesn\u2019t matter.\u201d<\/p>\n

Carrie Ann joked that fellow judge Derek Hough<\/strong> \u201calways seems to know who\u2019s coming\u201d but she \u201cnever\u201d does \u2014 and she prefers it that way.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think the less I know about the person, the better it is for me as a judge,\u201d she said. \u201cBecause I really just want to judge what\u2019s happening in front of us. It would be difficult if I was friends with everybody.\u201d<\/p>\n

Carrie Ann added that she has \u201ckept\u201d to herself so she can be a fair judge to all the participants.<\/p>\n

\u201cI keep myself very distanced from everybody on the field, so that I can really have the same consistent voice with everybody,\u201d she explained. \u201cI always want to make sure the playing field is level for everybody, no matter what level they\u2019re coming in at. And you know, we get people from all different backgrounds.\u201d<\/p>\n

Currently, Love Island<\/em>\u2019s Maura Higgins<\/strong>, Summer House<\/em> star Ciara Miller<\/strong>, Savannah Bananas player Jackson Olson<\/strong> and Jimmy Kimmel<\/strong>\u2019s sidekick Guillermo Rodriguez<\/strong> have been confirmed as newcomers to the cast. (Us<\/em> reported<\/a> that actress Jenna Dewan,<\/strong>\u00a0Bachelor Nation\u2019s Tyler Cameron<\/strong>, Whitney Leavitt<\/strong>\u2018s husband Conner Leavitt<\/strong> and Brooks Nader\u2019s sister Sarah Jane Nader<\/strong>\u00a0will also compete for the mirrorball, but they have yet to be officially announced.)<\/p>\n

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Carrie Ann teased that she thinks Guillermo, 55, will be the one who is going to steal \u201cthe hearts of everybody.\u201d Carrie Ann also thinks that Maura, 35, will perform well in the ballroom.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s something about her. I don\u2019t know what it is about her. I think she\u2019s going to be really, she\u2019s got this timing to her. She\u2019s almost like a comedian with her timing,\u201d she told Us<\/em>. \u201cI think that\u2019s going to be good. Plus, I feel like maybe she was hanging out with Mark<\/strong> [Ballas<\/strong>] in The Traitors<\/em>. So I wonder if Mark taught her a few moves.\u201d<\/p>\n

More contestants will be revealed during the official DWTS<\/em> season 35 cast announcement on GMA<\/em> on September 2. In the meantime, Carrie Ann revealed who she would like to see in the ballroom one day.<\/p>\n

\u201cI always say Craig Ferguson<\/strong>, but I thought about this last night. I would love to see Bowen Yang<\/strong>,\u201d she said. \u201cHe\u2019s got that musical theater background. He\u2019s so musical and he dances, and he\u2019d be fun.\u201d<\/p>\n

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