When Does ‘DWTS: Athletes’ Premiere

Ten athletes are preparing to sashay their way onto the stage on Dancing With the Stars: Athletes with the hope of adding the coveted Mirror Ball to their trophy collection.

The 26th season of ABC‘s Dancing With the Stars is already gearing up to be a fierce one, with the all-athletes edition slate to premiere on Monday, April 30, at 8 p.m. The shortened four-week season, which means extra work for the competitors, will feature double eliminations each week, with the season finale set to air Monday, May 21.

The cast of Dancing With the Stars: Athletes was officially announced on Good Morning America on April 13.

Among the 10 professional athletes announced were Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Johnny Damon, Mirai Nagasu, Chris Mazdzer, Josh Norman, Arike Ogunbowale, Jennie Finch, Tonya Harding, Jamie Anderson and Adam Rippon. While the athletes gear up to compete for the coveted Mirror Ball, fans are not being shy about sharing their opinions online.

The show also revealed the 10 professional dancers returning to the lineup. The group includes reigning mirror ball champion Lindsay Arnold, along with Sharna Burgess, Witney Carson, Emma Slater, Gleb Savchenko, Artem Chigvintsev, Keo Mostepe, Alan Bersten, Jenna Johnson and Sasha Farber.

Bersten recently revealed that his spot on the show was threatened after he discovered a tumor in his neck. Thankfully, doctors were able to successfully remove the tumor and Bersten is ready to put his dancing shoes back on.

Noticeably absent from the list of professional dancers were Maksim Chmerkovskiy, wife Peta Murgatroyd and brother Val Chmerkovskiy while the three are out on the CONFIDENTIAL tour, which doesn’t end until May 16, as previously reported in a PopCulture.com exclusive. Maks’ absence further fuels rumors that last season with Vanessa Lachey was his last.

Fan-favorite professional Mark Ballas is also missing from this year’s pro lineup.

The pairings for the season were also announced.

Retired NBA player Kareem Abdul-Jabbar will be partnered with pro Lindsay Arnold; MLB player Johnny Damon will dance with pro Emma Slater; Tonya Harding is heading to the ballroom with pro Sasha Farber; figure skater Mirai Nagasu is paired with pro Alan Bersten; figure skater Adam Rippon joins pro Jenna Johnson; snowboarder Jamie Anderson joins pro Artem Chigvintse; Olympic luger Chris Mazdzer will dance with pro Witney Carson; softball player Jennie Finch is paired with Keo Motsepe; NFL player Josh Norman will dance with Sharna Burgess; University of Notre Dame women’s basketball player Arike Ogunbowale will dance with Gleb Savchenko.

Hosts Tom Bergeron and Erin Andrews will also return to their roles, while Len Goodman, Carrie Ann Inaba, and Bruno Tonioli are all returning to the judges table.