‘Dancing With the Stars’ Super Fans Get Epic Surprise During Season 28 Cast Announcement

Three young Dancing With the Stars super fans just go the star treatment at the season 28 cast reveal on Good Morning America, where they were surprised by pros Lindsay Arnold and Val Chmerkovskiy and brought into the studio to be on live TV. GMA meteorologist and DWTS alum Ginger Zee led the group from a waiting room, down a flight of stairs and into the studio, where the three girls were shocked to find themselves under the bright lights.

There, they joined the entire DWTS cast, including host Tom Bergeron who gave them a bear hug just before Arnold handed each of the girls giant VIP tickets to the premiere of the show.

While the adorable super fans most definitely stole the show, the main event was dedicated to announcing the stars of the reality dance competition.

Without further ado, here’s who will be taking the stage during season 28: The Bachelorette Hannah Brown, Queer Eye star Karamo Brown, former NBA star Lamar Odom, actor James Van Der Beek, supermodel Christie Brinkley, country singer Lauren Alaina, former Fifth Harmony member Ally Brooke, former NFL star Ray Lewis, actress Kate Flannery, comedian Kel Mitchell, The Supremes music legend Mary Wilson, and former White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer.

Although the celebrity-pro dancer pair-ups won’t be announced until the season premiere, something new the show is doing this year, the pro dancers returning to the ballroom are Val Chmerkovskiy, Sasha Farber, Alan Bersten, Brandon Armstrong, Gleb Savchenko, Keo Motsepe, Witney Carson, Peta Murgatroyd, Lindsay Arnold, Jenna Johnson, Emma Slater and Cheryl Burke. Additionally, two new dancers will be joining: Daniella Karagach and Pasha Pashkov. Notably missing from the line-up were Artem Chigvintsev, who is currently dating his former DWTS partner, Nikki Bella, as well as reigning champion Sharna Burgess.

Season 28 comes a full calendar year after season 27’s premiere after the ABC series skipped over its spring cycle for the first time ever. The break in programming came after a controversial season 27 that saw radio personality Bobby Bones and pro partner Sharna Burgess take home the mirrorball trophy despite every other couple earning higher scores in the finals. Fans speculated whether or not the controversial season had to do with the network’s decision to skip the spring edition, as well as the network’s decision to make “format changes” for the upcoming season.

ABC entertainment president Karey Burke told reporters earlier this month that a few “tweaks” would be made to the format, bringing the art of dancing more to the forefront of the competition.

“It’s about [shifting] the focus of the show to really focus on it being a celebration of dance, and also focusing on the celebrities,” said Burke, who added that the show will “lean into its strengths” to solidify its position as “the most entertaining show on television.”

Dancing With the Stars season 28 premieres on Sept. 16, 2019 on ABC.